Was watching the Orioles this weekend a bit extra demanding than standard?
Facing the very best crew within the National League, with Cy Young-caliber pitchers on the mound and 40,000 followers within the stands, the Orioles and Atlanta Braves battled in three video games that have been one-run affairs within the seventh inning, with the ultimate two coming all the way down to the wire on nationwide tv.
It’s uncommon for an interleague sequence to really feel the way in which the Orioles’ did this weekend in Atlanta. But after a stretch of video games towards largely cellar-dwellers, mixed with the craving from the fan base to be considered a contender, the three video games towards the Braves supplied an early style for what the remainder of the season might appear to be for the Orioles, whose remaining schedule is among the many hardest within the main leagues.
Buckle up. If this weekend was any indication, there are much more video games like these on the way in which.
“There’s no breaks,” supervisor Brandon Hyde stated about his membership’s upcoming schedule.
The gantlet begins as difficult because it presumably might, with the seemingly unstoppable Tampa Bay Rays coming to Baltimore.
The Rays are 28-7 with an eye-popping 115-run differential. After going through Cy Young runner-up Max Fried and strikeout extraordinaire Spencer Strider over the weekend, the Orioles (22-12) have the pleasure of taking the field towards All-Star Shane McClanahan (6-0, 2.03 ERA) and Zach Eflin (4-0, 2.25 ERA) to start the three-game set towards their American League East foe.
After the Rays, the Orioles will tackle the Pittsburgh Pirates (20-15), Los Angeles Angels (19-16), Toronto Blue Jays (21-14), New York Yankees (18-17), Texas Rangers (20-13) and Cleveland Guardians (16-18) to finish the month. From the Tampa Bay sequence on, Baltimore’s upcoming opponents in May have a mixed document of 142-100 — a .587 successful share that equates to a 95-win tempo over a 162-game season.
Hyde believes his crew is ready for the upcoming schedule, noting that it wasn’t straightforward final summer time when the Orioles emerged as a wild-card contender.
“I think the second half of last year we felt like that. We played really good baseball from May on and continue so far this year,” he stated. “I don’t think anything’s really changed from the second half of last year.”
It’s not simply May, although. The remainder of the Orioles’ schedule is difficult, with 43 video games towards the vaunted AL East remaining. Baltimore’s remaining energy of schedule is tied with the Blue Jays for probably the most tough within the majors, in response to FanGraphs.
All 5 groups within the division have data above .500 with a mixed successful share of .629 — good for a 102-win tempo. The new balanced schedule means the groups within the AL East will beat up one another much less typically than in earlier years. In 2022, the Orioles had a dropping document towards all 4 divisional opponents for an general AL East mark of 34-42.
Early on, the Orioles performed the division much less typically, with solely six video games towards the Boston Red Sox, three versus the Yankees and none with the Rays and Blue Jays. That’ll change down the stretch. Baltimore will play 12 video games towards the division in July and 11 in September and October.
“This division is like no other,” Hyde stated. “It’s a lot of really tough teams, all a little bit different, but really good lineups, front-end starters throughout, a lot of them have huge back-end bullpens. It’s just never a night off. You’ve got to play really well to win every night.”
The difficult schedule is a part of the explanation why, regardless of having the second-best document within the AL via the primary one-fifth of the season, projection techniques nonetheless aren’t fully shopping for into the pesky Orioles.
Baltimore opened the yr with a ten.4% likelihood to make the playoffs, in response to FanGraphs. Entering Sunday, that determine tripled to 31.7%, however it’s nonetheless the worst among the many 5 AL East groups. The Orioles’ World Series odds are nonetheless beneath 1%. FanGraphs initiatives the Orioles to have a .473 successful share the remainder of the way in which to finish with an 83-79 document — the identical mark they posted in 2022 however roughly seven video games higher than what the projection system forecasted earlier than the season.
The juggernaut that’s the AL East isn’t misplaced on the gamers, both.
After their begins this previous weekend, pitchers Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells each talked about being able to contend within the AL East when requested concerning the aggressive sequence towards the Braves. Kremer stated after Friday’s win — maybe the excessive of Baltimore’s season to date, with Anthony Santander’s mammoth grand slam serving as the sport’s denouement — that the Orioles are “out to make a name for ourselves.” Wells stated after Sunday’s extra-innings loss that the back-and-forth sequence “shows that we’re up there with the best.”
“We came in and just showed everyone exactly who we are,” Wells stated. “The AL East is still a beast, and we’re competing with the best.”
What’s to return?
The Orioles are coming off a 10-game highway journey throughout which the membership went 6-4, taking good care of enterprise towards the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals earlier than dropping a aggressive sequence to the Atlanta Braves. Next up is a 10-game homestand towards the Rays, Pirates and Angels.
The sequence is Baltimore’s first versus the Rays this season, as beginning pitchers Kyle Gibson, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer are set to face off towards McClanahan, Eflin and Yonny Chirinos. The solely different AL East membership the Orioles have but to play is the Blue Jays, whom Baltimore faces later this month.
What was good?
Anthony Santander.
As the Orioles’ offense spent April crushing the ball, Santander not often joined the enjoyable. The switch-hitter led the crew in residence runs final season with 33, however via April, he had a measly .213 batting common with a .642 OPS and simply two lengthy balls. But in his first six video games in May, Santander has two hits in every with three residence runs and 9 RBIs. He’s now hitting .264 with a .795 OPS.
What wasn’t?
The bullpen, apart from Sunday.
The Orioles’ bullpen was integral to the membership’s success in 2022, and that was the case in April as properly. Baltimore entered final week with the very best bullpen ERA within the majors at 2.86. But the Orioles’ aid corps had maybe its worst week of the season earlier than salvaging it in Sunday’s loss by permitting one hit and one unearned run in 6 1/3 innings. Before Sunday, the bullpen allowed 24 hits, seven walks and 12 runs throughout 15 2/3 innings. Both losses in Atlanta have been charged to relievers, first to Danny Coulombe on Saturday after which to Cionel Pérez on Sunday. Baltimore’s relievers have mixed this season for a 3.20 ERA, which ranks fourth within the majors.
On the farm
The Orioles are hoping they will replicate their Triple-A crew’s success after they tackle the Rays this week. The Norfolk Tides, the very best crew within the minor leagues by a large margin, beat up on Tampa Bay’s Triple-A membership, the Durham Bulls, final week. The Tides gained 5 of six video games towards the Bulls, outscoring the Rays’ affiliate by 18 runs. Prospects Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Joey Ortiz remained scorching, whereas pitchers Cole Irvin, DL Hall and Drew Rom all posted wonderful begins.
A few ranges down, the Orioles’ high prospect continued his robust begin to the season. Jackson Holliday, who was promoted from Low-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen two weeks in the past, hit .350 with 5 walks and three stolen bases final week. Through 10 video games with the IronBirds, Holliday is slashing .297/.435/.459.
Rays at Orioles
Monday, 6:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com