The Improving Baltimore Orioles

by Team Del Genio

Wednesday, May 31, 2023
The Baltimore Orioles are demonstrating themselves to be legitimate contenders in the loaded American League East division. 

The Orioles had revenge on their mind on Tuesday after getting shut out by Logan Allen in the opening game of their three-game series with the Guardians on Monday. The Orioles had won eighteen of their last twenty-seven games when playing with revenge from a shutout loss to their opponent. Baltimore has lost three of their last four games, yet they have still won twenty-six of their last thirty-eight games. Their 34-20 record had them in second place in the AL East behind Tampa Bay who have the best record in baseball. 

The Orioles' rise in the standing appeared legitimate at the time with them outscoring their opponents by 0.5 runs per game with them averaging 4.9 runs per game. Baltimore had won twenty-three of their last thirty-five games after losing three of four. The Orioles had won twelve of their last eighteen games at home when priced as a money line favorite priced by the oddsmakers at -110 or higher. 

Baltimore is getting great pitching out of their bullpen with the team leading MLB in holds before getting to their closer Felix Bautista. At home at Camden Yards, the Orioles had a 2.74 era and a 1.25 whip going into that game. 

The Orioles have been getting reliable pitching from some key members of their starting rotation. Kyle Gibson got the start on Tuesday for manager Brandon Hyde after only giving up one earned run in his previous two starts. He pitched seven shutout innings in his previous start in New York against the Yankees. For the season, he had a 6-3 record with a 3.82 era and a 1.30 whip in eleven starts. The right-hander does not induce many strikeouts yet he is inducing soft contact. His hard-hit rate of 27.0 for the batted balls he is allowing into play is his lowest since 2014. 

Gibson offered his team a solid outing with 5 2/3 innings of work while allowing three runs. Baltimore won the game by an 8-5 score, and the Team won the Major League Baseball Game of the Month. The vaunted Orioles bullpen continued to shine with Yennier Cano pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 11th hold of the season before yielding to Bautista who pitched a scoreless ninth inning to register his 14th save. Gibson has seven wins on the season. 

Baltimore lost the final game of the series on Wednesday, 12-8, yet still entire June with many reasons for optimism. With a 35-21 record, they have the third-best record in the American League. They have one more loss than the Rangers having played one more game than Texas, and they are four games behind a Tampa Bay Rays team that has the best record in baseball. Led by the breakout season from the rookie Cano, the Orioles bullpen has 48 holds which were ten more than the next closest team going into the week. 

As we enter the summer months of the Major League Baseball season, despite their recent inexperience in the playoffs, the Orioles are a team that should not be treated lightly. 

Good luck - Team Del Genio.

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