masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgWith Wednesday’s win at Boston, the Orioles came up with their 86th win of the season. That is one more than the 2013 Orioles squad that went 85-77.

The 2012 Orioles that advanced to the playoffs as a wild card went 93-69 in the regular season. This year’s team can top that wins total by going 8-9 or better the rest of the way. A 14-3 finish would produce a 100-win season.

Soon the Orioles will officially be a playoff team as they were two years ago. But there are sure some differences…With Wednesday’s win at Boston, the Orioles came up with their 86th win of the season. That is one more than the 2013 Orioles squad that went 85-77.

The 2012 Orioles that advanced to the playoffs as a wild card went 93-69 in the regular season. This year’s team can top that wins total by going 8-9 or better the rest of the way. A 14-3 finish would produce a 100-win season.

Soon the Orioles will officially be a playoff team as they were two years ago. But there are sure some differences between the two seasons.

jones-pointing-up-white-sidebar.jpgThis club will enter the postseason as a division winner and get three days off before the American League Division Series begins on Oct. 2.

This time, the O’s and their fans are not just happy to be there. This team didn’t end any long postseason drought. Playing as well as they are right now brings higher expectations for a deeper playoff run.

This team will also likely get to celebrate with the hometown fans when they wrap up the American League East. The 2012 team never had that chance, and had its one and only celebration in Texas after winning the wild card game.

The O’s and their fans are set up for one special homestand that begins today with a day-night doubleheader against the Yankees.

Yesterday, I interviewed former major league manager Eric Wedge, who now works as an analyst for ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight.” The Orioles will be on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” this weekend.

Wedge managed the Indians and Mariners, leading the 2007 Indians to the American League Championship Series.

He feels the Orioles are plenty good enough to make a deep playoff run. He said the key to their October success will simply be to keep doing what they’ve been doing.

“I think they just need to keep a status quo,” Wedge said. “They don’t need to try to do anything different. They need to trust that they are a well-rounded ballclub.

“What they don’t want to have happen is different individuals feel like they have to do more. They just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing. They’ve been very steady.

“In a lot of respects they’ve kind of flown under the radar with how good they’ve been. The postseason is a bigger stage, but they don’t need to do anything else other than rely on each other and trust themselves as a good ballclub.”