First things first for the Orioles. Before they can vault into the third and final wild-card spot, they’re going to have to reach the .500 mark.
The Orioles haven’t been at .500 since winning the first game of a doubleheader with Houston on April 30th, and they haven’t been just a game away since they lost the second game of that doubleheader.
Their low point came on July 8th when they dropped to 42-51, nine games below .500.
On Thursday, they lost to the Los Angeles Angels, 4-1, and failed to move within a game of .500. Since June 5th, the Orioles moved to within two games of the break-even point three times and have lost the next game each time.
“The only thing important is winning today and keeping ourselves in the wild-card race,” manager Craig Albernaz said before Thursday’s game. “That’s the only thing that matters, and I think once you get into the playoffs, no one really cares about your record. You’ve just got to get in.”
The Orioles, who are 56-59, can get back to .500 if they sweep the Texas Rangers, who are in the third wild-card position.
Friday begins a brutal stretch for the Orioles, who are playing a season-long 10-game road trip — three with the Rangers, three with the Twins and four at Tampa Bay.
Not only is Texas in the wild-card race, so is Minnesota, and the Rays have the best record in the American League.
After the Orioles return from Tampa Bay, they’ll play three games against the Yankees beginning August 18th, and three more against the Rays.
Those 16 games should help decide whether the Orioles’ second-half start can be sustained.
“We won the series. We had two really good games against them,” said Brandon Young, who was the starter and loser in Thursday’s game. “The third one, it’s whatever.
“We’re still in a good spot. Some big games coming up, so I think it’s going to light a fire under us. I think we’re going to play some good ball the next week-and-a-half.”
This has been a tough week for the Orioles’ clubhouse. They’ve lost starter Dean Kremer, reliever Tyler Wells, outfielder Taylor Ward, and in the biggest surprise, catcher Adley Rutschman.
It helped that the Orioles’ first opponent after trading Rutschman, Ward and Wells on Monday was the Angels, but they had to settle for winning two of three.
“Obviously, it was a tough, tough day on the deadline,” outfielder Dylan Beavers said. “We lost really good players and good teammates. But just like them, they’re going to push forward and try to win every night for their respective teams. I feel like we kind of have to, unfortunately, got to go about it as business as usual and try and win every night. Yeah, same kind of deal as before now.”
Albernaz knows the players were disappointed to lose close friends.
“Everyone’s emotional,” Albernaz said. “That’s what makes them great. The best athletes in the world. That’s what got them to this point.”
The Orioles brought in three new players — reliever Alex Hoppe, part of the Ward deal; catcher Carlos Narváez, part of the Rutschman trade; and outfielder Christian Franklin, who just completed his first major league series.
These players might help the Orioles, but they’re not well-known, not the type that gets fans excited.
“Even if you’re ‘buying’ and you’re bringing in players, that clubhouse environment is going to be different because you’re either adding someone you don’t know and you have to get to know them,” Albernaz said. “Or when you add someone, someone else on the team has to go. With our guys, you want to acknowledge the emotions — they’re real, lean into them.”
Albernaz doesn’t want the players to stress about the road trip.
“I think every game’s important right now,” Albernaz said. “I know it’s kind of redundant at this point, but every game we play is important. We’ve got to try and figure out how to win each game. We can’t overlook today’s game and worry about the road trip. The road trip’s going to happen.”
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