Orioles manager Brandon Hyde doesn’t want to look at the big picture because there is still so much baseball to play this season, but his team is a legitimate playoff contender heading into the All-Star break.
The Orioles enter a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs at 43-44 and two games out of a wild-card spot. Excitement has been building for the players and fans, as the Orioles drew close to 100,000 fans for the most recent four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards.
This team has apparently turned the corner on the rebuild, and now the building blocks are perhaps in place for long-term success. What’s even more intriguing is that the Orioles’ entire roster has a payroll that is lower than Max Scherzer’s salary with the New York Mets.
“I feel like our team comes to the ballpark feeling like we’re going to win,” Hyde said. “And that’s a different feeling, I’m sure than what’s been in the clubhouse the last few years.”
With the four-game sweep of the Angels, the Orioles have won eight straight home games for the first time since April 26-May 20, 2017. They’ve won 13 of their last 18 games, 19 of their last 29 and 12 of their last 15 at Oriole Park.
The Orioles’ starting pitching has been exceptional, and the club is getting solid performances from the most unlikely candidates. On July 10, Austin Voth earned his first win since Sept. 8, 2021, when he was pitching for the Nationals against Atlanta. He is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in five starts this season. The homer he surrendered against the Angels was his first since June 10 at Kansas City, a span of 17.1 innings.
“Right now, we’re doing everything right,” Voth said. “We’re pitching well, we’re hitting well, we’re playing good defense, and we’ve got a good bullpen. We have a lot of good factors to contribute to winning and having success, and that’s all you ask for.”
The bullpen has also shined, with closer Jorge López (16 saves) earning a trip to this year’s All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. Baltimore relievers have posted a 3.25 ERA on the season.
If the Orioles beat the Cubs in the series opener on July 12, they will secure their first nine-game streak in a single season since the Orioles strung together 13 in a row in September 1999.
“We’ve won in a lot of different ways and more winning breeds more confidence,” Hyde said.
The Orioles have also gotten exceptional hitting throughout the lineup. The team has played better than .500 ball since catcher Adley Rutschman earned a promotion from Triple-A Norfolk. He has contributed with some key hits.
Designated hitter Trey Mancini has managed at least a hit in nine straight games overall and 17 consecutive starts. He is batting .292 (21-for-72) with five doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs since June 21.
First baseman Ryan Mountcastle has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games dating back to June 27, batting .310 (13-for-42) with six doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs during that stretch.
“It seems like each and every day, we just go out there and we’re going to win,” Mountcastle said. “I don’t know. It’s just this weird aura. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s awesome.”
With the trade deadline looming, there’s no telling which direction the Orioles are going to go. The team could part ways with Lopez, Mancini and others to add more prospects or they could be buyers in an effort to stay in the playoff race.
General manager Mike Elias was coy about the team’s plans.
“I’m very happy,” Elias said. “I’m very encouraged by it. I’m very proud of our players and I credit them and the major league coaches with not the results of these games but the style of play and the effort level that I think we’re all seeing. It is hard to do on a night-in, night-out basis at the major league level and I think this group deserves a lot of credit for that.”
For now, the Orioles are going to continue to have fun. Many of the players on the current roster came up together through the minors so there is great chemistry in the clubhouse.
Regardless of what happens in the coming days, weeks and months, the future looks bright.
“This is a really fun team,” Hyde said. “Go into our clubhouse right now … there’s a lot of energy. Guys really like each other, they’re a very, very tight group, and it’s fun right now.”
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