Baltimore Orioles: On Top in April

Wiping sleep from their eyes, baseball fans across the country open the sports page, take a swig of coffee, and blink to make sure that they are seeing reality.

Close your eyes all you want. At this point in the season, the standings have a way of deceiving. The Detroit Tigers will not finish in last; the Baltimore Orioles will fade from first. But that does not provide relief for the Tigers fan who feels sick or a deterrent to the hopeful Orioles fan.

Before April 2, finding something to cheer for in Baltimore was harder than the bricks that construct the warehouse beyond the right field wall. Not even baseball-starved Orioles fans could find a silver lining for the second game of the season.

With an announced attendance of 10,505, lowest since the opening of Camden Yards, the Orioles quietly started what would turn into a six-game sprint to grab possession of the best record in the Major Leagues.

As evidenced by the fact that the bullpen’s ERA sits below one and that they have committed only two errors, the Orioles have been as perfect as baseball will allow man to be. 

While the bullpen work and fielding have been notable, the most amazing thing is the batters who, apparently, have decided to do their best Frank Robinson impersonations at the plate.

Aubrey Huff, sporting a 1.067 OPS, has gone from Baltimore whipping boy to middle-of-the-order threat. Unheralded Luke Scott is molten hot and batting .500. 

The performances of these two make it easy to forget that Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Kevin Millar, and normally light-hitting Luis Hernandez are swinging to the tune of a .319 batting average.

These statistics have not been inflated through blowouts either. They have shown the ability to dig in their Oriole talons and win ballgames.

Of their six wins, they had been trailing in five of them. In one of those, the Orioles rallied for three runs in the ninth against the Seattle Mariners.

Speaking of the winning streak, Huff said, "We're playing good baseball right now, [but] I know it's early and we have a long way to go. We just have to keep being relaxed and having a good time.”

How hard could having a good time be when you are playing nearly perfect baseball?

Right now, Andy MacPhail, Chief Operating Officer of the Orioles, is the choreographer of this perfection. After announcing through a series of offseason trades that the team would be rebuilding, not even MacPhail would have believed that the rough period would only last through Opening Day. A several-year plan is in its first Spring, but somehow the Orioles even have their Minor Leaguers believing that they can rake like Ripken.

Matt Wieters, the Orioles’ first-round draft pick in 2007, began his professional career with a walk. Apparently, not hitting the ball bored him. His next two at bats, officially the first two of his professional career, resulted in home runs.

Ranked as the No. 12 prospect by Baseball America, Wieters likely won’t be in Baltimore to help the Orioles at any point this season. However, this season is shaping up to be one where Orioles fans are spoiled into thinking that anything is possible.

With the season five percent over, the Orioles have a lot more work to do to be mentioned again in the same breath as Frank Robinson and Cal Ripken, but don’t tell an Orioles fan that they shouldn’t be optimistic. Let them dream.

Just remind them not to close their eyes. It might not be long until the standings flip over.