Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles had a golden opportunity on Friday night to gain ground in the AL wild card race. The fading White Sox lost again, which meant an O’s win would have gotten them within two games of that final playoff spot. Instead, they lost 6-5 in extra innings to the Brewers.
It’s the latest loss in what has obviously been a frustrating season for the Orioles. The team has simply lost too many games like it did on Friday. The talent is there. They are capable, on a day-to-day basis
anyway, of competing with the best team’s in the sport. But far too often they get tight in the biggest moments, and their execution falls apart.
That was most evident in the seventh inning, when Samuel Basallo failed to lay down a bunt that would have put two runners in scoring position with one out. Basallo probably hasn’t bunted much in his life, and maybe never against a lefty with DL Hall’s repertoire. So it should have surprised no one when he ended up striking out. Might as well have swung away, or perhaps it would have made sense to pitch hit for Basallo given his struggles since coming off of the IL.
There was good news in the loss. Gunnar Henderson and Coby Mayo combined to go 6-for-9 with two runs scored. All three of Mayo’s hits were doubles, and his season OPS is up to .771. Pete Alonso hit another home run, a clutch round-tripper that tied the game at 3-3. As the math of a postseason berth this year starts to look worse, the Orioles will need to turn their focus towards 2027. The trio of Henderson, Mayo, and Alonso could very well be the heart of the lineup moving forward, so giving them any sort of momentum into the offseason would be a silver lining.
There are now eight games left on the schedule, and the Orioles are still three games out of the playoffs. Baseball Reference puts their chances of making the playoffs at 2.9%.
The Orioles and Brewers square off in game two of their series at 4:05. It’s a matchup between Trevor Rogers (10-10, 4.22 ERA) and lefty Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.30 ERA). Other games to keep an eye on: Tigers at White Sox (2:10 p.m.), Athletics at Guardians (6:10 p.m.), Blue Jays at Rangers (7:05 p.m.), and Braves at Astros (7:10 p.m.)
Links
Sig Mejdal changing roles in Orioles front office, will no longer oversee analytics | The Baltimore Banner
Anyone hoping that Mike Elias’ time at the helm of the Orioles is coming to an end this winter, may be disappointed. The recent news of Matt Blood leaving the organization and now Mejdal changing roles seems like an effort from the front office to show that they are willing to adapt without needing to clean house. Will ownership be on board? That remains to be seen.
Because You Asked – Doomsday | Roch Kubatko
Kubatko mentions here that “Elias is expected to stay.” That’s another pretty clear indication of where things are headed this winter. That should also mean 2027 is make-or-break for him, but who knows.
Basallo saw extra O’s gear lying around, and D.R. kids were top of mind | Orioles.com
It is very sweet of Basallo think of kids back in his hometown. If someone can enjoy these giveaways instead of them sitting in a closet somewhere, it makes sense to make that happen. It’s also very funny to think of kids down in the Dominican Republic owning beach towels with a big “Ocean City, Maryland” advertisement across the bottom of it.
Orioles injury update on Bautista, Helsley, Holliday, Bradish, Alexander, Baz; O’s-Brewers lineups | Baltimore Baseball
It sounds like Félix Bautista might get into a big league game before the season’s over. The same might not be true for Ryan Helsley, who hasn’t pitched in a rehab game in a week. Shane Baz is good to go for his next start, and Blaze Alexander is probably getting re-activated before the season is over. Kyle Bradish might need sports hernia surgery, and Jackson Holliday is meeting with a doctor about his wrist inflammation this weekend. That sums it up!
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- DL Hall turns 28 today. The lefty was one of the Orioles top prospects from the day he was drafted in 2017 until the day he was traded to the Brewers prior to the 2024 season. He worked two innings and earned to the win over his old club in last night’s series opener.
- Danny Valencia is 42 years old. He had two brief stints in Baltimore, first in 2013 and then again in 2018. Valencia was known for his ability to hit left-handed pitching (.864 career OPS vs. LHP), which he flaunted with the Orioles.
- Nick Johnson turns 48. The first baseman wrapped up his decade in MLB with a 38-game cameo on the 2012 Orioles
- Randy Myers is 64 years old. The southpaw was a crucial member of the Orioles bullpen from 1996-97, collecting a 2.51 ERA over 123 total games.
- The late Bob Turley (b. 1930, d. 2013) was born on this day. He came with the organization when it moved from St. Louis as the staff ace. In his lone season in Baltimore (1954), Turley had a 3.46 ERA and led the league in both strikeouts and walks. He was traded to the Yankees after the season.
This day in O’s history
1963 – The Orioles and Angels play a game in front of just 476 fans at Chavez Ravine, the smallest recorded attendance at the stadium excluding the 2020 season.
2017 – The Orioles fall 1-0 to the Red Sox. The only run of the game scores in the 11th inning when Brad Brach uncorks a wild pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Jackson Bradley Jr. to score from third base.
