The O’s would have clinched a playoff spot if they’d managed to win either Saturday or Sunday. Instead, they’re leaving us hanging until the final week of the season.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
If I had told you on the morning of July 9, when the Orioles were 24 games over .500, that they would enter the final week of the season still not having officially clinched a playoff spot, you would have said I was crazy. (You also might have rightly wondered how I acquired the ability to time travel, and why I was wasting my time telling you random minutiae about a baseball team instead of using my powers for a more useful purpose.)
But here we are. The Orioles have played so poorly for so many months that they’ve not only cost themselves any chance at the AL East — which the Yankees will clinch by winning a game against the O’s in this upcoming series — but also could potentially find themselves not even hosting the Wild Card Series (or, in the worst case but most improbable scenario, missing the playoffs entirely).
What a mess. And what a massive missed opportunity by the Orioles this weekend. All they had to do to clinch a postseason spot was win one of their final two games against the Tigers and wait for one loss by the Mariners. They got the latter, with the M’s losing to the Rangers yesterday. But the O’s didn’t do their part, losing both games to Detroit, including a particularly painful Saturday defeat in which they couldn’t plate the winning run from third base with nobody out in the ninth. And yesterday’s contest saw the long-awaited returns of Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías but the same old struggles with RISP, as Andrea SK recapped.
Orioles fans deserved better. There was an electric atmosphere in the Camden Yards stands for the Birds’ final regular season home series of 2024, with nearly 40,000 fans attending Saturday’s game and a sellout crowd of 44,040 on hand for Sunday’s finale. They were amped up, ready to celebrate their team, just waiting for the O’s to give them a reason to go wild. And the Orioles — as has been a theme for pretty much the entire second half — did nothing but disappoint them, over and over again.
So now if the Orioles are going to pop the champagne, it’ll have to be on the road. Their saving grace during this freefall is that two other wild card contenders — Kansas City and Minnesota — have also collapsed down the stretch. The Royals just got swept at home by the Giants, extending their losing streak to seven and keeping them four games behind the Birds. The Twins dropped both ends of a doubleheader in Boston and are 6-13 since Sept. 3, dropping them out of playoff position entirely (a game behind the Royals and Tigers).
The Orioles’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 2. Their magic number to clinch the first wild card is 3. The O’s could just make things easy on themselves by winning three of their six games on this final road trip and they wouldn’t even have to worry about how their competitors do. But forgive me if I’m not the least bit confident that the O’s can win three more games.
Links
Orioles can’t clinch today after 4-3 loss to Tigers (updated) – School of Roch
Brandon Hyde admits he made a mistake by sending Albert Suárez back out in the sixth to give up the game-losing home run. Ah, now here’s a situation where I should use my newly discovered time-travel powers. Be right back.
Orioles’ Jordan Westburg returns from injury in strong form – The Baltimore Sun
It certainly does feel like the Orioles’ lineup is a little more complete with Westburg back in the heart of it. Whether it will help lift the offense out of their weeks-long doldrums remains to be seen.
This Orioles’ regular season has been a slog. But they might be tougher for it. – The Baltimore Banner
Counterpoint: no. Give me a nice, breezy, successful season any day of the week.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Former Orioles born on Sept. 23 include outfielder Willie Greene (53) and right-handers Pete Harnisch (58) and the late Marcelino López (b. 1943, d. 2001). We’ll also include lefty Easton Lucas (28), who never appeared in the majors with the O’s but spent nearly four years in their organization after being acquired for Jonathan Villar in 2019 and traded for Shintaro Fujinami in 2023. He has since pitched for the A’s and Tigers.
On this date in 1999, the Orioles’ 13-game winning streak — the second-longest in franchise history — came to an end when they dropped the opener of a doubleheader to the Athletics, 9-6. The game was tied until the eighth inning, when future Oriole Miguel Tejada powered a leadoff home run to lead the A’s to victory. That had to be one of the most improbable win streaks of all time, considering that the Orioles were still under .500 after it ended and finished the season with just a 78-84 record.
And on this day in 2013, the Orioles suffered two crushing blows, not only losing to the Rays but also losing Manny Machado to injury. The loss completed a Rays four-game sweep, and the Orioles, who had started the series just two games back of a wild card spot, were essentially eliminated from contention. And Machado, who tore his knee stepping on first base, would ultimately miss the first month of the 2014 season while recovering.
Random Orioles game of the day
On Sept. 23, 1990, the Orioles pulled off a walkoff win against the Brewers, 2-1, in 10 innings. The Orioles’ Ben McDonald and the Brewers’ Teddy Higuera locked horns in a pitcher’s duel, with each pitcher getting through nine innings allowing only a solo homer (Mike Devereaux for Baltimore, Greg Vaughn for Milwaukee). McDonald exited after nine innings but the Brewers tried to push Higuera for a 10th, with unfortunate results. Billy Ripken led off the inning with a double, stole third, and scored on a Bob Melvin sac fly to walk it off.