On to the next: O's quickly turn page as challenging stretch looms

BALTIMORE -- The winning streak ended at a season-high six games. A second consecutive series sweep couldn’t be completed.

But the Orioles don’t have any time to sulk.

Baltimore fell, 6-3, in the finale vs. Atlanta at Camden Yards on Thursday afternoon, ending a hot streak that featured a four-game road sweep of the Rays and back-to-back wins over the Braves. It was only the Orioles' fifth loss in their past 21 games.

Now, Baltimore’s challenging June schedule -- which features 29 games in 30 days -- will reach its apex: A three-game home series vs. the National League-best Phillies (46-21) starting Friday, followed by the lone off-day of the month on Monday and then a three-game set vs. the MLB-best Yankees (49-22) at Yankee Stadium beginning Tuesday.

“We have high belief in ourselves in this clubhouse. We feel like we can compete with anyone,” said outfielder Kyle Stowers, who hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to account for all of Baltimore’s offense on Thursday. “We all play hard, pull for each other, and you combine those things with all the talent in here, we feel like we stack up with the rest of the league well.”

That’s been the case for nearly two years now. The defending American League East champions have once again been one of the best teams in MLB this year, and 68 games into this season, the O's (45-23) are tied for the fourth-best start in franchise history.

It’s difficult to sweep a Major League team, especially one as talented as the Braves (36-30). Although they snapped a five-game losing streak with their finale win, they still have the bulk of a core that led the club to an MLB-high 104 wins last year.

So Baltimore is feeling good about taking two of three from Atlanta, and the club is ready to take on another challenging NL East foe in Philadelphia this weekend.

“We’re focused on one pitch at a time, we’re focused on night in, night out. It doesn’t matter the opponent,” left-hander Cole Irvin said. “It’s Major League Baseball. It’s the best. Everyone’s bringing their best every night. We’re keeping our head down, focused on the job at hand, trying to get the next strike, the next out, the next homer, the next whatever it may be.”

One of the biggest reasons for the Orioles’ recent success has been their starting pitching. Irvin didn’t have his best stuff on Thursday, but he still nearly turned in a quality start, with four runs (three earned) over 5 2/3 innings. No Baltimore starter has yielded more than three earned runs since June 6, when lefty Cade Povich allowed six in 5 1/3 innings in his MLB debut at Toronto.

Irvin racked up eight strikeouts, his most since recording 11 for the A’s on Aug. 24, 2022, vs. the Marlins. However, the 30-year-old also gave up nine hits, his most since yielding nine in a Sept. 29, 2022, start for Oakland against the Angels.

Three of Atlanta’s hits came on the first three batters of the game, as Michael Harris II singled, Ozzie Albies doubled and then Marcell Ozuna drove them both in with a double to put Baltimore in a 2-0 hole four pitches into the contest.

“I thought he threw the ball well. They know he throws strikes, and they came out and got a couple soft [hits] there early,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Irvin. “I thought he did a nice job, went into the sixth inning, threw a bunch of strikes and gave us a chance.”

Stowers nearly ignited a comeback with his first home run of the season. It was the fourth of the 26-year-old’s MLB career, and his first since Sept. 29, 2022, at Boston.

The Orioles had another opportunity to score late, putting runners on first and second with one out in the ninth. But they couldn’t erase their three-run deficit against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.

“It gave us a chance. We even had a chance at the end,” Stowers said. “This team doesn’t give up. We don’t quit.”

Because of that, Baltimore has the ability to bounce back this weekend and potentially go on another strong run.

“When the team’s winning, it’s a lot of fun,” Stowers said. “When we’re winning those ballgames, you just want to win, and there’s energy in the clubhouse when we win.”