The Baltimore Orioles are currently in a dogfight with the New York Yankees to win the American League East crown.
It is a huge race for a multitude of reasons. Whoever wins will be right in the running for the No. 1 seed, meaning home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Most importantly, it likely means avoiding the Wild Card Round and receiving a bye into the Divisional Round. Other than the Cleveland Guardians, the Orioles and Yankees are both at least four games clear of every other AL team in the standings.
New York is currently a half-game ahead of Baltimore in the standings with 58 losses compared to 59; both teams have 80 victories. A showdown in the final week of the regular season at Yankee Stadium could very well determine who wins the division and is the No. 1 seed.
How will this race end up? In the opinion of the majority of MLB experts that were polled over at ESPN, it will be the Yankees.
18 experts make up the panel and 14 of them selected the Bronx Bombers to come out on top in the AL East.
One of the experts who have confidence in the Orioles getting the job done is Jeff Passan. Their health and the ability to start the month hot is what he believes will put them over the top.
“Zach Eflin just came back. Grayson Rodriguez and Jordan Westburg shouldn’t be far behind. The Orioles are getting healthy at the right time, and between that and starting September with a series against the White Sox, things are looking up for the team with the most talent in the American League,” wrote Passan.
When healthy, the Baltimore rotation can stack up against pretty much anyone in the AL. Cy Young Award candidate Corbin Burnes anchors the staff as the ace, but there is plenty of depth and talent behind him, headlined by the aforementioned Eflin and Rodriguez.
What the Orioles need to figure out is their bullpen hierarchy. Can they trust Craig Kimbrel in big spots down the stretch? If not, who can they turn to in late-game situations?
Brandon Hyde will have to figure that out over the last few weeks of the season, as the margin for error is razor-thin with how New York is playing. At least he can fall back on an offense that even the best pitchers in baseball would struggle to keep in check.
