Would not be at all surprised to be in 2nd place come Monday morning - the Orioles have been playing ridiculous baseball...until the past week they were running 2 games behind Atlanta. Think about that for a minute...a team that went 52-110 in 2021 was playing at a level that NO one would have seen coming. The team was on pace to win 105 games. Objectively...and this is I think an honest, fair assessment...if you study our 25 man roster and match up against Atlanta, there is a HUGE gap right now. The Orioles, good as they are, talented as they are, have been playing out of their minds. The fact that they've played out of their minds for 135-140 games has been crazy.
The O's longest losing streak this year is 4 games. That's absurd. The '83 World Champion team lost 7 games in a row twice that season! This team has been long overdue for a slump, and it's likely coming at what many would say is the worst time. (going into what likely will be the series that decides the division) The fact that they scored 2 runs total in the past 2 games against a really bad St. Louis team is troubling. I'd actually argue that I'd rather them slump now, perhaps at the cost of not winning the division, and get themselves right prior to the playoffs is better than playing .750 ball like they have been the past month. A slump was overdue an imminent...get it out of their system now and try to build some momentum thereafter. How many times across all sports do teams cruise into the playoffs only to lay an egg? The Tampa Bay Lightning did just a couple of years ago. It happens a lot...last year the Phillies upended the Braves due in part because the Fightin's got hot at just the right time.
I'm trying not to sweat these next 4 games. This season has been a blast. It's also been a surprise...the Orioles weren't really supposed to be in this spot until next year or even 2025. They've exceeded every expectation. That reality keeps me grounded as the season winds down. Shoot, most of the upper echelon talent is still at Norfolk and Bowie!