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| O'Daaaaaaaay, O'Day, O'Day, O'Day |
Not only are the Orioles sporting the 1970s-80s unis, not only are they winning, but they're winning with an inordinate amount of former Texas Rangers.
In fact, a number of ex-Rangers are excelling in the bigs. Despite not being on the team any longer, I really can't help but root for these guys no only because of what the might have invested themselves as a Ranger but because it shows just how much smarter GM Jon Daniels is.
Chris Davis
1B - Balitmore Orioles
I'd bet of all the ex-Rangers most fans around Dallas-Fort Worth root for Davis the hardest. He never figured it out in Texas and his departure (via trade for Koji Uehara) was bittersweet. A lot of bitter because you wondered if he'd ever figure it out and that made me feel bad. Davis is still striking out once per game (last night in his infamous relief appearance where he got the win, he struck out five times and hit into a double play), but he's hitting .299 with seven doubles and five homers.
C.J. Wilson
SP - California Angels
Ceej might be a douchebag. We might resent him for it or for leaving the Rangers or for leaving the Rangers for the Angels. However, I don't know one person that thought Wilson would fail. He has not, as of May 7. He's 4-2 in six starts with a .184 BAA and a 2.61 ERA. And he can land the team plane.
Tommy Hunter
SP - Baltimore Orioles
"Big Game" is not putting up great numbers (5.00 ERA, .283 BAA). Then again, Big Game wasn't exactly guy that was ever going to put up big numbers. He's a No. 5 starter at best. Probably best suited for the bullpen. Still, he's pitched into the sixth inning in five of his six starts and two quality starts. Like in Texas, appears that he catches a lot of the plate and requires a good defense to help turn seeing-eye singles into groundouts. He's also slimmed down a lot, which I always theorized that that's why he was always injured, especially in Spring Training.
Kam Loe
RP - Milwaukee Brewers
Ol' Kam Loe's turned into a nice little reliever. Ever since teams have stopped trying to make him a starter, his ERA by year: 3.23, 2.78, 3.50 and 2.08 (this year). Not great strikeout numbers are countered with a good groundball rate.
Joe Wieland
SP - San Diego Padres
Sadly, Wieland's big-league career hasn't jumped off the page. He's 0-4. Yet, in his five starts, he has two quality and he's gotten better and better each time out. But, tell me: If Wieland was never traded for Mike Adams, is he in the Majors right now? Probably not and probably in Triple A with Neil Ramirez and Martin Perez.
Pedro Strop
RP - Baltimore Orioles
I doubt anyone with the Rangers thought Strop was talentless. There was too many guys in front of him and, this is pure conjecture, I think Ron Washington didn't trust him (and maybe for good reason). Control was Strop's problem: He didn't have enough of it. If he misses bats, he might be OK. He's struck out 15 in 17 innings this season. He's also walked 10 but they haven't hurt him. His ERA is at 1.59 and his WHIP at 1.00.
Blake Beavan
SP - Seattle Mariners
The bad news is that his start against the Rangers has been the pinnacle of the season. The good news is that he's battling and working through things. For a guy that doesn't miss a lot of bats (13 Ks, 30 IP), he allows a lot of flyballs (just over 2:1 flyball/groundball ratio) and, thusly, a lot of home runs.
Darren O'Day
RP - Baltimore Orioles
Somewhere in O'Day's bones is the innate ability to get outs. Just needs to consistently do it and do it a lot. He has a salty 0.64 ERA in 14 innings striking out 15. A rich talent pool and home runs sunk O'Day's time with the Rangers a year ago (seven homers in 16.2 innings), but for two seasons he was borderline spectacular in relief.
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