More birdwatching kicks off in AL East

Baltimore — Birds as beautiful as feathers, but flocking It is not.

In fact, they are actively acquiring territory. Get ready for a lot of chirping in his cage, the wild card of the American league between the Blue Jays and Orioles. The two teams were contested over 54 dates on the schedule, starting a 15-game summer showdown here on Monday.

They are part of his two hottest AL teams since the All-Star break, each with his 10-6 record.  And both entered the series in a fighting mood. Toronto split the series with Minnesota, and upstart his-O faced the Pirates, with each team's game on Sunday ending with great success after the controversial home tag on his plate was overturned. did.

"The more (same) people you meet, the friendlier and more competitive you become," said Toronto manager John Schneider. "The execution is big. When you have a team you know well and you play a lot with that team, a game plan is a game plan.

"We make adjustments here and there, but , the execution will be big.”

The Orioles have been under the radar for the past two years, but a surge that began around the 4th of July holiday season has made the playoffs more likely. spread. They're a few games behind the Jays, but they're within Seattle and Tampa Bay's range with the same 56-52 record that Cleveland will play on Monday. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde mused about his team playing too many games against Toronto. "They're pretty well balanced in terms of power, speed and superstars in between. They're a really, really good team.

It's) I thought we did really well in the first series in Toronto (won 2 of 3, lost in overtime)."

Game 1 of the Pittsburgh Series At O's attracted 40,000 people. Hyde proudly noted that the crowd had come to cheer loudly for his team rather than for the famous opponent.

"Any time you play a game against the team in front, they are important," Hyde added. "It doesn't take anything away [from the other teams], but we're starting mid-August and we're in it. We just want to play well to the end, whoever we play against.

"Placement is important, but at the same time, I don't want to put any more pressure on him. I want to be loose. I think we've done it so far." This is the first time the Jays have seen Camden Yards since the was pushed 26.5 feet back and 6 feet taller. The 398-foot distance markers are impressive.

"No," agreed Schneider. “It went from being like a bandbox to being something that you have to [connect] to get it out there.

"You have to understand that. It's not the Camden we're used to." With left-hander Yusei Kikuchi starting in Toronto, Hyde piled up right-handed hitters, and with Tim Mayza injured on Saturday, Schneider has no lefties in the bullpen. } Schneider had a variegated Whit Merrifield batting leadoff after dropping him towards the end of the Minnesota series giving some pop to the bottom of the order.

"In the short amount of time he's here, you can see how valuable his wit is by being able to bounce him from outfield to infield, pinch-hit, pinch-hitter." When Hyde stopped Pittsburgh's Greg Allen at bat on Sunday, a tagout by catcher Robinson Chirinos was dismissed by replays. We were still waiting for an explanation as to why the time zone separated Twins catcher Gary Sanchez and runner Merrifield. Hyde didn't believe the Chirinos were sent off for blocking a runner's path, but Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli's rant was more colorful.

"Every game is big, and come August, everything seems to matter a little more," Schneider said. "It's kind of ironic that that type of play is happening [on the same day], but it's fun."

lhornby@postmedia.com

FIGHTIN' FIFTEEN 

The whim of the schedulers and the combination of the series in the first week superseded by labor disputes Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles 15 late-season games were played between:

8-10 August Baltimore
15-17 August Toronto
5-7 September Baltimore
} September 16-18 Toronto
October 3-5 Baltimore