Improbable Wins Continue for the Baltimore Orioles

Aug 3, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles teammates Andrew Miller (48) and Nick Markakis (21) celebrate after a game against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Mariners 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012 season for the Baltimore Orioles was marked by extraordinary and improbable ways of winning games. The O’s had the incredible 29-9 record in one-run games, and though their total runs scored versus runs allowed had little margin, they finished the season 24 games over .500.

The 2014 version of the Baltimore Orioles is taking on some the same character, as this is a squad that is also finding ways to win close games and battle to the end. It is the mark of a good team under good leadership.

Sunday’s 1-0 win over Seattle can be summed up in one sentence: Chris Tillman shut out the Mariners over seven innings, relievers Andrew Miller and Zach Britton did their set-up and closer jobs, and Nick Markakis gave the Orioles their margin of victory by leading off the bottom of the first inning with a long home run.

The Baltimore Orioles organization should really hire me to write daily articles for them so that players can break out of slumps and the team can accomplish each evening all of the things I wrote in the morning that they are not doing. It would work!

Yesterday’s article was entitled “Baltimore Orioles: 0-for-RISP Never Wins.” So, what do they do that very day? The O’s were 0-for-3 in RISP and won the game on Markakis’ solo shot – and it was a shot, a no-doubter.

Okay, yes, it is improbable that a baseball team can win many games when they have no hits with runners in scoring position. What is takes is a home run or two that is a solo homer or one with a runner at first, along with a strong pitching performance that compensates for little other offensive production.

In any event, the result is a win for the Orioles. It finishes the 16-game stint against the pests from the west at 10-6, certainly a good success. Coupled with a Blue Jays loss, the O’s are now 3.5 games ahead as they go to Toronto, via Washington.

Yes, today is the make-up of a previous rainout. It is not convenient to have to play a night game before flying for three with your immediate division rival. But, that is another part of the narrative for 2014; and it is a part of the story that the Orioles have managed remarkably well.