They just seem to have a way about them of bouncing back.
I mentioned it yesterday, and now the O's have improved to 29-16 following a loss with last night's 4-0 shutout of the Mariners.
On offense, all it took was a high-octane third inning. Nick Markakis hit an RBI single to score Ryan Flaherty, who has scored in 3 consecutive games.
Little used Delmon Young, batting second in the DH spot, took Nick's momentum and hit a 391 foot blast to put Baltimore up 4-0.
And that's all it took.
Baltimore's winningest pitches, Wei-Yin Chen, won his fourth straight appearance, going 8 innings on 108 pitches and 5 strikeouts. He hasn't been the most dominant at times, failing to go 7 innings in his previous 6 starts (4-2 during that span), but I guess he's been given his cue from Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman, and Bud Norris.
Buck demands quality starts at the risk of being sent to Triple-A or into a trade.
Showalter has certainly lit the fire in this second half. Despite a modest 4-3 record, his starters have been throwing their best stuff (aside from Game 2's blowout against Oakland, but that's in the past).
Cruz was taken out of the DH spot for Young and inserted in to left field, possibly in the hopes that being a more active game participant would break his hitting slump. Another dismal 1-4 performance with a strikeout has him batting under .200 after the All-Star Break.
I think he'll figure it out, but Jim Presley, the O's batting coach, needs to find the right words to motivate the nerves out him.
With 3 remaining in Seattle, a 6-4 road trip would resonate very well with the Birds and their fans.
But wouldn't a sweep and 7-3 be a nice way to come back home?
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