Baltimore – Brian Roberts’ teammates could sense during spring training that he was on the verge of a breakout year. Little did they know he would take them with him, having already belted 11 home runs.
“I kid him about being a 10-10 guy,” said Steve Reed, the former Rockie whose locker sits beside Roberts’ in the Baltimore Orioles’ clubhouse. “He had never done it before, so I thought 10 homers would be a big year for him.
“I guess we set our sights too low.”
It’s easy enough to do here. After spending seven consecutive seasons shivering in the shadows of the American League East’s resident bullies, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, low expectations had become a way of life.
The O’s, who haven’t had a winning season, much less a playoff run, since 1997, find themselves breathing the rarefied air of first place in the AL East, at 28-16 heading into Tuesday, three games ahead of the world champion Red Sox and 4 1/2 games up on the Yankees.
It’s the latest the Orioles have been in first place since 1997, when they went wire-to-wire to win the division.
Pitching is the catalyst
So how have the Orioles, coming off a 78-victory season, turned things around? To paraphrase every real-estate agent in America: pitching, pitching, pitching.
“I didn’t think our starting pitching would be as good as it is,” said Reed, the Rockies’ leader in pitching appearances. “It’s been fantastic. It just seems like they’ve been slowly building on believing, and now they’re pretty darn good. Let me tell you, these guys can deal.”
A year ago, the O’s starting pitching was so unstable their setup man, B.J. Ryan, led the team with 122 strikeouts.
Left-hander Erik Bedard struck out 121 in 137-plus innings and 6-foot-7 righty Daniel Cabrera, 23, showed flashes of promise. Both have delivered this season, along with journeyman Bruce Chen, in a rotation that includes veterans Rodrigo Lopez and Sidney Ponson. Bedard (5-1, 2.08 ERA) has been the big surprise. Cabrera (3-3, 5.91) has been spectacular at times, and the 27-year-old Chen (5-2, 3.51) has been as steady as at any time in his career, which has included nine organizations.
“It’s amazing what a year can do for you,” Chen said. “I saw Cabrera and Bedard last year and thought they were two pretty good young pitchers. Then I saw them in spring training and it was like, ‘These guys are good!’ They’re two of the best young pitchers I’ve seen, and I’ve been with a few teams.”
The Orioles’ staff ERA is the best in baseball since April 21, and their starters have pitched at least seven innings and allowed one earned run or fewer an astounding 14 times.
During a recent 12-game homestand, their starters’ ERA was 2.13, an unheard-of number for Camden Yards, where the power alley in left field is an inviting 364 feet.
“This game has been about pitching for a long time,” said Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli. “We felt last year that we were going through some growing pains, but we stayed with them. Young kids, when you let them go out and pitch, when you give them the opportunity, they’ll grow up.”
It’s an eclectic bunch. Take closer Ryan. Talk about not fitting the mold. At 6-6, 260 pounds, Ryan looks more like an NFL tight end. Ryan had been a career setup man before this season, recording six saves in 336 career appearances. He has 13 this season in his first 14 chances.
A test of endurance
The question is whether the Orioles can continue their success.
“Sure, I’m surprised, especially with the Yankees and Boston in the division,” said newcomer Sammy Sosa. “Nobody thought we’d be in the position we’re in. The first thing you need to win is enthusiasm, and everybody in here is together. But we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Said Roberts: “We’ll go as far as our pitching takes us. But Boston and New York are saying the same thing. I don’t think our equation for success is any different than theirs. If we do the things we’re capable of doing and everybody stays healthy, I think we’ll be fine.”
It hasn’t been easy keeping the faith in Baltimore. Despite the presence of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, one of the first and arguably the best of baseball’s wave of retro-era parks, Baltimore had become a no-man’s land for players.
The team’s problems on the field were a reflection of an image problem throughout the industry.
Instability in the front office. A meddling owner in Peter Angelos. A lousy minor-league system. A feeling of hopelessness, what with the Yankees and Red Sox in the same division. Free agents, for the most part, have stayed away.
The past offseason, the Orioles offered big money to Richie Sexson, Carlos Delgado and Carl Pavano, only to watch them sign elsewhere. Two of the big-name free agents they were able to sign recently, shortstop Miguel Tejada and catcher Javy Lopez, agreed to terms only after encountering a buyer’s market.
Roberts keys offense
The Orioles traditionally put up healthy hitting numbers at Camden Yards – Tejada drove in a league-leading 150 runs a year ago – but Roberts, 5-9, 178, has provided a dimension from the leadoff spot that hadn’t been seen since Brady Anderson.
Roberts had 12 career home runs in 1,502 career at-bats through 2004. He provided a hint of increased power with 50 doubles last season, but no one envisioned the MVP-type season he has had. He’s among the league leaders in virtually every hitting category, leading in hitting (.378) and slugging (.667).
And to think, he wasn’t sure of a full-time job until February, when the Orioles traded Jerry Hairston to the Cubs for Sosa.
“It’s kind of a culmination of a lot of things,” Roberts said. “I’ve been improving every year, but the biggest thing is knowing I have a job. Job security is always good as long as you don’t become complacent. This is the first year I’ve been guaranteed a job, and the last thing I was going to do was take it for granted.”
Staff writer Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
