The Orioles weren’t expecting much out of 30-year old lefty swinging outfielder Corey Patterson when they signed him to a minor league deal. But he has really helped them this year. Patterson has played in 73 games for the O’s this year and he is 71 of 267 (.266 avg, .722 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 7 homers, 27 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Patterson is a good defensive player and he can handle any spot in the outfield. His speed has been a huge asset to the Orioles this season and he has revived his major league career after stumbling badly in 2009.

Righty starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie has been really solid in August for the Orioles. He has started 4 games this month and he is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Guthrie has now started 25 games this season for the O’s and he is 7-12 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has been attacking the strike zone with his solid stuff as he has allowed 152 hits in 161 innings pitched while only walking 42 batters. The Orioles are getting rewarded for keeping Guthrie at the trade deadline as a lot of teams wanted him.

25-year old righty swinging CF Adam Jones is quietly having a very solid year for the Orioles. He has played in 117 games for the O’s this year and he is 133 of 467 (.285 avg, .777 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 17 homers, 52 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. If Jones stays healthy the rest of the season he could set new career highs in runs scored (83), homers (19), RBIs (70) and stolen bases (10). Jones has it all as he has great power, good speed and he’s an outstanding defensive player as he will be one of the guys the team is built around in the immediate future of the O’s.

The Orioles have placed 26-year old righty reliever Jason Berken on the 15-day disabled list with fraying in the rotator cuff and a slight tear of his right labrum. Berken pitched in 41 games (0 starts) for the O’s this year and he was 3-3 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. This is a shame as Berken really pitched well for the O’s in his new role coming out of the pen. The Orioles have recalled 25-year old righty starter/reliever Rick VandenHurk to replace Berken in the pen. VandenHurk has started 3 games in AAA-ball for the O’s since coming over in the Will Ohman trade and he is 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He has now pitched in 22 games (all starts) in AAA-ball this year and he is 9-5 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. VandenHurk has the kind of stuff to excel coming out of the pen as long as he is throwing strikes.

35-year old righty Koji Uehara seems to be taking well to his new role in the bullpen for the Orioles. He has pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has whiffed 22 batters while only walking 5 in 18 2/3 innings which are some pretty darn good numbers. Uehara has the stuff to pitch late in games and the O’s might give him that chance soon due to injuries and ineffectiveness of some pitchers in the O’s pen.