![\"Baltimore](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_184,w_7466,h_4199\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/11\/01jznz6dc33rc9qk76cp.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAfter being hyped by an MLB insider, the Orioles have reminded fans how far they still have to go before being real contenders.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On June 6, USA Today\u2019s Bob Nightengale attempted to sound the alarm \u2014 or perhaps light the spark for the Baltimore Orioles and their fanbase.<\/p>\n
At the time, the O\u2019s had won 21 of their last 34 games and were showing signs of life, clawing their way to just seven games back in the standings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Baltimore Orioles swept Atlanta on the road for the first time since 1999 and are slowly creeping into the AL Wild Card race,\u201d tweeted Nightengale. \u201cThey\u2019ve now won 21 of their last 34 and, at 40-49, sit just seven games out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That optimism, while well-intentioned, was definitely premature. And borderline delusional in hindsight.<\/p>\n Nightengale\u2019s premature Orioles hype isn\u2019t aging well<\/strong><\/p>\n Since that proclamation, Baltimore has gone 15-13. Just over a month later, as of July 89, they sit at 40-50, 7.5 games out of a wild card spot with more than half the league ahead of them in the postseason chase.<\/p>\n That momentum they once had stalled quickly against better competition.<\/p>\n After sweeping a depleted White Sox team and beating a Mariners squad that was limping through a tough stretch without key contributors, the Orioles were promptly punched in the mouth by the A\u2019s and the AL Central-leading Tigers.<\/p>\n They dropped four of their next six, and the “statement wins” faded into the noise of a steady losing record.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s call it like it is: in Major League Baseball, erasing a seven-game deficit isn\u2019t impossible, but it\u2019s incredibly difficult \u2014 especially for a team that still has glaring holes on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n The Orioles rank 22nd in runs scored and 27th in team ERA.<\/p>\n They\u2019re not just fighting an uphill battle \u2014 they still possess the kind of statistical profile you typically find on a team stuck in a rebuild, not one threatening a postseason berth. The numbers don\u2019t lie.<\/p>\n Even with incremental improvements and some flashes of promise from young players, this is still a sub-.500 team. One that should be sellers at the deadline rather than miracle contenders.<\/p>\n Nightengale might have been trying to inject some excitement into the franchise, but it\u2019s probably time for a more realistic outlook. Orioles fans deserve honesty \u2014 not empty hope wrapped in momentary hot streaks. The baby birds might be coming, but they\u2019re certainly not here yet.<\/p>\n The future in Baltimore is bright, but 2025 looks more like the entrance to the window than one that\u2019s wide open. Between Jackson Holliday\u2019s rise to accompany Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman once he\u2019s fully healthy.<\/p>\n The Orioles growing crop of talent, along with the eventual roster balance are headed somewhere.<\/p>\n But trying to jumpstart that narrative too soon only leads to disappointment \u2014 and in this case, makes a national insider look out of touch with reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After being hyped by an MLB insider, the Orioles have reminded fans how far they still have to go before being real contenders. On June 6, USA… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":67745,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n