Hello, friends.
After three games against one of the worst teams in baseball this season, we’re right back to September feeling like a fun final month for the Orioles. They closed out a three-game sweep of the White Sox with a 3-1 victory yesterday, with a two-run home run by Dylan Beavers – his second of the series – making the biggest difference. Check out Paul Folkemer’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals, including the O’s tying a franchise record for stolen bases in a game.
The Orioles
are up to 72-80 on the season, with an 11-4 record in the month of September. Seven of their final ten games will be played against the Yankees, with a series thrown in there against the Rays also. Although the O’s swept this past series, they were nonetheless mathematically eliminated from the postseason when Seattle won its game on Tuesday. Still in play, if the Orioles win out, is a winning season, or a non-losing season if they can go 9-1 over these remaining games.
It’s not too likely, but it will be fun if they can put some losses into the Yankees over these final games. While it’s not probable for the Orioles to end up in 2011 territory where they have the opportunity to knock a team out of the postseason entirely, the O’s could, if they win enough of those seven remaining games against New York, knock them down a peg in the postseason pecking order, potentially having them lose out on being the home team in the wild card round.
Will it end up mattering to their success next season how well the Orioles play over these final ten games? Realistically, probably not. It’s little more than a fun coincidence that the team went from 2011’s game 162 to making the postseason the next year. Mike Elias will either do what needs to be done this offseason or he won’t. Key players to next year’s success will either make adjustments (or have better injury luck) or they won’t. Finishing strong is more about having fans be happier going into the hot stove season.
My theory on the 2025 Orioles is that they never let you feel good about them for too long. Under that theory, after starting September at an incredible 11-4 clip, including series wins against a couple of pretty good teams, we are well overdue to see that good vibe get torpedoed. There are so many ways it could happen. Honestly, they tried their darndest to do this on Tuesday against the White Sox with that bullpen mess. It would be nice if they want to prove me wrong by beating a better team.
They’ll get a chance to start doing that as soon as tonight, with a four-game set against the Yankees set to start at 7:15. (It’s a FOX game.) Cade Povich and Max Fried are the scheduled starting pitchers. Just a bit of a mismatch in quality there.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Dylan Beavers was sick to his stomach before games. Then he remembered to breathe. (The Baltimore Banner)
The nerves in question were back in Beavers’s sophomore season of college. Remembering to breathe is good advice for all of us.
Beavers’s breakout follows recent line of Orioles top 100 prospects (Orioles.com)
If every Orioles top 100 prospect had broken out early like Beavers, we’d probably be happier right now. It hasn’t worked out that way.
After winning Buster Posey Award, Caden Bodine had strong pro debut for Orioles (Steve on Baseball)
Subscription required to read the full article. Bodine had quite a spring and summer.
Offseason goals for the four Orioles first-round picks (The Baltimore Sun)
The top picks were recently in Baltimore after their minor league seasons ended, and they shared their goals with beat writer Matt Weyrich.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 2012, the Orioles beat the Mariners in 18 innings, scoring two runs in the ninth inning to tie and send it to extras, and holding on until the 18th when Taylor Teagarden delivered a pinch-hit single. The 4-2 win pulled the Orioles into a tie with the Yankees for the AL East lead.
There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021-22 pitcher Marcos Diplán, and 1964-65 pitcher Harvey Haddix.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: physicist Léon Foucault (1819), actress Greta Garbo (1905), basketball coaching legend Rick Pitino (1952), baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (1959), Baltimore-born actress Jada Pinkett Smith (1971), and footballer Ronaldo (1976).
On this day in history…
In 1066, an army of Norwegians, led by the king Harold Hardrada, landed in England. This was ultimately the second-most famous invasion of England in the year 1066.
In 1793, President George Washington placed the cornerstone for the Capitol.
In 1944, during World War II, the Allies liberated the Dutch city of Eindhoven after their advance in Operation Market Garden.
In 1948, Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith was elected to the US Senate, becoming the first woman to be elected to the Senate without having finished another senator’s term first.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on September 18. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
