DENVER - The Orioles are staring at a final stretch that leaves no room to drift. After Wednesday’s game, they head back home for their last 22 games, and every one of them will stay in the Eastern time zone. Nineteen of those games come against contenders, and 13 are against the American League East.
That run starts with a homestand that brings four games against the Boston Red Sox and three against the Cleveland Guardians.
“Definitely excited,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “All of our guys are excited.
That’s why we play the 162-game season., and to come down to the final stretch, and it’s against division opponents, against contenders, that’s what you want. Any competitor will tell you that.”
Baltimore enters the game against Colorado trailing the Guardians by 1 ½ games in the wild card, which gives the upcoming slate a sharper edge. Albernaz made clear the Orioles aren’t shying away from it.
“You want to go against the best to see where you’re at because they’re in the playoff hunt as well,” Albernaz said. “That’s where the best baseball is played.
That’s where our guys come out and play their best baseball. We’re excited.
It will be fun. We’re definitely looking forward to that.”
The Orioles will also see a familiar face in Tomoyuki Sugano, who pitched for them last season, while Luis Robert is set to play his first game for Baltimore.
For now, though, Albernaz said the focus stays on the task in front of them.
“We have a game here still,” Albernaz said. “Our mind is still here. In the back of our mind, we know what’s ahead of us, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Thursday’s game will be shown exclusively on FOX, with first pitch set for 7:15 p.m. The Orioles have not announced their starters for the series.
Orioles-Rockies lineups:
Orioles Jackson Holliday-DH
Pete Alonso-1B Gunnar Henderson-SS
Luis Robert Jr.-LF Samuel Basallo-C
Coby Mayo-3B Dylan Beavers-RF
Blaze Alexander-2B Trevor Rogers-LHP
Rockies Jake McCarthy-LF
Connor Norby-3B Hunter Goodman-C
TJ Rumfield-1B Cole Carrigg-CF
Jordan Beck-LF Adael Amador-DH
Ryan Ritter-2B Ezequiel Tovar-SS
Tomoyuki Sugano-RHP
In Other News...
Orioles Already Sent A Clear Message With Luis De Lens Debut
Luis De Lens major league debut came in relief against the Rockies, and even in a brief one-inning look, the Orioles got a small snapshot of why they brought him up. He struck out one batter, showed the kind of arm that can miss bats at this level, and also learned immediately how quickly the margins tighten in the big leagues when a two-run homer changes the shape of an outing.
Craig Albernaz and De Lens teammates still came away talking about his potential future role, which is often the real point of these first appearances for a young pitcher. For Baltimore, the debut was less about one line on a scorecard than about sending a message that De Len is in the conversation now, with the next step depending on how the Orioles decide to use and develop him from here. [Read more 🡒]
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Orioles Face A Tough Jackson Holliday Decision At The Worst Time
Jackson Hollidays rookie season has reached the kind of stretch that forces a contender to weigh patience against practicality. Since Aug. 1, the 22-year-old first overall pick has been one of the Orioles least productive regulars, hitting just .202/.242/.310 with a 50 wRC+, while also battling through uneven defense. Even so, Baltimore has kept running him out there as the club tries to stay in the playoff race, betting that the long view still matters even in a crowded pennant chase.
Blaze Alexanders return only sharpens the question of how much longer the Orioles can keep sorting through Hollidays growing pains in real time. Alexander has handled right-handed pitching well, giving the club another option as the games start to carry more weight, and that leaves Baltimore with a tricky playing-time puzzle at exactly the wrong moment. For a team with postseason hopes on the line, every at-bat and every defensive decision now carries a little more consequence than it did a month ago. [Read more 🡒]