The Baltimore Orioles are not a team that you see and think of as a clear post-season contender.
They are still at the very bottom of the American League East, the toughest division of all baseball.
Also, the Boston Red Sox are starting to heat up, and the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Ray and the Toronto Blue Jays are standing in their way.
However, after a very bad start to the season, there has been some hope.
Orioles insider Steve Melewski noted that they have made some big improvements since their 6-14 start, noting their 12-11 record in the last 23 games.
The Orioles now play winning baseball for the greater part of the season which they were not. Very visible progress.
* The first 20 grams, 6-14 (.300) went
* Last 23g, is 12-11 (.522)– Steve Melewski (masnSteve) May 24, 2022
Improvements in Baltimore
They still have a long way to go, but the Orioles have played much better than the first 20 games of the season.
12-11 isn’t great, but it’s better than 6-14.
It should also be noted that Baltimore is just 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the third wild card spot in the American League.
Are the Orioles likely to reach the post season?
Probably not.
But where they can give a little hope to the fans by sitting on the wild card race.
The 4.5 games return at the end of May is a shortfall that could be filled with as much as is left in the current season, even for a team like the Orioles.
This extra wild card spot is really helping teams like them and giving to teams that don’t usually get a chance to mix.
Chances are, for Orioles and other teams, it may not be the way they were expected to be, but for now, they will accept it.