Precisely four games remain of the 2025 Orioles season. This is one of them. In the space of the last week, they’ve lost a game while being shut out, lost two while scoring one run, and one while scoring two runs.
You could be forgiven for wondering if perhaps the batters have already entered into a mental offseason mode.
I don’t think that is actually the case. I think that the Orioles hitters are trying their best to do good things, and at this moment, and really for the last couple of months, for whatever reason, their best, by and large, is unproductive. The hitting coaches do not, on the whole, appear to be up to the task of unlocking this productivity. I think that they should all be fired the day the season ends. There are beat writers who disagree with this perspective, including The Baltimore Banner’s Jon Meoli.
Whatever the reasons are, the Orioles are averaging 3.29 runs per game for the month of September. That’s not going to cut it on days where Trevor Rogers or Kyle Bradish aren’t pitching, and sometimes it doesn’t cut it even when those guys are pitching. Neither one is pitching today, at any rate.
It would be nice to see a little life from the Orioles over these last few games. Today’s is not quite as important in this regard as the weekend’s will be, when they’ll be facing the Yankees with the AL East apparently on the line. The Blue Jays are in collapse mode and I won’t feel bad for them if they blow it, but I won’t enjoy any Yankees success.
Orioles lineup
- Dylan Beavers – LF
- Jordan Westburg – 3B
- Gunnar Henderson – SS
- Ryan Mountcastle – DH
- Jeremiah Jackson – RF
- Colton Cowser – CF
- Coby Mayo – 1B
- Alex Jackson – C
- Jorge Mateo – 2B
This will be the final start of the season for Cade Povich. He could get his ERA under 5 for the season if he pitches more than five innings while allowing fewer than three earned runs. I won’t be holding my breath.
Jackson Holliday is out of the lineup for the second straight day. He’s apparently got a banged up knee. Not surprisingly, there’s also no Samuel Basallo. Although his x-rays were negative and he said his right wrist is doing better today, it seems like the team is erring on the side of caution. No rush.
Rays lineup
- Jake Mangum – RF
- Yandy Díaz – DH
- Junior Caminero – 3B
- Christopher Morel – LF
- Richie Palacios – 2B
- Nick Fortes – C
- Carson Williams – SS
- Everson Pereira – CF
- Bob Seymour – 1B
It’s difficult to express how delightful (in an extremely insignificant way) it is for me that there is a guy named Bob Seymour who is a major league baseball player in 2025. Bob hasn’t been playing very well, so I hope he enjoys it while it lasts. I will not at all be surprised if he breaks out today.
Pitching for the Rays is Drew Rasmussen, who’s been very good this season, and indeed for his entire career. The only knock against him for 2025 is that he has not even managed to average 5 IP/GS over the course of this season.
