Baltimore Orioles Shown No Respect, Get Zero Sunday Night Baseball Games

The Baltimore Orioles went from the underdog story to more pressure than ever in less than a year. While understandable, given the talent on the Orioles roster, it might be a bit unfair.

However, struggling in the postseason for consecutive campaigns changes things, and the ball club, once viewed as the up-and-coming squad around Major League Baseball, is now expected to compete for a World Series.

Flying under the radar has benefits, but for a Baltimore fan base that wants to see their favorite team enjoy the spotlight, the latest development isn't ideal.

ESPN released the Sunday Night Baseball early season schedule and, in surprising fashion, kept the Orioles off the schedule.

A small-market team like Baltimore doesn't always get the most respect from the media, and ratings matter to ESPN and MLB. However, leaving off the young stars on this roster, like Gunnar Henderson and others, is a questionable decision.

The typical faces are on the schedule, with the New York Yankees, the Orioles' rival, playing in two games.

Some squads have as many as four, but many have none. The Boston Red Sox only have one, and to Baltimore fans, that might feel unfair. While the Red Sox are a big market team, they haven't exactly found much success in the past few years.

There are many factors in these decisions, but the Orioles struggling in the playoffs and being in a small marker doesn't do them any favors.

Hopefully, they'll get a few games in the second half and show ESPN why they deserved to play on Sunday Night Baseball earlier in the campaign.