Orioles set to get rare and historic road trip underway

If fun, scheduling anomalies and rarities are your thing, then this article is for you.

Since Major League Baseball eliminated the unbalanced schedule ahead of the 2023 season, scheduling anomalies and rarities have become a thing of the past. Indeed, since the start of the 2023 season, every team has at least one series against every other team in the league.

For inter-league play, matchups alternate, and will continue to alternate, between host cities moving forward. For example, the Orioles played three games in Wrigley Field last year against the Cubs, and hosted the Cubs for three games at Camden Yards this past July.

Mostly gone are the days where teams would go years without playing each other, let alone visiting certain parks. Some of the oddities are fascinating. For example, the San Diego Padres did not play a series in Toronto against the Blue Jays until 2016, despite both teams being in the Major Leagues for over 35 years and existing for the entire 19-year history of interleague play at the time.

And as hard as it is to believe, before 2013 a whole list of matchups had never happened during the regular season (Braves at Royals, Cardinals at Angels, Rangers at Cardinals, Twins at Braves, Cubs at A's, Dodgers at Yankees, Rays at Dodgers, White Sox at Mets).

The Orioles have had their fair share of scheduling anomalies as well. For whatever reason, the Orioles went from 2004-2020 having not played a series in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Similarly, the Brewers played a three-game weekend series at Camden Yards in 2004, but would not return to Oriole Park until 2022.

The Baltimore Orioles embark on a rare road trip to play the Dodgers and Rockies

Let's turn our attention back to the present, and the 76-56 Baltimore Orioles. This week, the Birds are embarking on a rare trip out west to play the Dodgers in Los Angeles and the Rockies in Colorado.

Since interleague play began in 1997, the Orioles have only played two series at Dodger Stadium and Coors Field, the fewest of any teams in baseball. And here's another bizarre fact: the Orioles have never played a weekend series at Dodger Stadium. Nor have they played a weeknight series in Colorado. The trend continues this season, as the Orioles face the Dodgers on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night in Los Angeles before their weekend series against the Rockies.

The Orioles' previous series' in Los Angeles took place in 2004 and 2016. The Dodgers swept the O's in 2004, with Matt Riley, Daniel Cabrera, and Rodrigo Lopez taking losses for the O's. The Orioles obtained sweet revenge 12 years later, taking 2 out of 3 from the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, including a 14-inning thriller in the rubber match. Mark Trumbo hit two home runs in that game, Mychal Givens earned the win, and Zach Britton got the save.

The Orioles lost 2 out of 3 games in their first ever trip to Coors Field in 2004, with a Brian Roberts grand slam in the top of the ninth inning staving off a sweep. The Orioles did not return to Colorado again until 2019, when they lost 2 out of 3 again. The two losses came on walk-offs courtesy of Miychal Givens.

After 2024, the Orioles will not have to wait so long to return to Chavez Ravine and Coors Field, as they will play the Dodgers and Rockies on the road again in 2026.