Good morning Birdland,
An exciting opening round of the MLB playoffs are all wrapped up. Three of the four series went the full three games, and three of the four hosting teams emerged victorious. Hopefully the rest of October can have just as many good games to watch.
Here are the matchups for the DS round:
- Brewers (1) vs Cubs (4) – on TBS
- Phillies (2) vs Dodgers (3) – on TBS
- Blue Jays (1) vs Yankees (4) – on FOX and FS1
- Mariners (2) vs. Tigers (6) – on FOX and FS1
All of the series begin on Saturday. First pitch of the Brewers/Cubs series kicks everything off at 2:08 that day. From there, the AL and NL sets will largely alternate days off. MLB has it all
mapped out if you would like to get it on the ‘ol calendar.
It really is anyone’s guess as to where things shake out this postseason.
The Brewers have been the best team in baseball all season long, but they get a tough draw with the division rival Cubs. It was the Cubs that won seven of the 13 games that those two teams played during the regular season
The Phillies/Dodgers series feels like one where the winner could then be the favorite to win the whole thing. Both clubs are full of star power, and obviously the Dodgers just won the whole thing last year. At the very least it will be a fun series to watch.
Sure would be cool if the Orioles were in the mix. Maybe next year…
Links
Looking at Orioles’ three pending free agents Roch Kubatko
The only one that might be back in 2026 is Zach Eflin. He had a tough season and really struggled with injuries. But the Orioles need solid rotation reinforcements, and a healthy Eflin could be the perfect complement. As Roch maps out, a one-year deal with an option for 2027 might make sense for both sides. The Orioles might prefer a pitcher with more certainty as they enter a crucial season.
Who wouldn’t want to be the next Orioles GM with a job description like this? | The Baltimore Banner
As Kyle Goon makes clear, this is yet another example of the Orioles being weird about personnel matters. This time it’s not even someone in the organization. It’s about an open position that they have been exploring for a little while now and might not even hire for this offseason. Mike Elias didn’t make it sound like the highest priority, so should we even care?
Orioles manager candidates: As offseason begins, who could be in play now? | The Baltimore Sun
I’m pretty open to most candidates. Success in the manager role has come from so many different backgrounds, that you can’t simply write off rookie skippers or re-treads or any other group entirely. Whoever it is will have much more success if the Orioles stay healthier in 2026.
Orioles’ Holliday gives himself a ‘C’ after 1st full season in majors | Baltimore Baseball
Holliday, as well as pretty much everyone else on the roster, seems aware that their performance in 2025 was not good enough for what this team is trying to achieve. You could give most of the team a “C” for their work this year, at least from late May on. Hopefully that extends to the front office, who needs to get creative and re-think their approach this winter.
Orioles birthday
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Adam Plutko turns 34 today. He had a 6.71 ERA over 56.1 innings for the 2021 Orioles.
- Mike Belfiore is 37 years old. His lone MLB appearance came on the 2013 O’s.
- Mike Johnson celebrates his 50th birthday. The righty tossed 39.2 innings for the Orioles in 1997 before being dealt to the Expos at that season’s trade deadline.
This day in O’s history
1970 – Mike Cuellar becomes the first pitcher to homer in a League Championship Series. The southpaw smacks a grand slam off of the Twins’ Jim Perry, leading the Orioles to a 10-6 win in Game 1.
1971 – Dave McNally tosses seven innings and the O’s offense plates four runs in the seventh inning to earn a 5-3 win in Game 1 over the visiting Athletics.
1986 – The Orioles clinch a last-place finish for the first time since the franchised move from St. Louis in 1954.
2012 – The Orioles lose the regular season finale 4-1 to the Rays but still nab the final wild card spot in the AL playoffs. They will head to Texas for the first-ever Wild Card Game to begin the playoffs.
2014 – The Delmon Young Double: The Orioles score four times in the eighth inning against Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria, lifting the Birds to a 7-6 win in Game 2 of the ALDS. The barrage includes a base-clear double from Young.
2018 – Orioles manager Buck Showalter is dismissed after finishing the season with just 47 wins.
