The O’s finished a 3-4 road trip through Tampa Bay and New York in which two or three of the losses could have gone very differently.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Orioles fans just can’t have nice things, can we? The O’s had a great opportunity yesterday to seal both a winning series and a winning road trip, but blew it with a frustrating 4-2 loss to the Yankees. The Birds would have been well served to, you know, score literally any runs after the first inning, especially in the eighth when they had two runners on with nobody out. The offensive blackout gave the bullpen no margin for error, and a rough Bryan Baker outing doomed them in the eighth. Check out my recap of the latest Orioles failure.
Another week has ticked off the calendar and the Orioles haven’t improved their position in the standings. They’re still in 10th place in the race for three AL wild card spots. Leapfrogging that many teams feels like a practically impossible task, especially if the O’s are going to keep suffering dumb losses that halt any momentum they might have garnered. The Orioles may be playing better than they did earlier in the year but they’re too far back to realistically salvage their 2025 season.
So at this point, it feels like the Orioles are just sort of killing time until the trade deadline. They’ll continue to plod through their schedule and give it their best effort on the field, but there’s a real chance this roster will look very different in about five weeks, if and when the front office trades away some impending free agents.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t pay attention to the rest of this season. We should! Some days the O’s will give us plenty of entertainment and some days…well, not so much. But ultimately the day-to-day results aren’t going to make a huge difference this year. It’s more about taking stock of whichever players remain on the team after the deadline and determining the best path forward for 2026 and beyond.
Links
Yankees score three runs in eighth to defeat Orioles 4-2 (updated) – School of Roch
A breakdown of a super annoying loss.
Orioles’ Adley Rutschman out until All-Star Break – The Baltimore Sun
If the 2025 Orioles didn’t already have a fork stuck into them, the Adley news might have just done so.
Handley exits O’s game after wild collision at home plate – MLB.com
Oh, and Maverick Handley is injured now, too. It’s a rough time to be an Orioles catcher.
Will Orioles be totally rebuilt for 2026? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Cionel Pérez’s biggest fan checks in to ask whether he’ll be back with the Orioles this year. Based on his 8.10 ERA at Norfolk, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 30th birthday to Jorge Mateo, who unfortunately has to spend his big day on the injured list, where he’s been since June 10 with left elbow inflammation. Get well soon, Jorge. Former Orioles with June 23 birthdays include 6-foot-9 lefty Mark Hendrickson (51) and the late infielder Lorencito Fernández (b. 1939, d. 2020).
On this date in 1954, the Orioles played a 17-inning game against the Red Sox that, at 4 hours and 58 minutes, was the longest in MLB history at the time. The O’s blew a four-run lead in the top of the ninth to send the game into extras, where both teams were held scoreless until Dick Kryhoski’s walkoff fielder’s choice in the bottom of the 17th.
And speaking of long games, it was on this date in 1981 that the Orioles and Red Sox Triple-A affiliates, Rochester and Pawtucket, finished playing the longest game in professional baseball history, a 33-inning marathon that took months to complete. The first eight hours and seven minutes of the game began on April 19, lasting until nearly 3:00 in the morning before the game was suspended in the 32nd inning. Two months later, the clubs picked up where they left off and ended the game on Pawtucket’s walkoff single in the 33rd. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. memorably played in that game, going 2-for-13. It was a rough day for Rochester center fielder Dallas Williams, who took an 0-for-13.