The Orioles have been running through a stretch of mostly contenders, or at least teams who started off the season believing they would be contenders, ever since the All-Star break. That stretch is finally easing up a little bit, starting with this series in Oakland. The O’s soon play the Athletics, Rockies, and White Sox. If they are going to stay where they are atop the AL East, they need to make the most of this opportunity.
At one time this season, the Athletics were 12-46, on pace to win just 34 games over the 162 game schedule.