Well it certainly feels good to be a Baltimore Orioles fan right about now. In a solid, no-break week, the Orioles won 5 out of 7, solidifying our series win against the Nationals, and taking two out of three from both the Blue Jays and Cardinals.
In what sometimes felt like a home-run derby, the team had a total of 16 homers this past week and we are currently five games up on Toronto and still in first place in the AL East. Though there were plenty of studs that contributed this week, hats off to this record-setter.
Stud of the Week for August 4-10:
Caleb Joseph
The Line:
In the month of August, the 28-year-old rookie catcher is 9 for 26, batting .346 and clocking in nine RBIs.
Studliest Moment:
On Saturday, Joseph became the first Orioles catcher and first rookie to hit a home run in five straight games after his two-run homer in the second inning against St. Louis.
The Clincher:
Talk about coming through in the clutch. O’s fans were all worried when Matt Wieters needed Tommy John surgery and went out for the season. But Joseph (and occasionally Nick Hundley) continue to fill the void. After toiling in the minor leagues for six years, Joseph is finally getting his day in the sun.
We also loved that the usually understated catcher allowed himself to celebrate a bit after this record-breaking home run on Saturday (video below).
After the game, he told reporters: “That’s probably the most animated you’ll see. I was pretty excited to hit that one . . . Every day in the big leagues is such a blessing and especially to be on this team with this group of guys and to be in first place—it’s just a great feeling. Winning’s fun. Winning is the cure to everything, so it’s just kind of one of those things where it just kind of came out. I’ll try and keep it low key next time.”