The Orioles have spent the last two weeks looking like two different teams, and somehow they’re still hanging around. Baltimore dropped four of five from August 6-10, bounced back with a 4-1 stretch from August 11-16, then lost four straight before taking three of its last four, capped by Tuesday’s 13-1 win over the St.
Louis Cardinals. At 64-68, they’re still in the hunt for the third and final Wild Card spot, even if the math isn’t exactly friendly.
They sit 2.5 games back.
That’s the reality for a club that traded away its franchise catcher and a few other pieces, yet remains in the race. If Baltimore is going to turn this into something more than a late-season tease, it needs Pete Alonso to keep doing exactly what he’s been doing.
Right now, Alonso is the one steady force in the lineup. On Tuesday, he went 4-for-4, picked up his 24th double and 31st home run, and pushed his OPS to .876 with a wRC+ of 146. He also has 89 RBI, which ranks sixth in the majors before Wednesday’s games and second in the American League behind Yordan Alvarez’s 91.
In plain terms, the Orioles need Alonso to keep carrying them. They need him to keep the foot on the gas and wear the Superman cape through late September if they’re going to have any shot at hiding the rest of the roster’s flaws.
And this is where Baltimore at least has one thing working in its favor: Alonso has a track record of finishing strong. He’s up to a 1.173 OPS and a 230 wRC+ this month, and the production has been loud enough to drag the Orioles along with him.
The pattern isn’t new. Last season, after a rough July, he posted a 153 wRC+ in August and a 151 mark in the final month. Go back to the New York Mets’ 2024 run, and the split gets even clearer: Alonso was better after the break, with a 128 wRC+ compared to 115 before it, then turned into a force in October with a 174 wRC+, four homers, and 10 RBI in 13 games.
That’s why he’s got the reputation he does. Around the league, Alonso has built the kind of profile that comes with big moments and late-season damage. August and September have often been his months, and the Orioles are betting that trend holds again.
Baltimore’s roster still has obvious holes. But with Alonso healthy and producing, the door stays open.
The odds still say they probably miss out, but he’s at least keeping them in the conversation. And if the bats around him ever start matching his consistency, the Orioles could make this thing a lot more interesting.
In Other News...
Pete Alonso's Orioles Turnaround Followed A Huge Offseason Life Change
Pete Alonsos first months in Baltimore came with more than the usual challenge of changing teams. After spending his entire career with the Mets, he signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles and then had to adjust not just to a new clubhouse and routine, but to a major life change at home as well. The early stretch was an adjustment period, and it showed at times as he settled into both roles.
Since May, though, Alonso has looked far more like the middle-of-the-order force Baltimore expected. He has posted a .940 OPS and hit 27 home runs, a strong sign that the personal and professional transition is finally smoothing out. For the Orioles, the encouraging part is not just the production, but the way he has managed to find it after such a significant offseason shift. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler O'Neill Said Exactly What Orioles Fans Needed To Hear
Tyler O'Neill gave the Orioles one of their biggest defensive moments of late with a diving catch in the Aug. 22 win over Tampa Bay, the kind of play that can change the feel of a game and, in this case, helped set up a walk-off finish. Just a few days later, Baltimore had to move him to the 10-day injured list on Aug. 26 because of a strained rotator cuff, a reminder of how quickly a key contributor can go from difference-maker to sidelined.
Even with O'Neill out, the clubhouse tone has stayed upbeat as the Orioles keep chasing a Wild Card spot. Reliever Andrew Kittredge has pointed to the team's positive momentum, and for a club trying to bank wins in late August, that matters almost as much as the box score. Baltimore still has to navigate the stretch ahead without one of its more impactful defenders, but the confidence around the group has not gone anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Christian Encarnacion-Strand Decision To Make
Christian Encarnacion-Strand has quickly turned himself into a relevant Orioles conversation piece at the right time. Over the last 13 games, he has given Baltimore a real jolt at the plate, driving in 15 runs while batting .294/.302/.588, and his surge has come with the kind of timing that forces a front office to start thinking beyond the current stretch run.
Craig Albernaz has already acknowledged the impact Encarnacion-Strand has made, especially after Blaze Alexander went down with an injury, and now the bigger question is how that production fits into Baltimores long-term picture. With trades and positional shuffles potentially reshaping the roster, the Orioles suddenly have to decide whether his recent run is a short-term burst or something they need to build around going into next season. [Read more 🡒]