Picking up the pace on offense

The Orioles began play tonight ranked eighth in the American League in runs scored. They have been even better than that, going 19-13 over the last 32 games. They are averaging 4.9 runs per game during that 32-game stretch. If you scored that many over the entire season, they would rank fourth in the AL in runs scored. Scoring 4.9 per game is an upgrade for the Orioles but still not as good as the big boys. Boston, leading the league in runs, averages 5.45 runs per game and New York is second at 5.36. Still the O's have been putting up some numbers on offense and they have scored 56 runs over their last nine games for an average of 6.2 in that time. If you look at the last 32 games in terms of pitching, the Orioles' team ERA in that time is 4.69. That is not good at all and, in fact, that figure for the season would rank 13th and next to last in the AL. The Orioles are continuing to hit homers and now have added some speed to the mix. The O's have stolen 29 of their last 33 bases since August 26. Maybe a more varied offense, one that includes some bunting and speed, has been a part of the resurgence on that side of the ball. During the last few weeks, players like Robert Andino and Vlad Guerrero have hit very well to join holdovers like J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters. Throw in a couple of Mark Reynolds homers and some hits from Chris Davis and the Orioles are no pushover for any pitcher right now.