Pitching leads the way in the 25-15 run under Showalter

So the Orioles have now won four series in a row for the first time since August 3-15, 2004. Overall, they have won eight of their last ten and 12 of the last 17 games. They are 6-1 in their last seven games vs. the AL East. There are so many positive individual and team stats right now, it is even hard for a reporter like yours truly who enjoys keeping up with stats and trends. But, hey, I'll work at it. Then there is this note. The Orioles have now played 40 games under Buck Showalter and they are 25-15. That's a win percentage of .625 in basically one-fourth of a full season. I probably don't have to tell you how many wins that would be over 162 games. Yes, the O's are on a 100-win pace under Buck. Here are the amazing starting pitching numbers. Over the last four games, O's starters have allowed 1 ER over 20 2/3 for an ERA of 0.44. Their starters are 4-0, 1.79 over the last eight games. Orioles' starters have an ERA of 3.00 in the 40 games under Showalter with 27 quality starts. Before Buck, O's starters' ERA was 5.61. That is one solid run of starting pitching and it looks like that "grow the arms" philosophy is beginning to pay off with the likes of Arrieta and Matusz. Going into 2011, that pair and Jeremy Guthrie look like they could hold down three spots in the rotation. I would be fine with the other two rotation spots coming from a list that includes: Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, Rick VandenHurk and Troy Patton. Others could surely factor in there. But it finally looks like the O's have a solid rotation in the making, one that is on the way to becoming pretty darn good. It all starts with the starters. Get pitching like this and the O's are winning 62.5 percent of their games without a big bat in the middle of the lineup and without a 100-RBI guy. They don't have a .300 hitter. That is not to say they don't need to add offense. But give me starting pitching like this along with some solid defense and late relief and you can win a lot of games.