Blue Jays and the full AL East Recap: Week 4

An offensive lull slows down the surging Orioles

Baltimore Orioles: 14-10

The Orioles experienced their first week below .500 this week after losing to the Rays and splitting a 4 game set with the White Sox.

Their offense had a rough week, scoring more than three runs only twice the entire week. The Orioles’ issue however, was not with their bats, it was with their starting rotation. It’s only without the profound impact the Orioles lineup possesses that we can see the flaws that their starting rotation has.

Outside of the strong showing that Chris Tillman has put together this season, the rest of the staff has looked fragile at best. With the loss of veteran Yovani Gallardo, the Orioles are looking at a rough time of it if their offense can’t get hot again.

Baltimore got a scare too with an injury to ace closer Zach Britton. Their ‘pen gets significantly weaker without him manning the ninth inning. While considered day to day, he could end up missing the better part of the week.

It’s still not all bad for the Orioles as their offence ranks as one of the best in the American League. Their team looks more like the offensive juggernaut we saw the last three weeks and less like the team we saw this week. So don’t go counting them out just yet. I’d consider them to still be the front runner for the American League East at the moment.

Final Takeaway

Though they had a quiet weak, the Orioles should still be able to keep pace in a division that is finally starting to take shape.

Next: The Rays can't find their balance