Colton Cowser made a game-saving catch against the Rockies on August 31. The grab took the sports world by storm and lifted the Orioles back to .500 for the first time in four months. The play also preserved Baltimore’s spot as a contender for the third and final wild card spot.
With the benefit of hindsight, Cowser’s home run robbery of Jake McCarthy probably marked the high point of another disappointing season. The Orioles proceeded to lose their next six games (two in Colorado; four against Boston).
Everyone chalked the Rockies result up to fatigue at the end of a long road trip, but the Birds came home and got taken behind the woodshed. Adley Rutschman hit multiple home runs during his return to Camden Yards, and Baltimore’s offense tallied only one run over the final three games of the four-game set.
And just like that, the season was lost. The Orioles took two-of-three from Cleveland when they desperately needed a sweep, and the O’s dropped two-of-three in Toronto.
In most years, the Orioles would have lost the privilege of competing for a playoff spot long before September. The third wild card spot, paired with a mediocre American League (outside of the AL East), allowed Baltimore one last chance to compete, but the team let that opportunity slip away.
Let’s put aside the early injuries to guys like Jordan Westburg and Zach Eflin. We can even look beyond the deadline sale of Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer. The Orioles held possession of the third wild card spot a little over two weeks ago. If I had told you back in March that the O’s would possess a wild card spot with a month to play, would you have taken that deal? I know that I would have. I would have anticipated a better record, but the playoff spot is the selling point there.
It’s clear that the 2026 season was a failure, but how would you evaluate the last three weeks? Did Craig Albernaz and his team ever really have a real chance of making the postseason? If so, what did they do wrong?
The final two games in Colorado cannot be discounted. I don’t care if the Orioles had spent a full month on the road. Baltimore, desperate for wins, had the luxury of facing the only team in the National League with a winning percentage that begins with the number three.
The team summoned Luis De León—the team’s seventh best prospect according to MLB Pipeline—to join the team in Colorado. The 23-year-old had started in 22 of his 26 appearances in the minors this year, but Baltimore gave the lefty a few relief reps before adding him to its major league bullpen. Albernaz immediately thrust the rookie into a high-leverage situation, and De León surrendered the go-ahead homer in a 4-2 loss.
It’s fair to wonder if De León should have even been with the team, let alone working in a leverage situation during his debut. The Orioles needed a fresh lefty in the bullpen, but they opted to go with a prospect that wasn’t exactly pounding down the door (6.50 ERA over 18 Triple-A innings) over a guy like Cade Povich.
The bullpen continued to bite the team as Andrew Kittredge and Grant Wolfram both blew saves in the series finale. Kittredge, one of the only experienced relievers in the bullpen, clearly lost a step in the second half. But did Albernaz mismanage the bullpen, or was he simply working with a bunch that shouldn’t be expected to deliver?
The four-game sweep at the hands of Boston all but put the final nail in the coffin. The Orioles, facing their former franchise player for the first time, all but crumbled under the pressure. The O’s failed to score on Friday and Saturday before exploding for one run in the finale. Do you blame the front office for the bats going to sleep? Can you blame the skipper?
The team deserves credit for claiming Luis Robert Jr., but the outfielder hit the injured list shortly after his arrival. Gunnar Henderson finished 3-for-13 with 0 RBIs in the Boston series. Samuel Basallo hasn’t hit since returning from the injured list. Carlos Narváez quickly reminded everyone in Baltimore what a true backup catcher looks like at the plate. Blaze Alexander attempted to manufacture a spark before returning to the injured list.
Baltimore entered last night with a season-low .650 team OPS in the month of September. Despite all the team’s struggles, the Orioles still managed to post an OPS in the .700s during every other month of the season.
It’s understandable that the pitching staff started to run out of gas. The rotation was filled with guys approaching a career high in innings pitched. Brandon Young, the starter with the highest WAR (2.1), had been pitching above his level all season. But at the end of the day, the bullpen didn’t have the dudes. The offense, with respect to Pete Alonso and Coby Mayo, didn’t have the juice.
The Orioles were the benefit of a weak field, but they proved to be the weakest of the bunch. Albernaz deserves some heat for how things unfolded this year, but it’s not like he managed this team out of a playoff spot. Players like Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser did not take the step that everyone expected. Ryan Helsley got banged up, and Félix Bautista never returned.
This roster just didn’t have the talent to make the playoffs this season, and it will need to make several improvements if it hopes to compete next year.
