For over a calendar year, the Orioles have not lost an AL East series

It has not reached triple digits, like the Orioles' sweepless streak in the regular season that finally ended at 106 straight in St. Louis. But it’s impressive in a different kind of way.

In an American League East division where the Orioles finished 48 games behind in 2021, 49 back in 2019 and were 61 games out at the end of the 2018 season, the Orioles suddenly don’t lose series.

Actually, it is not that sudden. But when the Orioles won the first two games of their series with the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend at Oriole Park, it marked another division series that they had either won or tied (even though they lost to the Rays on Sunday).

When the 2023 season started, the O’s lost two of three games to both Boston and New York in their first two AL East series. They didn’t lose another one the rest of the year.

This season they are 4-0-1 in AL East series, so the streak of not losing one has reached 19 in a row with the Tampa Bay series. The Orioles have won 14 series and tied five. It is the longest streak in team history since division play began in 1969, per Elias Sports Bureau.

It began last season from April 24-26, and here is how it looks since then:

* Orioles 2-1 vs. Boston
* Orioles 2-1 vs. Tampa Bay
* Orioles 3-0 at Toronto
* Orioles 2-1 at New York
* Orioles 2-1 vs. Toronto
* Orioles 1-1 at Tampa Bay
* Orioles 2-2 at New York
* Orioles 3-1 at Tampa Bay
* Orioles 2-1 vs. New York
* Orioles 3-1 at Toronto
* Orioles 2-1 vs. Toronto
* Orioles 2-1 at Boston
* Orioles 2-2 vs. Tampa Bay
* Orioles 2-2 vs. Boston

And thus far this year it looks like this.

* Orioles 3-0 at Boston
* Orioles 3-1 vs. New York
* Orioles 1-1 vs. Toronto
* Orioles 2-1 vs. Boston
* Orioles 2-1 vs. Tampa Bay.

In this run of 19 series, beyond not losing a series they are 41-20 over 61 games for a winning percentage of .672. A team playing that well over a full year would win 109 games.

Where once they were dominated by these teams, now the Orioles beat them, and often.

Baltimore went 32-20 last season in division games and is 11-4 this year for a two-year mark of 43-24 (.642).

During the 19-series run, they are 3-0-1 in series play against New York, going 9-5 in those games. They are 4-0-1 against Boston, going 11-5. They are 4-0-1 vs. Toronto, going 11-4, and 3-0-2 against Tampa Bay, going 10-6.

Four times during this stretch, most recently on the homestand against Boston, the Orioles needed to win the rubber match game in a three-game series. Two times last year they had to win the last two games of a four-game series to split, and once this year they had to take the final game of a two-game series. It was actually a scheduled three-game series with Toronto shortened to two games by rain, and the Orioles won the final game to split two contests.

There are two more chances upcoming, starting tonight, to extend this impressive AL East run. The O’s latest road trip begins tonight in Toronto at Rogers Centre with four games, and then it’s on to St. Petersburg and the Trop for four more with the Rays.   

Minor league promotions: The Orioles are moving more players up within their farm system. Right-handed pitcher Carlos Tavera, their fifth-round draft pick in 2021, is moving from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. And right-hander Michael Forret, their 14th-round selection in 2023, is moving from Single-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen.

Tavera is 3-0 with a 3.30 ERA for Bowie. Over 30 innings, he has walked 16, fanned 36 and allowed a .155 batting average and 1.07 WHIP. Over his past three games he has thrown 9 1/3 scoreless innings.

Forret, age 20, is 2-4 with a 3.18 ERA with Delmarva. Over 39 2/3 innings, he has allowed 15 walks with 49 strikeouts, a .211 batting average and with a 1.13 WHIP.