No Better Time Than Now!

The iron just heated up a notch, and the time has never been better for the Orioles to strike. Yankees' rookie phenom Masahiro Tanaka will be out a minimum of 6 weeks with a partially torn elbow ligament in his throwing arm. Tanaka is 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA this season. All other Yankees starters are combined 22-25 with a 4.56 ERA, hardly comparable numbers. Now with 4 of their original 5 starting pitchers on the DL, the Yankees will have a tough time staying relevant in the AL East, and are likely to join the Red Sox and Rays toward the bottom of the division.

Tanaka will opt not to have Tommy John surgery for now. Having
surgery would keep him out until the 2016 season. Credit: USA Today

The Blue Jays have suffered quite a bit from the injury bug as well, including the latest addition to the DL: their hottest hitter through this half of the season, Edwin Encarnacion. The Jays' slugger was placed on the 15-Day DL with a quadriceps strain, and without him in their lineup the Jays' offense becomes very lackluster. 

Showalter's Orioles host the Yankees for three games after taking
two of three from local rival Washington.

Which leads us to the Orioles, and the perfect note to build upon my last post. THE IRON HAS NEVER BEEN HOTTER, and it's time for the O's to strike. With the win against the Nationals, the Yankees losing yet again, and the Jays being off, the Birds have opened up a 3 game lead in the AL East. The Yankees come limping into Camden Yards for the first time this season beginning a 3-game series heading into the break. If the Orioles can take care of business and kick the Yankees while they are down, they could potentially take a 4-5 games lead into the All-Star break. Think about THAT O's fans! 

One thing that must change is the O's record against winning teams. The O's have feasted upon the weak AL teams this year, going 30-19 against AL teams under .500. On the other hand, Baltimore is 14-18 against AL teams above .500, including a pitiful 2-7 against the other two AL division leaders, Detroit and Oakland. Point is the O's can certainly make a playoff run playing the way they are, but if they do not start beating good teams consistently, it may be a quit exit from the postseason. For now, bring on the Yankees.