I fear that when the Orioles return to Camden Yards on May 13th, they'll look like a different team. Maybe I'm feeling an impending sense of doom from today's ugly loss, but more likely I'm just facing reality. With 7 games against the two teams at the top of the AL West (even if one of them is Oakland, who was supposed to suck this year) and 4 games against what I think is an exciting Kansas City team, the Orioles should consider themselves lucky to return to Baltimore with a .500 record.

I know none of us expected the Orioles to play to their current record and position in the standings before the season started. And I know none of us think they're going to keep it up throughout the year. But it was hard not to get excited watching the O's play this month, no matter what common sense tells us.

That being said, my gut is telling me that this is where it ends. This is the point in the season where the Orioles show us who they are. And that's not a bad thing. We came into this season knowing it was a wash. Knowing that calling the year a success depends more on the development of Adam Jones and other young players, not on the win-loss record. If the team can spend the rest of the season giving encouraging signs in that department while still managing to win a few games, that's as much as I can ask for.

Still, it was a fun month, wasn't it? Those few weeks when Luke Scott was a doubles machine? Having the most awesome bullpen in baseball? Winning 6 out of 7 from the Mariners, and having Erik Bedard wimp out on facing his old teammates? Taking 2 out of 3 from the Yankees? Daniel Cabrera being sort of awesome?

I think no matter what happens from here on out, I'll be happy if the boys keep playing their hearts out and if Adam Jones and our young pitchers give us reason to believe in the future. The rest is up to Andy MacPhail to make sure we keep going down our current path to respectability.