Why Orioles are team to beat
— -- DETROIT -- The Baltimore Orioles have grown accustomed to being overlooked in the American League East. New York and Boston typically overwhelm them with money and tradition, and Tampa Bay has become the trendy, "cutting edge'' team in recent years with its astute trades and deft roster management. That's left the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays to fight for scraps of recognition as the unfortunate afterthoughts in the division.
The "hey, we're disrespected'' angle actually isn't a bad deal for the Baltimore players. It gives them a motivational edge and allows them to play ball unencumbered by expectations. As center fielder Adam Jones observed this weekend, "There's no pressure on us. We weren't supposed to be here. Everybody said we were supposed to finish last in our division, so we're playing with house money.''
Good luck selling that line of reasoning today. With each opponent they vanquish and obstacle they surmount, the Orioles have gone from Buck Showalter's band of second-chancers and previously unwanteds to the team to beat in the MLB postseason.
The Orioles became the first team to qualify for the playoffs when they clinched the division title on Sept. 16 at Camden Yards, and they repeated the feat by a few hours Sunday as the first team to reach the league championship series. They did it in the most impressive way possible.
After dispensing with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at Camden Yards, the Orioles traveled to Detroit and recorded a classic "statement'' victory. Bud Norris outpitched David Price by a hair, and Andrew Miller and Zach Britton emerged from the bullpen to see things through to the finish. The Orioles beat Detroit 2-1 to sweep the best-of-five series and move another step closer to their first World Series berth since 1983.
In the cramped visitor's clubhouse after the game, jubilation and a sense of purpose coalesced. Yes, the Orioles donned goggles and sprayed each other with champagne in the mode of every other team that clinches something these days. But they also projected an aura of unfinished business best expressed by catcher Caleb Joseph, a minor league lifer who stepped in and played a major role after starter Matt Wieters went down with Tommy John surgery in May.
"There's a sense of urgency for the end goal,'' Joseph said. "These [celebrations] never get old, but we just try to take care of business with what we know we do best. That's timely hitting, solid defense and our pitchers giving us a chance to win. At the end of the day, whether we have Cy Young Award winners or not, or AL MVP candidates, or batting champions, we've proven we're a good team. We like that.''
The same factors on display during Baltimore's 96-win regular season continued to play out in the division series and could bode well for the rest of the postseason. Baltimore's winning mix includes:
• Better starting pitching than people realize.
The Orioles have a few more days to wait before they take a shot at a World Series berth, and in the end it doesn't really matter if they're overlooked or the new frontrunners du jour. They just want to play more baseball.
