Inside The Orioles

Mad Dog Makes Bold AL East Prediction for Baltimore Orioles & New York Yankees

Mad Dog revealed his prediction for which team will win the AL East.

Tyler Maher

Sep 10, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins celebrates after hitting a two-run home run.
Sep 10, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins celebrates after hitting a two-run home run. / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
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After being neck and neck all summer, the race for the AL East is going down to the wire.

Entering play on Wednesday, the Baltimore Orioles (83-63) trail the New York Yankees (83-62) by only half a game. The Orioles have 16 games remaining on their schedule, while the Yankees have 17.

That includes a pivotal three-game series at Yankee Stadium from Sept. 24-26. As the penultimate series of the regular season, it may decide the division.

Frustratingly for both sides, neither team has been able to pull away due to its mediocre play over the last few months. New York is just 32-40 since June 15, while Baltimore is 26-30 since July 8. Had either team merely gone .500 during that stretch, the race would look considerably different.

As it stands, the race is too close to call and could go either way, but that didn't stop famous sports radio personality Chris "Mad Dog" Russo from weighing in on MLB Network.

A notorious Yankees fan, Russo believes his team will hang on and win the division.

"The Orioles got some problems right now in this AL East. The Yankees are gonna win the division. I feel pretty confident that the Yankees will win the division," Russo predicted on Tuesday. "The Orioles will be looking at the fourth seed, and they'll be vulnerable in that fourth spot."

Russo elaborated on several challenges facing Baltimore, namely its depleted pitching staff and difficult schedule against the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins.

None of those teams are cakewalks, and 10 of the Orioles' 16 remaining games are on the road.

"Their pitching is a disaster. The Orioles are in big trouble here in this American League," Russo said. "Their schedule's not that easy."

FanGraphs agrees with Russo, giving New York a 61% chance to win the AL East compared to 39% odds for Baltimore. That said, the division is still very much up for grabs, and anything can happen over the next few weeks.

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Tyler Maher

TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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