Pete Alonso is heading back to Citi Field this week, and the timing couldn’t be much different from the one the Orioles might have wanted earlier in the season.
Baltimore is still hanging on, at least officially, but this series comes with the club on playoff live support and staring at a Mets team that has finally found some traction after a miserable first half. For Alonso, it’s a return to the ballpark where he became the all-time home run leader in Mets franchise history, and it comes after a rough 15-game stretch that he broke out of over the weekend in Toronto.
He arrives in New York with his 300th career home run in view and with plenty of Mets fans expected to welcome him back. Alonso also comes in after a 30-game surge in which he carried another broken Orioles lineup and did as much damage as anyone in baseball. It still wasn’t enough to drag Baltimore back to .500 or into the Wild Card picture.
The Orioles, meanwhile, are running into a Mets team that looks far more settled than it did a month ago. New York took a series from the Rays, swept the Marlins, beat the Giants in a series, and gave the Yankees everything they could handle, including a big night against Gerrit Cole. The Mets have been hitting better than they have all year and seem to be playing with a little more freedom now.
That stretch has been fueled by several bats. Juan Soto has returned to form in the middle of the order, Brett Baty has posted a 1000 OPS over the last month, and Bo Bichette has been better in the second half after a rough first season in New York overall. Luis Torrens has also been a real factor since the break, giving the Yankees problems over the weekend after what the source describes as a throwback stretch involving journeyman back-up catcher Mickey Gasper.
Baltimore won’t see the Mets’ best starter in this series, Nolan McLean, who started Friday against the Yankees. The source notes that Mike Elias passed on signing McLean after drafting him, and that decision is folded into a larger picture of Orioles mistakes over the last three years. McLean has a 3.24 ERA and 184 strikeouts this season.
Instead, the Orioles are lined up to face Jonah Tong, who has made just four starts, Sean Manaea, who is 5-7 with a 4.79 ERA, and Robert Stock, who is 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA.
For Alonso, the trip carries a little extra weight even without the emotions needing much help. Many around the game were surprised the Mets let him walk once he got into his 30s, and the deal will be judged over time. What Baltimore hoped to get, though, is what Alonso has delivered: real power, even if it has come with some streakiness.
His numbers at Citi Field tell the story. In 499 games there, Alonso has 123 home runs, 342 RBIs and a .249/.342/.503 slash line for an .845 OPS. He has also done damage against NL East teams and in NL East parks all season.
In Other News...
Orioles Suddenly Have A Kyle Bradish Problem They Can't Ignore
Kyle Bradishs season ended the way the Orioles could least afford it, with another trip to the injured list and another reminder of how unstable their rotation has been. Baltimore placed the right-hander on the 15-day IL because of lower abdominal discomfort, a move that effectively shuts him down after a difficult finish to the year. He went 7-14 with a 4.12 ERA and 142 strikeouts across 29 starts, and his recent outings never really gave the club much reason to expect a late lift.
Yaramil Hiraldo was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take the roster spot, but the larger issue is what Bradishs absence means for a team that has been trying to hold its pitching together. For an Orioles staff that already needed reliability, losing one of its key starters at this stage leaves another thin layer peeled away, and it comes at a time when Baltimore can least afford more uncertainty on the mound. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Wild Card Hopes Keep Fading After Another Brutal Loss
The Orioles had an early opening at Rogers Centre, loading the bases in the first inning, but the big chance came and went without a run. Baltimore kept chasing from there, and Toronto finally took control in the fifth before rolling to an 8-1 win that left the Orioles at 72-78 and drifting farther behind the Guardians in the Wild Card race.
For a club trying to stay relevant in September, the frustration was less about one bad night than the pattern underneath it. Baltimore could not cash in when it mattered, and the Blue Jays made them pay by turning a tense game into a comfortable one in the middle innings, another reminder that the margin for error keeps shrinking with every loss. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Wild Card Push Is Running Out Of Time
The Orioles needed a steadier night on the mound to keep pace in the Wild Card race, but instead they got another uneven outing in a 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish was tagged for five runs in three innings, and Baltimore spent much of the night chasing the game while trying to stay in touch with the teams ahead of it in the standings.
With 13 games left, the margin for error has all but disappeared. Baltimore sits three games behind Cleveland for the final American League Wild Card spot, which leaves little room for losses like this one as the club tries to hang on in a crowded finish. [Read more 🡒]