Baltimore Orioles have hot start to June
Even though no one expected much from the Baltimore Orioles this season, the month of May was a complete disaster. They went 5-23 for the month, essentially ending whatever slim hopes they would have had for contending for a playoff berth. May’s performance doomed the team to another lost season.
However, as the calendar flipped to June, the Orioles have gone from ice cold to white hot. After annihilating the Mets in a 10-3 victory on Tuesday, the Orioles are now 5-1 for the month.
Baltimore Orioles suddenly heating up
The success of the Orioles’ 2021 season was always going to be based on the development of their players. They are firmly in the midst of their rebuilding process, and were far more likely to be sellers than buyers. Even with their recent spate of high draft picks, the Orioles still need pieces to be able to emerge from the basement of the AL East.
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They have done that so far. Cedric Mullins has been a revelation, emerging as a building block for the lineup. Ryan Mountcastle has shaken off a horrendous start to the season and is looking like the player he was last year. John Means may be the top of the rotation arm they need. Grayson Rodriguez has emerged as the top pitching prospect in the game. And it may not be long before he and catching prospect Adley Rutschman make their debuts in Baltimore.
But the Orioles need more, especially on the pitching side. Means is the only starter with a better than average ERA, although Keegan Akin is showing promise thus far. Getting Rodriguez, and eventually DL Hall, to the majors should help, but the bullpen is a question mark as well.
This does not mean that any steps forward for the roster should be discounted. If their success in June can continue, and they finish the month over .500, that is a step in the right direction. It would be something the team can build off of, potentially leading to improvements this season.
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Every improving team has to take a step forward somewhere. For the Baltimore Orioles, their success thus far in June may be that step.