How 'bout dem O's hon

I have to assume Flaherty is high-fiving Davis about something sweet Davis did...

The O's have flipped the script on us a little bit. We came into the season expecting solid, if unspectacular, starting pitching and a shut-down bullpen to pair with an average, sometimes explosive starting offense.

They've gone in the opposite direction. Starting pitching has been below average through the first quarter of the season, and Jim Johnson has only recently worked out of a serious slump. Wei Yin Chen was again performing well until he landed on the DL, Chris Tillman still refuses to decide how good he's going to be and Kevin Gausman is almost a guarantee to put the team in a 5-run hole to start the game.

"Should I throw the fastball middle-middle for a home run? Or hanging slider for a triple? Decisions..."

I don't even know where to start with Pedro Stop. I fully believe that Buck Showalter is among the top 3 managers in the entire league, so it's hard to question anything he does. However. That's exactly what I'm going to do.

Strop was a monster until the All-Star break in 2012, you know, in his first three months as a pro, when he faced batters for the first time with a 98+ mph fastball. The problem is, this is professional baseball. The second time these guys see you, they know what you have, they adjust, and they can hang four earned runs on you in 1/3 of an inning like the basement-dwelling Angels did last night.

"I've been traded to Houston for a AA prospect? Nice move, guys."

If anyone can remember one time this year that Strop has pitched successfully in a pressure situation (i.e., we were up by less than three runs late in the game), please, email me personally and refresh my memory. Because as far as I'm concerned, he's personally cost us four wins this year—conservatively. Realistically, it's probably closer to six or seven. Now on to the fun stuff.

The offense, on the other hand, leads the league in home runs; Machado and Jones have more hits as a pair than any other in the majors; Chris Davis leads all players in home runs; and Manny Machado leads the league in doubles. The offense has also seen contributions from unlikely utility players (sound familiar?) like Danny Valencia, Yamaico Navarro and Chris Dickerson.

All things considered, it's been a fun season so far. Manny Machado has matured beyond anyone's expectations. His plate approach is among the best, if not the best, on the team, and he's arguably the top third baseman in the majors (damn you, Miguel Cabrera). Oh yeah, and recently he strung five consecutive three-plus-hit road games together, joining Ty Cobb as the only two players who have done that in MLB history, and tied Micky Mantle for the most hits in a calendar month by a player under 21.

He also does this ALOT:

In case you're wondering, he was out.

Here are some Manny videos that really never get old. Click on the picture to open the corresponding video in a new tab.

Manny's first major league hit—a triple, of course

Three-run home run in the 9th at Boston for the lead

Gotcha! Gonna get your buddy, too...

He dives...

...he jumps...

...he does other awesome things (notice who is at first; this is in his first month or two in the majors)...

...so was this. He's got a pretty solid arm.

Which brings us to probably one of the greatest plays of the 2012 season:

Look I threw it to first! You can head home =)

Anyway, if you haven't been paying attention hopefully these plays have caught you up.

Beyond that, he's finally getting some national recognition alongside Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. Which is terrifying because, as everyone knows, Baltimore sports is terrible unless the national media isn't paying attention.

And that brings us up to date! Look out for some more relevant analysis of the Orioles periodically, as well as a few preseason articles about the Terps and Ravens.

Up Next: Jordy breaks down the Oriole presence on the AL roster for the Mid-Summer Classic.