Tag Archives: Rangers

MLB 2013 Schedule Changes

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When Major League Baseball released it’s tentative 2013 schedule back in Sept. 2012, there were some glaring changes compared to years past.

Most changes occurred due to the Houston Astros moving from the National League Central to the American League West — for the first time ever, MLB has 15 teams in each league and five teams in all six divisions.

Divisional Games

The Astros move means teams will now play 19 games against each divisional opponent — 76 games total. Those games will be played in six series (three at home and three on the road). This change, along with the heavy load of divisional games in Sept. should make division races more competitive, especially down the stretch.

The 2011 season ending was considered one of the most memorable in baseball history, including the O's eliminating the Red Sox on the final day of the regular season. (Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)

The 2011 season ending was considered one of the most memorable in baseball history, including the O’s eliminating the Red Sox on the final day of the regular season. (Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)

For the Baltimore Orioles, the month of Sept. includes 28 games with just seven outside of the AL East (9/2 – 9/8 against the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox).

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Revisiting: 2012 Orioles magic

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“Something magic happens every time you go…”

The opening lyric of “Orioles Magic,” what has been the Orioles’ anthem for over 40 years, definitely applied to the 2012 Baltimore Orioles. Last season’s Orioles team defied all odds by staying competitive in, what is usually deemed Major League Baseball’s toughest division, the American League East, with a negative run differential for most of the season, a 20th ranked team batting average, and an 14th ranked team ERA.

In the March 2012 edition of ESPN the Magazine’s MLB preview, Buster Olney wrote that the best-case scenario for the 2012 O’s was:

“Left-handers Brian Matsuz and Zach Britton make major strides before the team is crushed under the weight of a powerful division. For the sixth straight year, Baltimore fails to win 70 games; for the 15th straight year, the team has a losing record. Yes, this is the best-case scenario.”

That wasn’t the case.

The Orioles stayed competitive by winning close games. The team posted a 29-9 record in one-run games. The .763 win percentage to go along with it was the third best in MLB history, trailing only teams from the late-1800’s.  Baltimore was 16-2 in extra-inning games, all of those wins were consecutive. The MLB record for such a streak — the 1949 Cleveland Indians won 17.

Baltimore finished second in the AL East, trailing the New York Yankees by just 2 games. Their team record of 93-69 was the best record posted by the franchise since their last playoff appearance in 1997. The O’s were participants in MLB’s newly-expanded playoffs. In the first wild card playoff, the Orioles traveled to Arlington, Texas to face the back-to-back defending American League champion Texas Rangers.

Behind a gutsy pitching performance by Joe Saunders and the Oriole bullpen, the O’s defeated the Rangers 5-1 and advanced to the American League Division Series for the first time since that ’97 playoff run. In the ALDS, the Orioles met the Bronx Bombers and eventually bowed out after a five-game series.

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