masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles are loaded with home run hitters this season and could have a history-making power lineup.
The Orioles have a chance to be the first team in history to have five players with at least 30 home runs. In fact, there could be six.
Count ’em.
Chris Davis hit 47 last season, Manny Machado 35, Adam Jones 27. Jonathan Schoop hit 15 in 86 games.
Mark Trumbo has two consecutive 30-home run seasons on his resume with the Los Angeles Angels, hitting 32 and 34 in 2012-2013. Imagine what he’ll…

The Orioles are loaded with home run hitters this season and could have a history-making power lineup.

The Orioles have a chance to be the first team in history to have five players with at least 30 home runs. In fact, there could be six.

Count ’em.

Chris Davis hit 47 last season, Manny Machado 35, Adam Jones 27. Jonathan Schoop hit 15 in 86 games.

Mark Trumbo has two consecutive 30-home run seasons on his resume with the Los Angeles Angels, hitting 32 and 34 in 2012-2013. Imagine what he’ll do in Camden Yards.

And left-handed Pedro Alvarez had a National League home run title, 36 with Pittsburgh in 2013, in addition to another season with 30.

Twelve teams have had four players with at least 30 home runs in the same season, four of them by the Colorado Rockies in the 1990s, during the so-called Steroids Era and pre-humidor days at Coors Field in Denver.

The Rockies did it in four seasons during the 1990s, with Vinny Castilla on each of those lists.

There are mid-Atlantic angles to the list of teams that have done it.

In 1977, the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team in history to accomplish the feat when left fielder Dusty Baker, now the Nationals’ manager, hit his 30th home run on the final day of the regular season. Nationals coach Davey Lopes was the Dodgers’ second baseman that season.

Baker’s home run came with two outs in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros’ J.R. Richard. Baker joined Ron Cey (30), Steve Garvey (33) and Reggie Smith (32) as the four Dodgers with at least 30 home runs each.

Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager hit 16.

The last team to do it was the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. On Sept. 8 of that season, they hit five solo home runs at Nationals Park to win the game 5-3.

Raul Ibanez hit two while Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz also went deep. For Utley and Ibanez, the home runs gave them each 30 home runs. Ruiz didn’t hit 30 home runs on the season, but the other Phillie who reached the mark was Ryan Howard.

The Anaheim Angels had four players reach 30 home runs in 2000 with AL champ Troy Glaus hitting 46, Mo Vaughn 36, Garret Anderson 35, Tim Salmon 34. Another, Darin Erstad, hit .355 with 25 home runs.

But despite the explosive offense, the Angels were a third-place team. Their best pitcher, Scott Schoenweis, led the team with 170 innings, but he also had a 5.45 ERA. Their only 10-game winner was reliever Shigetoshi Hasagawa.

Guess that points out the importance of pitching.