Orioles hope homestand brings them a visit to the .500 mark and beyond.

For the fifth time since June 5^th, the Orioles were just two games below .500, and they’ve now lost five straight attempts to climb to within one game of .500.  They haven’t been at .500 since they won the first game of a doubleheader with Houston on April 30th. They were 15-15.

Fans were excited when the Orioles took the first three games of a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays to temporarily vault into the third and final wild-card spot.

But their 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay prevented them from getting to one game below the break-even point and from holding on to that playoff spot for a second day.

The Orioles began their longest road trip of the season by losing two of three at both Texas and Minnesota, and with the three wins over the Rays, they finish 5-5 on the trip.

They’re in the middle of a difficult 10-game stretch against the Rays and Yankees. They’ll play three games against New York beginning Tuesday, and on Friday, Tampa Bay visits.

If the Orioles can play well in the next six games, then perhaps they’ll be a serious threat to play in the postseason.

The other contenders haven’t been any better than the Orioles since all it took for a quick visit to the third wild-card position was three straight wins.

For the moment the Texas Rangers are in the last wild-card berth. That’s because even though both the Orioles and Texas have 61-64 records, the Rangers beat the Orioles in four of six games this season.

The Orioles have the tiebreaker advantage of another contender, Detroit, and should they finish the regular season tied with Minnesota, they’d have to go to an intra-division tiebreaker with the Twins. The Orioles and Minnesota split their six meetings.

The Orioles still have games to play with two other contenders, Cleveland and Toronto, and if Seattle and the Orioles end up tied, they’d lose out to the Mariners. Seattle took four of the seven meetings.

With a 6-4 advantage going into the bottom of the seventh, the Orioles looked to be in great shape to complete a four-game sweep.

Yennier Cano had two horrible outings over the weekend. On Friday, he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while recording two outs in a game the Orioles hung on to win, 6-5.

After Cam Sanders pitched two spotless innings in relief of Brandon Young, Cano allowed three more runs on three hits, not retiring a batter as his ERA ballooned from 1.99 to 3.27.

Cano was given a two-year extension just ahead of the trade deadline, and in a critical time without an experienced closer, he’s been a disappointment.

New players shine

A handful of players added since the All-Star break have turned in exceptional performances. Sanders has allowed two runs on five hits in 8 1/3 innings, and he’s converted three consecutive save opportunities.

He was added to the team just after the All-Star break, and after retiring all five batters he faced in Houston, he was sent back to Triple-A Norfolk.

Since his return, manager Craig Albernaz has used him in critical spots and he’s delivered. Now, he’ll pitch for the first time at home.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand was recalled after Blaze Alexander fractured his left hand when he was hit by a pitch on July 12^th.

Alexander was playing brilliantly, hitting .312 with an .807 OPS. Perhaps he’ll be able to return near the end of the month or on September 1^st when the Orioles will be allowed to carry another position player.

In his absence, Encarnacion-Strand, who played 128 games for Cincinnati from 2023-2025, has shown some power.

He homered, had three hits and four RBIs on Monday. Encarnacion-Strand is hitting a robust .272 with an .853 OPS. He has six home runs and 22 RBIs in 24 games.

The Orioles are also getting some energy from Christian Franklin, who started in center field, going 2-for-2 with a stolen base. Franklin didn’t play in the major leagues until August 4^th a day after he was acquired from Washington. He’s 4-for-20 (.200) and showing lots of energy.

Mayo’s blast

Coby Mayo hit the longest home run of the season for the Orioles, 468 feet, in the second inning. Mayo played first base in place of Pete Alonso, who was the designated hitter.

Mayo also doubled. His average is .213 and his OPS is .712. In August, Mayo’s average is .279 with an .869 OPS.

Alonso, who was named the American League’s Player of the Week, hit his 28^th home run in the fifth.

Looking at the schedule

Once the Orioles get through the six games with Tampa Bay and New York, they’ll go on the road for three-game series at St. Louis, the Athletics and Colorado.

Once they return from Coors Field on September 3^rd, 13 of their final 22 games will be at home.

They’ll play a four-game series with Boston, three each with Cleveland, Milwaukee and Toronto. On the road, they’ll play three each with Toronto, the Mets and Yankees. Their final regular-season game is on September 27^th at Yankee Stadium.

Minor league system rankings

MLB.com rates the Orioles’ minor league system seventh in baseball. During spring training, they were ranked 13^th. Two years ago, the Orioles were ranked as the third best minor league organization.

FanGraphs has the Orioles ranked second and Baseball America ranks it fifth.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com