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The last four days were fun and all, but now the Orioles will be tested by a baseball team that’s played well all season: The Astros. The Orioles did well in sweeping the Rangers but if they turn around and get swept by Houston then it all really won’t amount to a hill of beans.
There was a lot of talk of the Orioles being sellers after the miserable Cubs series last weekend. That’s totally understandable. Yet after winning four in a row, the O’s find themselves “just” 3.5 games out of a wild card spot, with four or five teams to pass in order to claim it. If something weird happens and they win this series against the Astros, is that going to cause plans to change?
It’s tough to say whether the Orioles, playing at their best, are even capable of taking two of three from the Astros right now. Not with Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman pitching two of the games, anyway. It’s Jimenez’s turn tonight on fireworks night at Camden Yards. There will be fireworks no matter what and you probably won’t have to wait until 20 minutes after the game ends in order to see them.