O's in First, What's in Second, I Don't Know's in Third...

After tonight's loss to the Nats, the Orioles are still in first place, 2.5 games ahead of the second place Blue Jays, and 3.5 games ahead of the third place Yankees. So what does all this mean right now?

Machado: .269, 9 HR, 20 RBI in 58 games this season
(Credit: Associated Press)

It means they are in an excellent spot heading into the second half of the year. That being said, the Orioles are very fortunate to be where they are considering the circumstances.  Any team that makes a legitimate World Series run needs two things throughout the year: talent and luck.  The Orioles have been very fortunate to be playing in a mediocre/slightly poor AL East this season, with the Red Sox and Rays buried in the cellar. Also, their premier star from last season, Chris Davis, is batting just .205, and Manny Machado (who has been impressive as of late) has missed many games due to recovering from surgery and a 5-game suspension. On top of these struggles, the slowly improving starting pitching has been less than average at best this season, and has relied on the bullpen far too much. And OH YEAH, Matt Wieters... he's done for the year. 

If anyone had put these circumstances in front of you in March, you'd say no way they are 2.5 games ahead of the division in July.  But again, it hasn't been all bad. In fact its been mostly good. Jones and Markakis are performing at or above expectations to this point, and Nelson Cruz is having possibly the best year of his career, earning his $8 million salary two fold. Hardy, Machado, and even Schoop have proven that not much is going to get by that infield, Steve Pearce has been the missing piece at the 2 spot in the order this year, and the combination of Joseph and Hundley behind the plate has been serviceable in the absence of Wieters.

Cruz leads MLB with 28 HR and 73 RBI this season
(Credit: Baltimore Sun)

So, what should we expect the rest of the way? Much of the same really. This team isn't winning with smoke and mirrors. They are incredibly talented and many of the veterans seem to really understand the situation they are in.  They will need more contributions from the struggling stars like Davis, Tillman, Jimenez, and upcoming stars like Gausman and if possible, Bundy.  The starting rotation needs the most help, and the free agent market doesn't seem to be the place to find the pieces the O's will need to make a run at this thing. Eventually Cruz and Pearce will come back down to earth at least a little, and it will take the Chris Davis of 2013 to help fill the void.

Until then lets enjoy the ride. At the beginning of this season I predicted that nobody was going to run away with this division in the East, and I thought each team had a legitimate shot at contending for a title. Turns out that this thing may only be a 3-team race... only time will tell. That being said, the opportunity has never been better for the O's to strike and take hold of this surprisingly weak AL East division.