O’s playing “with house money”

At one point earlier this season, some of the Orioles were looking at what was going on at Triple-A Norfolk — which had roster transactions at an even quicker rate than the big league club — with a mixture of awe and amusement.

“We were joking that we had a Triple-A All-Star team,” said outfielder/designated hitter Chris Davis, who has stayed in the Major Leagues the entire season for the first time since his big league debut in 2008. “That’s been a big reason we’ve been successful up here. Those guys have come up here and helped us out.”

Have they ever. Of Baltimore’s active 35-player roster — excluding injured players Jason Hammel, Wilson Betemit and Nick Markakis — 18 have played in the Minors this season, and you would be hard-pressed to find someone on the roster who hasn’t been instrumental in at least one O’s win.

So who are they, this cast of characters who have their sights set on the organization’s first postseason in 15 years?

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Click here to read the rest of my off day story on Orioles.com about this eclectic mix of players and personalities.