The Orioles got the split they wanted in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, but the nightcap looked and felt like one of those games this season has delivered too often: lots of strikeouts, sloppy defense, and a lineup patched together until it barely resembled a major league batting order.
Baltimore dropped the second game to the Yankees, 6-3, with Jeremiah Jackson hitting cleanup, Rece Hinds in right field, and Yohel Pozo and José Barrero down near the bottom. The people in the lineup were trying to win.
That much was clear. But the way the roster was constructed left the Orioles in another one of those situations where the game itself seemed secondary to the larger mess around it.
Brandon Young gave Baltimore a solid final line to close out his season. He worked five innings and allowed just one run, giving up only two hits while striking out six.
The only real knock on the outing was the three walks. He finishes with a 3.56 ERA.
Christian Franklin and Coby Mayo each finished with two hits, and Pete Alonso reached base twice and scored on a sacrifice fly. Alonso, as noted, is good.
There were a few bright spots that actually counted as fun. Pozo stole a base after taking off on an 0-2 count to Dylan Beavers, who looked like he was headed toward a strikeout.
Pozo was clearly thrilled. It was the first stolen base of his MLB career.
Beavers also added a garbage-time home run in the ninth, his second homer of the day after the grand slam that blew open the first game.
But most of the night was the same old story. The Orioles put runners on and did not cash them in.
They stranded 13, went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and struck out 17 times. Hinds had a rough night in the field, with multiple mistakes that kept innings alive and helped runs score.
He also went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. Josh Walker had a rough outing, with Hinds not helping matters, and Anthony Nunez struggled in his own right.
Baltimore did make a late push. After Leody Taveras ripped an RBI double, the Orioles brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth.
But the next hitter was Hinds, and there was no pinch hitter for him with one out and the game hanging there. He struck out for the fifth time.
The Orioles are now 79-82, which locks in a losing season. They are not yet locked into last place in the AL East; that depends on whether the Blue Jays win their final two games on Saturday and Sunday. Toronto is 78-82 right now.
Shane Baz and Elmer Rodríguez are scheduled to start the 3:20 game on Sunday, if that game is played at all. If this ends up being the final one, it would be a fitting finish to the 2026 Orioles season.
In Other News...
Trevor Rogers Rumor Could Give Blue Jays An Orioles Edge
Trevor Rogers is already the sort of name that gets attention around the Orioles because his future could end up affecting more than one club in the division. Bleacher Reports Zach Buckley recently floated the idea that the Blue Jays will pursue the left-hander this offseason, projecting a four-year deal that could reach nine figures as Toronto looks to add another arm to a rotation that could use a jolt from the left side.
For Baltimore, the more immediate significance is less about the rumor itself than the market it suggests. Rogers has shown both flashes of quality and stretches of inconsistency in recent seasons, which is exactly the kind of profile that can drive a wide range of evaluations once the offseason opens. If Toronto is serious, the Orioles may end up watching a division rival chase a pitcher whose value is still being defined. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Already Face An Uncomfortable Craig Albernaz Question
Craig Albernazs first season in Baltimore has already turned into a referendum on how much a new manager can shape a team that came in with bigger expectations. The Orioles have slipped into a low spot in the division, and the frustration around the club has started to drift beyond the roster and onto Albernaz himself, with some analysts pointing to his in-game decisions as part of the problem.
Alex Cora and Rocco Baldelli are among the names now surfacing in the broader conversation about where the Orioles could go if they decide a different voice is needed down the road. That kind of talk is never comfortable this early in a managers tenure, but it reflects how quickly the temperature rises when a club falls short of the standard it set for itself. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Rogers Just Made The Orioles Offseason Decision More Complicated
Trevor Rogers kept giving the Orioles reasons to think twice about how they handle their offseason pitching plans, turning in four innings as Baltimore beat the Yankees 10-2 in the opener of a doubleheader. The win stretched the Orioles streak to four games, and it added another solid outing to a late-season stretch that has made Rogers' place in the organization worth watching a little more closely.
Rogers is headed for free agency, and while he has said he would like to return, he also knows the future is unsettled. For an Orioles club trying to sort through its rotation picture, that leaves an interesting decision on the table, especially after a run like this one suggests there may be more value here than a simple short-term look. [Read more 🡒]