Baltimore Orioles Pass Grueling Test With Flying Colors

The Baltimore Orioles kept rolling in June despite an unforgiving schedule.

Jun 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles players celebrate. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

If the playoffs are baseball's version of a final exam, June was essentially the Baltimore Orioles' midterm.

After cruising through the first two months of the season with a 36-19 record, the Orioles faced a much tougher task in June. Baltimore's schedule featured 29 games in 30 days, with every series against a team that either made the postseason last year or is on track to this season.

With such a relentless slate, many Orioles fans would have been happy with .500 ball in June. A losing record would have been disappointing, but understandable.

Instead, Baltimore maintained its early-season momentum, rolling through June with relative ease. The Orioles won more games (17) than they lost (12), outscoring their opponents by 41 runs and losing just two series all month. Baltimore's 17 wins, 163 runs, 60 home runs (a club record) and plus-41 run differential in June all represented season bests.

The Orioles just completed their most challenging month of the season. They had one day off and played mostly playoff teams with nine games against the other three best teams in MLB.

They went 17-12, hit a club-record 60 home runs and moved into a tie atop the AL East.

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 1, 2024

The Orioles didn't just pass their midseason exams -- they aced them, proving that they're arguably the best team in the American League (if not all of baseball).

By the end of the month, Baltimore had even caught the New York Yankees in the AL East standings, erasing a 4.5-game deficit in the span of three weeks and reclaiming first place for the first time since mid-May.

After winning four of five at Camden Yards to close out June, including three of four from the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, the Orioles begin July with a well-deserved day off before hitting the road for a six-game West Coast swing against the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's. Following another off day on July 8, Baltimore wraps up the first half with a six-game homestand against the Yankees and Chicago Cubs prior to the All-Star Break.

Compared to June, that sounds like a piece of cake.