Then Javy Lopez bats. The former Braves' catcher should probably be hitting ahead of Palmeiro, given his .310 batting average. Lopez is, and always has been, your friendly neighborhood lunch pail catcher — always good, sometimes great, never a liability — and should notch another 20 HR, 90 RBI season.

When you get to the lower third of the order, you just want good solid players. The O's have that with outfielders Jay Gibbons, Luis Matos and Larry Bigbie. None of them are hitting below .250 and are all between 26 and 28 years old. They all have big league experience and will get some big hits if one of their top six has an off-game.

Their pitching hasn't been spectacular, but good enough to win 21 games. The most impressive starter has been their left-hander Erik Bedard (3-1, 2.31 ERA). While Sidney Ponson is known as their "ace," his numbers (5.50 ERA, 2.8 walks/game) refute that role, despite the 4-1 record, which is merely a testament to his run support.

The team also expects contributions from 23-year-old Daniel Cabrera, who can throw a 95 MPH fastball and a devastating curve. A tough start for Cabrera has been followed by two amazing starts in which he allowed one run in a combined 16 innings, striking out 17 in those starts.

Their closer, the left-handed B.J. Ryan, is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities while collecting a modest 2.00 ERA.

The Orioles are a team loaded with veteran batters who come to play and young pitching who come to learn.

However, they will play the Yankees and Red Sox a combined 36 times this year. Although they are 5-1 against New York and 2-2 against Boston so far, they have a stretch in August, the month of truth, in which they will play 10 straight games against either the Yankees or the Sox.

Boston and New York are full of veterans who know how to play. Their April and May struggles won't go on forever. Baltimore is by no means a lock for the division.

But expect a three-team race for the division and — surprise — the wild card team to emerge from this division.

Matthew T. Sussman is kind of a good writer. He just graduated from college so he has a lot of time on his hands. He likes baseball and sandwiches. He also wants to tell you that statistics used in this column are entirely accurate at time of post, but he can't control the passage of time. Deal with it.