The Baltimore Orioles have a tough road next week against the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers after losing the first game of a four-game series against the Astros, 6-0.
The Orioles are in the running for the AL East title and need to play better, and while a 4-6 record in their 10 games so far this year isn't good enough, it's hard to blame them too much considering the injuries they've had.
Things have been tough for this franchise over the past few weeks, but one thing has helped Baltimore: their ability to hit home runs, which in some ways saved their season, and they'll need to continue that ability to be successful.
Taking a home run or miss approach doesn't always work in a team's favor, but ESPN's David Schoenfield shows the importance of doing so and that it works to the Orioles' advantage.
“Some people say that a home run-focused approach doesn't work in the postseason, but that's nonsense. The way to win in the postseason is to hit home runs, and to hit more than the other team.”
“The Rangers scored 52.6% of their postseason runs on home runs last season. In 2022, the Astros will score 58.5% of their postseason runs on home runs. If anything, hitting home runs will be even more important in October.”
Baltimore leads the major leagues with 195 home runs and, per Schonfield, is third in the league in runs scored per home run.
If history repeats itself, the Orioles will be on the right side, but this statistic lacks context: Houston's pitching staff has traditionally pitched well in October, while the Texas Rangers had several players who performed in key moments in 2023.
Baltimore has the starting and relief pitchers to shut down opponents if they can get as healthy as possible before the postseason, but the problem is they'll be without three starters for the rest of the season and Corbin Burnes hasn't been great in recent weeks.
It will be difficult to advance to the World Series through batting, especially since they are a home run-oriented team, but there is a chance that the Orioles can continue their good form for a month and make it to the World Series.
With only about a month left in the regular season, all will become clear soon, and once that's over, Baltimore will need to prove to the baseball world that they are a genuine championship contender and can win when it matters most.
