Orioles News

How long will his hot streak last?

Today the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals by a score of 5-3. JJ Hardy hit a go ahead 2 run home run in the seventh to help the Orioles get their 25th victory of the season. One person for the O's that really stands out is closer Jim Johnson. Johnson got his 14th save today (in 14 opportunities), pitching a scoreless inning with 1 K and 1 H. His ERA is currently a magnificent 0.48 and he's one of the reasons that the Orioles are having such a great year. Johnson has been the setup man for the Orioles for the last few years and once the O's realized that closer Kevin Gregg was awful, they moved Johnson in the role just temporarily. It appears now that he may be the Orioles closer for a long time. If he continues this hot streak, the team should consider signing him to a long term deal, considering he's eligible for free agency at the end of the season. Anyway, it will be very interesting to see how what Johnson's numbers will look like by the end of the season. These are my predictions: 62 games pitched, 43 saves, 1.97 ERA.