Baltimore Orioles: Good Trends in Sweep of Twins

Apr 7, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Joey Rickard (23) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

As the Baltimore Orioles have opened the 2016 season with a sweep of the Minnesota Twins, there are a number of trends that are very encouraging to see.

Of course, there is 98% of the season yet to be played, and three games might not make for a sizeable trend. And Minnesota is probably more like a middle of the pack team than a top-tiered outfit. Even so, there are at least the beginnings of some good patterns of play.

Let’s make a quick list of some of what is going well for the O’s …

Good Starting Pitching — Supposedly the great Achilles Heel of the Baltimore Orioles, so far it has been excellent. Chris Tillman looked unhittable (as we hope he will be again tonight) and Govani Gallardo had a workmanlike game on a night when he was not hitting his spots, still getting the job done with only one run for five innings.

Last night, Ubaldo Jimenez settled in and got better as the game went along, going seven innings with only one earned run. How often do we see a line for him with something like nine strikeouts and zero walks? Looking back at 2015, in 32 starts there were only four with zero walks — one of them a game he was knocked out early. And only once in the whole year did he record nine strikeouts in a game, his season high.

Shutdown Bullpen — We expect the Orioles bullpen to be very good, and indeed it has been. In 13 innings, they have given up three runs, all by Mychal Givens. Together with the starters they have registered 36 strikeouts.

And to quote the movie title, “What About BOB?” This is the Brach, O’Day, Britton back end of the pen — a name coined by Rick Dempsey. They really are going to get it done most nights.

If the Orioles are going to be a team with winning streaks that include close games, they are going to need more than one person capable of closing. And last night we saw again that Darren O’Day can be that second guy. Three consecutive strikeouts in the ninth inning will work every time. I am glad to see this established in the first series. This is beyond a “closer by committee” approach and takes nothing away from Zach being just about the very best in the business.

Working Pitchers Into Deep Counts — Another Achilles Heel of the Orioles is supposed to be high strikeouts and low OBP, and we may see some trending in that area this season. Yet is was not a problem in this first series, much the opposite. The team OBP after the three games is .345, and 23 strikeouts in 24.2 innings of offense is acceptable for sure for this lineup.

Encouraging us that this is not a fluke, but rather the result of a concerted effort is this quote from Chris Davis …

"“I think it is more a conscious effort to swing at good pitches. We know the damage this lineup can do, but we have to swing at good pitches, so I’ve been proud of the way the guys have battled.”"

Contributions Throughout The Lineup — Everybody is truly contributing. Pedro Alvarez is still looking for his first hit, though he has walked three times. Flaherty and Kim are yet to get on the field. Though Caleb Joseph went hitless last night (while scorching one ball at the right fielder), his two throw-outs of runners attempting to steal were things of beauty.

The Orioles still have three pitchers to yet get into a game. Vance Worley and Mike Wright are being saved to address the fifth starter situation, while T.J. McFarland has not yet been called upon for early, multiple innings.

Joey Rickard Is Legit — There will be inevitable hard times, but how could there be a much better start? He is now 5-for-11 with a homer and is an instant fan favorite. He only hit four home runs in the minors last year and a total of 13 in 359 minor league games. But he has a quick bat and looks clearly able to hit with some authority. We will see some more, here and there.