Wieters and Tillman on the O's strong start to the season

ANAHEIM, Calif. - When the Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night, they improved to 25-15. That was a nice round number. The team had played 40 games - about one-quarter of the full season - and was on a pace to win 100 games.

Not a bad start to the 2016 season. It got better last night when Matt Wieters hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning as the Orioles beat the Angels 3-1. Today they go for their first three-game sweep in Anaheim since Aug. 27-29, 2010.

When the Orioles made the playoffs in two of the last four seasons, they were in first place 40 games into the year, just like they are this season. In 2012, the Orioles were 26-14 at this point on their way to 93 wins. In 2014 they were 22-18, on their way to 96 victories.

I spoke to two veteran Orioles yesterday - Wieters and pitcher Chris Tillman - to gauge their opinions on the Orioles' strong start to this season and the prospects that it could last into October.

"It's a long season, so there will be ups and downs," Wieters said. "But the big thing is that we've seen solid defense and pitching. And our offense has been pretty good for the first 40 games. But getting our starting pitching rolling and getting deeper in games is big for us.

"I think some of the big things is, we've had some games that we should have won that we did and we've had some games that we had to fight through some tough times to get wins, which is big. (Friday) was an example. They tied the game at 4-4 with some breaks that didn't go our way and then to come back and get that win is big for us. Those are the kind of games that can change a season around.

"You always want to get off to a good start but every year is different. More than anything, we just have to be ready to answer whatever challenges come our way. I think we are in a good spot here to be comfortable that we can handle any challenges that are presented."

Tillman likes what he sees so far from the 2016 Orioles, but he also had a few words of caution in looking at the team this year.

"Lot of challenges ahead," he said. "We have only gone through a fraction of the season. We have to keep throwing the ball well and play defense. Our offense is going to be there.

"I like what I see so far. We are scoring some runs that we weren't necessarily scoring last year. We are manufacturing some runs and hitting the ball the other way. Defensively, I think we are a better team this year. We are throwing the ball well right now. It's just a small sample and it is a long season, but so far, so good," Tillman said.

More notes on the Orioles:

* They have tied a season high at 11 games over the .500 mark at 26-15. They were also there at 23-12.

* The Orioles have now outscored their opponents 16-6 in the ninth inning.

* The Orioles are 13-7 in games decided by one or two runs.

* They are 21-7 when they hit at least one homer. Wieters' homer last night was the Orioles' 25th over their past 12 games.