O's talk about going 18-11 during demanding stretch of games

The gauntlet is coming to a close for the Orioles. Starting back on May 31, they began a stretch of playing 30 games in 31 days that ends with tonight’s game versus Texas.

They have gone 18-11 in this span, and 6-2-1 in nine series, even with a five-game losing streak and being swept in Houston. Tonight they could produce their second four-game sweep of this run with an earlier one at Tampa Bay. The run includes series wins over the Braves, Phillies, Yankees, Rays and Rangers.

“I think we have handled it really well. Whether we come out 18-12 or 19-11,” Colton Cowser said this afternoon. “I think coming out of this month with a winning record with the opponents we played, especially with one off-day, it is a testament to this team and the depth that we carry.

“I think we talked about it (before it began) but not necessarily who our opponents were. It was, ‘Damn, we’ve got one off-day in June.’ But yeah, I was talking to (James) McCann and he said every year it feels like there is one month to the season and it’s kind of a gauntlet.

“After this stretch, looking at the schedule, we only play four Mondays the rest of the year. Which is kind of crazy to think about. It’s more like a minor league schedule all the sudden. We’ll take it.”

So what made the O’s ready for this stretch where they have held up so well? On May 30, they were two games behind the Yankees and right now, after New York’s win today, they lead the American League East by a half-game.

“I think not only having good players, but I think we have a lot of great guys in this clubhouse that have a great head on their shoulders," Cowser said. "Willing to pick each other up when it’s needed. As a whole, we have found different ways to win. So much depth on this team and different contributors each night and I think that speaks volumes about this organization."

Orioles head athletic trainer Brian Ebel spoke to media today. He is about to work the All-Star Game for the second time in his long and strong career. I asked Ebel if the training staff prepared the players ahead of time for this demanding stretch of games.

“We kind of do that every day though honestly,” said Ebel, who is in his 40^th year in the organization. “We pay a lot of attention to the pitching cards each night. How many ups do the guys have in the bullpen, how much do they throw? How many times they’ve been in the game. Work volume and swing volume with our hitting department, so that it is something we manage regardless of whether or not we are in this stretch. But something we have paid close attention to in this stretch."

Ryan O'Hearn provided his take on the O's play since May 31.

“Feel really good about it," he said. "I’ve said it when we went through our losing streak, it’s not easy, this grind of the season. To accomplish what we want, you have to weather some storms. Go through the ups and downs and find ways to win when it's not always pretty. Lose a few, how fast can you snap out of that?

“This team has really good character and resiliency to go through a stretch like we have and come out the way that we have. With a good record and winning games in multiple different ways."

The Orioles were actually 14-6 during this stretch before the five-game losing streak against the Astros and Rangers. A win tonight would mean they followed that five-game losing streak with five consecutive wins.

“This stretch has been tough for sure," said O'Hearn. "Lot of guys have aches and pains and can use an off-day to rest their bodies. But I think it speaks to the players that we have. That is what it takes to do well in the marathon of a season like this."