The Orioles have spent this series showing both sides of the same frustrating coin. One night, Colton Cowser delivered a stunning game-ending home run robbery to seal a fourth straight win. The next, Baltimore fell flat against a starting pitcher it had no business losing to.
That whiplash has left the Orioles needing the finale in a hurry. Dropping two of three to the Rockies, one of MLB’s worst teams, would be a rough way to open a September stretch run that already feels loaded with pressure.
Baltimore has scored just two runs per game in Coors Field through the first two games, and that kind of output against Colorado’s pitching staff simply won’t cut it. With last night’s loss, the Orioles also lost a game to the Guardians and are now 1.5 games back, tied with the Rangers, in the wild card race.
It’s been the same story too often with this team: they look capable of better, then fail to sustain it. Even with all the challenges they’ve dealt with this season, the Orioles should be more consistent than this.
They haven’t been, and that leaves plenty of room for doubt over the final 23 games. They likely need to finish 14-9 from here, or at least something close to that.
Baltimore’s lineup for the finale has Jackson Holliday at DH, Pete Alonso at first base, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Luis Robert Jr. in left field, Samuel Basallo behind the plate, Coby Mayo at third base, Dylan Beavers in right field, Blaze Alexander at second base, and Cowser in center field.
Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles. Since June 1, he’s been pretty good, but his last outing was a rough one: six runs in five innings, a line that did no favors to his season ERA. He’ll need a strong September if he wants to get that number down to 3.something by the end of the year.
This is also Luis Robert Jr.’s first start for the Orioles, and it would be a nice first impression if he can make one.
Colorado counters with Jake McCarthy in left field, Connor Norby at third base, Hunter Goodman at catcher, TJ Rumfield at first base, Cole Carrigg in center field, Jordan Beck in right field, Adael Amador at DH, Ryan Ritter at second base, and Ezequiel Tover at shortstop.
Tomoyuki Sugano starts for the Rockies, and his ERA is over five. After what Baltimore has produced at the plate in the first two games, that’s a matchup the Orioles need to take advantage of.
They need more than two runs. Ideally, a lot more than four.
In Other News...
Taylor Ward Has Already Become A Mariners Frustration
Taylor Wards move from Baltimore to Seattle was supposed to give the Mariners a bat that could steady the lineup after the deadline deal that sent three prospects back to the Orioles. Instead, his start in Seattle has only sharpened the hindsight around the trade, because the production the Mariners were counting on has not followed him west. For Baltimore, the deal already looks like one that brought in a useful package of young talent while moving on from an outfielder whose value had been climbing.
What has made the early returns sting for Seattle is how sharply Wards offense has dropped off compared with what he showed in Baltimore. His lower OPS and bWAR with the Mariners have turned the trade into an easy target for criticism, especially as the deadline moves are being graded in real time around the league. For the Orioles, it is the kind of transaction that can age well if even one of those prospects develops into a meaningful big-league piece, while Seattle is left waiting for Ward to justify the cost. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Young Core Is Suddenly Facing A Debate Fans Feared
The Orioles built their rise around a wave of young talent that seemed ready to grow together, with Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo all coming through the system in a tight span from 2019 to 2022. For a while, that group gave Baltimore a clean roadmap: develop the core, let it mature and keep the window open. But the 2024 season has also reminded everyone how fragile that kind of plan can be when injuries pile up and performance swings from player to player.
Rutschmans move to the Red Sox in August only sharpened the conversation around what the Orioles actually have now versus what they were supposed to have. Some of the young bats have flashed the upside that made the organization so optimistic, while others have had a harder time turning promise into consistency. For a fan base that spent years waiting for this exact moment, the debate is no longer about whether the talent exists - it is about which pieces can still be counted on to carry the group forward. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Just Got Another Reason To Believe In That Trade
The trade deadline deal already looked promising on paper, and these past few weeks have only added to the buzz around the Orioles side of it. Eyanson, now Baltimores No. 2 prospect, keeps piling up impressive outings in Double-A, most recently striking out eight over six innings even in a 5-4 loss. For a pitcher in his first professional season, the early returns have been hard to ignore.
Since the move, Eyanson has turned in 40 strikeouts against just eight walks over 27 innings, and he has fanned at least seven hitters in every outing. The 2025 third-round pick has shown the kind of consistency that tends to make a front office feel better about a deadline swing, even if the full payoff is still ahead. For Orioles fans, it is another reminder that this trade may have given the organization a real arm to dream on. [Read more 🡒]