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How the Orioles won the AL East
The Baltimore Orioles were built to contend in 2014. It just seemed like they were built to contend in the wrong division at the wrong time.
The Boston Red Sox were coming off a World Series championship and looked just as good on paper. The New York Yankees signed Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka, and though they had obvious holes on offense, everyone expected them to be filled adequately eventually. The Toronto Blue Jays were disappointing in 2013, but a bounce back was anticipated. And the Tampa Bay Rays are always there, waiting to strike when given an opening.
Yet here the Orioles are, popping champagne bottles on Sept. 16, with 12 days remaining in the regular season. The AL East is theirs following an 8-2 victory over the second-place Blue Jays. Their ticket to the ALDS is officially punched, which barring a big letdown they will host.
They are, arguably, the best story heading into October, and here are five big reasons why they have been able to shock the baseball world.
The signing of Nelson Cruz
The Orioles drew some criticism over the winter for not being overly aggressive early in free agency. It turns out their patience paid off, as slugger Nelson Cruz fell into their laps in late February.
Teams were hesitant to pursue Cruz coming off his 50-game suspension after being linked to the Biogenesis scandal, but Baltimore was ultimately willing to forfeit a draft pick to sign him to a one-year, $8 million deal. What they ended up getting is an offensive centerpiece whose 39 home runs currently lead MLB and 103 RBIs place third. Cruz is the ultimate baseball bargain, and he's the guiding force for a team that lost Matt Wieters and Manny Machado for the season to injury, and will be without Chris Davis until deep into the postseason.
After three disappointing postseason exits in Texas, including two World Series losses, he should be plenty motivated to continue his tear.
Division dominance
Baltimore didn't rely on help from outside the division to gain an edge. It took the fight right to its rivals, posting a winning record against all four foes and a 42-23 mark overall within the division. That's the best division record in the AL and second only to the Dodgers (45-24) in MLB. The Orioles have been particularly good against the Yankees, going 11-4 with one series to play.
Buck's bullpen bears down
Baltimore's bullpen was a work in progress early, but the pieces quickly fell into place once Buck Showalter named Zach Britton his new closer in May. The 27-year-old left-hander has picked up 35 saves in 39 opportunties since. Showalter's next task was creating a bridge to Britton. Right-hander sidearmer Darren O’Day has been his key man there, retiring right-handed (.162 batting average against) and left-handed (.198) batters at an impressive clip. Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter and Brad Brach have all settled into their roles and the addition of left-hander Andrew Miller in a trade with the Red Sox may have been the final piece of the puzzle.
Steve Pearce provides stability
The Orioles were already in a good position when Machado went down with a knee injury. Still, the presence of Steve Pearce helped them transition smoothly as he took on the every day first base job in the aftermath. Fittingly, Pearce played a key role in the clincher on Tuesday, launching a three-run first-inning homer to answer Toronto's first tally. That added to career highs in home runs (18) and RBIs (44). In fact, he entered the season with 17 career homers, so he's more than doubled that total. He's also hitting a career best .294. Now, with Davis suspended through at least three games of the ALCS, Pearce will continue to be relied on as a run producer.
Kevin Gausman seizes rotation spot
As successful as the Nelson Cruz signing proved to be, it was just the opposite with Ubaldo Jimenez. The 30-year-old right-hander was inked to a four-year, $50 million deal on Feb. 17, and proceeded to struggle through April, posting a 6.59 ERA. Enter, second-year starter Kevin Gausman. Though Gausman didn't directly take Jimenez's spot, his success following his full-time callup in June made it easier for Showalter to temporarily remove Jimenez. In 18 starts this season, Gausman has allowed three runs or less in 14 of them. That includes seven scoreless innings against the Yankees in his most recent outing on Sept 12.
Ironically, Jimenez was the starter for Baltimore in the clincher on Tuesday. Still, Showalter is far more likely to call on Gausman when a postseason start is needed.
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is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
