After Wednesday night’s 3-1 win over the Angels, the Orioles are suddenly back within two games of .500 for the first time since July 19, when they were in the seventh game of their season-long seven-game winning streak. Trevor Rogers delivered another strong outing in that one, and the club keeps inching forward in a season that has spent a long time hovering just below the edge of collapse without ever fully going under.
That same stubborn drift is showing up in the wild card race. Baltimore didn’t gain on Texas on Wednesday, because the Rangers blanked the Giants.
But the Orioles did move ahead of the Twins, who lost for the fourth straight time against the Royals. That leaves Baltimore half a game behind both Texas and Cleveland, with only those two clubs standing in front of them now.
The schedule gives the Orioles a chance to at least make things interesting by the end of the day. Cleveland plays again today, while Texas does not return until Friday, when the Rangers meet the Orioles. If Baltimore takes care of business and the Guardians go the wrong way, the Orioles could be tied for a wild card spot when the day is done.
Of course, the part Baltimore can actually control is what happens against the Angels. Los Angeles is sending Ryan Johnson to the mound, and his numbers have been rough all season: a 7.63 ERA and 1.59 WHIP through 12 games.
The Orioles have shown all year that they can make life miserable for themselves against just about anybody, so nothing is automatic here. Brandon Young gets the start for Baltimore.
The one encouraging number hanging over this matchup is Baltimore’s record in Young’s starts. The Orioles are 15-3 when he takes the ball, and if they want to keep any kind of postseason chase alive after the trade deadline sell-off, they’ll need that trend to keep rolling.
That means Young staying sharp, the lineup putting runs on the board, and the bullpen holding up its end. The first part feels doable.
The other two? Not exactly confidence-inspiring.
Still, there’s at least a little room for the kind of temporary optimism this team has earned by surviving everything around it. If Adley Rutschman being traded jolted some struggling players into action, fine - maybe that’s the spark.
Last year they got a manager fired. This year they got an All-Star traded.
Shape up already.
It’s a day game, too, so don’t wander in at 6:30 looking for first pitch. This one starts at 12:35.
Around the Orioles, there’s also fresh discussion about the trade deadline and the organization’s direction. Steve Melewski argues that the rebuild itself was a success, and that what followed is where things went off track.
FanGraphs’ latest ranking of the prospects traded at the deadline includes three Orioles in the top 10 and five in the top 17. Elsewhere, Craig Albernaz still isn’t settled on a closer, with Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge handling the last two save chances after Tyler Wells was removed from the mix.
Both chances worked out, though the real test will come against a team that isn’t the worst in the American League. Albernaz also tried some different looks last night, including Hoppe in the bullpen and Franklin leading off.
And if you haven’t already, there’s a poll up this week asking when you think the Orioles will next get back to the postseason.
In Other News...
Orioles Just Brought Back A Familiar Arm With Something To Prove
The Orioles player-development pipeline has been busy enough that it can be easy to lose track of the arms moving in and out of the system, but one familiar name still stands out for Baltimore. The organization is once again tied to a pitcher who already flashed enough in its minor league ranks to make him part of a bigger conversation about talent evaluation and long-term value, especially for a club that has built its rise around finding and refining upside wherever it can.
Michael Forret is back in the picture, and the appeal is obvious: Baltimore knows what he looked like when things were going well, and the Orioles are the kind of team that keeps tabs on that sort of arm even after roster churn sends him elsewhere. The wrinkle is that his path has changed since then, and the question now is whether the same traits that once made him intriguing can still translate into a real role after a stretch of uneven results. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Catching Depth Just Took Another Turn After The Rutschman Trade
Baltimores catching picture keeps shifting after a busy stretch of roster maneuvering, and Chadwick Tromp is the latest name to come off the board. The Orioles said the veteran backstop elected free agency after going unclaimed on outright waivers following his designation for assignment, another reminder of how quickly depth pieces can get caught up in the churn when a club is reshaping the position group.
Tromp had been in a familiar role for Baltimore, providing catching depth after spending recent seasons in that kind of spot with both the Orioles and Braves. His exit ties back to the Orioles roster changes around Jake Rogers and the addition of Carlos Narvez and prospects in the trade with Boston, and it leaves one more layer of uncertainty in a group that has changed a lot in a short time. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Taylor Ward Trade Just Raised Two Big Questions
Taylor Ward is gone, and in the immediate aftermath the Orioles are left sorting out what his departure means for the outfield depth chart and the long-view rebuild around it. The move has already opened more runway for younger players such as Beavers and Franklin, with Franklin recently getting the call to the majors, and it gives Baltimore a little more room to see whether those internal options can seize a real role.
The bigger question is what the Orioles actually got back and how much upside they believe is tucked into the pitching side of the deal. The return adds three right-handed arms to the organization, and the trade will be judged not just by Wards fit in Seattle but by whether Baltimore can turn this into the kind of pitching depth it has been trying to stockpile without sacrificing too much short-term offense. [Read more 🡒]