I'd rather be lucky than good. The O's are better this year than last year but a lot of things when Baltimore's way last year. The Red Sox were terrible, the Yankees struggled and it kept Baltimore alive and the Rays weren't very good.
Now the Red Sox are looking like World Series contenders. The Yankees have been red hot the last month or so. And the Rays have been much better this year. This season's been nothing to be dejected over - just a wake up call that, no matter how good a team is, there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Worst case scenario, this team finishes with a winning record for the second consecutive season. Considering where the O's have been the last decade and a half, I'll take it.
I hope the O's keep Buck Showalter around for a long time. He's turned this team around.