CLEVELAND -- Another celebration could be happening soon at Camden Yards. The Orioles are closing in on an American League East title -- and the No. 1 seed that would come with it, which would ensure they’d have home-field advantage through the AL Championship Series.

Not that Baltimore necessarily needs it, considering how well the team has played on the road this year.

In their final away game of the regular season, the Orioles closed out a seven-game road trip with a 5-1 victory over the Guardians on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. Baltimore, which went 4-3 during its swing through Houston and Cleveland, finished with an AL-best 52-29 road record that is tied for the best in team history (since 1954).

The O’s magic number to clinch the AL East dropped from five to three, as the Rays also lost, falling to the Blue Jays, 9-5.

• Games remaining (6): vs. WSH (2), vs. BOS (4)
• Standings update: The Orioles (97-59) and the Rays (95-62) are in a tight race atop the American League East, with Tampa Bay 2 1/2 games back. However, should that gap tighten further, Baltimore owns the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series between the two teams, 8-5. The AL East champion will be the No. 1 seed and get a bye into the best-of-five Division Series. If the O’s fall out of first place, they will be the No. 4 seed and host a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Camden Yards.
• Magic number for AL East: 3

“Any time you inch closer, you’re getting excited,” said right-hander Kyle Gibson, who tossed seven-plus innings of one-run ball during the finale in Cleveland. “This is a team that’s really looking forward to it. And I think if we just keep taking care of business, there will be a whole lot of fun here coming up.”

The previous time the Orioles fared this well away from Camden Yards during a season was 1997. That year, they finished with an overall record of 98-64, which had been their most recent year with 97 or more wins until 2023, as Baltimore recorded its 97th victory on Sunday.

The O’s haven’t lost a road series since dropping two of three in San Diego from Aug. 14-16, having either won or split each of their past six after splitting their four-game set in Cleveland.

“We’ve played good baseball on the road,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “It just shows professionalism and consistency in that clubhouse, and guys come ready to play. We’ve played in some tough environments.”

Sunday’s victory ended a run of 17 straight days with a game, during which the Orioles went 9-8. It wasn’t Baltimore’s strongest stretch of its stellar season, but it maintained its lead in the AL East and stayed in control of its postseason destiny.

The Orioles displayed their resiliency, too. They lost a season-high-tying four consecutive games from Sept. 12-15, then reeled off four straight wins. They were on a three-game losing streak after dropping the first two to the Guardians, then bounced back with a pair of wins to conclude the series.

“It’s been probably about as much up-and-down baseball as we’ve played all year,” Gibson said. “Losing four, winning four. Losing a couple here, winning a couple. That’s kind of uncharacteristic of us. But I think the one thing that stands true is they were all pretty close ballgames. We were in them. We fought back in a couple of them. …

“We put a stamp on it here today and played really, really good baseball.”

Gibson scattered five hits while walking one, striking out four and earning his team-high 15th win of the season. His only run allowed came in the fourth on a Kole Calhoun RBI groundout.

Meanwhile, Baltimore’s offense provided early support. It pushed across three runs in the second with a rally that featured only one hit (an RBI double by Jordan Westburg) and five walks against Guardians starter Triston McKenzie, who issued six free passes in 1 2/3 innings.

“Right now, we’re just trying to take care of business, take everything day by day. I’m really happy with the way we played today,” said catcher Adley Rutschman, who reached base four times (including two doubles, one of which plated a run).

“We fought through some ups and downs [this month], and to get this one was big. I thought we did a good job and guys picked each other up.”

Nearing their first AL East title since 2014, the Orioles could clinch the division as soon as Wednesday. They are set to conclude the regular season with a six-game homestand -- two against the Nationals and four against the Red Sox, a pair of teams that have already been eliminated from postseason contention.

Baltimore knows what’s at stake. It’s also only three victories away from recording its first 100-win season since 1980, when it went 100-62.

The upcoming week is a big one for the Orioles before they head to the postseason. And they’re looking forward to it.

“Just excited about how our club is playing,” Hyde said. “We’re fun to watch. Everybody in the clubhouse is extremely loose, and they’re having a lot of fun right now. I’m looking forward to next week.”