ICYMI: Orioles Baseball Is Still Interesting

It appeared as though the Orioles gave up on the 2015 season in August. Many fans (including, probably, this one) used the phrase “mail it in.” After the disastrous stretch in which they lost 12 of 13 games, the season was effectively over. And many fans packed it in, too.

Some moved their attention to the other team in town. Others started looking at the offseason, considering the moves the Orioles should/should not make. Others simply took a break from the world of sports that can often be frustrating and heartbreaking.

If this is you, I can’t blame you.

But in case you missed it, the Orioles are still very interesting to watch. Take, for example that the team has gone 11-3 in their last fourteen games. Or that Chris Davis is surging as the season wanes, leading the majors is home runs (43), and raising his average to .264. There is also the inspired play of Manny Machado, who has driven in 77 runs and belted 30 home runs. Machado is blossoming into the player we all hoped we’d see when he first arrived in 2012.

If you’re not watching, you might have missed this:

Yup. that’s an AL pitcher, helping his own cause.

Or this:

Easy opposite field power from Crush. Sure, he’s probably not an Oriole next season, but he is incredibly fun to watch. Enjoy the last fleeting moments of a good thing.

You may have missed this:

After being so concerned whether Machado would ever be able to regain his form, after two major knee surgeries, the results appear to be in: yes. Machado is answering not just with his glove, or his bat, but with his legs. Come for the seventeen stolen bases, stay for the crazy-I-can’t-believe-Windmill-sent-him slides.

And… while we’re on the subject of Manny… if you’ve packed it in for this baseball season, you might have missed the lame “rivalry” between the Orioles and Nationals develop its first hint of heat.

Let’s get real for a second: the Orioles lose a bit of credibility here, given their “special relationship” with Jose Bautista. But having said that, you never throw at a guy’s head. I don’t care if it’s not how the game was played in the past – that has no place in Major League Baseball in 2015. Don’t you worry, though – plenty of Nationals fans defended “their guy” Papelbon, saying that Machado deserved it, because he threw a bat once in 2014.

In this space, we criticized Machado heartily for such bush league behavior. Time for Nationals fans to do the same.

Now the question becomes, will this incident remain isolated, or is there retaliation coming in today’s 4:05 makeup game in the MASN Cup finale? We can only hope that the game is clean. First, for the safety of all players involved. Secondly, because…

OK, I realize this is ridiculous, but… the Orioles aren’t totally out of the race. In case you missed it, the O’s were officially eliminated from winning the AL East. But, there’s an outside chance that all the other teams in the AL Wild Card race could be kidnapped by aliens, and the Orioles could sneak in to the playoffs. After all, the Birds are four games out – and three out in the loss column – from the Houston Astros.

Thinking that the Orioles could make the playoff is a total pipe dream. But with eleven games left, the Orioles are playing inspired baseball. The kind you wish they had found in August.

If you love baseball, don’t blink. Don’t skip out on the last 11 games of the season. You might miss something.