The Orioles under new manager Buck Showalter are the '27 Yankees of teams 40 games under .500.
I sent that message - in jest - to a friend last night after the O's notched their third win in as many games for new skipper Showalter, who somehow has injected life into baseball's worst team.
Let's not get carried away. This Baltimore bunch still is an awful team with a long, long way to go to respectability. But as I've been saying all year, the cupboard is not bare, and last night's stirring 5-4 win showed why.
Rookie pitcher Jake Arrieta was sensational, carrying a perfect game into the 5th inning and a shutout into the 8th. True, the O's coughed up the lead, but in the ninth, future superstar Matt Wieters' double led to the winning run. The O's have a nice collection of young talent - let's hope Showalter is the one to mold potential into results.
I'm loving everything I've seen from him so far. At a press conference this week, Showalter intimated that too many players were too comfortable in Baltimore. "Good some of the time isn't good enough," he said. "You've got to be good all the time." Buck went on to issue a warning - a spot on the Major League roster is not a God-given right. Even if you're a highly regarded young prospect, in the end, it's produce or be on your way.
This is the kind of attitude the Orioles have been lacking since Davey Johnson left 13 years ago (it saddens me to type that. Do you realize that there is an entire generation of young fans who have never known the O's to be anything than losers?). Again, let's not get carried away. A three-game sweep of slumping L.A. does not a resurgence make. But if the O's can play these last two months the way they played Buck's first series - with pep in their step, a game plan in their heads both at bat and in the field, and with hustle and gusto, we could be in for some entertaining baseball now - and more importantly - in the future.
Photo: Buck Showalter is on pace to go 57-0 as manger of the O's this year. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images Sport)
Comments
Amen. Looking at Buck in the dugout you can see his wheels turning. He isn’t just a spectator, he is looking to win every time out. We need a savior, move over Jesus.
You are welcome for the $.002