Rain has pushed the Orioles’ game against the Blue Jays out of Tuesday night and into a split-admission doubleheader Wednesday at Camden Yards.
The teams will now play at 1:35 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., with separate tickets needed for each game. Gates for the opener are set to open at 12:30 p.m., and gates for the second game will open at 5:30 p.m.
There will be no early access to Eutaw Street for batting practice. Fans who want to exchange tickets for the nightcap can do so until 12:35 p.m., and the club said fans should expect communication about a complimentary field level ticket offer for an early season game next season.
Chris Bassitt had been scheduled to start Tuesday against future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, and Wednesday’s starters are listed as TBD for both clubs.
This is the Orioles’ fourth postponement that has led to a doubleheader this season. They split a pair with the Astros on April 30 and the Tigers on May 24 in Baltimore, and also split a doubleheader with the Red Sox on July 22 in Boston.
The postponement comes with the Orioles’ season nearly at its end. The club has five games left, including a weekend series at Yankee Stadium, and is 4 ½ games back in the race for the final Wild Card spot. FanGraphs has Baltimore’s playoff odds at 0.2 percent.
Last night’s picture got even tighter after Pete Alonso hit his 39th and 40th home runs, with the second a two-run shot in the eighth inning that gave the game a 4-3 finish. The White Sox were off, and a loss would have put the Orioles one game from elimination.
Now the number can drop to one tonight if the White Sox win in Kansas City. If it stays at two, the Orioles will be eliminated Wednesday at the earliest with a loss and a Chicago win.
The Astros sit three games back, and the Blue Jays are 3 ½ back.
Baltimore has not lost a home series to Toronto since 2022, going four series wins and three ties in that stretch. The Orioles also split a four-game set with the Blue Jays in late May.
Separately, Ty Holub, a Baltimore native and former regional scout in the Mariners organization, said on his X account that he is joining the Orioles as a senior analyst in domestic scouting. Holub signed George Kirby, the first-round pick in 2019, along with No. 6 prospect Jonny Farmelo and No. 7 prospect Luke Stevenson.
In Other News...
Pete Alonso Is Chasing A Baltimore Milestone MLB Has Never Seen
Pete Alonso has been one of the most dangerous run producers in the game this season, and his latest push is putting him in position to reach a place no hitter has ever reached before. Now with the Orioles, Alonso leads the American League with 108 RBIs, a mark that trails only the kind of season-ending pace that has made him a fixture in the middle of a lineup built to score in bunches.
What makes the chase stand out from a Baltimore perspective is the broader history attached to it. Alonso already led the National League in RBIs in 2022 with the Mets, and if he finishes on top again he would become the first player in MLB history to lead both leagues in different seasons. He is also in the mix to lead both leagues in home runs after reaching 40 this year, giving the Orioles a late-season storyline that sits well beyond the usual box-score drama. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Now Have A Real Aron Estrada Roster Decision
Aron Estrada put himself on the map at Double-A Chesapeake this season, and not just as another name tucked into the Orioles farm system. The 21-year-old switch-hitting infielder hit .281/.325/.482 with 25 home runs over 128 games, enough to make him one of the more intriguing internal breakout stories in the organization as Baltimore continues sorting through its infield pipeline.
The next step is where things get interesting for the Orioles. Estrada is expected to open next season at Triple-A Norfolk, but he is also Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason, which puts him firmly in the conversation for a spot on the 40-man roster. Baltimore now has to decide how much stock to put in a power spike that came during a broader surge in minor league offense, and how aggressively it wants to protect a player whose upside is starting to demand real attention. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Be Facing The Mike Elias Question Fans Dread
Mike Elias has been the Orioles top baseball voice since November 2018, and in that time he has helped steer the club from rebuild mode into a stretch that has included playoff appearances. He has earned credit for turning the organizations prospect pipeline into a real major league foundation and for making trades that fit the long-view plan, which is no small thing for a franchise that spent years trying to climb out of the basement.
Still, the bigger question hanging over Camden Yards is whether that success has been enough to get Baltimore from contender to true force. Elias has said he expects to be back next season, but there remains a growing sense that the Orioles may need a different kind of leadership push if they are going to break through to the next level rather than keep circling around it. [Read more 🡒]