SAN DIEGO — Two weeks ago at Fenway Park, in a game between the best teams in the American League East, a remarkable event occurred.
A Baltimore Oriole stole a base.
His name was Joey Rickard. It came in the sixth inning of a 5-1 victory over the Red Sox. No Oriole has stolen a base since, and why would they, when they have a lineup that has spent the first half of the 2016 season impersonating a latter-day Murderers’ Row?
Having played their own game of Home Run Derby almost nightly in 76 games, the first-place Orioles brought their long-ball show to Petco Park for two games this week in advance of the real Derby, and the All-Star Game. Adam Jones, native San Diegan, promptly hit the second pitch of the series over the right center field fence. Before the night was done, Hyun Soo Kim, the O’s No. 8 hitter, ripped a line drive over the wall in right, and Chris Davis, reigning AL home-run champ, mashed a long homer to center, running the club’s big-league leading total to 124, and pushing the Orioles’ June total to 54 — one short of the A’s record for the month.
They tied the record hours later, when Mark Trumbo hit a two-run home run Wednesday afternoon, kick-starting their 12-6 victory to sweep the series. They are on pace to belt 262 homers for the year, just two short of the Mariners’ major-league record, set in 1997.
"This is easily the most powerful lineup I’ve ever been a part of," Trumbo told USA TODAY Sports.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Trumbo, acquired from the Mariners for backup catcher Steve Clevenger, leads the majors with 23 homers. Right behind him are Davis (19) and Manny Machado (18), followed by Jones (16) and Jonathan Schoop (13).
Homers are up by 15% around the majors; the Orioles can’t take all the credit, just a healthy share of it. If their long-balling rates hold, all but Davis are heading for career-high totals. Collectively, the Orioles are scoring virtually half of their runs via the homer, a percentage exceeded only by the Mets (52%).
"We’re not sitting there playing base to base," Jones said. "We’re trying to drive the ball and hit the ball out of the park and play great defense. That’s our M.O."
And don’t think Orioles ace Chris Tillman (10-1) doesn’t appreciate it. His teammates have averaged 6.4 runs in his five June starts and well over five runs per game over his two-month, nine-game winning streak.
"I’m glad they’re on my side," Tillman said. "There’s no break in this lineup. It’s fun to come to the ballpark every day and watch them go to work."
It was just last October that the Royals rode lockdown relief pitching, aggressiveness on the bases and a put-the-ball-in-play offensive mantra to a World Series title.
The lumbering, lumber-wielding Orioles — yes, they are last in the majors with 12 stolen bases — couldn’t be more different.
"It doesn’t do a whole lot of good for our guys just to go up there and simply try to make contact," Trumbo said. "We’re trying to do some damage."
Orioles manager Buck Showalter cautions against seeking a larger truth or meaningful trend here, though.
"We’re going to play according to the skills of our players," Showalter said. "If I had some of the skills that (Royals manager) Ned (Yost) and them have in Kansas City, I’d do the same thing. There are different ways to do it. There’s not some (magic formula)."
For his part, the architect of the Orioles, GM Dan Duquette, thinks the club’s offensive success — the Orioles’ 400 runs is second only to the Red Sox in the AL — goes beyond the homers. It was Duquette who made the deal for Trumbo, who has recharged his career and brought right-handed power the same way Nelson Cruz did with his 40-home run season two years ago, and who stunned more than a few baseball people by re-signing free-agent Davis to a seven-year, $161-million deal.
In March, he gave a one-year deal to Pedro Alvarez, a defensive liability, but also a slugger who’s averaged 29 home runs per 162 games.
"We knew we had power, but we’ve improved our approach, too," Duquette said. "That’s a good reflection on team management and the work of Buck and (hitting coach) Scott Coolbaugh."
A year ago, the Orioles’ team on-base percentage was .307, just .02 from the bottom of the league. This year their on-base percentage is .334, a number that again trails only the Red Sox. It’s a striking upgrade, and no accident. Getting more guys on base has been a point of emphasis from the start of spring training. Kim has a team-leading OBP of .431, one of the reasons Duquette signed him out of Korea. Machado’s .390 OBP is a career high by a wide margin.
"We’re just battling a little more," Jones said. "From this lineup this year I’ve seen more 0-2s turn into 2-2s and 3-2s than I ever have. As opposed to 0-2, 1-2 and then a strikeout, we’re putting the ball in play, fouling balls off. Battling. Passing the baton. Making every one of the 27 outs hard. That’s just a testament to our makeup."
Lest you think the Orioles’ home runs are a byproduct of playing half their games in cozy Camden Yards, think again. They actually are averaging more homers per game on the road (1.72) than at home (1.32). They are, however, a much harder team to beat in Baltimore (31-13 vs. 16-17). With eight more games on this trip, including four against the Seattle Mariners and three against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the O’s hope to do something about that before returning home to play the Angels and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Series championship team.
By then, they figure to have pounded another dozen or more long balls. Maybe they will even steal a base along the way — not that the big leagues’ leading slugger is terribly worked up about that.
"The ultimate goal is us getting into the playoffs and doing a lot of damage," said Trumbo, on pace for a career-high 48 home runs. "That’s far bigger than anything I’m doing personally. It’s about us continuing on the pace we’re going and making something happen."
GALLERY: Walk-off wins
