Craig Albernaz isn’t asking Orioles fans to hold back.
After another rough night at Camden Yards, the first-year manager made it clear that the boos coming from the stands are fair game. Baltimore dropped its third straight game Monday, fell to eight games below .500, and watched a late collapse turn the atmosphere sour fast.
When Blaze Alexander let a one-hopper get past him into left field, two more runs crossed in the ninth, stretching the White Sox lead to 8-2. Plenty of fans had already started for the exits.
Those who remained let the team hear it.
Albernaz didn’t push back on that reaction before Tuesday’s game.
“The fans that are there,” he said, “they’re paying their hard-earned money to watch us play and win and play good baseball and competitive baseball, and they have every right to boo.
“Our job, for us, is to go out there and give the city and the fans something they can stand behind and have pride in. And right now, we’re coming up short.”
The frustration has been building in more than one way. Baltimore is averaging 21,682 fans per game, which ranks 24th in baseball and is down a spot from last year. The empty seats and the boos are both part of the same story: a fan base that has seen enough of a disappointing 2026 season.
Albernaz said Monday night that his players have been dealing with outside “noise” all year. He expanded on that idea Tuesday, stressing that the challenge for professionals is tuning out everything that comes from beyond the field.
“It’s starving the distractions and feeding your focus, that’s the biggest thing for our guys so hopefully we come in tomorrow ready to go,” he said.
He also said the club has handled the pressure well.
“Every player, this team, every team throughout the league, every sport, there’s noise,” he said. “It’s all part of it now with social media, with people pulling at them outside the game and rightfully so. So I think it’s, for any professional athlete, it’s making sure they can block out the outside noise and be able to go out and compete that night.”
With the trade deadline a little more than a month away, president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Saturday that he wants to add to the roster.
“I know our record’s backwards, but apparently this is infecting a whole bunch of other teams, too. I can’t explain it,” Elias said.
“The context around that’s unusual. But we’re right there.
So, like I said, we’re going for it. I’ll let you know if that changes.”
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