masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgHey, Orioles fans. Welcome to another edition of Yard Work. On this episode…
What a difference three weeks makes.
Following their series finale against the Cubs, the Orioles were seven games under .500 and the future of the team — from a poor starting rotation to an inconsistent offense — looked bleak.
But, that’s the beauty of the trade deadline.

They may not have been the flashiest moves made, but the Orioles added assets on both sides of the ball, acquiring shortstop Tim Beckham from…

Hey, Orioles fans. Welcome to another edition of Yard Work. On this episode…

What a difference three weeks makes.

Following their series finale against the Cubs, the Orioles were seven games under .500 and the future of the team — from a poor starting rotation to an inconsistent offense — looked bleak.

But, that’s the beauty of the trade deadline.

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They may not have been the flashiest moves made, but the Orioles added assets on both sides of the ball, acquiring shortstop Tim Beckham from the Rays and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson from the Phillies. And as of Wednesday, the team sits just one game under .500 and 1 1/2 games out of the wild card.

Hellickson has had a nice pair of starts with the O’s, including a seven-inning shutout victory in his team debut. Beckham, meanwhile, shot out of a cannon during his first week in Baltimore and hit so well, he captured the American League Player of the Week honors. Are the additions of Hellickson and Beckham enough to push the Orioles into the postseason? Steve Melewski and I will discuss.

Of course, the Orioles made news for moves they didn’t make before the trade deadline, either. Closer Zach Britton remains with the club as the Orioles front office didn’t seem too excited at offers for the All-Star reliever. Fans were pretty split on whether to keep Britton or trade him, so it will be interesting to see if keeping Britton in the bullpen will benefit the O’s. And we’ll certainly keep an eye on Britton’s future after the season ends.

Currently, though, the Orioles are pushing their way through a tough road trip on the West Coast. Over the past few years, the team has fared evenly out west, but will likely need to come home with a winning record on the trip to continue to keep their postseason hopes alive. Can they take care of business away from Camden Yards? Melewski and I will discuss that, Chris Tillman’s move to the bullpen and a whole lot more on Yard Work.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @masnSteve and @brianeller1 and subscribe to the Yard Work podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud. Have a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment below!

Note: The Yard Work podcast will be recorded each week; therefore, all Orioles records and statistics will be current at time of recording, but may be different when podcast is downloaded. Please don’t hold that against us!