Baltimore Orioles' Hot Start: Contender or Pretender?

It is May 11, 40 games into the baseball season, and shockingly enough, the team leading the American League East is the Baltimore Orioles.

Technically the team is tied with the Tampa Bay Rays. Still, the Orioles are in first place and have the second-best record in the American League.

The big question surrounding the Oriole club is whether they can keep it up.

The Orioles started off this hot seven years ago too. Led by the dynamic duo of Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada, the Orioles contended all the way to early August before plummeting down the stretch.

Seven years ago, the pitching wasn't nearly as good as the start to the year this pitching staff has had. The Orioles are eighth in all of baseball in team ERA, and that’s after giving up 36 runs in their four-game series with the Texas Rangers. (Breaking: Josh Hamilton just hit another home run.) The bullpen ERA also had been No. 1 in all of a baseball until the Rangers came to town.

Now, the Orioles as a pitching staff are licking their wounds as the Rays come to Baltimore for a three-game set.

The O’s best starter this season Jason Hammel had his start pushed back due to soreness in his knee. Hammel has been a welcome surprise for the O’s going 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 38 strikeouts. Hammel has been the most consistent starter for the Orioles; his loss for any amount of time will be felt by the rotation.

Dana Eveland will start tonight for the O’s in place of the ailing Hammel and will try to help the starting staff get back on track.

If the Orioles are going to contend they need Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta to pitch well throughout the summer.

Matusz is still struggling to find his form of 2010, when he flourished down the stretch.

Arrieta, the Opening Day starter this season, is also struggling with consistency. He was absolutely dominant on Opening Day against the Twins but hasn't recaptured that with any consistency.

Offensively the Orioles have used the long ball to cover up the other struggles at the plate.

The Orioles have belted out 50 home runs, which leads the majors, and have become the first AL team to start a game with back-to-back-to-back home runs in their game against the Rangers on Thursday.

Despite their power output, the Orioles have the second most strikeouts in the AL (250) and have an OBP of .310.

Adam Jones and Matt Wieters, two of the young guns for the Orioles, have been the most consistent batters all season long. Jones has launched nine homers and has driven in 18. Wieters, who is arguably the best catcher in baseball, is hitting .283 with seven homers and 18 runs batted in.

The Orioles are going to need contributions from Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy if they hope to hang around in the toughest division in baseball. Markakis is hitting .242 and Hardy is only hitting .238. Hardy has been hitting well, as of late, after floating around .200 for a good portion of the season.

If we get to July and August and the Orioles are still in the thick of the division race, the pitching will be the main reason why.

The Orioles fan base is foaming at the mouth for a winner, and the driving force behind a winner this season will be pitching.

Perhaps the most intriguing question facing the Orioles this summer is this: Will Orioles fans get a chance to see Dylan Bundy, the club’s top pick from a year ago? Bundy has been turning heads so far this season in the minors, and a promotion might be on the way. The Baltimore brass, however, would rather not have to see the young pitching prospect until next season.

Time will tell if the Orioles are a contender or a pretender.