Baltimore Orioles begin final push towards playoffs

At this moment the Baltimore Orioles are 3 games behind the Yankees for first place in the division. Tonight, in Yankees stadium, the Orioles start a 3 game series again those same Yankees

Things are lining up perfectly.

While the likelihood of Baltimore actually sweeping New York is minimal, this matchup’s timing could not be better. With a chance to directly chip away at the lead New York has on the AL East this could be one of the more electric series this whole season.

Baltimore has been hot of late, going 7-3 in their last 10 games, all against talented squads. With the exception of the Blue Jays the Orioles opponents have all been deeply entrenched in the playoff hunt, and the O’s are beating them.

This is a huge turnaround from the start of the year when the record did not reflect the level of baseball the Orioles were playing. Despite a great record heading into the break, whenever a top level team, like New York, Texas, or Detroit would come to town Baltimore would drop at least a game or two.

Now though it is fair to expect a couple of wins from Baltimore, if not a sweep of the series against these types of squads.

But can the Orioles beat the Yankees?

If we dig back though the history books the answer is a resounding no. The Yankees are one of the greatest franchises in sports history and the Orioles are just an on and off team who competes only a couple times a decade. But if this season has been anything to Baltimore, it has been one of defying the experts.

Coming into the year no one expected Baltimore to be in the playoff hunt this late in the season. Heck, no one expected Baltimore to be in the playoff hunt a month into the season. But lo and behold here we are with just September to play and the O’s are in first place in the wildcard, looking at a potential division title.

The pitching matchups work out in the Orioles favor, avoiding C.C. Sabathia and getting starts from Chen, Tillman, and Gonzalez in the three games. If the offense can keep up its recent surge, only scoring less than 2 runs in a game 4 times this month, then the Orioles could shock the world and make a move on the Bronx Bombers.

While the U.S. focuses on college football, this weekend has one of the most interesting baseball series of the whole year. This is the series where the Orioles make the playoffs or fall by the wayside.

Mark your calendars it’s going to be a good time.