Glenn Clark: Orioles ready for biggest games, moments the rest of the way

The Baltimore Orioles have won many important games since the start of the 2023 season. This is not surprising, considering that they have won more games (148) than any other MLB team during this span . But I’m about to tell you about some of the important games they didn’t win, so I don’t want to sound like I’m being deliberately obtuse. They won a lot of important matches!

Before their rubber game against the Phillies on June 16, I found myself thinking, “This looks like a big game!” Why do I feel like the Orioles haven’t won some of their biggest games? It does not mean anything. We all remember them winning three out of four against the Yankees earlier this season. We recognize that they have a 22-12 record against teams above .500 this season. We remember those two massive wins against the Rays last September after Tampa Bay got back into the AL East race.

But I think my brain might have specifically defaulted to the “statement” games the Orioles have played in recent years. For example, in July of last year, the Orioles were clearly “for real,” as the kids might have said whenever I was still considered a kid. In the two weeks following the All-Star break, the Birds faced two of the National League teams favored to reach the World Series. These series of “statements”… made a false statement. They lost two of three to the Dodgers at home and then two of three to the Phillies a week later in Philadelphia.

In August, they got another chance with a visit from the defending World Series champion Astros…and lost two of three. They would get their revenge in September, winning two of three games in Houston.

But those disappointing “statement” opportunities (combined with their appearance as “The Nail” in the playoffs against the Rangers) left a lasting memory that perhaps this group of young Orioles might be in trouble when the spotlight shines on more.

All of this gives some idea of ​​why it seemed like the Orioles’ wins Saturday and Sunday over Father’s Day weekend were among the biggest of the “Baby Birds” era. Obviously, no regular-season victory can be described as “meaningful,” nor can a series in the first half of a baseball season — especially an interleague series. But the significance of victories like this may not be something we can fully appreciate for some time.

One of my favorite tropes as an interviewer is asking what the “special sauce” might be that makes the difference between a playoff team and a World Series winner. No one – neither the World Series winners nor the unsuccessful ones – can fully define that. I don’t know how important it is that a team won its “highlight” games during a regular season. It’s not just that I can’t prove causation, I can’t even prove correlation!

But “the right to feel like a bully” is certainly a term people in baseball talk about. And the confidence that comes from winning the biggest games, those “signature” games during the regular season, certainly doesn’t feel like it could hurt a team’s chances of winning the World Series. .

In front of an absolutely raucous crowd this weekend, the Orioles were challenged by a team that just might reach the World Series. They lost the first game in truly heartbreaking fashion and had to go deep into their bullpen in the process. They lost one of their best pitchers (Kyle Bradish) to the indefinite injured list.

And then they dropped the first two innings of Saturday’s game, causing a sort of frenzy among the Phillies fans who had traveled and boosted our economy. The Orioles never panicked. Grayson Rodriguez was brilliant. Anthony Santander was dominant. And then on Sunday, almost everyone got in on the act, beating one of the highest-paid pitchers in the game (Zack Wheeler).

What looked to be more of a letdown in major moments quickly turned into one of the Orioles’ finest hours in recent memory. They stood up and met the moment. They’ve earned the right to feel like the big bad neighborhood bullies heading into a potentially even bigger series against the Yankees in New York.

Again, this doesn’t mean the Orioles are close to winning the American League. This doesn’t solve any of their personnel problems. This simply means that the tide continues to turn. The Orioles are not a good story. They are one of the favorites in the World Series and they are ready for the biggest games, moments and series to come.

It was a great weekend in our city. This was a tremendous series victory for the Orioles.

Photo credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox