O's tie Rays atop AL East heading into series at Tampa Bay

BALTIMORE -- The rebuild? That’s in the past. The postseason push? It was already on.

The battle for the American League East crown? Well, that’s clearly far from over. Because on Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles -- one of the most exciting, young, up-and-coming teams in the sport -- moved into a tie for first place with the Rays in the toughest, most competitive division in MLB.

Fittingly enough, it’s now time for the top two teams in the AL East to meet again in one of the biggest series of the season thus far beginning Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

The marquee stage was set Wednesday, when Baltimore again avoided being swept for the first time this season by beating the Dodgers, 8-5, at Camden Yards. Shortly after that game concluded, Tampa Bay fell, 5-1, to Texas.

With those results, the upstart Orioles (58-37) pulled even with the mighty Rays (60-39) for the first time since March 31, when both teams were 1-0. It’s the first time Baltimore has been in first place in the AL East after the All-Star break since 2016, the last year it reached the postseason, but as a Wild Card team.

As the O’s eye their first division title since 2014, they realize the stakes they’re facing Thursday, then throughout the weekend as well.

“It’s going to be a fun series. This is what you want, and this is what baseball wants,” said left-hander Danny Coulombe, who pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday. “It’s just two really good teams, and it’s going to be some fun games.”

Much like many of his teammates, Gunnar Henderson, a 22-year-old rookie, has never played in a Major League series of this magnitude. How is Baltimore preparing for what could be a big-time, postseason-like atmosphere?

“Against an AL East rival, it always feels that way,” Henderson said. “We’re just going to go out there and do our thing.”

The Orioles have made it clear what that entails.

They’re not going to roll over at any point in a game. After falling behind, 2-0, during the top of the first in the finale against Los Angeles, Baltimore answered by rallying for four runs in the bottom of the frame via RBI singles by Aaron Hicks and Jordan Westburg and a two-run double from Ramón Urías, setting the stage for its MLB-best 34th comeback win of the season.

The O’s won’t let the results from previous games dictate their effort level on a given day, either. That’s why they have played 70 consecutive series without being swept, a streak dating back to May 13-15, 2022, when they lost three at Detroit. Baltimore is the only team in MLB that hasn’t been swept this season.

“You lose the first two games of the series, and you could just get down and lose that last game,” said Henderson, who swatted his 15th homer of the season on Wednesday. “That’s just a testament to our team. We’re not going to give away any games.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles became the eighth team in AL/NL history to avoid a sweep in 70 consecutive multi-game series. Prior to their feat, the most recent occurrence was a 72-series stretch by the Braves from 2003-05. The record is 125, set by the Cardinals from 1942-44.

Wednesday marked the sixth time this season Baltimore was on the verge of being swept heading into a series finale. It also staved off sweeps on May 28 (vs. Texas), June 8 (at Milwaukee), June 18 (vs. the Cubs in Chicago), June 21 (at Tampa Bay) and July 2 (vs. Minnesota).

“Every game is just separate for us,” Coulombe said. “We don’t get down on ourselves if we [are] 0-2 in a series. I think that this team just has so much fight in it that every game, it’s a battle for the other team.”

The Orioles’ never-quit mindset is exactly why they never fell too far out of first place, even when the Rays had an historic 13-0 start and won 30 of their first 39 games. Tampa Bay’s AL East lead never exceeded 6 1/2 games.

While Tampa Bay has struggled this month -- the Rays have lost four straight and 11 of 14 -- the Orioles have capitalized. Baltimore recorded a season-high eight consecutive victories from July 5-16 and has won nine of its past 11.

With one more win Thursday night, the O's could find themselves somewhere they haven't been after the All-Star break since Aug. 12, 2016 -- alone atop the AL East.

“We just continue to play,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We have a great attitude. I love how our guys prepare, they come to the park ready to play. But we’ve still got a long way to go.”