Trying to size up what Atlanta weekend means for the Orioles

For the Orioles, I guess we could say they didn’t gain as many wins as they hoped, but they did gain respect. Respect in that they may in fact be a contending team that is ready to play with the big boys in big league baseball.

We can’t say that with certainty after just those three games in Atlanta but in five series this year versus clubs with current winning records they are 2-3 and a dropped fly ball from being 3-2. They are 7-8 in those games against Boston, New York, Texas and Atlanta.

But maybe the hard-fought series between the teams over the weekend at Truist Park does kind of validate the Orioles' 15-4 mark this year against their other opponents in Oakland, Chicago, Washington, Detroit and Kansas City. They took care of business big time against the second division clubs, perhaps hammering home the point that they are no longer one of them.

The Orioles lost two of three games in Atlanta, but it was probably as positive a weekend as it could be for a club going 1-2. The last two days they went 2-for-23 with runners in scoring position, which led to the 5-4 and 3-2 losses. They didn’t need an avalanche of clutch hits to pull out one or more of those games – just a couple would do – but they didn’t come.

In the last week such hits were the difference for the Orioles in scoring big or not. In producing games with 11 and 13 runs in Kansas City and nine in Atlanta on Friday, they were a combined 18-for-45 (.400) with RISP. But in scoring zero, four and two runs the other three games in those series they were a combined 2-for-25 (.080) with RISP.

“Just two tough games there the last couple games, but I thought we really fought well, played hard, and we had opportunities today. Let a few get away, unfortunately,” manager Brandon Hyde said after his club went 1-for-14 with RISP Sunday.

"We just didn't get any hits with runners in scoring position, and I felt like our swings were a little bit big today. We've been doing a pretty good job. Just, maybe they made pitches on us. We definitely had a ton of opportunities to put more runs across. We just didn't get it done today."

Friday, they extended their record to 11-0 this year in series-opening games – a mark that will get a real test tonight at home versus Tampa Bay – but their seven series win streak ended on Sunday.

The Orioles' pitching staff has been inconsistent this year, showing us enough glimpses of good pitching, such as this weekend, to provide hope. But also, they’ve had some rough series against lesser opponents. O’s pitching gave up 24 runs in four home games versus Oakland and 23 runs in three games at Kansas City. But they also held Texas to seven runs in three games and Atlanta to 12 in three games. They blanked the Nationals in back-to-back games and had a three-game series with Detroit where they allowed three runs total.

Who would have predicted the O’s starting pitchers would have a better ERA this past weekend?

But they did as Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells pitched to an ERA of 2.81 throwing 16 innings in the series. The Braves trio of Max Fried, Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder had a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.

For what is worth – not very much really – the Orioles outscored Atlanta 15-12 in the series. This was, after all, a Braves team that began the weekend at 22-10 with a plus-59 run differential. And the O’s staff did a solid job versus a club that began the series second in the majors in slugging (.471) and team OPS (.815).

Maybe the Orioles gained some confidence from battling Atlanta so close over three days and 30 innings. Maybe even more was gained than from those series wins over the losing teams.

The Orioles, for now, have the look of a contender, one that could use better starting pitching moving forward and one that hopefully took some steps forward in that regard in Atlanta.

Now on to the rest of the year which for the Orioles includes three games starting tonight versus Tampa Bay. After the Rays latest comeback win Sunday over the Yankees, Tampa Bay is 28-7, playing .800 ball. Maybe this series will give us a clue as to whether the Rays are just going to be the class of the East this year and everyone else is playing for second place, or that they are catchable even after a stunning 35-game run.