Baltimore Orioles Can Rapidly Make Up Ground in Standings With Upcoming Schedule

Don’t look now, but the Baltimore Orioles are one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Despite losing two out of three games to the Athletics in their most recent series, the Orioles have won 10 out of their last 14 games, which includes a seven-game winning streak.

Encouragingly, they were 4-2 against teams with a winning record over that stretch, providing some optimism that they are turning things around and ready to start playing up to their capability.

With how things look right now, Baltimore is a team that will be selling once the MLB trade deadline rolls around next month.

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However, the players on the team are going to have a chance to prove that the towel shouldn’t be thrown in on the season in the coming weeks, playing several series against teams that they are looking up to in the standings.

If they can find a way to keep up their recent form, they will close that gap quickly and rapidly ascend the standings.

“The Orioles are trying to provide that encouragement now. They’re 10-4 in their last 14 games as their starting rotation has stabilized — hey, Charlie Morton wasn’t totally cooked, after all — and they have some vitally important series coming up. The American League is not a juggernaut, and its competitive flatness has provided Baltimore with an opportunity to get off the mat here and now,” wrote Tim Britton of The Athletic (subscription required).

Their next seven series are all against American League teams, beginning with the cream of the crop, the Detroit Tigers.

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That is the start of a six-game homestand, with the Los Angeles Angels coming to Camden Yards for three games before the Orioles head on the road for seven games against AL East rivals.

A four-game series will be played against the Tampa Bay Rays before heading to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees.

Another six-game homestand follows that, with Baltimore set to host the Texas Rangers for three games before another series against the Rays.

The Rangers and Orioles will get very familiar with each other, as the Tampa Bay series is sandwiched by six games against Texas.

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To proclaim this turnaround legitimate and convince the front office to change their game plan ahead of the trade deadline on July 31, Baltimore needs to win at least 15 or 16 of these next 22 games.

A tall task indeed, but that would be just about the pace they played at over the most recent 14-game stretch, where they have shown some signs of life.

The talent is certainly there for a major turnaround and the roster is getting healthier by the day, with regulars returning to the lineup and pitching staff to help stabalize things on the field.

For More Orioles Coverage, Head to Orioles On SI.