A Few Things

Chris Ray stood up to the biggest test an AL closer has to deal with on Friday night: a pressure packed game at Yankee Stadium. With the tying run on third and the winning run standing on second, Ray froze Yankee slugger Hideki Matsui with a 3-2 slider. I don't think Ray will face a more imposing situation all season, and for him to come out of it without allowing a run and earn a save, it provides a huge boost for him.

Losing David Newhan will hurt, but it's hard to say how much at this point, because we don't know how well his replacements will play. Pretty much everyone will get more playing time because of his injury, so at least it will give the front office to gauge who to keep around, especially in terms of Corey Patterson and Luis Matos. Also, this means more at bats for Javy Lopez, who the Orioles desperately need to get in some sort of groove. The more at bats he gets, the more likely it is that he'll get hot.

The Orioles need to get Todd Williams back as soon as possible, considering the injury to Tim Byrdak, one of the few veterans in the bullpen. Williams has been a consistent performer the past two years for the birds, and they can't afford for him to come back at anything less than full strength.

Right now the Orioles sit at 11-8. Bruce Chen goes today against Randy Johnson in a Sunday matinee. Chen has been a disappointment this season. Expected to be one of the most dependable starters, he has had several horrid starts this year, and has not performed up to potential. If the Orioles can pull out a win today, they'll take a series from the Yankees in New York, which would obviously be a huge boost. In order to be the best, you've got to beat the best. The Orioles still have a long, long way to go before they can be the best, but if they can pull out more big time wins like they did on Friday night, perhaps they will be up top sooner than you think.