Baltimore Orioles at the All-Star Break
Baltimore's Best May be Ahead in the Second Half
Jul 14, 2009
The Baltimore Orioles record at the All-Star break stands at 40-48. It’s highly unlikely the Orioles will finish the year as an American League East contender; instead they will hope to finish above .500 for the first time since the 1997 season, and perhaps avoid a last place finish in the division.
As the Birds head into the second half of the season they have a lot to look forward to, regardless of what their record indicates. They won six of their last nine series, including a three game sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia, with a 15-12 record over the same period.
A review of the first half may provide a clue to not only the remainder of the season by also the near future seasons.
Baltimore Orioles Offense
Offensively the Orioles rank sixth in the American League in batting average at .267. Adam Jones, the Orioles lone All-Star Game participant, leads the team in average at .303 while Nick Markakis leads the team in hits with 102. Luke Scott has been on a power surge at the plate, finishing the first half of the season with a club-leading 18 home runs.
The Orioles also saw the additions of rookies Nolan Reimold and Matt Wieters to the lineup in June. While Reimold in particular has surprised everyone with nine home runs, both players are learning the intricacies and difficulties of hitting major league pitching.
Oriole hitting is fairly solid, and with the further maturation of Reimold and Wieters, in addition to a healthier Brian Roberts, who struggled the last few weeks with an upper respiratory infection, the Orioles will continue to score runs.
Baltimore Orioles Defense
Defensively the Orioles rank ninth in the American League in fielding. Cesar Itzuris and Robert Andino have provided a strong defensive tandem at shortstop. In the outfield Nick Markakis is again among the league leaders in assists and Adam Jones continues to rob opposing hitters of home runs. While no one Oriole stands out as a defensive liability, the Orioles tend to make errors at critical times, giving teams additional “outs” in an inning.
Baltimore Orioles Pitching
If the Orioles have a soft spot, one that at least for the present keeps them from being a legitimate contending team, it is pitching. Oriole pitching ranks next to last in the American League. To this point in the season the only positive surprise is right-hander Brad Bergesen, who began the season at AAA Norfolk. Bergesen is a solid 6-3 with a starter-staff best 3.54 ERA.
Unfortunately, the remainder of the Orioles starting staff has struggled all season. Jeremy Guthrie, Koji Uehera, and Rich Hill each have over ten starts, with an average ERA of 5.44.
Oriole fans are hoping help is on the way for at least the rest of the 2009 season, in the form of minor league prospect Chris Tillman, who has been solid at AAA Norfolk. As for the future, Oriole fans are hoping to see the likes of Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta over the next few seasons, both of who appear to have bright futures.
Orioles Second Half
Manager Dave Trembley and President, Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail have assembled a strong core of every day players with which to compete in the extremely difficult American League East. The continued maturation of Wieters and Reimold as everyday players, the expected contributions from Roberts, Markakis and Jones, and the possibility of adding another strong starter bode well for the team as they head into the second half of the season, and look towards the coming seasons.
