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The Baltimore Orioles pay out $500 for every $100 to make the Playoffs in 2022 in a very competitive AL East division that is starting to come undone.
There is some amazing value here in that Baltimore is playing quite well and moving a few games above the .500 mark whereas other teams in the division are not, most notably the New York Yankees. Despite being 9.5 games up, New York is just 8-15 since the All Star Break.
The Orioles, meanwhile, are winning 70% of their games of late and are four games above the .500 mark. They are just two games back from Tampa and four games back from Toronto.
Baltimore's performance is all the more impressive being that no Oriole has played in each of the 113 games. Centerfielder Cedric Mullins, who didn’t start on Saturday, has played in the most, 110.
“You want to make sure guys can stay healthy and as fresh as possible for seven months,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re getting to that point where we’re talking about seven months instead of six months. That’s a big, big difference. You try to do the best job we possibly can to keep guys as healthy and fresh as possible. So far, so good.”
Sunday did nothing to help the Orioles cause however.
Cedric Mullins went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Sunday in the Orioles' loss to the Rays. In fact, the entire Orioles' lineup failed to reach base over the first eight innings versus Rays starter Drew Rasmussen.
On Monday night, Baltimore will go up against another of its division rivals, the Blue Jays.
The Orioles are 42-90 in the last 132 meetings in Toronto but have won four of the last five games overall.
Kyle Bradish is set to start Monday night for Baltimore. He has allowed 13 hits against Toronto batters out of 39 at bats (.271). Only one of those was a home run.
Bradish is 1-4 with a 6.42 ERA. He was charged last week with three runs in 5 1/3 frames Tuesday against the Blue Jays, settling for a no-decision in the Orioles' 6-5 win. He hasn't had a win over his last seven games but has only lost one of those.
Lefty Yusei Kikuchi, starting for the Blue Jays, has allowed 16 hits in 65 at bats versus Orioles hitters. Five of those were home runs. His ERA sits at 5.13.
The Orioles are 11-3 in their last 14 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
