After four deflating games against the Boston Red Sox this week at Camden Yards, it’s obvious that the Orioles and the American League East leaders are on different playing fields.
Things can change, but they must do so in a hurry for the Orioles to avoid a disappointing end to this season. If the four-game home sweep the Orioles suffered this week was any indication, the gap between the Red Sox and the Orioles is as wide as the seven games in the division standings that now separate them following Thursday’s 5-3 loss.
The defeat, combined with the Detroit Tigers’ doubleheader sweep in Minnesota, knocked the Orioles out of the second American League wild-card spot by a half-game with nine regular-season games left to play, leaving them among a muddled group of four teams within three games of the final playoff position.