The Baltimore Orioles have yet to commit their annual late season swan dive. They started the month of August with a 3 - 9 record, indicating they were well on their way, but finished the month at 12 - 14. Some decent pitching and a booming bat from rookie Nick Markakis led the way to the mini-surge.
Recent trips to the minors for Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen seem to have had good effect. Loewen went 3-1 in August with a 3.95 ERA after returning from Ottawa. Cabrera went 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA including a 16 scoreless inning streak that included a complete game shutout upon his return.
Rookie Nick Markakis hit .354 in August with 7 2B, 10 HR, 26 RBI and 22 Runs on 34 hits in 26 games. O's manager Sam Perlozzo is no longer attempting to "protect his rookie" in the batting order. Perlozzo moved Markakis to #2 in the order on August 16 and on August 30, moved him to #3. While his August numbers are insufficient to declare Markakis a basher, he clearly bashed for the month of August.
The O's start September on the West Coast with 3 at Oakland followed by 3 with the Angels. The O's are a bit banged up with both catchers (Hernandez and Widger) listed as day to day and centerfielder Corey Patterson on the shelf for a few days. Nevertheless, the mini-surge in August is enough to keep this O's fan interested in September.
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