The Orioles are back in Tampa with a shot to make this rematch look very different from the last one, and the setup is hard to ignore.
Last weekend, Baltimore went into Tampa and came away with three of four, nearly pulling off a four-game sweep. That was easily one of the strangest bright spots in what has otherwise been another rough Mike Elias-led season. The Rays are still the class of the American League, and they’ve had the Orioles’ number since Elias took over, so Baltimore’s 6-4 record against Tampa - with a +10 run differential - stands out as a surprise.
Now the question is whether that first series was a blip or a sign of something real. If the Orioles stumble again before leaving for another 10-day road trip, the rest of the season starts to look academic.
Baltimore is 61-67, has gone 7-11 in August, and has scored three runs or fewer in half its games this month. After pounding Rays pitching in Tampa, the Orioles were held to five runs and 14 hits in a sweep at Camden Yards by the Yankees.
The bigger picture around the club hasn’t gotten any prettier. Craig Albernaz said, “It’s something that, myself, I’ve been actively trying to problem-solve and put a finger on,” Albernaz said of why this is such a bad team so often. “… You have to figure out how to keep our guys playing that consistent brand of baseball, and actively trying to figure that out.”
There’s frustration around the roster, too. Longtime GM Dan O’Dowd, a former Orioles executive who now works as an analyst for MLB Network, said, “Their roster construction and the imbalance of their roster has been confusing,” longtime GM Dan O’Dows, a former O’s exec who follows them close as an analyst for MLB Network, told me. “As a lifelong Orioles fan, I’m just actually kind of frustrated by the whole thing, quite honestly.”
Even with all of that, the rotation has kept Baltimore from falling into the very bottom tier. But that strength comes with a warning label.
Kyle Bradish has already logged 100 more innings than either of the last two seasons, when he was under 40 innings in both, and the workload is starting to show. Trevor Rogers, who starts Friday, has never gotten through a full MLB season in his career without at least an injury rehab stint.
Brandon Young, who starts Saturday, has been a lift for stretches as a rookie, but he’s closing in on 120 innings after never throwing more than 110 in a minor league season.
Young has also hit a rough patch. Over his last four starts, he’s allowed 25 hits and eight walks in 20 innings. That works out to a 5.85 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP, and the Rays got to him for eight hits and three homers in four innings the last time he faced them.
Sunday brings Shane Baz, and Baltimore has had a hard time with him. The Orioles are 6-19 in his starts, and Baz is among the league leaders in starts where he’s gone at least six innings with three runs or fewer of support. He’s also in the top five in the AL in unearned runs allowed.
There are at least a few moving pieces worth watching on the Orioles’ side. Samuel Basallo is back from the IL, and with Monday off, he should get a run through the weekend, mostly at first base and DH.
Jackson Holliday remains in the leadoff spot, and Coby Mayo’s bat needs to stay in the lineup, especially against right-handers. Tyler O’Neill is described as a sunk cost, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand shouldn’t be getting developmental opportunities ahead of Mayo.
And after Baltimore averaged fewer than five hits per game against the Yankees, there’s at least a case for thinking the offense could wake up a bit this weekend.
In Other News...
Gunnar Henderson Has Become A Worrying Sign For The Orioles
Gunnar Henderson has been one of the faces of the Orioles young core, so any hint of regression lands with extra weight in Baltimore. MLB Network analyst Dan ODowd recently raised alarms about Hendersons direction, pointing to a decline in both his hitting and defense since the 2025 All-Star break and framing it as more than a temporary slump. For a team built around internal development, concerns like that naturally spill beyond one player and into the broader question of how the Orioles are shaping their talent.
ODowd went a step further by suggesting the organization, under Mike Elias, may not be getting the most out of Hendersons ability. He even floated the idea that the shortstop could be traded by 2027, while also recommending changes to the developmental setup, including bringing in Bill Ripken as an infield coordinator and perhaps involving Buck Showalter in some role. Whether Baltimore takes any of that seriously is another matter, but the conversation underscores how important Henderson remains to the franchises future and how quickly expectations can shift when a cornerstone player starts to look off track. [Read more 🡒]
Gunnar Henderson Might Finally Have The Fix Orioles Fans Needed
Gunnar Hendersons recent slide had become one of the quieter concerns around Camden Yards, especially for a lineup that leans on him to help set the tone. So the sight of Pete Alonso spending time with Henderson in practice, working through batting mechanics and zeroing in on lower-half posture and hip stability, offered a different kind of development for Orioles fans to track. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes tweak that can matter as much as any box score, particularly when a young hitter is trying to regain the timing that made him one of the clubs most important bats.
What makes the collaboration notable is the source of the advice, with Alonso drawing on his own experience to help Henderson sort out the issues that have made fastballs such a stubborn problem this season. Henderson has shown signs of improvement lately after the prolonged slump, but the work points to a more specific fix than a simple hot streak. For Baltimore, the appeal is obvious: if the changes hold, the Orioles might finally be getting closer to the version of Henderson they have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Prospect Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Fill Key Bullpen Need
Luis De Len has become one of the more interesting arms in the Orioles system this summer, and not just because of his prospect status. Baltimore is moving him into a relief role at Triple-A Norfolk, a shift that gives the organization a chance to see whether his stuff can translate quickly to a bullpen setting and possibly help fill a need later in the season.
De Len already made his first relief appearance recently, and he has impressed in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, which is why the transition is worth watching closely. Manager Craig Albernaz has been upbeat about De Lens talent and what he could bring to the club, and if the adjustment keeps going well, the Orioles may have found a candidate for the bullpen without having to look far outside the system. [Read more 🡒]