Baltimore Orioles Fall in Latest MLB Rankings

The Baltimore Orioles were able to end the weekend on a high note, winning the series decider against the Colorado Rockies. However, this is an Orioles team that is not playing its best baseball right now.

After winning two of three games against the Rockies, Baltimore finds itself in the middle of a tight race with the New York Yankees for the American League East. The Yankees and Orioles are not playing great baseball right now, which has resulted in neither team taking over the division.

The summer hasn’t been kind to Baltimore, as after a great start to the season, they’ve been below .500 in July and August. However, early season games still matter just as much as they do now, so the Orioles are still in prime position to make the playoffs.

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer recently released his updated power rankings, which saw the Orioles drop one spot to fifth.

“If there’s anything the Orioles can be thankful for right now, it’s that the Yankees aren’t running and hiding with a lead in the AL East. There are worse places to be playing in September than second place, only a half-game behind.”

“Still, the Orioles are trending badly after a July 12-13 to Aug. 13-15 stretch. And now the wrong guys are at the top, as Gunnar Henderson has a .430 OPS over his last 13 games and Corbin Burnes has a 7.36 ERA in August.”

The Orioles’ slight slump was certainly justified, as they haven’t been a team that has been able to play good baseball for a long time. While some of their stars are struggling, it could also give them hope that they’ll get over it soon.

The Orioles will have a great opportunity to get things going and maybe take the lead in the American League East as September begins. Baltimore will play the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays next week as they should have at least four wins in their next six games.

Even though they’ve struggled, the Orioles are in a good position, right up there with the Yankees for the AL East crown. If they can take advantage of a soft schedule early in the month, we could see Baltimore atop the East by the end of the week.