O's Dan Duquette on a Britton time frame, pitching depth and more

A picture is emerging of the 2017 Orioles as a team that is playing .667 baseball at 20-10, even with a few things that have not gone nearly as expected during the first 30 games.

We know for instance, that opening day starter Kevin Gausman and Ubaldo Jiménez have struggled. That Zach Britton is now on the disabled list for the second time. That the middle of the order got off to slow start and just now seems to be heating up. That the club played 24 of its first 27 games within the tough American League East.

So when Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette joined me for a live interview Sunday on the O's flagship radio station, 105.7 FM the Fan in Baltimore, there were a few things to talk about.

Duquette gave props to the performances of pitchers Tyler Wilson, Jayson Aquino, Alec Asher and Gabriel Ynoa. They have combined to make four quality starts in four tries. It would be 5-for-5, but Ynoa's outing of six scoreless innings on Friday came in relief when Wade Miley took two line drives back to the box and had to leave the game in the first inning.

Duquette also mentioned that Britton, whose first stint on the DL due to a left forearm strain lasted 16 days, could spend a longer stretch than that out of action this time around.

"We're going to need all the pitching depth we have," he said. "Of course Zach Britton is out for another month. It's going to take a little time. We're going to get some information here in the next few days. I don't think it is anything particularly serious. I think it is a soft-tissue strain and we're going to have to have a little more patience to get him back in his role."

Duquette said his scouts should get some props for finding some of the pitchers who have provided quality depth this year, and that his player-development staff should get credit for helping them work on their pitches and refine their skills.

"You can't ask for any more than that from the organization's perspective," he said. "To have those guys contribute to winning games in our toughest stretch, possibly of the year. There were games against division rivals in Boston and New York and our guys did a good job.

"Because they are young, they are developing and emerging as major league players. Aquino competes. He throws the ball over the plate. Asher competes. He's got a couple of pitches and he's got a cutter he's come up with that is a really good pitch for him. Tyler Wilson is smart. He knows how to sequence his pitches and compete out there.

"Ynoa has a lot of talent. I don't know if you noticed the stuff he had the other night against the White Sox. He had a good slider. He had a sinking fastball, 93 and 94 (mph) that was very consistent. And he had excellent control and he had a changeup. And he is the youngest of the group. That kid's got some serious talent, and we saw it Friday night. He did a really good job in trying circumstances.

"You are talking about potential starting pitchers in Aquino, Ynoa and Asher, and they are relatively young at 23, 24 years old."

The Orioles came home over the weekend after that four-game series in Boston that featured emotion, controversy and more beanballs. It felt like the stakes were something we'd only see in October baseball. The series was intense.

But rather than come home and have a letdown, the Orioles swept a Chicago White Sox team that had won eight of 11 heading to Camden Yards on Friday night. The Orioles completed the sweep Sunday. Duquette said two Orioles in particular have led the way.

"I'm very proud of the way our guys went about their business. Adam Jones played a terrific game on Monday night in Boston. I hadn't seen him play a defensive game like that maybe in his entire tenure here. There is a guy that comes to work every day ready to play.

"I don't know where you find a better player than Manny Machado. He hit four homers this week and made all the plays on defense. And he kept his cool. He stayed directed on the field, and he's played some of the best baseball I've seen him play. There are two of our best everyday players leading us with poise and grace, and their talent comes through every night."

O's and Nats tonight: They have two of the major leagues' best records, and the Orioles and Washington Nationals will play the next four nights, with two games in Baltimore followed by two in Washington.

The Orioles are 20-10 and 11-3 at home and have won four in a row. The Nats are 21-10 and had a four-game win streak snapped Sunday. They are 15-5 the last 20 games.

Bryce Harper missed the entire weekend series in Philadelphia with a groin injury, but he is expected to play tonight. Washington's Ryan Zimmerman is batting .435/.475/.907 with 12 doubles, 13 homers and 34 RBIs. So that's pretty good, it seems. Zimmerman has hit 10 homers his past 17 games.

Since the Nationals moved to Washington, the Orioles have lost the season series once, going 7-1-3. Since 2012, the Orioles are 17-7 against the Nats.

Former Oriole Matt Wieters returns to Camden Yards tonight as the opponent. Will he get a standing O?

Watch this: Christian Turnipseed, a pitcher with a unique name, also has some unique talents. He's a good pitcher, but if you take four minutes to watch this video you will see his talent is not limited to the mound. He used GoPro technology and a drone to produce an amazing video of the Keys and life around the Carolina League.

Click here to watch. It is amazing.