The Orioles can win back a frustrated fanbase, but only one thing will do it: wins.
That’s the real tension around this club right now. On social media, plenty of fans are saying this is the hardest Orioles team to like in years. And yet, when you look at the players themselves, this group is hardly lacking in likable pieces.
Pete Alonso has been one of the clearest examples. Along with Taylor Ward and Blaze Alexander, among others, he’s been a positive presence both in the clubhouse and on the field. More importantly, he’s been willing to stand in front of the mess when things go wrong.
After Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves, Alonso was waiting for reporters as the clubhouse door opened, and that mattered. He was furious with himself after getting doubled off first base in the 10th inning with the bases loaded.
The mistake came when he drifted off first on Gunnar Henderson’s line drive. It was a costly play, but also the kind plenty of players have made.
That wasn’t the first time Alonso has done that. On May 29, he was picked off first base in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss to Toronto, and he again took the blame afterward. For a team that watched itself fade from contention early last year and then sell off nine players in July, that kind of accountability has been missing.
Alonso’s production has been solid enough, too. After a slow start, he’s batting .249 with an .812 OPS.
Before this season, his career line sat at .253 with an .857 OPS. With the season nearly two-thirds done, he’s on pace for 33 home runs and 102 RBIs, numbers that aren’t far from his usual standard.
He’s also put in the work at first base. Alonso is still not graceful over there, but he’s improved defensively. Since spring training, he’s also been organizing mound meetings and pushing instruction and encouragement to the infielders.
So no, the issue with this Orioles team isn’t Alonso. It’s the way the team plays.
The sloppiness has been impossible to miss across baseball, and the Orioles have been right in the middle of it. Braves rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis entered the series with praise, only to drop two popups from Alonso on Saturday night.
Then in the ninth inning, the Orioles caught a break when Leody Taveras hit a grounder to Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies and it slipped through his legs. That ball could have ended the game, but instead it kept Baltimore alive long enough to tie it.
Those kinds of mistakes have piled up all season. The Orioles have allowed 64 unearned runs, the most in baseball.
Their 9-17 record in one-run games is the worst in the sport. Their 69 errors also put them near the top of the league.
Even with all that, the season is not dead yet. It may look unlikely, but a postseason run is still on the board. FanGraphs gives the Orioles a 21.3 percent chance to make the playoffs, down from where they stood a week ago after a seven-game winning streak.
The trade deadline is a week away, and if Baltimore doesn’t fall too far off the pace, the front office will probably try to add. Buying is always more appealing than selling, and for Orioles fans, hope is still part of the equation.
There’s also no mystery about where the power sits in the organization. President of baseball operations Mike Elias is staying put, and owner David Rubenstein’s strong endorsement on Friday made that clear.
Injuries have played their part, too. The Orioles currently have 11 players on the injured list and have used 22 this season. According to Spotrac, they’ve lost 1,327 days to injury in 2026, which ranks sixth in baseball.
The last week made things even tougher. Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman, the team’s two excellent catchers, both landed on the injured list, and their replacements, Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp, are a combined 1-for-24 with them sidelined.
Baltimore also brought in former St. Louis Cardinals backup Yohel Pozo, who could get a chance this week, though he’s not the kind of move that changes a season by himself.
There are 56 games left in this odd, compelling year, and that means there’s still room for a turnaround. As Alonso put it on Sunday: “We have two whole months of baseball, which is which is a lot of time. It is, but it isn’t,”
The Orioles still have time to change the mood. But they need more wins, and they need them fast.
In Other News...
Orioles Suddenly Have A Behind The Plate Problem They Can't Ignore
The Orioles have reached an uncomfortable point behind the plate, with both Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo on the injured list and the depth chart suddenly looking thinner than anyone in the organization would prefer. In the meantime, Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp have not given the lineup much help offensively, which has only sharpened the focus on how Baltimore bridges the gap while its catching situation sorts itself out.
With the trade deadline closing in and the club still in the thick of the AL Wild Card race, the next move matters more than a typical stopgap decision. Baltimore is weighing whether to lean on recently acquired Yohel Pozo or bring up prospect Creed Willems, a choice that carries both short-term urgency and a little longer-term uncertainty for a position the Orioles usually expect to be a strength. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Farm System Just Gave Fans A Reason To Exhale
The Orioles farm system has spent the last few years trying to live up to the lofty reputation it built early in the decade, and the latest update offers a little more reason to believe the pipeline is moving in the right direction. Fansideds new top 100 includes six Baltimore prospects, a sign that the organization is still producing enough talent to stay relevant even after the systems overall standing has slipped from its peak.
Eric Booth Jr. leads the group as Baltimores highest-ranked name, while the bigger-picture takeaway is just as encouraging for a club that has been trying to balance position-player upside with more pitching depth. Three Orioles arms made the list, a notable development for a franchise that has spent plenty of time looking for more certainty on the mound, and the recent drafts are starting to look like a key part of how the front office is reshaping the farm. [Read more 🡒]
Why Jim Palmer Still Stands Among Baltimore's Most Priceless Icons
Jim Palmer has spent so much of his life around the Orioles that his place in club history hardly needs a reminder. He pitched 18 seasons in Baltimore, won three Cy Young Awards and four Gold Gloves, then was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. Long after his playing days ended, the team retired his No. 22 in 1985, and he still remains a familiar voice on MASN during Orioles games.
His legacy has also shown up in a different corner of the hobby, where Palmer cards continue to draw serious attention from collectors. His rookie card and other notable issues have brought strong prices in recent sales, reflecting how highly his name still resonates beyond Camden Yards. One of those cards, a 1971 Topps issue, stands out for its scarcity at the top grade, which helps explain why Palmer remains one of Baltimores most prized baseball figures even now. [Read more 🡒]