Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Only nine games remain on the Orioles’ 2026 schedule. We’re down to single digits now. Tonight, the Orioles begin their final homestand of the season, hosting the MLB-best Brewers and the wild card-hopeful Blue Jays before finishing their year at Yankee Stadium.
You’d be forgiven if you thought the Orioles’ homestand actually started four days ago, considering how much adulation and support the CitiField crowd was giving to the Orioles (well, one particular Oriole). The
positive energy coming from the Mets fans seemed to bolster the Orioles’ spirits, lifting them to a series sweep. It also helps that the Mets are a truly dreadful team.
The Orioles don’t figure to get the same kind of help this weekend from the Brewers, who hold the best record in baseball and have already clinched the NL Central. If the O’s intend to keep their hot streak going, they’re going to need to bring their A game, such as it is. The pessimistic take is that the Orioles will get a cold dose of reality now that they’re facing competent teams, and that this homestand is almost certainly when the O’s will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
But if you’re the optimistic type who’s holding out hope that the Birds can still make a late run at this, they’re going to need to play practically flawless baseball from here on out, and they’re going to need some help to knock out their wild card competitors, too. Right now it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which teams are their wild card competitors, since the AL Central and AL West divisions are very much up for grabs. The White Sox and Guardians are tied for the Central division lead (with the White Sox holding the tiebreaker), and in the West, the Astros hold a one-game lead over the Rangers (and the tiebreaker). The O’s are three games behind for the third wild card spot, currently held by the Guardians. The Rangers and Blue Jays are two games back.
With so many mediocre teams in the mix, the math gets complicated. To catch the Guardians, the Orioles would need to be four games better than them for the remaining nine games (since Cleveland holds the tiebreaker). But if the Guardians were to take the AL Central lead and knock the White Sox into the wild card race, the O’s would only need to be three games better than Chicago, since the Orioles hold the tiebreaker. Of the West teams, the Orioles hold the tiebreaker against the Astros but not against the Rangers, so however that division shakes out will affect the Birds as well. And then there’s also the Blue Jays to contend with, though the Orioles will have a chance to beat them head-to-head in their three-game series next week.
There are a lot of moving parts, and very little time for all of those parts to move in the Orioles’ favor. In all likelihood, three or four days from now there will be no need for O’s fans to keep track of the various wild card permutations. But if you’re keeping an eye on the out-of-town scores just in case, the Guardians are hosting the Athletics this weekend, the White Sox hosting the Tigers, the Astros at home against the Braves, and the Blue Jays and Rangers are facing each other in a pivotal wild-card battle in Texas. Happy scoreboard watching!
Links
Orioles make plans to bring back Povich – School of Roch
Cade Povich is the only realistic choice to replace Kyle Bradish, but see, this is why it’s hard to really believe the Orioles have any kind of chance of running the table.
What went wrong with the post-2023 Orioles? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
This is a question that would require a novel-length analysis to really delve into, but Rich Dubroff valiantly tries to sum it up in a few paragraphs.
Luis De Leon is emerging as someone that could help the 2027 Orioles – Steve Melewski
The rookie lefty didn’t exactly endear himself to O’s fans by losing his first two major league games, but he’s quietly pitched pretty well since then.
Jon Meoli: Pete Alonso has given the Orioles his best. They’re on the verge of wasting it. – The Baltimore Banner
At least Pete is signed for four more years after this one. I just wish I could feel confident that the Orioles won’t waste all of those, too.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles pitchers were born on this date: 2021-22 righty Marcos Diplán (30) and the late lefty Harvey Haddix (b. 1925, d. 1994), who finished his career with the O’s from 1964-65.
On this date in 1976, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, then playing for Cleveland, appeared in the final game of his 21-year major league career. Appropriately enough, it came against the Orioles, and befitting of Frank’s stellar career, it was an RBI single. It came as a pinch-hitter in the eighth in a 3-2 O’s win at Cleveland Stadium.
One year later, another Orioles legend got his moment as the O’s celebrated “Thanks, Brooks” Day to honor the retiring Brooks Robinson. A sellout crowd of 51,798 packed Memorial Stadium to cheer on the beloved longtime Oriole in an hour-long pregame ceremony. Brooks received a minutes-long standing ovation from the crowd as he rode in a car around the warning track, greeting fans. Despite insisting on no gifts, Robinson was presented with a new car, replacement Gold Glove awards for the ones he had donated to charity, and even third base itself, given to him by his replacement at the position, Doug DeCinces.
And on this date in 1991, yet another legendary O’s Hall of Famer had a day to remember. Cal Ripken Jr. hit his 30th homer in a loss to the Red Sox, making him the first shortstop in major league history to have a 30-homer, 40-double season. He finished the season with a career-high 34 homers as well as 46 doubles on his way to winning his second AL Most Valuable Player Award.
