Four straight wins, two walk offs, a sweep of the Angels, four quality starts and one giant change in feeling around Oriole Park at Camden Yards. So far so good for the Orioles new Manager Buck Showalter. More importnat than the stellar play by the Orioles under Showalter’s early tenure has been the noticeable attitude change around the Yard.
For the first time this season, the Orioles have received positive national attention, and for good reason. The club has put together four solid wins in a row, fueled by four great starts from their staff. The team looks to be living up to its expectations and clicking on all cylinders under Showalter.
Tim Turkjian of ESPN said on Baseball Tonight that he felt the difference in attitude in the Orioles locker room this week. Players are being held more accountable than in the past and performing up to the level they are capable of performing.
By no stretch of the imagination should fans expect Buck’s streak to last forever and there are certainly needs on this team that need to be addressed. But the fact is that from the beginning of April, the Orioles hadn’t even played up to their talent level. They have immediately gained respect with their new managerial hire and placed a proven leader into the locker room. I’m liking this relationship already.
Buck’s ability to recruit free agents should make his hire even more valuable for the Orioles. Now they’ve got to go out and make the moves happen. In the mean time, sit back, relax and enjoy watching the talent develop under their new leader, Buck Showalter.
As #52 might say…Bottom Line, it wouldn’t be fair to measure where the Orioles are going with Showalter by counting w’s and l’s this season. The team still has a ton of holes. It would be a miracle if Showalter were to finish with a .500 record in the games he manages. I hope he has say in the offseason and goes out and gets his kind of players. If given the wherewithal, I think Buck can turn it around fairly quickly, but that’s a giant IF.
Mark- gotta agree. Probably the worse mistake under McPhail’s watch was bring Trembles back this year.