Those Crazy Marylanders*

Is there something in the Chesapeake? 13 games into the season, who would have thought that the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals would still be leading their respective divisions. Looking at the Orioles who are 7-5, they lead the division by 0.5 games over the Toronto Blue Jays. What exactly is leading to their success? To start off the season the O's swept the Twins, but then got swept by the Yankees. The Orioles are ranked 2nd in homeruns in the American League with 20, and without any from Mark Reynolds! But Reynolds is certainly contributing to their #1 ranking in strikeouts with 100 Ks.   Offense hasn't been the Orioles biggest problem in the past few years, it's been their lack of pitching. This year they are ranked 5th in the American League in ERA with 3.65 and are leading the American League in saves with 5. Who would have thought that Jim Johnson would have 5 saves with a 0.00 ERA through 5 2/3 innings pitched? Last night the Orioles pitched got hurt by the sluggers of the Chicago White Sox, and they need to learn how to rework some pitching placement against big bats, especially with being in the AL East. With all of that falling into place, the Orioles are still 2 games over .500, and for the team and O's fans everywhere, I hope they stay there.

Even though the Orioles appear as though they are unfortunately on the decline, the Washington Nationals are just starting. The Nationals are a National League best with a 10-3 record, only behind the Texas Rangers in all of MLB. The Nats are just unstoppable. It's just amazing how much they have improved with having Stephen Strasburg back and a Jayson Werth who is actually contributing. New faces to the Nats like Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are pitching like there is no tomorrow, and old faces like Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann, and Rick Ankiel are contributing to more win games. In their last 10 games, the Nats are 8-2, only losing to the Cubs, Mets, and Reds all this season. But still leading the NL East by 2.5 games? That is something that I never thought I would see this far into the season, but the NL East is nothing of what I thought it would be as of now. In power rankings, the Nationals are ranked 12th by the professionals, and 7th by the fans, giving them a power ranking of 11th out of 15. But after losing Mike Morse to injury, and still not having pitcher Drew Storen until the All-Star break, the Nationals are working to fulfill those gaps in the lineup. As a baseball fan I love to see the Nationals succeed, but as a Phillies fan, I'll keep that opinion to myself.

*Washing D.C. I understand is not technically in Maryland