Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles are having themselves one heck of a September. Their 8-7 win last night made them 10-4 on the month. It’s an impressive showing, even moreso because they have actually been outscored by two runs on the month. Perhaps that isn’t too surprising considering they have won four games by walk-offs and are 7-1 in one-run games. Pair that with a bad showing in Toronto, where they got blown out twice, and you have a wonky score differential compared to team record.
Some good
luck was due for the O’s. As you will see in the links below, injuries have ravaged the team and are the root cause for their under performance this season. Given how terrible they were in April and May, it is something of a miracle that they are likely going to finish with 75+ wins.
Now, this is not total proof that Mike Elias was right in the way in built the roster. Clearly, there were flaws. But the strong month of September does give some hope that the 2026 season will be different.
Hopefully, injuries are not as much of an issue next season. If they are, then the focus probably needs to turn on training regiments, workout routines, and medical staff. Maybe that is already happening.
One positive that should come out of these injuries is that it has forced many other players in the organization to step up and learn on the fly. That could be the sort of thing that helps on the margins in 2026. Dylan Beavers is getting more playing time because Tyler O’Neill has been out. Samuel Basallo is catching a ton with Adley Rutschman sidelined. Jeremiah Jackson has been given oodles of at-bats because the team had so few options in August.
All of that could add up to a hot start for the 2026 Orioles. That won’t clinch them a playoff spot, but it is certainly preferred to the molasses-like opening to the 2025 campaign.
Links
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
The Orioles might end up setting a record for the number of players used in a single season. If/when new pitcher José Castillo makes his debut, that will be the 69th (nice!), and it’s not unreasonable to think they could sneak one two more in to pass the Marlins, who set the record at 70 just last year. Roch gets into the details of how unique the O’s roster has been this year.
Which Teams Have Suffered the Most From Injuries? | FanGraphs
The Orioles are second to the Astros in this calculation. They aren’t the only team to lose a bunch of important players to injuries, but they are one of the most dramatic. What a different team they would be with that extra 17 WAR that has been sitting on the shelf.
Westburg activated after missing nearly a month with ankle sprain | MLB.com
There is some irony that Jordan Westburg returns on the day that the Orioles are eliminated from playoff contention. The team needs him, and others, far more healthy next year.
Orioles officially eliminated from playoffs, but the pieces for 2026 are falling into place | The Baltimore Banner
If you told me back in mid-May that the Orioles would not be eliminated from playoff contention until September 16, I would have celebrated. They were that bad at the start of the season. Things have turned around a lot since late May, and September has been particularly fun.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Kade Strowd turns 28 today. The righty was added to the Orioles 40-man roster last offseason and has become one of the team’s most-used relievers in the second half of the 2025 season. His 1.57 ERA over 23 innings has him lined up for a spot in the 2026 bullpen.
- The late Wayne Krenchicki (b. 1954, d. 2018) was born on this day. He spents parts of three seasons as an infield option for the Orioles from 1979 through ‘81.
This day in O’s history
1970 – Despite losing themselves, the Orioles clinch the AL East title thanks to a Red Sox win over the second-place Yankees.
1999 – The Orioles reportedly leave Cal Ripken Jr. at the airport on the orders of GM Frank Wren. Ripken was running late, but phoned ahead to let the team know he would be there in 10 minutes. Wren has the team take off without their star infielder anyway. This incident will be cited as one of the reasons for Wren’s firing after the season.
