Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The Orioles had the final open date of their schedule yesterday (though, of course, they’re only a week away from having the whole winter off). Tonight they begin their last home series of the year, a three-gamer against the Rays, before closing their 2025 season in the Bronx this weekend.
Adding some intrigue to an otherwise uneventful final week, a familiar face will be back with the Orioles as they play out the string. The O’s have activated Adley Rutschman, who’d
been on the 10-day injured list since Aug. 21 with a right oblique strain. That was the second IL stint of the year for Rutschman, who also missed time in June and July with a left oblique strain.
It’s good to see Adley back with the team, but it’s unfortunate that he’ll have only six games to try to wash the bad taste of 2025 out of his mouth. Rutschman, with a 92 OPS+, is having his worst offensive season yet, and it comes on the heels of his well-publicized second-half swoon in 2024. Rutschman’s hitting talents have mysteriously disappeared since the middle of last year, with no apparent explanation. And now with top prospect Samuel Basallo getting everyday at-bats in the majors — and locked into an eight-year contract with the Orioles — Adley’s future with the Orioles is very much up in the air.
For the near future, there’s room for the two to co-exist if the Orioles so choose. Basallo’s defense behind the plate clearly is a work in progress, so in 2026 we could see Rutschman getting the lion’s share of starts at catcher, with Basallo backing him up while also rotating to first base and DH. The two could theoretically form one of the most potent catching duos in baseball if Rutschman can regain his batting stroke.
But that’s a big if. It’s fair to wonder if we’ll ever see the Adley of 2022-23 again, at least as a hitter. Maybe staying healthy in 2026 will help him find some consistency. Maybe a change in hitting coaches — if the O’s make any — could make a difference, too. For the Orioles to return to respectability in 2026, they’ll need Adley to at least resemble the player he used to be. If he can’t, he simply might not fit into the club’s plans anymore, and his O’s career could end much sooner than any of us expected.
But I don’t want to spend any more time thinking about that. For now, let’s hope he goes out and looks like vintage Rutschman for these next six days. What do you say, Adley?
Links
What to watch over the last week of the Orioles’ 2025 season – School of Roch
The naming of the Most Valuable Oriole will be the most fascinating development for me. I don’t begrudge anyone for voting for Gunnar Henderson, but…come on, it’s got to be Trevor Rogers, right?
Will Grayson Rodriguez be ready to pitch for Orioles in 2026? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
The answer to “Will Grayson Rodriguez be ready to pitch for the Orioles?” should always be, “Let’s assume not, but if we get anything out of him, we’ll consider it a bonus.”
A look at Aron Estrada’s strong season and props from Baseball America – Steve Melewski
Don’t look now, but the Orioles have another international prospect ready to make a splash. Melewski gives the lowdown on the 20-year-old infielder.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with three former Orioles: outfielder Willie Greene (54), right-hander Pete Harnisch (59), and the late lefty Marcelino López (b. 1943, d. 2001).
On this day in 1999, the Orioles lost to the Athletics, 9-6, to snap a 13-game winning streak. It was just one game short of the longest streak in franchise history, a 14-gamer in 1973. And yet the ’99 Orioles were such an otherwise lousy team that they still had a losing record after the 13-game win streak, and finished the season 78-84.
And on this date in 2013, the Orioles had a miserable day at Tropicana Field, suffering a walkoff 5-4 loss to the Rays for their fifth consecutive loss. The O’s, who had been just one game out of the final wild card spot before the skid began, fell to an insurmountable five-game deficit with the defeat. Making matters worse, Manny Machado tore his knee after stepping awkwardly on first base, an injury that would keep him sidelined until May 2014.
Random Orioles game of the day
On Sept. 23, 1968, the Orioles edged out the Tigers at Memorial Stadium, 2-1. Detroit righty Denny McLain, who was looking for his 32nd (!) win of the year, was outdueled by the Orioles’ Roger Nelson, a rookie right-hander who was wrapping up his only season with the Orioles. Both pitchers worked seven innings and allowed just one earned run, but the O’s took advantage of three Tigers errors to push across the deciding run. The loss didn’t prevent McLain from winning both the AL Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards that year.
