The Baltimore Orioles are 45-48 this season which has them in last place in the American League East, 10 games behind the Red Sox. They are also 9.5 games behind the Rays for the Wild Card in the American League. Nick Markakis (.299 avg, 14 homers, 50 RBIs) and Brian Roberts (.296 avg, 62 runs scored, 27 stolen bases) have given the Orioles what they expect out of them. But, Aubrey Huff and Adam Jones have both played above expectations so far this season. Huff is known as a slow starter but he is batting .284 with 53 runs scored, 18 homers and 59 RBIs this season. Look for him to post the best numbers of his major league career in 2008 as long as he can just stay healthy. Adam Jones has not displayed the power the Orioles’ were hoping for this season but he’s still hitting the ball well. Jones is hitting .281 this year with 5 homers, 41 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Despite not hitting for good averages Luke Scott (14 homers), Kevin Millar (12 homers), Melvin Mora (11 homers) and Ramon Hernandez (8 homers) have all provided some punch in the lineup. The Orioles have a good enough offense to fight for the playoffs but the pitching will definately hurt them in the end….especially the starters.

Alex Cintron will be the new starting shortstop of the Baltimore Orioles as they have designated Freddie Bynum for assignment. Cintron has played in 19 games for the Orioles this year and he is 14 for 43 (.326 avg, .775 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. Cintron should be an all around upgrade for the Orioles as he is a better defender than Bynum and a much better hitter. Bynum has played in 34 games for the Orioles this year and he is 19 for 99 (.192 avg, .480 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

The Orioles have signed outfielder Luis Terrero, catcher Ben Davis and pitcher Ryan Bukvich to minor league contracts. Terrero played in 61 games last season for the White Sox and he was 27 for 117 (.231 avg, .724 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 5 homers, 12 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Terrero has now played in 243 games in his major league career and he is 129 for 551 (.234 avg, .675 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 14 homers, 52 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. 30-year old switch hitting Ben Davis hasn’t played in the majors since 2004 with the Mariners and White Sox. Still, he will get a shot to win the backup job in Baltimore. He has played in 486 games in his major league career and he is 358 for 1,512 (.237 avg, .672 OPS) with 168 runs scored, 38 homers and 204 RBIs. 29 year old righty reliever Ryan Bukvich pitched in 45 games last season for the White Sox and he was 1-0 with a 5.05 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. Bukvich has now pitched in 93 games in his major league career and he is 3-0 with 1 save, a 6.12 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP.

Corey Patterson was so bad in the first half of the season that he was starting to lose playing time.  Patterson has played in 36 games in the 2nd half of the year and he is 48 for 148 (.324 avg, .812 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 4 homers, 16 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  With his huge second half Patterson has made his season numbers look decent.  He has now played in 120 games this season and he is 109 for 408 (.267 avg, . 684 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 6 homers, 37 RBIs and 35 stolen bases.

The Orioles were lucky that Brian Roberts had such a good first half for the Orioles.  He hit .322 with 56 runs scored, 5 homers, 27 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.  He makes it all go for the Orioles on offense.  Miguel Tejada also had a good first half even though he didn’t hit for power.  He hit .306 with 7 homers and 41 RBIs before breaking his wrist a couple of weeks ago.  The Orioles need Tejada to get healthy soon so they can stay ahead of the Devil Rays in the standings.  Chris Gomez (.297 avg), Kevin Millar (.277 avg) and Nick Markakis (.280, 9 HR, 51 RBIs) all hit the ball well in the first half of the season also and the O’s need them all to have strong second halves.