Should the Orioles have swept the White Sox? / MAILBAG

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.

Question: I was annoyed at local beat writers for lambasting the O’s for not sweeping the White Sox. Isn’t winning a series more important than sweeping a team? From: Cindy Hurley, Bridgeville, Delaware

Answer: Cindy, I don’t think we were lambasting the Orioles for not sweeping the White Sox more than we were expecting them to—especially after watching the first two games of the series.

The White Sox are the worst team I’ve ever seen, and while I know they’ve won 32 games, the Orioles are far better than they are, and should beat bad teams consistently, even though that hasn’t always been the case this season.

Winning two of three in the remaining series would probably allow the Orioles to win the American League East and secure the top seed in the playoffs, but winning all three would be better for them.

Question: When Jordan Westburg, Danny Coulombe, Grayson Rodriguez and Ryan Mountcastle come back ..who goes off? From: John Kazlo

Answer:  John, none of those players are going to come off the injured list in the next few days, and I don’t like speculating in advance because I don’t know how other players currently on the roster will perform in the next week or two or whether there will be other injuries first or when the players will be healthy.

The Orioles may also need to make room for Heston Kjerstad, who is also on the injured list and nearing a rehab assignment.