the miracle O's do it again

People are probably tired of hearing me talk about the Orioles but what can I say? They are the biggest story in the American League this season.

On a night where a win would put them in a tie with the Yankees for first place, the Orioles hung on for close to 6 hours to beat the Mariners in 18 innings. Down 2-0 in the ninth, the Orioles rallied to tie the game. While the 4-5-6-7-8 batters for Baltimore went 1-35, the bullpen went 12 and 2/3 innings without allowing a run. The win gives them an amazing 14 consecutive extra-inning wins, the longest such streak in over 60 years. Add in a 27-8 record in one-run games, and 32-15 record since July 29 (Yankees are 23-23 during the same stretch), and this team has clutch written all over it. And coming from a huge Bombers fan, that is what has been missing in New York.

The O’s hung around for the first half of the year have really caught fire since the end of July. On a team with Adam Jones, Matt Weiters, and former All Stars Nate McLouth and Nick Markakis, the two players I really want to comment on are Taylor Teagarden and Manna Machado.
Backup catcher Taylor Teagarden, batting .152, only has 7 hits this year. But look at when these hits come:

Teagarden had a pinch-hit game-winning double in 18th inning Tuesday night, had 2 RBI go-ahead hit in 7th inning in last week’s 14 inning win over the Rays, homered and doubled in a tight win over the White Sox August 30, had a game winning hit in 10th inning August 5 against Tampa Bay, and in his first game of the season on July 14, he hit a walk-off home run in the 13th to beat the Detroit Tigers. Coach Buck Showalter definitely seems to know the right moment to ride the clutch TT.

We’ve all seen and heard what Mike Trout has done, but 20 year-old Manny Machado has had a similar affect on his team, the Baltimore Orioles, since he was called up in early August. Along with strong offense, he also plays outstanding defense, including this game-saving play. When Machado came up the Orioles were the worst defensive team in the American League. But despite switching from shortstop to third base, he has played stellar defense (only 2 errors) and moving Mark Reynolds to first full time has practically turned that error machine into a gold glover. Along with Teagarden, Machado’s call-up coincides pretty significantly with the Orioles late-season surge.

And speaking of Reynolds’ defense, his season offensively has really turned around since Machado arrived. 13 of his 21 home runs have come since Aug 8 and his batting average, a measly .208 at the end of July, has been .263 since.

Everybody has been writing the O’s off as a contender all year, as late as a week ago putting them behind the Tampa Rays. But with the season on the line Buck Showalter's team has risen above while the Rays stumble along. Whether the Orioles win the East or settle for a Wild Card spot, this is the best story of the baseball season and Showalter is a lock to win his third Manager of the Year award.