Roberts, Rays, D-backs, oh my!

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - With the All-Star break upon us next week, a few midseason observations:

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts certainly deserves to play in his third Midsummer Classic. The slick-fielding, switch-hitter leads the American League in doubles (32) and triples (7), ranks fourth in the league with 24 steals and used an outstanding June to raise his average to .295.

He is the quintessential leadoff hitter in the prime of his career. Without him, there is no way the Orioles are above .500, with serious designs on their first winning season since 1997.

If Roberts belonged to the Red Sox or Yankees — and was having a subpar season at that — he would have been voted in with ease as a starter at Yankee Stadium on July 15. Instead, he must beat out the Yankees’ Jason Giambi, the White Sox’s Jermaine Dye, the Royals’ Jose Guillen and Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria in an on-line vote to earn the American League’s final roster spot.

Please, anybody but Giambi.

RAYS OF HOPE

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to be baseball’s story of the year. The Rays have the best record (55-32) in the majors, lead the American League East by five games over Boston and have posted an incredible 36-13 record at Tropicana Field, their typically half-empty steam bath of a home.

And the drumbeat among experts from around the country, starting with the Worldwide Leader, continues. Any day or week now, the blather goes, the Rays are going to fold. They can’t possibly outlast the stacked, experienced Red Sox, and they won’t hold off the vaunted Yankees, either.

Guess what? The Rays, the most balanced team in the majors and the team without an All-Star starter, aren’t going anywhere. That’s because this group has no glaring weakness.

Tampa Bay ranks sixth in AL hitting (.266), second in on-base average (.342), fifth in home runs (94), and are way out in front with 98 steals. The Rays average a solid 4.8 runs a game, and manufacture them better than any team.

Pitching is where the Rays truly have broken from their sorry past. They are second in the AL with 3.57 ERA, are tied for second with eight shutouts, and with veteran closer Troy Percival leading the way, have blown just five of 32 save opportunities.

Andy Sonnanstine (10-3) is the only starter with more than seven wins. James Shields, Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza each have seven victories.

The Rays have the pitching, speed, defense, power and timely hitting required to pile up more wins and avoid a prolonged losing streak.

At worst, this is a wild card team.

BASEBALL’S BEST … AND WORST

During a season marked by the most pronounced home-field advantages in recent memory, the Los Angeles Angels continue to lead the AL West by defying the odds with a sparkling 27-15 road record, by far the best in baseball. Thanks to their pitching, the Angels have been incredible in close games.

As for the NL West, don’t bother looking for long at this wreck. Entering Monday night, first-place Arizona was clinging to first place with a 44-45 record. Last-place San Diego (35-54) sat nine games behind Diamondbacks, which technically is striking distance.

Maybe MLB should designate the entire division for assignment, then recall this sad collection on Aug. 1 to see if it deserves to finish the season in the big leagues.

HIDDEN GEM

One of the key parts of the Orioles‚ heist involving Seattle and pitcher Erik Bedard was minor-league starter Chris Tillman, who has not disappointed.

Tillman, 6-feet-5 and 20 years old, is headed to next week’s Eastern League All-Star Game in New Hampshire. He is 7-2 with a 3.08 ERA, and has struck out 81 batters in 79 innings.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com

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