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There was a lot of hype built around the Baltimore Orioles before the season kicked off. They had a new manager in Craig Albernaz, and brought in some promising players like Zach Efflin, Taylor Ward, and Pete Alonso.
However, they had trouble getting anything going consistently. Injuries have played a part in this, alongside some players not playing up to expectations early.
But it seems like things are getting back under control for Baltimore. They are coming off a fantastic week where they swept the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays while tying the four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.
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Orioles make major stride in latest power rankings after sweeping the Rays
It was not long ago that the Rays swept the Orioles. They did so in their May 18th series, so responding with a sweep of their own was huge.
The fans likely would have loved to see that momentum carried into a sweep of the Blue Jays, but fans have to be happy after seeing what their club is capable of.
With their 5-2 week, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter has bumped this team up from No. 23 to No. 18 in his latest power rankings.
"The Orioles were a season-high eight games below .500 on May 20 after the Rays finished off a three-game sweep in Tampa Bay. Since then, they've gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, including a table-turning sweep of their own when the Rays came to town last week. Is this the start of clawing back into contention?"
Reuter questions if this is the start of the O's getting back into contention, and it's certainly worth questioning. On paper, this team should be a lot better than its record suggests.
The O's need to hang on to this momentum and keep it going in their series against the Boston Red Sox and then a rematch with the Blue Jays over the weekend.
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