BALTIMORE — A Phillies-Orioles weekend series at Camden Yards is always big. This year it is super charged. This year it’s a potential World Series preview.
The No. 2 and 3 teams in all of Major League Baseball go head-to-head for three games. The Phils are a National League best 46-22. The O’s are just a game behind. That’s a combined 46 games above .500 in mid-June.
The buzz and the buildup for this weekend is off the charts. It's a set the entire baseball world will be keeping an eye on.
Players are well aware.
"We know they are a good team. We know that we are a good team. You hear the buzz. You hear everything going on. But at the same time it’s another series, another game. That is something we are so good at doing as a team, is not allowing the moment to become too big," said Orioles catcher James McCann.
"This is three games of 162 against a really, really good club and 90-plus games to go. So, so much can happen. Your roster can change. So many things can happen in the next four months. But it’s definitely a huge test," added O's manager Brandon Hyde.
Game one on Friday night boasts a marquee pitching matchup. Kyle Bradish starts the Birds. He is 2-0 and finished fourth in the 2023 American League Cy Young Award voting. The Phils counter with Ranger Suarez. He leads the Majors with ten wins and is second with a 1.81 ERA.
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