Can First-Place Baltimore Orioles Keep Winning?

Jul 3, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder

Steve Pearce

(28) hits a RBI double during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles completed a four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 5-2 win Thursday evening, completing a successful 7-4 homestand. With the Toronto loss to Oakland, the O’s are now a first-place team.

With a delayed start due to the weather, once again this season, the Orioles are faced with a difficult travel schedule to be in Boston for a 1:35 afternoon game on Friday. Who makes these schedules? More on that later.

UPDATE>>> The game today (Friday 7/4) in Boston has been postponed, with a double-header scheduled for Saturday.

The Orioles faced a last-minute change of starters as Yu Davish was pulled in preference of Scott Baker. The Rangers feared a long rain delay and thereby getting a minimal number of innings out of their ace. As it turned out, the weather was not a factor once the game got underway.

The incredible Steve Pearce was once again the offensive power for the Orioles, getting two of the team’s six doubles. Catcher Nick Hundley also contributed with a pair of two-baggers, while Nick Markakis and Ryan Flaherty had one each.

Unlike so many games earlier in the season, the Orioles made the most of their opportunities on this evening. They were 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position, while O’s pitchers held the Rangers to 0-for-8 in the same category.

The 8-9-1-2 portion of the Baltimore Orioles lineup with Flaherty, Hundley, Markakis and Pearce worked together to bunch hits, getting 10 of the 12 team hits between them.

Steve Pearce continued his torrid hitting streak by going 4-for-5 in the game – his first four-hit game ever. For the Texas series, he was 7-for-15 with two double and three homers. He knocked in a total of eight runs while scoring seven. His batting average now is .338 and Showalter told the press after the game he no longer has words to describe what is going on.

Showalter on Pearce: I’m running out of things to describe him; I’ll let you guys do it.

Wei-Yin Chen had a typically solid, though not glamorous outing. Over six innings he gave up two runs on six hits and two walks – a common sort of line for him. He allows hits and gets in trouble, but seems able to most often pitch his way out of it. This skill may serve him well as a reliever later in his career.

So will the Orioles be able to take this momentum to Boston and keep the streak going? That may be difficult, even though the Orioles have won 11 of their past 16 games. Remember, they just took four from a team who has now lost 14 of their past 16 games.