Orioles’ Late-Inning Magic a Sign of a Contender
By Nate Wardle
The Baltimore Orioles just don’t quit, and that has allowed them to be in games that otherwise, they might have already lost.
Let’s look at Thursday night’s game, as an example.
I woke up with my soon-to-be two-month-old son at 1215 a.m. to feed him, to see the O’s were losing 4-0 to the Seattle Mariners.
My first thought, to be honest, was that it wasn’t good news for Chris Tillman and my fantasy team.
After that, I wondered whether the team would be able to mount yet another late-inning comeback.
The Orioles have 24 comeback wins in 2016, easily the most in Major League Baseball. In fact, in more than half of their wins, they came from behind.
The team also has scored more runs in the 7th inning (65) than any other inning.
All of this means the O’s are a team that doesn’t shy away from pressure. When the O’s are down, don’t count them out.
Which is why I tuned in Thursday night, especially after seeing Hyun Soo Kim hit a solo home run off Taijuan Walker while I was preparing my son’s bottle.
Then the 8th inning came along, with the Orioles again down four after a strange error call on a double by Nelson Cruz put him at third base, and a double play was overturned because Jonathan Schoop wasn’t on the bag.
Schoop walked, but was still on first base with two outs. Then Adam Jones singled, Kim singled in Schoop, and Manny singled in Adam.
Even as Chris Davis struck out with men on first and second, I still felt like the O’s had a run left in them in the ninth inning.
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When Mark Trumbo led off with a single, I expected the O’s to come back. It has been that kind of season. Even though the Mariners held on for a 5-3 victory, the comeback revealed that the O’s are a team that is never out of a game.
They have games where they have come back from five runs down to win already this year.
Sure, a lot of this is due to the fact that the team can hit home runs, but the improved on-base percentage, and better patience by the hitters plays an important role too. That and a shut down bullpen that often keeps the other team off the scoreboard once the starters exit.
A strong bullpen, the ability to come back, and the fact that the Orioles are never out of a game all bode well for the rest of the season, and hopefully a long playoff run.