The Orioles keep finding just enough and, for now, that’s enough.
They head into tonight’s series finale against the Rays with the last Wild Card in hand by a half-game over the Rangers, and they’ve done it while piecing together a road trip that has been equal parts ordinary and encouraging. The trip has included series losses in Texas and Minnesota, but three straight wins over Tampa Bay - the team that held the best record in baseball - stand out all the same. Yesterday’s 10-2 win featured a seven-run sixth inning, the biggest of Baltimore’s season, and pushed the Orioles to 61-63.
That latest burst also gave them six straight wins over the Rays, by a combined 46-20.
The bigger picture still feels unsettled, and maybe that’s the point. This is a team trying to stay close long enough for the roster to get better around it. The injured list is down to nine players, though that count includes the Adley Rutschman trade to the Red Sox, who are the club that reinstated him.
Chris Bassitt has already come off the 60-day IL and rejoined the rotation. Samuel Basallo, on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation, started a rehab assignment yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk and went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
He could be back during the homestand. Blaze Alexander’s non-displaced fracture in his left hand has healed, though a scan this week will check the progress, and he’s back to hitting and fielding.
Félix Bautista, recovering from multiple repairs on his right shoulder last August, is throwing live batting practice and bullpen sessions.
Ryan Helsley is still on the 60-day IL with a second bout of right elbow discomfort, and his return would only deepen the late-inning mix if he can get back to peak form alongside Bautista. That’s a big if, and the process figures to take time.
But the Orioles don’t need perfection right now. They need to hang around and let the reinforcements matter.
Basallo’s return will force a real roster question: carry two catchers or three. With Rutschman gone, that choice gets trickier. Using Basallo at designated hitter would create a domino effect, and there’s obvious risk in having to pinch-hit for Carlos Narváez or Yohel Pozo.
Narváez, acquired in the return for Rutschman and Jake Rogers, is 3-for-29 with 10 strikeouts since the deal. He has committed two errors in 10 games, and basestealers are 3-for-3 against him.
He has two minor league options. Pozo, who has three options, is 4-for-14 with a homer in nine games, with one error and basestealers 5-for-5 against him.
Alexander’s return could arrive after the roster expands to 28 players. If not, the Orioles will need a corresponding move.
Jeremiah Jackson could be the tough call. He has appeared in the lineup only three times this month, and his right-handed bat and versatility become less valuable if Alexander is back.
The Orioles like him, but September expansion might be the only thing that keeps him around.
There are other bright spots, too. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered again Saturday night, then added a three-run double yesterday.
He now owns a .793 OPS with 18 RBIs in 23 games. Coby Mayo looks safe, and he’s doing damage not just against left-handers but also against right-handers.
Jackson Holliday also keeps making his case, with an RBI single off Garrett Cleavinger and a two-run double off Steven Matz. Colton Cowser added a left-on-left homer.
As for Gunnar Henderson, the weekly scoreboard watch continues. He had three hits Tuesday, none Wednesday, four Friday, one Saturday and none yesterday, with four walks mixed in. The line keeps swinging, but the at-bats are better and there are signs pointing up.
Tonight brings another test, though maybe not the scarier one it once looked like. Left-hander Shane McClanahan will come off the injured list and start for Tampa Bay in his first appearance since back soreness sidelined him on July 30. He saw the Orioles twice earlier this season, allowing four runs in five innings on May 18 at Tropicana Field, then throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings on May 25 at Camden Yards.
He’s 7-0 with a 2.97 ERA in 11 career starts against Baltimore, which sounded more intimidating before the series started.
Still, the Orioles have been saying the right things, and more importantly, they’ve been backing it up. “We get to play for a chance for the playoffs, and I think everyone in here can feel that,” Jackson Holliday told the media yesterday.
“We go out there and beat a good team three nights in a row, I don’t think it’s much of a fluke. We have a really good team, and we’re going out there and showing it.”
“We really believe we can play with anyone,” manager Craig Albernaz told the media. “You have to believe that. I truly believe that, and the guys in that room believe it most importantly.”
If you need proof, just look at the standings.
The organization also made a pair of minor league moves, promoting outfielder Vance Honeycutt from High-A Frederick to Double-A Chesapeake and moving right-hander Jack Crowder and left-hander Brendan Parks up to Frederick.
Honeycutt, 23, hit .182/.285/.359 with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, 30 walks and 110 strikeouts in 63 games, and he stole 28 bases in 32 attempts. He missed a month with a strained oblique.
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Adley Rutschmans Boston Start Is Raising Questions Orioles Fans Will Notice
Adley Rutschmans move to Boston was one of the more eye-catching deadline swings, a change that sent a player the Orioles had leaned on into the middle of a Red Sox roster trying to gear up for a postseason push. Rutschman had been performing well in Baltimore and earned an All-Star selection before the deal, which is why his arrival carried so much weight on both sides of the AL East.
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What makes the debate linger is the broader shape of the 2026 standings. A sub-.500 team reaching the postseason would be a first in a full-length season, and the historical backdrop only sharpens the conversation because that kind of thing has happened only in shortened years. With parity spreading the talent around and the old incentive structure for losing less of a factor, the Orioles are suddenly part of a bigger question about what playoff baseball should reward and whether a crowded field is a sign of competitive balance or just a reminder that nobody has separated from the pack. [Read more 🡒]