Baltimore Orioles player of the week: Which Bird shined through the darkness?

The first half of the baseball season has come to a close and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Orioles. The Birds got swept for the third time this season, suffered through their second five game losing streak and their MLB record 22 consecutive series wins against divisional opponents came to an end in the process.

It's not all bad news for the Orioles. They enter the all-star break in first place in the AL East with a 1.0 game lead over the New York Yankees, and they have five players, an athletic trainer and a ball boy going to the all-star game. The O's also ended their losing streak with a come from behind walk-off win over the Yankees in the final game before the break, which will help them keep their spirits high and hopefully build some momentum as they make their run for the pennant.

The Orioles took a nosedive heading into the All Star break

Unfortunately, there was not a lot that went right this week. The offense seemingly lost the ability to hit the ball with runners in scoring position and the power disappeared as well. The Birds scored four runs combined in their five losses, including consecutive shutouts against the Chicago Cubs. The pitching didn't fare much better, surrendering 31 runs in those five games.

Through it all, the player who had the best week for the Baltimore Orioles had to be Anthony Santander. After going hitless in the first game of the week, Santander recorded at least one hit in every other game to finish the first half on a modest five game hitting streak. We also got to see the return of Tony Taters as Santander bashed his 24th long ball of the year in the fifth inning on Sunday to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead.

To top the week off, Santander was named to his first all-star game over the weekend. He will join Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Burnes and Jordan Westburg in Texas. Santander is fifth in the majors with 24 home runs and he has 58 RBI's. He's on pace to set career high's in both of those categories.

Henderson will start off all-star week for the Orioles as he looks to become the third Oriole to win the Home Run Derby. The Birds will be well represented in every aspect of the game.