Orioles Sweep the Reds To Continue Their Hot Streak
The Baltimore Orioles went into Cincinnati and left a broomstick as they swept the Reds in a three-game series this weekend. The O’s are now riding a four-game win streak into their next series against the Washington Nationals. Baltimore has the best record in MLB at 23-11. The O’s starters dominated this series. The starting pitching has been the biggest highlight for the Orioles. The pitching staff has held opponents to two or fewer runs in seven consecutive games. This is highlighted by the return of John Means who tossed seven shutout innings only allowing three hits with eight strikeouts Saturday night. With the return of Means, the O’s look practically unbeatable in the early going. The Orioles are currently ranked second in MLB.com’s Power Rankings.
The Loaded Pitching Staff
The O’s have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Some would go on to say they have the deepest starting rotation in the MLB. With Means’ dominant return in Cincy, he has given the Orioles another legit starting pitching option. With Kremer flirting with a perfect game Sunday he could have potentially secured his place in the rotation when Grayson Rodriguez comes off the IL. Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde will have a difficult decision to make when G-Rod returns to the rotation. The Orioles currently are top five in team ERA with a 3.31 and second in the league with a team WHIP of 1.09.
Chef Adley’s Cooking
Alongside calling some great games across the series All-Star Catcher Adley Rutschman has shown his ability with the bat. Rutschman over the series went 6-13 raising his batting average to .324. Rutschman has also been the primary catcher during Cole Irvin’s scoreless innings streak which is now at 20 innings. The silver slugger has been the consistency model the team has needed with an OPS+ at 145. One thing Rutschman could improve on would be his walk rate. His walk rate of 5.4% is way below the 13.4% he posted last season. He is still getting on base at a .362 clip which leads the Orioles.
The Beltway Series
The Orioles will have to face a team in the Washington Nationals that has won seven of their last ten games just like the O’s. This is one of the first times in a while that both teams have a positive buzz around them. With Baltimore already proving they have found their winning culture, they are looking to extend their win streak to six games with a series sweep. The Nationals are looking for that winning culture but have found their future moving forward. The O’s will have Corbin Burnes and Kyle Bradish on the hill for the Interleague contests.
