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Baltimore Orioles: Watching the foes start to fall in the fall

By Kristen Bentley

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 18: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles tags out Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox between second and third base for the second out of the fifth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 18, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 18: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles tags out Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox between second and third base for the second out of the fifth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 18, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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If the Baltimore Orioles last-place finish in the AL East wasn’t painful enough, two rival division teams made it to the postseason.

Add to that the Baltimore Orioles biggest issue, the Washington Nationals, are also there.

And, all of this just compounds the pathetic 75-87 record.

But a good thing happened on Monday. One of those foes fell. The Boston Red Sox lost their American League Division Series to the Houston Astros. It was a fabulous game and the ending made it even better. And, adding to the joy of the first fallen foe, Chris Sale was credited with the loss in their final game of the post-season.

Season series with the Red Sox

After 19 games against the division rival in Boston, Orioles fans had to have a good idea that the Red Sox would not make it past the Astros. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 10 of the 19 times the two teams met. The Orioles scored 86 runs and allowed the Red Sox to score 78.

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 27: Adam Jones
BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 27: Adam Jones /

The wins against the Red Sox were credited to starting pitchers Wade Miley, Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, and  Jeremy Hellickson, along with several of the relief pitchers. The losses were due to outstanding pitching by Chris Sale (three times) and Drew Pomeranz.

The most satisfying wins for the Orioles against the Red Sox were on April 12 and August 25. In these two games, the Orioles scored a total of 28 runs and held the Red Sox to 8. Another pair of enjoyable games were on April 21 and August 26, when the Red Sox were held scoreless. The April shutout was pitched by Bundy and the August gem belonged to Gausman.

What about the Yankees

The Yankees and the Nationals are still fighting for their lives in the post-season. The Yankees managed to tie the series with the Cleveland Indians. While it is nearly impossible to cheer on the Indians, it is even more difficult to watch the Yankees succeed.

More from Orioles News

In the regular season, the Orioles lost six out of seven to the Indians and they lost 12 of 19 to the Yankees. The Indians outscored the Orioles by 26 runs. The Yankees outscored the Orioles by 66 runs. Unfortunately, the two teams cannot eliminate each other. But, after the Indians set the new record for consecutive wins in the American League, they are deserving of their place in the post-season.

The Indians have had the Yankees number all season, as they have won five of the seven meetings the teams had. Their games have been closer than those with the Orioles, as the Indians outscored the Yankees by only 11 runs.

Next: 87 reasons why we love the Orioles

In the regular season, the Nationals and Orioles faced each other four time. They split the series and both teams each had a walk-off. With all of the drama between these two teams, seeing the Nats in the post-season is almost as awful as seeing the Red Sox and Yankees there.

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