ATLANTA — Was watching the Orioles this weekend a little more stressful than usual?
Facing the best team in the National League, with Cy Young-caliber pitchers on the mound and 40,000 fans in the stands, the Orioles and Atlanta Braves battled in three games that were one-run affairs in the seventh inning, with the final two coming down to the wire on national television.
It’s unusual for an interleague series to feel the way the Orioles’ did this weekend in Atlanta. But after a stretch of games against largely cellar-dwellers, combined with the yearning from the fan base to be thought of as a contender, the three games against the Braves offered an early taste for what the rest of the season could look like for the Orioles, whose remaining schedule is among the toughest in the major leagues.