The Orioles’ season is slipping toward the finish line with almost nothing left to salvage, and the latest blow landed in Milwaukee. Baltimore was shut out in back-to-back games and swept by the Brewers, a stretch that leaves the club needing to run the table over its final two series just to finish at .500.
That was once a real possibility this month. The Orioles held a wild card spot when September arrived. Since then, almost nothing has gone right, and the gap between where they were and where they’ve ended up has only grown more painful.
They are still not mathematically eliminated, but the clock is close to running out. Baltimore sits five back of the White Sox with six games left, and also has to pass the Astros and Blue Jays.
The White Sox have the day off, so the Orioles will not be officially done today. Tuesday could bring the final answer.
Even if the standings keep them alive for a little while longer, the bigger picture is already clear. This is a failure of a season. Back-to-back losing years are staring them in the face, and the front office is headed into another offseason with far more questions than answers.
Mike Elias should be fired. It appears he won’t be fired, unless David Rubenstein is just letting Elias go around and make changes while still planning to fire him.
These do seem to be real and necessary changes. Something has gone wrong with player development, and there will be a new head of player development next year.
Something seems to have gone wrong with the team’s use of analytics, and there will be a new person in charge of that next year too.
Will that fix enough? There’s no clean answer there, and the Orioles have done little to inspire confidence.
The team already wasted another year of Gunnar Henderson, in part because they apparently can’t figure out how to have their amazing superstar player continue to play at a high level. They played so poorly that they “had to” trade Adley Rutschman, who is still hitting quite poorly for Boston.
The present has been grim enough that even the future feels thin. There are so few Orioles to feel good about heading into next year as the season winds down, and the roster is going to need a serious overhaul this offseason.
One encouraging note came from Félix Bautista’s return. He pitched in a game yesterday and said, “It feels incredibly satisfying” (School of Roch).
The outing wasn’t especially sharp. The Orioles kept him on a short leash, and he left after 19 pitches and two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run.
The command wasn’t there, nor was the old velocity. Whether either returns, we won’t know until next year.
There was also a rough timing issue around the team’s announcement that Albernaz is returning. The Orioles didn’t quite pull a “lose 30-3 right after the interim manager is named full-time manager” on Albernaz, but that was a bad weekend by the team and Albernaz was involved in some of what was bad.
Today also brings a couple of Orioles anniversaries. On this date in 1971, Dave McNally threw a complete-game shutout in a 5-0 win over the Yankees, picking up his 20th victory of the season. It was the fourth straight year he had reached that mark, and MLB still hasn’t had a 20-game winner since Spencer Strider did it in 2023.
In 1984, Jim Traber sang the Star-Spangled Banner before making his MLB debut as the day’s designated hitter. The Orioles lost that game to the Red Sox, 8-0, and Traber finished with one hit in four at-bats.
The birthday list includes one former Oriole: 2011-12 reliever Zach Phillips, who turns 40 today.
In Other News...
Orioles May Have To Sacrifice Top Prospect Talent For A Real Star
After two straight trips to the postseason, the Orioles took a step back in 2025 by missing the playoffs and then sending Adley Rutschman elsewhere at the deadline, a move that made the organizational direction feel a little less certain. Even with the setback, Baltimore still has the kind of young talent that other clubs covet, especially on the mound and in the outfield, and that depth is part of what keeps the front office in a position to retool quickly if it chooses.
The question now is whether the Orioles are willing to turn some of that promise into a more immediate difference-maker. Pitching prospect Joseph Dzierwa and outfielder Nate George are among the names that could draw real attention in trade talks, and for a club trying to get back into contention without giving away its long-term core, the decision may come down to how far Baltimore wants to go in chasing a proven star. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Sweep Just Sparked A Public Challenge From Craig Albernaz
After getting swept by the Brewers, the Orioles found themselves hearing more than the usual postseries frustration from Craig Albernaz. The manager did not hide his disappointment with the way the club played, pointing to missed opportunities and shaky execution as the kind of issues that keep a team from winning the games it should. Jeremiah Jacksons at-bat became part of that bigger theme, a single decision turned into a larger example of the standards Albernaz wants the club to meet.
Jackson accepted the blame for swinging at a pitch after the bases were loaded, making it clear he knew the moment slipped away. For a Baltimore team trying to steady itself, the message from the dugout was less about one miscue than about the level of focus required going forward. Albernazs public challenge leaves the Orioles with a familiar question: whether the response will come quickly enough to stop a rough stretch from lingering. [Read more 🡒]
Flix Bautistas Return Gives Orioles Fans A Reason To Look Ahead
The Orioles dropped a 3-0 decision to the Brewers on a night when the bats stayed silent for the second straight game, extending Baltimores scoreless stretch to 19 consecutive innings. Brandon Young did his part to keep it close, working six innings and allowing two runs while striking out a career-high nine, but the offense never gave him much margin as the game slipped away late.
Flix Bautistas return offered the clearest reason for optimism. The right-hander took the mound for the first time since last July after right shoulder surgery and struck out two in relief, a welcome step for a bullpen and a fan base that has been waiting a long time to see him back in action. Even in a loss, that kind of late-season look carries some real weight for Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]