Orioles improve Wild Card standing after successful series win vs. Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- If anybody had told the Orioles ahead of time that they’d win the weekend’s four-game wraparound series at Tropicana Field, they would have been thrilled. And that they’d be flying out of Tampa International Airport tied for the third American League Wild Card spot? Even better.

But every game matters during the stretch run. So even though Baltimore took three of four against AL-best Tampa Bay, Monday night’s 7-6 loss hurt. The O’s wanted a sweep, and they came up short, dropping a game in which they had a 6-4 lead until the Rays’ three-run seventh.

“Coming into this series, I think winning three of four would have sounded great,” said Coby Mayo, whose Statcast-projected 468-foot home run was one of three homers hit by the Orioles. “Obviously, we didn’t want to lose the one today. I thought we played a pretty good game. It sucks we didn’t win this game, obviously. But we can’t dwell on it too long.”

With a three-city, 10-game road trip now complete, it’s a good time to take a step back and assess where Baltimore (61-64) stands.

Looking back

Much like taking three of four at The Trop, the O’s should be pleased with a 5-5 road trip, especially with how it started.

The Orioles dropped two of three games at Texas, then dropped two of three at Minnesota. And if things had continued to trend negatively in St. Petersburg, then Baltimore’s postseason odds could have taken a massive hit before the club returned home.

Instead, the O’s played three of their better games of the season on Friday (6-5 win), Saturday (4-3, 10-inning victory) and Sunday (10-2 win). They showed resiliency in eking out one-run victories to begin the series, before their offense showed its potential on Sunday afternoon.

Monday’s game wasn’t an awful loss, either. The Orioles just couldn’t keep down a scrappy Rays offense any longer, with right-hander Brandon Young allowing four runs in four innings and righty Yennier Cano allowing three runs without recording an out in the seventh.

“It was a really good series for us,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “We would've liked to win this one, but overall, it was a really good series.”

Looking ahead

This is a 10-game AL East gauntlet for the O’s that began Friday. After playing four road contests against Tampa Bay, they return to Camden Yards for a six-game homestand vs. the Yankees and Rays, the top two teams in the AL.

This week’s series against New York is especially daunting, with the Yanks scheduled to send left-hander Carlos Rodón (Tuesday) and right-hander Gerrit Cole (Thursday) to the mound during the three-game set.

“Six more really important games coming up,” Mayo said.

The Orioles have had mixed results against the Yankees so far. New York swept a four-game series in the Bronx from May 1-4, but Baltimore took two of three at home from May 11-13.

The same can be said about how the O’s have fared vs. the Rays. Tampa Bay swept a three-game set in St. Pete from May 18-20, but the Orioles have since won six of seven vs. the Rays, sweeping three at home from May 25-27 and taking three of four over the past week.

“It was good. We made some ground, won the series,” Young said.

Two more AL East series wins this week would certainly be big for Baltimore, too.

Wild Card race

The Orioles are tied for the third AL Wild Card spot with the Rangers and Tigers, all with a 61-64 record. But four other teams are within two games, as well, so anything could happen in one of the more congested playoff races in recent memory.

Considering all that Baltimore has gone through, it’s a bit surprising it’s in such a competitive spot. The O’s didn’t have a winning month until their 15-8 July, and that still didn’t prevent the front office from operating as sellers at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.

Yet, here the Orioles are, right in the thick of everything. Now, what do they need to do to be among the teams heading to the postseason?

“Just continuing to be united,” Cano said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I think we have the talent. We’re a really great team. I really do believe that. And so, I think we have to keep doing what we’ve been doing these last four games and keep that going, going forward.”