CHICAGO -- The Orioles continue to play good baseball and the vibes are immaculate around the clubhouse.

With a 6-2 win on Saturday afternoon against the White Sox, Baltimore not only won its fourth straight game for the first time since September 2020, but also secured the series win.

And with another non-losing set, this marks the fifth straight series of two games or longer that the Orioles haven’t lost since September 23, 2016, through April 26, 2017, when they went 10 straight sets, per Elias.

“Guys are playing with a ton of energy and playing to win,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We are playing with some confidence and it’s a great mentality.”

The Orioles haven't lost a series since June 5 when the Guardians took two of three from them, and this kind of success is something that they haven’t seen in a long time.

With their victory on Saturday, Baltimore now has 34 wins on the season, which is the earliest that they have reached this win total since 2017, when they were 34-34 on June 18.

“It’s been awesome,” first baseman Trey Mancini said. “We come to the park every day and expect to win. And that’s not a feeling that we have had here in a long time. It’s just been so fun.”

The team now sits at just five games under .500 and continues to exceed expectations. Here’s how they’ve done it.

Bullpen
First and foremost, give credit to the Orioles’ bullpen for closing out games, especially during their recent surge. Baltimore's relievers have allowed just six runs -- 1.29 ERA -- over 42 innings pitched in their last 11 games.

They remain a major strength of this team. And it doesn’t matter who Hyde calls upon, because they can all get it done.

Four relievers -- each of whom have pitched at least 20 innings -- have an ERA under 2.05.

Jorge López has been the team’s most reliable bullpen arm in the closer role with a 0.77 ERA and 13 saves. Dillon Tate (2.02), Félix Bautista (1.52) and Cionel Pérez (1.23) have also contributed to make Baltimore a dominant force in later innings.

“It’s really fun getting on this little roll,” reliever Bryan Baker said. “It’s really fun to be a part of, and I think the vibes are pretty high right now.”

Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle taking the Next Step
The Orioles came into the 2022 season with one of the youngest rosters in the Majors.

But youngsters like Hays and Mountcastle are playing like veterans and giving the team a major offensive boost alongside Mancini and Cedric Mullins.

Hays has had one of the best weeks of his career. He hit for the cycle on Wednesday, made two difference-making plays on Thursday and on Saturday, he delivered a bases-clearing double to extend the lead in the seventh inning.

After going 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs on Saturday, the 26-year-old upped his batting average to .288 and continues to display the plate presence of an All-Star.

Mountcastle -- who is just as deserving of an All-Star spot this season -- is seeing the ball better than anyone in the American League right now. In June, the 25-year-old has slashed .302/.351/.628 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 17 RBIs.

“We’ve seen this before and we know what they can do,” Mancini said. “They’re really starting to see the ball and put together great at-bats.”

Adley Rutschman’s Presence
Is it strange that, once Rutschman made his MLB debut on May 21, the Orioles suddenly began to play good baseball?

Nope, that’s what the sport's top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, can do to a team.

Even his teammates have noticed that, once Rutschman touched the big leagues, things changed.

“Once Rutschman was added, it brought another energy aspect that helped feel everything,” Saturday's starter Spenser Watkins said. “This clubhouse is much more loose.”

In 27 starts with Rutschman behind the plate this season, the Orioles are 15-12. And since the rookie has started to settle in at the plate, things started to flip for the team.

In his last 13 games, Rutschman has a .319 average with nine doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs.

And in that span, the team is 9-4, showing just how important Rutschman is and will be for years to come.

“He’s performing really well,” Mancini said. “He’s wise beyond his years and he’s gonna be a really good Major League baseball player for a very long time.”