This one stunk. The Orioles did nothing against Max Fried, and the pitching performances from Cade Povich and especially Chayce McDermott didn’t inspire much confidence either. It all led up to a 7-0 series-opening loss to the visiting Yankees at Camden Yards.
Not every game is worthy of a deep, detailed analysis. Sometimes it’s easy for just about anyone to explain what happened in a lopsided contest like this one. In short, the pitching performances from the Yankees were leaps and bounds ahead of what the Orioles
could muster.
Fried put forth one of the best starts of his career. He worked seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits, and walking one, while striking out a career-high 14. The 31-year-old looked like the Cy Young contender he was in the first half of the season.
To be fair, Fried will probably still get down-ballot votes for the award since he has been better since late August. But his outing tonight was reminiscent of his dominant early-season form. The guy had a 62% whiff rate tonight. That is absurd. His season average coming into the game was 25.5%, right about league average. Mason Miller leads the league with 44.7%. This game was off the scale, a credit to Fried but also an indictment of this Orioles offense.
The Orioles pitchers were less effective. All of them.
Cade Povich was the starter, and he gave a very Cade Povich type of outing. It wasn’t particularly long (five innings), he walked too many (four), got some whiffs (five strikeouts), and ended with a fringy stat line that could keep him in the mix as a backend starter for the Orioles in 2026.
He got into trouble early in this one. With two runners on and two outs in the first inning, Amed Rosario delivered a two-run double to open the scoring.
Povich locked in for the next few innings, using a caught stealing and a double play to face the minimum in the second, third, and fourth innings. That fourth frame was particular impressive as he struck out all three batters.
The final run charged to the southpaw came in the fifth inning. Anthony Volpe led off with a double and then stole third base. An Austin Wells single later in the inning drove in Volpe to make it 3-0. Povich then got another double play and induced a pop out to get out of the inning without further damage.
Povich’s season ERA (now 5.06) has hovered around that five-run mark since late April, although his FIP is a bit lower. He continues to be a frustrating talent that seems like he should put together better starts than he does. This start tonight was not exactly bad. But you look back at the numbers, and it wasn’t good either. The Orioles need just a little bit more from the lanky lefty.
After Yennier Cano worked a scoreless sixth inning, the ball was handed to Chayce McDermott. That is where the wheels totally fell off the wagon.
McDermott walked the first two batters of the inning. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a single to score the fourth run of the day. Aaron Judge drove in the fifth with a sac fly for the first out of the inning, the only one that McDermott would get. A walk to Cody Bellinger came next before Giancarlo Stanton knocked in a pair of runs with a double into left field.
At that point, Tony Mansolino had seen enough and summoned for José Castillo to make his Orioles debut from the bullpen. Castillo settled things, striking out the next two batters to end the inning. He remained for the eighth inning as well, working around a single to throw up a zero for the frame.
Back to McDermott for a moment. He has had a nightmare year at the big league level. He made two appearances back in May. In those games he allowed seven runs over 7.2 innings. Tonight was his second appearance in September. Between the two of them he has recorded just three outs but has allowed eight runs, issued four walks, and given up four hits. The expectation is for him to compete for a spot in the team’s bullpen next spring. Hopefully he can get a few solid outings under his belt before the season ends.
Kade Strowd was asked to work the ninth inning. He impressed, going 1-2-3, including strikeouts of Judge and Bellinger. His season ERA is down to 1.50. Where McDermott will have to fight for a relief role in 2026, Strowd has positioned himself for a high leverage job next summer.
The outings of Cano, Castillo, and Strowd were the only “highlights” in a brutal game. The Orioles bullpen is a huge question mark this winter. Getting solid showings down the stretch, especially against a playoff team like the Yankees, is information for what Mike Elias and crew need to add.
What can you really say about the Orioles lineup that hasn’t already been said. Despite the team’s strong September overall, the offense has not been particularly impressive. Their struggles against lefties this season are well-documented, and Mansolino sat a few of their left-handed regulars to try and stem that issue. It did not work.
All three of the Orioles hits were singles, one each for Ryan Mountcastle, Gunnar Henderson, and Coby Mayo. The pair of walks were worked by Tyler O’Neill and Jeremiah Jackson. There were some hard hit balls, including a long fly out for O’Neill. But it was nowhere near the volume they needed to keep up with the Yankees on this night.
Tomorrow’s game will be more favorable, at least on paper. Will Warren (8-7, 4.44 ERA) starts for the Yankees, and he will be opposed by Trevor Rogers (8-2, 1.43 ERA) and his (apparently healthy) toe. First pitch is a more typical 7:05 from Camden Yards.
