This is it. The final series of the 2026 Orioles season. And we’ll knock out two of the three games in one fell swoop as the O’s and Yankees play a doubleheader today.
Because of this weekend’s impending nor’easter, Saturday’s scheduled game was moved up to this afternoon, giving the Orioles their second straight doubleheader. Wednesday’s twin bill against the Blue Jays went very well indeed, with a pair of 4-2 O’s wins to sweep Toronto out of the postseason race, and now the Birds will try to repeat
the feat against a Yanks team that has nothing to play for. The Yankees’ postseason spot is already secure, as the first wild card winner and #4 overall seed, so they’ll likely be resting most of their regulars this weekend to prepare for Tuesday’s Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
The Orioles, who were eliminated by the White Sox win yesterday, also don’t have anything to play for, although they could finish the season with a .500 record if they sweep the three-game series. That’s something! But not really.
Trevor Rogers takes the mound in the opener, making what could be the final start of his Orioles career, a thought that makes me sad. After a sluggish start to the season, he’s been fantastic since the start of June, posting a 2.92 ERA and looking more like the 2025 Most Valuable Oriole version of himself. In his last start, he racked up 10 strikeouts and gave up just one run in eight innings, but still got the loss because the Orioles’ offense is dumb. To quote John Malkovich from Rounders: Pay that man his money.
The first game begins at 4:05, and the nightcap will begin about a half hour after the first one ends (but no earlier than 7:05). Brandon Young will start the second game. This thread will be the place to discuss both games.
Game 1 lineups
Orioles:
RF Dylan Beavers
1B Pete Alonso
SS Gunnar Henderson
DH Coby Mayo
3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand
CF Colton Cowser
2B Jeremiah Jackson
LF Christian Franklin
C Carlos Narváez
LHP Trevor Rogers
Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt
DH Ben Rice
LF Heliot Ramos
RF Amed Rosario
SS George Lombard Jr.
CF Spencer Jones
3B Anthony Volpe
C Ali Sánchez
2B José Caballero
RHP Brendan Beck
