The Baltimore Orioles have been the biggest and most pleasant surprise in MLB this season. Las Vegas projected the Orioles to win 76.5 games this season. The calendar hasn't flipped to September yet and the Orioles have already hit the over on that win total with 77 wins.

They lead the stacked AL East by three games over the Tampa Bay Rays. Their run differential is the fifth-best in all of baseball; only the Atlanta Braves (+212), Texas Rangers (+185), Tampa Bay Rays (+161), Los Angeles Dodgers (+143), and the Houston Astros (+80) have a better run differential than the Orioles' +79 mark.

The Orioles look like a contender, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. There are a couple of areas of concern to watch out for regarding the Baltimore Orioles that are worth keeping an eye on as the season closes.

2) Starting Pitching Staff Consistency

The Orioles have made their bones off of their hitting. They've scored the sixth-most runs in all of MLB with 612. But their pitching could use some work, primarily from their starting rotation. Only Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish have ERAs below four among the Orioles' group of starting pitchers.

Wells' ERA isn't even that impressive at 3.80. Bradish's ERA meanwhile is a robust 3.03. The Orioles do rank 13th as a team in ERA in the majors at 4.08 but the bullpen has done a lot of the heavy lifting on that front. And while 13th is a solid ranking and is above average, it's going to take more than just above average to advance through the postseason.

The Orioles don't fare too much better in WHIP either. At a 1.28 mark as a team, the Orioles are below average in that category, ranking 16th in the majors. The aforementioned Bradish and Wells are the only starters with a WHIP below 1.2.

To be fair to the Orioles, they did attempt to bolster their rotation by trading for Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline. But his Orioles tenure has been rocky, to say the least. He struck out eight over six innings in his Orioles debut while allowing only one run. But he's given up ten earned runs over the span of eight innings in his next two starts as an Oriole.

Flaherty has good stuff, but the Orioles need consistency from him and everyone in their rotation to make a deep playoff run. So far, really Bradish and Wells have been the only ones to give them that.

1) Experience

Part of what has made this season such a surprise and a success for the Baltimore Orioles is because of how young they are. The Orioles' average age among their hitters is the sixth-youngest in the MLB at 27.2. The average age among their group of pitchers is a bit older, but still pretty young. That average comes out to 28.5, which is tied for 12th in baseball with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The hitters are particularly young though. Not a single of their every day starters have playoff experience. Aaron Hicks, who is currently on the injured list, has playoff experience, but he is not an everyday player. That isn't to say the Orioles still can't make a deep playoff run. But playoff baseball is different than regular season ball and that typically takes some getting used to.

How their hitters adjust to postseason pitching will determine how far they go in the postseason.

Flying Ahead

The Baltimore Orioles have been probably the best story in all of baseball. No one expected them to be as good as they are this soon. But the Orioles have some flaws to them like every team does. If they can get more consistency from their pitching staff and withstand the playoff intensity as a young squad, then there isn't much else stopping them from making a big run.

It's a big if, but an if these Orioles can handle.