A stat you probably expected, and one you didn't.

[Frobby]

I suspect it will surprise nobody that the O's were the worst team in MLB at getting runners home from 3B with less than two outs.

But I bet most people will be surprised to learn that we also were the best team in MLB in preventing the other team from getting a runner home from 3B with less than two outs.

Maybe it's contagious?

[wildcard]

It's because the O's put glue on 3B before every game.

[mdbdotcom]

I suspect it will surprise nobody that the O's were the worst team in MLB at getting runners home from 3B with less than two outs.

But I bet most people will be surprised to learn that we also were the best team in MLB in preventing the other team from getting a runner home from 3B with less than two outs.

Maybe it's contagious?

O's caught playing with themselves. So sad.

[Matt]

Very interesting. Possible park effect?

[isestrex]

Very interesting. Possible park effect?

Good bullpen is my guess

[Frobby]

You would think it would correlate closely with K/9, but the O's staff is slightly below average in that category.

[DrungoHazewood]

Something was distracting the third base umpire, allowing teams to pull the old John McGraw trick of putting a finger in the beltloop of the runner tagging up at third to delay his run to the plate. Was there a particularly attractive female season ticket holder down the third base line?

[Trackmaster]

I guess that it must have something to do with how we synergize how line-up to rely on Dr. Long Ball so heavily. Not many explanations as to why we're able to prevent it so well. Maybe the extra HR's make it so fewer people are on 3B? And due to the expectations of more home runs, 3rd base coaches hold guys on 3rd instead of increasing the risk of losing the runner and the out.

I'd like to see a stat of the number of IBB's given out and received.

[InsideCoroner]

Good bullpen is my guess

And a good infield defense as well.

[spiritof66]

Very interesting. Possible park effect?

I was thinking the same thing: it's a little bit further from third to home at Camden Yards, around 91 feet, 5 inches.

[MDtransplant757]

I suspect it will surprise nobody that the O's were the worst team in MLB at getting runners home from 3B with less than two outs.

But I bet most people will be surprised to learn that we also were the best team in MLB in preventing the other team from getting a runner home from 3B with less than two outs.

Maybe it's contagious?

[DrungoHazewood]

I was thinking the same thing: it's a little bit further from third to home at Camden Yards, around 91 feet, 5 inches.

My kid has my copy of Green Cathedrals on his nightstand, and flipping through the other night it mentioned that at Griffith Stadium in Washington first base was slightly downhill from home plate. Anybody ever check to see if the OPACY infield was actually flat?

[schittenden]

Random variation around the mean.

[Matt]

I was thinking something about LF depth limiting the number of sac fly balls. I guess that might have popped up, so to speak, some time in the past couple decades, though.

[spiritof66]

My kid has my copy of Green Cathedrals on his nightstand, and flipping through the other night it mentioned that at Griffith Stadium in Washington first base was slightly downhill from home plate. Anybody ever check to see if the OPACY infield was actually flat?

Thanks. If I ever knew that, I'd long forgotten it. I think you're on to something there. Maybe the infield at Camden Yards was designed by a disciple of M.C. Escher so that all the basepaths go uphill.

http://www.mcescher.com/gallery/recognition-success/ascending-and-descending/

That would explain these statistics, our apparent slow-footedness on the bases and inability to steel, and our ability to throw out runners as long as Ubaldo isn't pitching. We definitely have a few guys who look they're running uphill when on the bases.

Don't mention this to Michael Bourn.