“It’s different, but I like it. From the fourth inning on, I’m pretty in tune with the game and know what’s going on. I’m trying to figure out the situation and just be ready,” Guerra said. “I had that routine of the sixth, seventh getting ready to go, the eighth watching, and ninth throwing. Now, from the first inning I’m stretching and moving around and getting going.”

Guerra’s blown save on May 6 was his third in a 14-game span and saw his ERA rise to 5.84. Since the demotion, Guerra has pitched 4 13 scoreless innings to lower that ERA to 4.32.

“What we’re trying to do is get his confidence built back up,” said manager Don Mattingly. “When we first started this process, we tried to get him in a game where the game wasn’t totally on the line every time he had his hands on the ball.”

Guerra has been used in increasingly challenging situations — including with the bases loaded in two straight games, on Tuesday against Arizona and Wednesday against San Diego. In each game, Guerra allowed just one of three inherited runners to score.

“In his last two outings, I’ve put him in bad spots. I’ve put him in bases-loaded jams,” Mattingly said. “If you can get out of that with one (run scoring) twice, that’s pretty good.”

Guerra has handled his demotion well and embraced his new role.

“I just look forward to coming in every game in any situation.,” Guerra said. “It does feel good to go in there and have people on, with a situation to get out of. It’s pretty rewarding.”

Guerra has impressed his manager with how he has handled it.

“He’s an important guy for us,” Mattingly said. “We’re going to need Javy to do his thing, and to me he’s on that path.”

NOTES, QUOTES
Kemp preparing for May 29 return
–CF Matt Kemp began stretching drills on Thursday, two days after receiving an injection of platelet-rich plasma to help heal his strained left hamstring. Kemp also participated in throwing drills, but he has not yet hit. Kemp is expected to return from the disabled list on May 29, the first day he is eligible.
–SS Dee Gordon, in a 12-for-65 (.185) slump, returned to the starting lineup on Thursday after sitting Wednesday against left-hander Clayton Richard. Gordon went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a sacrifice fly in the Dodgers’ 8-1 win over the Padres.
–RHP Aaron Harang pitched seven scoreless innings Thursday night against the Padres for his second straight win. Harang has allowed one run in 15 innings over his last two starts. “We’ve been working a lot mechanically and trying to get fine-tuned,” Harang said. “I feel like the last few starts have really shown the work that we have been doing.”
Harang also had an RBI single, an infield hit up the third-base line, in the seventh inning to snap an 0-for-42 skid at the plate, dating back to last season.
–2B Adam Kennedy batted fifth Thursday, the third person in four games to bat fifth for the Dodgers, who have three starters on the disabled list. Kennedy went 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 8-1 win over the Padres.
–C A.J. Ellis went 2-for-4 with a walk on Thursday and has reached base via hit or walk in a career-high 26 consecutive games. His .462 on-base percentage ranks third in the National League.
BY THE NUMBERS: 8 — Runs scored by the Dodgers in a win over the Padres on Thursday night, two more than they scored in their previous three games, all without Matt Kemp.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “He’s an important guy for us. We’re going to need Javy to do his thing, and to me he’s on that path.” — Manager Don Mattingly, on RHP Javy Guerra, who has pitched five straight scoreless outings since his demotion from the closer role.
ROSTER REPORT MEDICAL WATCH:
–3B Juan Uribe (sprained left wrist) went on the 15-day disabled list May 14. He will see a specialist during the weekend of May 18-20.
–CF Matt Kemp (strained left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 14. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection May 15 and began stretching and throwing drills May 17. He is expected to return from the disabled list on May 29, the first day he is eligible.
–INFOF Jerry Hairston Jr. (strained left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 7. He is likely to play one or two games on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Dodgers in late May.
–OF1B Juan Rivera (ruptured left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list May 9. He is expected to be out until at least late June.
–RHP Matt Guerrier (right elbow tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 19. He threw a bullpen session May 16.
–RHP Blake Hawksworth (arthroscopic right elbow surgeries in January 2012 and February 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list March 27.
–RHP Rubby De La Rosa (Tommy John surgery in August 2011) went on the 60-day disabled list March 26. View full post on Yardbarker: MLB

Well, the Red Sox clearly did. Despite the growth of the two young starters, there is still another guy waiting for his shot this season: Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Daisuke has been recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow that only allowed him to start seven games this season. Now, primarily healthy, he’s recently been rehabbing with Triple-A Pawtucket to try and make it back to Boston.

In his first rehab start, with Single-A Salem, he went four innings, allowing three runs on six hits including two home runs. His next start, then with Double-A Portland, went much smoother, as he only allowed one run in 4.2 innings and struck out seven.

His first start with Pawtucket was also very good. This time, he didn’t allow any runs in 4.2 innings while walking three and striking out four. In his fourth total start, he was pretty bad. In 5.1 innings of work, he allowed five runs, two being home runs, on seven hits. 

After that inconsistency, Boston manager Bobby Valentine told ESPNBoston.com’s Joe McDonald that Matsuzaka still isn’t ready. 

I don’t think he’s all that close to be pitching in the major leagues. He might take a big step, but not until he’s ready. It’s not the calendar that will dictate when he pitches in the major leagues.

In his most recent start, Matsuzaka struggled again. He allowed five runs (four earned) in 6.2 innings on seven hits while striking out three.

Through five rehab starts throughout the Boston minor league system, Matsuzaka is 0-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 25.1 innings. He has allowed 14 runs (13 earned) on 25 hits, six being home runs, while he has struck out 22 and walked six.

Matsuzaka reiterated Valentine’s comments after the game with reporters, through an interpreter.  

I feel the same way as Bobby. I’m not ready to pitch in the majors yet, especially after an outing like my previous outing. But if I’m able to consistently pitch like I did today, then I don’t think my return to the majors is that far away.

Matsuzaka’s rehab stint will expire on May 23. From there, Boston will either have to call him up to the majors or try to convince the Commissioner’s office that he suffered a setback and needs more time to rehab. 

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They went 12-6 last season playing against National League teams, ranking as third best in the majors and third best in franchise history. And while the franchise is only 118-132 against the NL, under manager Joe Maddon the record stands at 62-46.

Thats the good news for Rays. The bad is that they always seemed to struggle against the Braves.

Their all-time record in the series is 6-15, the worst showing theyve had against any team other than Cincinnati (1-5). Theyve only won one of their seven series with the Braves, and that was 11 years ago at Turner Field.

But this year looks about as well-matched as any between Tampa Bay and Atlanta. For starters, they sport identical records at 24-15 good for second place in the AL East for the Rays and first place in the NL East for the Braves.

And both teams are coming into the series playing well lately: the Rays have won four of their last five, the only setback coming Thursday night in their 5-3 loss to Boston in a series split; the Braves have won five of their last seven, including a series split with the Marlins.

Fridays 7:10 p.m. matchup will feature Tampa Bay ace James Shields (6-1, 3.52 ERA) against Tommy Hanson (4-3, 3.43). The big question revolves around Saturdays 4:10 p.m. contest, because the Rays have yet to announce wholl start in place of injured Jeff Niemann, who suffered a broken leg on a line drive Monday in Toronto,

The likely candidates would be call-ups from Durham: either Alex Cobb, who pitched well for the Rays last season prior to his season-ending rib surgery, or Chris Archer, who has yet to show the club what he can do at the major league level. Its also possible that former starter Wade Davis could get the call out of the bullpen, though that seems less likely because the Rays like the job hes doing there and might be hesitant to disrupt his adjustment.

In any event, the Braves will be going with Randall Delgado (2-3, 3.79), with David Price (6-2, 3.10) facing off against Tommy Hudson (2-1, 3.96) Sunday at 1:40 p.m.

Meanwhile, Maddon says he was encouraged by the performance of rookie southpaw Matt Moore on Thursday night, despite allowing a run in each of the first three innings and dropping to 1-4 for the year with a 5.20 ERA.

The reason: Moore battled through his rough start, in which he threw 68 pitches over the first three innings, and threw only 38 over his final three frames to record his first quality start since April 10. Along the way, he retired 10 straight batters and 13 of his last 14, showing the kind of poise and confidence that marked his debut late last season and in the playoffs. And he finished with eight strikeouts and one walk, though that one pushed home a run in the first.

Im happy with his progress one walk, eight punch-outs, Maddon said. I thought he finished really strong and thats definitely a game to build off of right there. I wanted him to go back out there for the sixth because he was throwing fine – actually he was throwing better than he had been. … Confidence is a big thing, and I know that he is going to sleep better. In spite of the loss, hes going to feel better about himself because he knows he commanded his pitches and had better command of his fastball.

Moore agreed: If you take into consideration how early in the game I dug a hole for us, I feel like some adjustments were made for me to start attacking more, especially at guys we were nibbling at prior.

The big disappointed for the Rays was their inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities. They left 12 runners on base, with struggling DH Luke Scott accounting for seven of those alone including six in scoring position. Hes had only one hit in his last 10 at bats with runners in scoring position, despite still leading the Rays in RBI with 27.

Some nights it doesnt want to work, Maddon said. (Scott) hit a bases-loaded bullet right at the first baseman and worked good at-bats, he just didnt have the fortuitous break tonight.

“Nevertheless, its something thats going to happen, and its something we always have to work on. We have left some runners on base and we had opportunities tonight to win that game. Again, Im really pleased with our guys. The fight was there. We had an opportunity to crawl back into that game, and we did. We had a chance to tie it up. I love that. I love that about our group. It was a tough night in a lot of ways, especially leaving guys on base like we were talking about, but I love the fight.

With nine players on the disabled list, theyll need to keep fighting tonight against a talented Braves team. The lineup features play-making centerfielder Michael Bourn, leading the club in hitting at .339 with 12 stolen bases, as well as left fielder Martin Prado (.319), future Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones, playing well (.306, five homers) despite his intention to retire at age 40 after the season, and power-hitting second baseman Dan Uggla (.277, five homers).

The Braves boast the fourth-highest batting average in the majors, .272, behind only the Rangers, Cardinals and Red Sox. Tampa Bay, by comparison, is 18th at .248.

Atlanta also has the NLs leading pitcher, Brandon Beachy (5-1, 1.33 ERA), though the Rays wont have to face him this time around. Atlantas pitching staff as a whole ranks 19th in baseball in team ERA at 4.09, well behind the 15th-place Rays at 3.69.

It should be noted that since April 21, Tampa Bays pitching staff has compiled a 2.74 ERA, the best in the majors. In that span, the Rays have gone 17-7. Their unofficial closer, Fernando Rodney, is tied for second in saves, having converted all 12 of his attempts this season (behind only Baltimores Jim Johnson, who is 13 for 13).

For what its worth, the Rays have one more piece of history on their side as they head into the series. The AL won the 2011 interleague campaign with a record of 131-121, marking the eight straight season it has prevailed over the NL.

Atlantas a very good ball club, and theyre going to present a lot of different problems, Maddon said. Were going to start studying them a lot more tonight and tomorrow. … but well be ready. View full post on Yardbarker: MLB

Some fans might not want him to return, but others do.  I’m of the opinion that we might as well bring him back if there are no other options.  And really, are there many better options out there that fit into the Yankees’ plans?

Since coming to New York and playing for the Yankees, Swisher’s career has turned around for the better.  He went from being a utility guy on the Oakland Athletics to an abysmal hitter for the Chicago White Sox to an everyday starter in right field for the Yankees.

His numbers might not show it, but he’s a better player for the Yankees than he was for those other teams.  Swisher is just having a good time in New York.  He’s a clubhouse personality that the guys can rally around when things are down.

Swisher simply fits in New York, and there’s no reason as to why he wouldn’t want to come back.  He just needs to take a “hometown discount” to stay with the team.

As for his stats, they don’t exactly wow, but they get the job done.  

He hasn’t hit 30 homers as a Yankee yet, but the good news is that he hasn’t reached 150 strikeouts again.  To the fans who say he strikes out too much, which he does, at least he’s not striking out 152 times like he did in 2006 with the Athletics.

His batting average hasn’t dropped like it did in Chicago.  Swisher also has had his highest batting average as a member of the New York Yankees.  He’s found success here in New York and there’s no reason to leave it behind.

Steinbrenner is doing the unthinkable by reducing the Yankees payroll.  “Reducing” and “Yankees payroll” haven’t been in the same sentence and in that order prior to this year.

The Yankees reducing their payroll isn’t exactly common thought.  They always seem to be adding to it—a la Rafael Soriano’s contract and Alex Rodriguez’s baby mammoth, I mean contract.

If Swisher wants to stay, and I’m sure he does, then he’ll need to take a pay cut.  He’s making over $10 million now, which would be justified if half of the Yankees’ payroll didn’t just go to A-Rod, CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter.

Why wouldn’t he want to stay anyway?  There’s that short porch in right where he can smash home runs to.  He’s also a New York personality and most fans love him here.  Those who don’t only gripe he strikes out a bit too much and that he isn’t Justin Upton or Andre Ethier.

Those fans certainly love him now since he’s leading the team in RBI.  Swisher is picking up the slack for A-Rod, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira.  If it weren’t for him, the Yankees would have to rely on Curtis Granderson, which everyone wouldn’t mind, and Raul Ibanez, which everyone would mind.

As long as Swisher takes a pay cut and the Yankees meet their payroll plans, I don’t mind Swisher coming back.

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Throughout his odyssey, Thompson had managed just one at-bat in the majors, grounding into a ninth-inning double-play as a pinch-hitter for the Kansas City Royals in April 2004.

But the lefthanded-hitting outfielder never stopped believing he could make it at baseball’s top level, even as he and his wife Teresa raised their three young children the past seven years, and even as time seemed to be running out for the 33-year-old from Reading, Pa.

And this week, the long and often uncertain road took a sudden turn out of the shadows. The Tampa Bay Rays obtained Thompson in a trade on Wednesday from the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple club in Lehigh Valley in exchange for their own Triple-A outfielder, Kyle Hudson.

Then, on Thursday night, things got interesting well before the Boston Red Sox handed the Rays a 5-3 loss and snapped their winning streak at four.

One evening after entering the game as a pinch-runner, Thompson made the first major league start of his life penciled in by manager Joe Maddon to play left field and bat ninth.

Thompson’s first plate appearance was shaky, retired on a called third strike by lefthander Felix Doubront. But one inning later, he came back up with Sean Rodriguez on second and Boston leading 3-1.

And that’s when something both routine and remarkable happened.

On a 1-0 pitch, he bounced a grounder up the middle, past fast-closing second baseman Dustin Pedroia. There it was his first major league base hit.

He even drove in Rodriguez for his first major league RBI in the process. The Tropicana Field crowd, aware of the magnitude of the moment, responded with booming cheers and a standing ovation for Thompson as he rounded first base a 90-foot trek that took 13 years to complete.

To top it off, he stole second and swiped third on a double steal before the inning ended. When he returned to the dugout, Thompson received a round of congratulations and high fives from his new teammates.

“It was great you never know how long it’s going to be or if it’ll ever come, so it’s really nice to get it out of the way in your first start,” Thompson said.

Theresa and 7-year-old son Clay were there in the stands, watching excitedly as it all unfolded. He didn’t have time to talk to her but after the game, he looked her way and waved. “She just gave me a smile from behind the dugout,” he said.

Thompson nearly added some additional fireworks before the night was through. His next at-bat in the sixth was a towering shot that sent centerfielder Marlon Byrd back to the warning track before hauling it in.

In the bottom of the eighth, with Boston leading 5-2, Thompson was back in the thick of the action. After a one-out double by Matt Joyce, he was hit by a pitch from reliever Vicente Padilla, bringing the potential tying run to the plate in Ben Zobrist.

Moments later, Thompson was forced out at second while Zobrist reached on a fielder’s choice. The rally continued, however, as B.J. Upton singled in Joyce to cut Tampa Bay’s deficit to 5-3. And following a passed ball, Zobrist and Upton moved into scoring position. But Luke Scott’s groundout to Pedroia ended the Rays’ final threat of a game in which they left 12 players on base.

Despite the loss, it was a memorable night for the newcomer, who was later presented with the glass-encased baseball from his special night.

“I really enjoyed that myself,” Maddon said. “The base hit and the ball to centerfield was well-struck, too. Two stolen bases. He did everything that had been advertised about him regarding a speed guy. He works a good at bat. I was surprised by the power, because that ball went pretty far to centerfield. He’s got a nice little back-spinning swing. It was a great night for him and his family.”

Thompson is still adjusting to the surreal change of direction in his life. On Wednesday morning, he was driving to an Allentown, Pa. elementary school to read to students when the call came from Lehigh Valley manager and Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

“He said, ‘Good game last night,’ and I said, ‘Thanks’ hoping there was more to the conversation,” Thompson recalled. “And then he told me I was coming here not only going to the Rays but to the big leagues. I almost had to pull over. And I called my wife and she almost had to pull over. It was pretty overwhelming.”

Wednesday was filled with emotion for Thompson. He was flooded with calls of support from his teammates and the coaching staff with Lehigh Valley, where he has spent most of the past five seasons as mainstay of the Ironpigs. He and his wife have maintained a home in Tampa since he was in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system seven years ago, giving him easy access to the organization’ spring and Class A home in Bradenton. And one of the highlights Wednesday was giving Clay the big news.

“His mom told him that I was with the Rays and he was like, ‘What!’ and scratching his head like, ‘How did this happen?!’ He was pretty happy.”

None of his kids have ever seen him in a big-league uniform until now. That makes what happened Thursday even sweeter.

“I love playing the game and I’ve been able to support my family doing it, and I always felt I was good enough to get back to the big leagues,” he said. “And now I’m here.”

The Rays have had their eye on the fleet, left-handed hitter for a while now, especially with the wave of injuries that have decimated their roster, with nine players on the disabled list. They liked his speed seven seasons with 40 or more stolen bases and an International League-best 48 last year at age 32.

They liked that he got on base, hitting .307 this season with a career minor-league batting average of .280. And they liked his overall profile. “His key attribute is his speed and he uses it extremely well, both offensively and defensively,” vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.

Maddon felt an instant connection with Thompson when they met. The Rays’ skipper hails from the same corner of the Keystone State in nearby Hazelton, and he spent the formative part of his own career playing and coaching in the minors.

“I know that he’s learned his lessons and I know that he really appreciates it,” Maddon said Thursday prior to the game. “I spoke to him briefly earlier and he’s outstanding. He’s just well-grounded and well-rounded.”

Maddon is especially impressed with how Thompson has maintained a high level of play for so many years especially the speed that’s allowed him to steal 442 bases since first breaking in with Toronto’s Class A Queens, N.Y. organization in 2000.

“I think you have to have the body to do it you have to have a really resilient body between the early-hour plane rides and bus rides,” he said. “And he’s still a speed guy. That’s part of it. He’s been able to retain his speed over the course of time. That’s a big part of the reason he’s so attractive, because his legs still work as well as they do.”

Thompson put his first major-league uniform on in 2004 when he made the Opening Day roster of the Royals. And during his few weeks on the roster, he mostly saw action as a pinch-runner, scoring one run with one stolen base and the ill-fated pinch-hit into a double-play against Cleveland’s Tim Laker, a catcher who pitched the ninth inning of a 15-5 Kansas City rout.

Soon after, before his next at-bat would come, Thompson was designated for assignment, returning to a life of long bus rides and baseball obscurity.

He almost made the Red Sox in 2008 but was cut at the end of spring training. It was a low moment and Thompson wondered if that was the end of the line for him, but three weeks later the Phillies contacted him. They signed him to a Double-A contract in his hometown of Reading, and then promoted him to Triple-A Lehigh, where he’s been ever since.

He’s never batted below .265 for the Ironpigs and has been above .276 five times. He even got his own bobblehead night this past April, with the club giving away figurines depicting him sliding head-first into second base to the first 3,000 fans in attendance at Coca-Cola Park.

“It’s hard playing when it’s 30 degrees in Buffalo and Rochester and everybody else is banged up, called up or traded,” he said.

But his upbeat attitude and determination to forge on has sustained him through the long ride.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been that bitter Triple-A guy, even though I’m 33,” he said. “I’ve had some good years and I still have fun playing. I just have a lot of respect for people who keep doing it. I actually I think I’m one of the older guys on this team and it’ a big league team. But I think I’m holding my own and I’ve always been one bad year from being done or one injury from being done.

“So it’s a blessing that I’ve been healthy and put up good enough numbers to keep putting a uniform on.”

And finally, for however long it lasts, a major league uniform.

NOTES: Will Rhymes, who passed out at first base Wednesday night after being struck by a fastball from Boston’s Franklin Morales, is mending fast. He awoke Thursday feeling considerably better than he expected. Though the training staff prevented him from any baseball activity Thursday, Rhymes says he thinks he can play Friday when the Braves come to town for a weekend series.

“I feel pretty good today, a little nauseous this morning and stuff but getting better and the arm actually feels pretty good,” he said.

The Texas native is currently staying at the home of his former high school baseball teammate and buddy Jeff Niemann, who suffered a broken leg Monday in Toronto when struck by a line drive. When they returned home Wednesday night, Rhymes saw the replay of fateful impact from the pitch.

“It was a little weird,” he said. ” We turned the TV on literally the pitch before it happened. I didn’t really have time to look away. I knew it hit me square. It’s hard to watch. It was loud and it just got me really square. I just couldn’t make any move to lessen the blow.”

Meanwhile, Rhymes and Niemann find themselves in the house of the walking wounded.

“We’re going to get on line and get somebody to come over there and take the hex off,” he quipped. “He’s yelling at me trying to get me to let the dog out, because he can’t get downstairs. And I’m trying to get him to carry stuff for me. It’s not a good situation.”

Rhymes said that Morrales texted him after the game to say how sorry he was about the ordeal: “I really appreciated it. I texted him back and just told him, ‘Look, it’s part of the game and I appreciate the concern but it’s just part of the game and no worries.’ “ View full post on Yardbarker: MLB

The Diamondbacks will go for their sixth straight victory in Kansas City on Friday night when they open a three-game series against a Royals team that has struggled to pick up wins at home.

It’s been more than two weeks since Arizona last won back-to-back games, and the Diamondbacks (17-22) will try to change that following a 9-7 victory over Colorado on Thursday.

Justin Upton hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, helping the Diamondbacks post their fourth victory in 15 games. He came into Thursday batting .173 over the previous 13 contests but walked three times before his homer.

“That was nice,” Upton said. “Just being able to put all my struggles aside and come up big for the team. That’s always a goal, but it’s not always that easy. When you can get it done, it definitely feels good.”

Arizona swept a three-game series in Kansas City last year to improve to 9-3 at Kauffman Stadium. Upton is 9 for 21 with five doubles in his last five games there.

With Joe Saunders (2-3, 3.43 ERA) taking the mound in the opener, the Diamondbacks appear to have a good chance of continuing their success at Kauffman Stadium.

The left-hander improved to 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA against the Royals after allowing two runs in seven innings of a 7-2 win June 21.

However, after a strong beginning to the season, Saunders has struggled in back-to-back outings.

He gave up six earned runs for a second straight start Sunday, allowing a season-high 10 hits over five innings of a 7-3 loss to San Francisco.

The Royals (15-22) are looking to get back on track after losing a pair to Baltimore this week. They had won six of seven before hosting the Orioles, who won 5-3 on Thursday.

Kansas City, which fell to 4-15 at home, had a lead in both losses. The Royals gave up two runs in the ninth of a 4-3 defeat in 15 innings Wednesday before failing to protect a 3-2 lead Thursday, allowing three runs in the seventh.

“It’s real tough because you want to defend home so bad,” center fielder Jarrod Dyson told the Royals’ official website. “It’s kind of frustrating when you know you had the game won.”

Kansas City will hand the ball to Luis Mendoza (2-2, 4.76), who is taking Danny Duffy’s spot in the rotation after Duffy was placed on the disabled list with a torn ulnar ligament in his left elbow.

Mendoza, who has never faced the Diamondbacks, pitched 5 2-3 innings in relief of Duffy against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. He gave up one run and seven hits while striking out four to earn the win.

The right-hander made four starts in April, going 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA.

Royals manager Ned Yost said slumping first baseman Eric Hosmer will likely be held out of the starting lineup for a second straight game Friday. Hosmer is batting .174 this season, going 5 for 40 against left-handers. View full post on Yardbarker: MLB

But as the 2012 big league season progresses, it is becoming more and more apparent that Orioles fans are witnessing something special.

At 25-14, the Birds boast the best record in baseball. For Orioles fans that watched the team dart out to a similar record in 1997, en route to the ALCS, life could not be better. Yet Orioles fans who watched their team disintegrate to 74-88 record after a similarly fast start in 2005 are guardedly optimistic.

However, in neither campaign did the Orioles earn a 9-6 record after enduring a brutal 15-game stretch like they did this May, that included the New York Yankees,  Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

The very fact that Baltimore escaped this meat-grinder of a schedule intact is impressive, to say the least.

Still more impressive, the Orioles have become resolute, never-say-die like road warriors this season. This is an important indicator for a ball club striving to reach the playoffs for the first time since Cal Ripken Jr. and Company’s magical run in 1997.

The Orioles are 13-5 on the road this season, which is one game better than the Texas Rangers in this category.

But it is the Orioles current seven-game road winning streak that has peaked the worries of home teams that see Baltimore on the schedule. What used to be easy victories for these teams are no more, as the Yankees, Red Sox and Kansas City Royals can attest. Each of these teams fell victim to the Orioles gritty play during this stretch.

This weekend the Orioles look forward to an exciting three game series versus another ball club that has far exceeded expectations—the Washington Nationals.

At 23-15, the Nationals are off to the best start since moving from Montreal in 2005. The team boasts an exciting young hurler in Stephen Strasburg, as well as a young phenom in 19-year-old Bryce Harper.

Combine these two budding clubs with a great ballpark that is Nationals Park, and one has the makings of a potentially great series.

As a baseball fan who loves to see new teams rise from the ashes of misery, I could not ask for anything more.

Related Articles:

Orioles Showing Signs of Being Different From Recent Past

Orioles Tough May Schedule May Dictate Club’s Course

Baltimore Orioles Survive Challenging Early May Schedule

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They are not particularly explosive offensively. They entered Thursday ranked among the bottom five teams in the National League in home runs (12th with 25), weighted on-base average (tied for 13th at .302), and slugging percentage (14th at .364). The nine-game run of futility preceding their return for this eight-game home stand ended with the Astros hitting .197.237.262 and averaging 1.8 runs per game.

What the Astros are is athletic and aggressive. Much of what unfolded in their four-run fourth inning against the Brewers on Thursday night at Minute Maid Park served as a microcosm for how they must score runs.

“We’re not the kind of team that’s going to sit around and wait for the three-run home run,” Astros right fielder Brian Bogusevic said. “We have to push the issue a little bit. And you can see that when we start doing it a little bit it snowballs and we do it a lot. It’s something that’s useful for us. It’s the way that we need to play, the way our team is made up.”

What the Astros (17-21) managed in the bottom of the fourth against Brewers right-hander Shaun Marcum proved sufficient in their 4-0 win. Half of their total came when shortstop Jed Lowrie delivered his team-leading fifth home run, a two-run blast into the right-field stands.

The latter two runs were a byproduct of assertiveness and awareness. Bogusevic parlayed a healthy lead off first base into a safe station in scoring position even with Chris Johnson grounding out to third base behind him. Bogusevic followed that attentive effort with another, scoring on a bloop single to center off the bat of catcher Chris Snyder.

“That’s something that we want to do always,” Bogusevic said. “It’s something that we talked about in spring training: playing aggressively; running the bases aggressively. Especially in that situation where Snyder is the eight hitter and you’ve got the pitcher (J.A. Happ) on deck.”

Bogusevic is swift and agile, so his romp around the bases can be credited in part to his athletic disposition. Snyder doesn’t exactly share the same physical characteristics, but his aggression allowed him to take second when the throw home from center fielder Norichika Aoki skipped by catcher Jonathan Lucroy. That heads-up display enabled Snyder to score when Jordan Schafer delivered an RBI single two batters later, with Snyder going full throttle to beat the throw from Aoki.

“It’s a young athletic team and they’ve got to learn to push it,” said Snyder, who didn’t need much prodding to gloat over his exceptional performance on the bases. “They’ve got to learn to take the extra base, and they’re capable of it. Right now, coming off the last series where the offense was a little scarce, that’s the time you have to push it. You have to press the envelope, you have to fight and take that extra base.”

The fourth inning only advanced the narrative of how this team will be defined. If the Astros can’t slug their way to success they certainly can scamper their way to available scoring opportunities. Home runs inspire oohs and aahs, but an attacking style can garner applause and plaudits.

“I think that everybody is enjoying being able to watch an aggressive ballclub; that’s what these guys have done,” Astros manager Brad Mills said. “That’s one thing we talked about, and I think Bobby Meacham’s done a good job at first base getting these guys prepared to go first and third.

“Those things are huge to be able to do that. You’d just love to see the guys being able to learn as they move on. Yeah, there’s been some mistakes on the bases, there’s no doubt. But we can learn from those mistakes and get better, and I think they have.”

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