The Baltimore Orioles clinch another series victory against the Atlanta Braves winning two out of three games in Camden Yards. The O’s record of 45-23 currently has them sitting as the third-best team in MLB with a match-up against the Philadelphia Phillies coming up. The Orioles benefitted from stellar starting pitching in their two victories. Albert Suarez pitched five and a third innings of shutout baseball in the O’s 4-0 victory Tuesday night. Cade Povich also electrified the home crowd, pitching six shutout innings with six strikeouts in his first appearance at Camden Yards in the O’s 6-3 victory Wednesday night. The Orioles are currently 7-3 in their last 10 games as they prepare to face another tough opponent.
Welcome Back Jorge
When the Orioles are healthy, they are the best baseball team in MLB, and Jorge Mateo returned and showed that. In his first at-bat back from his IL stint Mateo, hit a go-ahead three-run home run and the Orioles never looked back winning the game easily. During the season, Mateo’s playing time has only increased. When the O’s were struggling to find offense at the bottom of the order and second base, Mateo stepped up to the challenge and succeeded. He is currently playing some of the best baseball in his career with a career-high 114 wRC+ on the season. With Mateo playing gold glove-level defense, seeing his bat continuing to evolve is a great boost to this Orioles lineup.
Tough Outing With A Few Bright Spots
The Orioles only loss came Thursday afternoon as the Braves jumped on Cole Irvin and Cionel Perez giving up six runs in the 6-3 loss. A few bright spots came from the return of Bryan Baker to the bullpen and a light tower home run from Kyle Stowers. Bryan Baker pitched one and two-thirds innings only allowing one hit and not allowing a run. He looked great creating soft contact with his pitches creating an opportunity for the Orioles to score runs. Stowers took advantage of that opportunity in the bottom of the seventh blasting a three-run moonshot into right centerfield. Stowers found himself at DH in Thursday’s game pushing across the only runs in the game. Errors also played a factor in the game giving the Braves extra chances. This shouldn’t be a concern going forward as the O’s have the best fielding percentage in the American League at 98.8%.
MLB’s Best Face Off
The Orioles will welcome the Phillies to Camden Yards for a weekend set that puts two of the top three teams in baseball against each other. The Phillies are the best team in the National League with a record of 46-21. The Orioles now have a chance to take down this giant as they will face two NL Cy Young contenders in Ranger Suarez and Zach Wheeler. The O’s will also have three of their best starters Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, and ace Corbin Burnes toe the slab in this series. This matchup is guaranteed to set off some fireworks as both teams are top-five in MLB in multiple categories. The Orioles have struggled offensively against National League opponents this year with a team OPS of .663 on the season but can right the ship with this upcoming series. This is a must-see baseball series and O’s fans will enjoy every bit of this great series since it isn’t nationally televised.
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