The Baltimore Orioles are currently enjoying the view atop the American League East, but the climb to get there might not be getting talked about enough.
The Tampa Bay Rays owned sole possession of first place from essentially Opening Day until July 20, in large part to their 13-game winning streak to begin the year and collecting 30 wins in their first 39 games.
What wasn’t talked about during the Rays’ torrid run was that the Orioles hung tough all year and were never more than seven games out. As soon as the Rays hit a skid, Baltimore was able to capitalize, drawing even and then jumping up by two games after a dominant series at The Trop, winning three of four.
How were the Orioles able to stay in striking distance of one of baseball’s best clubs? Well, for starters, they have yet to have a losing month this season.
They finished the first month of the season 19-9 (counting Opening Day in March) and followed that up with a 16-12 May. Many feared that their very difficult June schedule, on top of the fact that star outfielder Cedric Mullins was headed to the IL, could spell trouble, but they treaded water and finished 13-11.
An eight-game winning streak helped the O’s get to a strong 15-8 start in July. Playing better than .500 baseball the whole way allowed a disastrous 6-15 start to July for Tampa Bay to be the difference in the division as it currently stands.
On top of four straight winning months to start the 2023 season, it has been 73 series since the last time the Orioles were swept, a streak dating back to early 2022. Avoiding those long skids and managing a 6-3 head-to-head record with Tampa Bay in their first nine meetings kept the division race close and allowed Baltimore to pounce during the only time the Rays have slipped this year.
But don’t get it twisted, the way the AL East currently looks has much less to do with the Rays going cold and much more to do with the new era Orioles, who have been playing winning baseball since Adley Rutschman’s call-up in May of 2022, a greater than one-year sample size.
There is a lot of baseball left to be played, and the AL East is poised for an exciting finish. One thing is certain. The O’s have never been out of the race from the start.
Do you think the O’s hang on, or are the Rays destined to turn things around? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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