masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThat is probably a good name for this 2012 Orioles team.: a team with a ticker. It means a team with heart. A team that shows character and a will to win with team chemistry.

It is probably a bit cliched to say that, but the Orioles play like that. They’ve shown a ticker in abundance in recent days.

They showed it as much Friday as probably in any game this year. In the opener of a big series with Oakland, they fell behind 5-0 only to rally to lead 6-5. After falling behind again 8-6, they…That is probably a good name for this 2012 Orioles team.: a team with a ticker. It means a team with heart. A team that shows character and a will to win with team chemistry.

It is probably a bit cliched to say that, but the Orioles play like that. They’ve shown a ticker in abundance in recent days.

They showed it as much Friday as probably in any game this year. In the opener of a big series with Oakland, they fell behind 5-0 only to rally to lead 6-5. After falling behind again 8-6, they rallied in the eighth to lead 9-8. Then came a disastrous ninth inning and a 14-9 loss followed by a 6-1 loss the next day.

They were down then, but showed that ticker again by coming back to win these last three games. Jim Johnson showed a bit of his strong mental makeup by getting the save in New York on Monday night, preserving yet another one-run win.

Given another chance to show that ticker last night, we saw big evidence of it again as the Orioles scored seven runs right after falling behind 5-0. They did it scoring all those runs with two outs. Mark Reynolds may have had the biggest hit of that game – one that may be forgotten by many already – when he doubled in that first run in the second to open the floodgates for a seven-run outburst.

One year after going 2-7 at Yankee Stadium, the Orioles are 4-1 there this year and have outscored the home team 29-12. Today, they can complete their first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium since June 6-8, 1986.

In a sport where you can put a stat on just about everything, you can’t quantify in numbers a team’s heart, character or togetherness. But the Orioles seem to have that in abundance this season.

Must-see TV?: It is hardly that, but I will be on “O’s Xtra” today at 12:30 p.m. with Jim Hunter talking about the Orioles minor leagues. There, you’ve been warned! Hope you can watch later today.