Reserve infielders Luis Hernandez and Alex Cintron may be forgotten souls on the Orioles? bench this season. But as much as they?ve played the role of 25th man at times, they?ve also starred as the late-inning heroes.
The play of Hernandez and Cintron can be attributed to the Orioles? new clubhouse culture, which has created a loose group of players who simply are having fun.
“It?s pretty cool, with [Kevin] Millar and those guys,” Cintron said Wednesday morning, after ending Tuesday night?s win against the Yankees with a walk-off single in the 11th inning. “I?m having fun right now, enjoying the city, the ball club, and I think we have a good ball club. It?s pretty cool to be here.”
Cool and fun.
Try finding some comments from players last season who described being a member of the team with the same type of glee.
Millar acknowledges the Orioles don?t have a slugger in the middle of the lineup who induces fear into pitchers ? and it doesn?t bother him.
“There?s not a superstar ego in this clubhouse,” Millar said. “You have 25 guys on that are on the same level. That?s what makes our team special, and I think that?s what makes our team dangerous. Anybody can beat you on any night.”
The departure of Miguel Tejada left the team without a superstar at shortstop, but eradicating a large contract and a quiet, ominous personality from an otherwise unassuming clubhouse has greatly improved wonders for club morale.
Millar credits the team?s leadership for the turnaround, too, pointing out the differences since the team hired pitching coach Rick Kranitz, bench coach Dave Jauss, and first base coach John Shelby.
Even when the Tampa Bay Rays broke out the brooms and swept the Orioles into last place last weekend, the team didn?t get down. It?s going to take something more than a three-game losing streak to bring down this team.
“We know we?re not the most talented guys, but we hope that we?re the best team out there,” Millar said. “We?re going to go through battles, but you know what? This team is never going to quit and we?re going to go all the way to September and see what happens.”
By September, the guys slapping the walk-off hits and recording the key outs might be different.
And maybe that?s just the new Oriole Way.
Sean Welsh is the Orioles beat writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected]
