Since 2012, Orioles lead the AL East in wins and rank fourth in MLB

Since baseball is a sport featuring a lot of stats, how about a blog featuring a lot of stats with opening day now just hours away?

Sure, why not, said the 1989 Orioles.

The 2012 through 2014 Orioles are the winningest team in the American League East over that stretch and the only one to make two playoff appearances since 2012. They've won 93, 85 and 96 games, averaging 91.3 wins per year in that time.

Composite AL East standings, 2012-14:

Orioles: 274-212 (.564)
New York: 264-222 (.543), 10 games back
Tampa Bay: 259-228 (.532), 15.5 games back
Boston: 237-249 (.488), 37 games back
Toronto: 230-256 (.473), 44 games back

The Orioles are .500 or better against every other team in the division since 2012. They are 35-21 (.625) versus Boston, 32-24 (.571) against Toronto, 31-25 (.554) versus New York and 28-28 (.500) against Tampa Bay.

The Orioles rank fourth in MLB in wins since 2012:
* Nationals, 280
* A's, 278
* Cardinals, 275
* Orioles, 274

The 2014 Orioles led the majors in team ERA in the second half of the season. Baltimore posted an ERA of 2.88 after the All-Star break, followed by Washington at 2.96, Cleveland at 3.03, Pittsburgh at 3.05 and Tampa Bay and Kansas City at 3.15.

On June 6 last summer, the Orioles were a season-high 6 1/2 games out of first place and were in third place in the AL East. But they had the second-best record in the AL from that point forward.

* Los Angeles Angels (66-36), .647
* Orioles (66-37), .641
* Kansas City (60-41), .594

The Orioles were 19 1/2 games better than Toronto from that point to the end of the year as the Blue Jays went 45-55.

MLB homer leaders since 2012:
* 113 - Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
* 112 - Chris Davis, Orioles, and Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto
* 98 - Giancarlo Stanton, Miami

The Orioles will open their 62nd season today against Tampa Bay. They are 39-22 all-time in season openers. The Orioles have won four in a row and five of six, while going 11-3 on opening day since 2001.

The Orioles are 4-2 when their opener is against Tampa Bay. They last met on opening day in 2013 with the Orioles winning 7-4 at The Trop.

Finally, here are some odds from the online sportsbook Bovada:

Odds to win the 2015 AL East:
* 2-1: Boston
* 3-1: Orioles, Toronto
* 9-2: New York
* 7-1: Tampa Bay

Odds to win the 2015 AL Championship:
* 11-2: Boston, Seattle
* 13-2: Los Angeles
* 15-2: Chicago
* 8-1: Detroit
* 9-1: Cleveland
* 12-1: Oakland, Toronto
* 14-1: Orioles, New York, Kansas City
* 22-1: Texas
* 28-1: Tampa Bay, Houston
* 50-1: Minnesota

The Washington Nationals are listed as a 6-1 favorite to win the World Series, ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers at 17-2 and Boston at 10-1.

The Orioles are listed behind 15 other teams at 33-1 with an over-under of 82.5 on their wins total for the season.

Adam Jones is ready to start the new season:

Opening Day. Time to defend the East and grind it out. #Birdland we need the love and support for the next 6 months and beyond #StayHungry

-- 10 (@SimplyAJ10) April 6, 2015