It seems just mean that, after facing New York, the hottest team in baseball, the Orioles, losers of six of their last seven games, have to turn around and play the Tampa Bay Rays. Last season’s AL East champs, the Rays went 100-62 and—in case you forgot—beat the Orioles an astonishing 18 times out of 19 that they played. Headed into this season, most pundits picked the Rays to finish second in the division, but still make the playoffs. So far, that assessment looks good: the Rays trail the Yankees by 5.5 games, but with a 23-15 record, they’re no slouches, either.
Orioles-Rays series preview: The AL East isn’t exactly fair
