SWEEP!

I wasn’t planning on saying that word for the rest of the season, but lucky for me (and for you who get to read it and relish in it), Christmas came early and I get to say it! So….sweep, sweep, sweep! And not only just a boring, unimpressive 3-game sweep, an on-the-road FOUR game sweep. The first time since early July of last season and the first sweep and four-game winning streak since early June of this season. It’s really a great feeling. Yes, it was against the Twins who are almost as bad as the Orioles, but so are the A’s and the Orioles haven’t been able to sweep them either.

The story of the entire series has been starting pitching just proving to anyone who for some reason still doubts this that pitching is everything. In the last game, Jo-Jo Reyes was on the mound and pitched 6 innings giving up 5 hits and only one run. That means that in all 4 games, the starters each pitched a quality start (at least 6 innings and 3 earned runs or less) with them pitching even better. Each starter only gave up one run! It’s really fantastic. And even with the dominant pitching, the offense came and destroyed Minnesota’s pitchers. Yesterday, they scored 6 runs making their total for this series 24 runs to 4.

Andino was walked with the bases loaded to score the first run in the 2nd. Then Craig Tatum smacked a 2-run double in the 6th scoring Reimold and Adams to make it 3-1. Still a close game in the 7th, Mark Reynolds helped the O’s pull away by blasting a 3-run shot to left 407 feet scoring Hardy and Guerrero as well. It’s really, really awesome to see the pitching be dominant for a continued stretch as well as the offense backing them up. If only this greatness can continue into the Yankees series (which will most likely be completely postponed besides tonight’s game because of Hurricane Irene), that would be awesome. I do believe that the O’s have a chance to win tonight with Tommy Hunter (2-2, 4.95 ERA) going against A.J. Burnett (9-10, 4.96 ERA) but the offense has to be even more explosive since the Yanks just made baseball history by hitting 3 grand slams in a single game (even though Skip Bayless thinks that’s nothing to sneeze at as he made clear to us on ESPN First Take today). But, coming home after a great sweep with the momentum behind them, they have a chance (even though they don’t get much of a home-field advantage since I’m sure Camden Yards will be a sea of ugly Yankee blue).

Go O’s!