Since the injury, Buck Showalter has not been shy putting guys out in left. He has used Endy Chavez, Ryan Flaherty, Wilson Betemit, and Xavier Avery. The recently promoted Bill Hall can also play some outfield.

To this point, no one has really stood out from the rest of the group. Flaherty has shown a steady swing at the plate, but is still very young in the Major Leagues and is figuring it out. I see him as a solid replacement in the outfield but not an everyday starter. Betemit is obviously an infielder first, but can also play the outfield sparingly. Chavez, who was recently put on the DL, has really struggled at the plate. He is hitting just .133 on the season with one RBI. Chavez has not been able to put down the sac bunt and needs to return to his old .300 average form once he returns to be productive.

The guy who I see as the best overall replacement is Xavier Avery. Avery, a former 2^nd round pick of the O’s, has really blossomed into a nice looking prospect. The O’s drafted and signed Avery out of high school where he declined a scholarship from the University of Georgia to go pro.

Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP

Avery has progressed quite nicely through the minor leagues, hitting with a steady average in each level. Avery started slow with Norfolk but got hot before his promotion. He brings tremendous speed to the field. When he was drafted, it was obvious he needed to put on some weight, and he has nicely. Throughout his first few games Avery has demonstrated a nice approach at the plate. He ripped a double and a triple against Ivan Nova and had a great sac bunt that turned into a base hit against CC Sabathia.

The Orioles have been without a prototypical leadoff hitter all season long and Avery can provide them with that. He is a player who can get on base and steal bases. Avery is a center fielder but looked very comfortable in left in his first few outings. He has shown poise and a knack for making plays. From this point forward expect to be seeing Xavier Avery’s name on the lineup card.

Follow on Twitter: @BK_Havinitmyway

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Chen gave up two runs in the game, and they should have and could have been considered disputed. Curtis Granderson hit a shot to left field with a runner on. Oriole left fielder Xavier Avery appeared to have the ball taken away from him by – get this – a Yankee fan sitting in the stands. I guess my issue is first off why Buck Showalter didn’t come out and demand a review. Secondly, the umpiring crew themselves had to have seen what happened, or at least that there was a potential issue. Why didn’t they decide to go to instant replay on their own? This was shades of Jeffrey Maier taking the ball away from Tony Tarasco in the 1996 playoffs.

Again, in my opinion Buck Showalter should have been out there screaming. After the game he said that “we had a call where we didn’t get much cooperation.” Be that as it may, part of that might be the result of Showalter not attempting to go out there. In fairness the Orioles still won the game, and for the most part I agree with Showalter’s in-game decisions. However this does bring up an interesting point; could the Orioles have played this game under protest? That’s a concept that does still exist in major league baseball, however it’s only allowed when a manager thinks that an umpire is interpreting a rule incorrectly.  In essence, a judgement call is not “protestable.” So that means this play would have been out, right…?

…maybe not. Had Showalter demanded a replay and gotten it, the umpires could have still ruled in NY’s favor. (Showalter also said that he didn’t go out there because he knew what the answer would be. He didn’t specify if he knew they wouldn’t review it or if they would review it and not overturn it however; but that comment was interesting to me.) They could have said that in their interpretation Avery wouldn’t have caught the ball. However the fact remains that the fan reached over the fence. That’s fan interference, right? Survey says: absolutely.

In order to play a game under protest the manager must tell the crew chief he’s doing so prior to the next pitch being thrown. The umpire then records the fact that the team is playing under protest, and the manager has until noon the following day to file a formal protest with the league. They’ll review it in the league offices, and if the commissioner feels that the umpire’s interpretation was wrong he can order the game replayed from the moment of the disputed call. Here’s the thing in this case though; the Orioles won the game anyways, so had Showalter done that the protest would have been dropped. However it’s an interesting concept that isn’t seen much any longer in major league baseball.

While Adam Jones hit a solo home run in the second inning, this was a game where the O’s were able to score mostly without the long ball. The coud de grace for NY was Adam Jones scoring from third on a passed ball. Aren’t those things that normally happen to the Orioles against teams like NY? I suppose the Yankees got their little stroke of luck with the Granderson homer. The one nervous moment came in the 8th when Pedro Strop came on in relief and appeared to be a bit shaky. Strop walked the first two batters and appeared to be nowhere near the strike zone. However he was able to get Nick Swisher to ground into a fielder’s choice, and then Robinson Cano grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Orioles flew out to Kansas City after last night’s game, where they’ll be for all of a day-and-a-half or so. They play the Royals tonight at Kaufman Stadium at 8 PM (EST) with Tommy Hunter getting the start. Hunter as we know has been somewhat suspect in his last few starts, however he gets another chance tonight against a team that’s struggled at home. Oriole bats will be facing Felipe Paulino of Kansas City. The O’s will head back to Kaufman Stadium on Thursday for a 2 PM (EST) matinee, before flying to our nation’s capital to open up a three-game set with the Washington Nationals for the weekend.

The Orioles remain tied for first place with Tampa in the AL East at the moment, and they’ve just completed perhaps the most grueling part of the schedule. Over the last 15 games (where they played NY, Boston, Tampa, and Texas),  the O’s finished 9-6. Many people figured that they had a great start but that the stretch in May might be what did them in. Now on the other end of that 15 game stretch, those people appear to be wrong. Not even a botched fan interference call could do them in!

Follow me on Twitter @DomenicVadala

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May 15, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen (16) pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

A winning percentage of .600 extended over the entire season would translate to a final season record of 97-65 – surely good enough for the playoffs. The Orioles are now 23-14. Were the Orioles to win 60% of their remaining games, the final record would be 98-64.

All of this is to say that 60% is commendable – especially against the best teams in the league … especially when many roster moves are of necessity made … especially when the doubters said at the onset of this stretch that this would surely be the beginning of the end. It turns out that it is really just the end of the beginning!

The Orioles’ final question on the 15-part exam was to find a way to beat Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia. Actually, you’d expect to get double credit for getting this correct. It only counts as one win, but a win it was at 5-2. Wei-Yin Chen was simply outstanding – having the Yankees off balance all evening.

The Orioles are winning many games by doing a lot of little things well. An example this evening was Robert Andino in the bottom of the 6^th. With runners on first and second base, he hit a chopper and legged it out with his good speed to load the bases. Then, with two outs, Hardy drills a hard ground ball up the middle to Cano who bobbled it briefly. Andino’s speed and hustle beat the throw to Jeter, and the Orioles were able to add a critical 4^th tack-on run.

Extra Thoughts …

Granderson hit a 7^th inning homer that made it just barely out of the stadium in left field. Xavier Avery went up for the ball and looked to have been able to catch it were it not for fan interference – by….. (wait for it … ), yes, Yankees fans! Ugh! It was a wee flashback to Jeff Maier, who in 1996 in New York deflected a ball in the first game of the Yankees/Orioles playoff game – affecting not only the game, but the whole series.

Does it get much better than seeing Nick Swisher line into two outs, hit into a double play, and misplay a line drive over his head?  About the only thing I can think of more sweet than that would be seeing it happen to Youkilis.

It was good to hear the Orioles fans shout down the “let’s go Yankees” chants.

Strop walked the first two guys in the top of the 8^th – getting a groundout from Swisher and a double play ball from Cano …… more proof that God loves the Orioles!

I owe an apology to the umpires! Yes, I recently referred to them as “the Yankees’ willing accomplices in blue.”  Honestly, a number of close calls went more toward the Orioles than the Evil Empire tonight.

Twitter: @OSayOrioles

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