The Orioles became the second-to-last team on Sunday to win at least four games in a row, wrapping up the first half of the MLB season on a high note, leaving only the San Francisco Giants as the only team to not win four consecutive contests and now sit in fourth place in the AL East.
Grading the Orioles’ First Half
Expectations were rather high for a Baltimore team that went and spent more money than accustomed to, handing out a big contract to Pete Alonso and a big extension to Shane Baz and signing veterans Ryan Helsley and Chris Bassitt to bolster the pitching staff in hopes of a deep October run, as well as a gutsy trade to bring in OF Taylor Ward as a one-year rental.
The Orioles’ young core that people around baseball had been praising for so long in the minor leagues has finally graduated to the big leagues, headlined by a catcher duo of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. Those two are joined by fellow high draft picks Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, and Jackson Holliday. Other high prospects on the roster include Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser.
HUGE homer
HUUUUGE bat tossSamuel Basallo puts the @Orioles ahead with one big swing 😤 pic.twitter.com/u2h1qvkjBR
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026
An Average Beginning
Through 30 games on April 30th, the O’s defined mediocrity, starting off 15-15 through the first month or so of baseball, struggling to string any sort of streak together. They had won five series and lost five, posting one sweep and getting swept once as well.
Slow starts to key hitters Alonso, Basallo, and Mayo were balanced out by red-hot starts for Henderson, Rutschman, and Ward, while the bullpen outpitched the starters.
Slumping Spring
The next few weeks consisted of bad baseball for Baltimore as they went 6-12 from April 30th to May 18th, headlined by a four-game trouncing in the Bronx by the Yankees. Through this date, Orioles starting pitchers posted a 5.24 ERA, the second worst in baseball during that stretch, mainly due to big-time struggles from Chris Bassitt and Trevor Rogers, with Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz not able to pick up the slack.
On the offensive side it was mainly inconsistent hitting, as Alonso got hot and had his coming-out party for the O’s, and Henderson hit one of the biggest slumps of his young career. Blaze Alexander really started to pick it up, while Rutschman dealt with injury issues keeping him off the field.
More of the Same
From this point until July 8th, the O’s were back to sub-par baseball, hitting their lowest point, going nine games under .500, very underwhelming for a team expected to compete for the American League East division crown.
The pitching started to find its groove, headlined by an amazing month of June from Trevor Rogers as well as Kyle Bradish looking like his old self again.
But the offense went ice-cold, posting an OPS of just .699, one of the worst marks in baseball during that period, slowing any momentum the pitching staff had created.
A Needed Bounce Back Heading to the Break
After salvaging a win in the last game of the series against the Chicago Cubs, the struggling Kansas City Royals came into town, and this is exactly what Baltimore needed. A convincing three-game sweep gave the O’s that coveted four-game win streak they were looking for heading into the All-Star Break.
Both sides of the ball finally came together in a dominant performance, leaving no doubt in any game, outshooting KC 19-6, and using the long ball to pick up some steam and take a major step in the right direction.
Since May 24th, Orioles starters are down to a 2.99 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP, some of the best marks in all of baseball.
A Look At the Standings
Despite a slow start and overall underwhelming first half, Baltimore finds itself right in the mix of the AL Wild Card race, just two games back, largely due to many other teams, such as the Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays, among others, facing similar struggles.
Your #ALEast Standings heading into the All-Star break! pic.twitter.com/CDFP8hG1t0
— Matthew Nethercott (@MattNethercott_) July 13, 2026
The Rays and Yankees are making the division title seem pretty out of reach, but you never know with the talent that exists in the AL East.
The Grade
Overall, I give the Orioles a C minus for their first half of baseball. This grade may be partially due to the fact that they are just a couple games back of a postseason spot, despite not coming close to meeting expectations, but their overall play suggests this grade is a valid one.
A look at the individual seasons and you would think the Orioles are on the other side of .500, they just cannot seem to get guys going at the same time and are still without key pieces. If they can clean up the little things and find more of what they did against the Royals, there is no reason why this team can’t make the playoffs.
Main Image Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
