And just like that, the Orioles hold the final Wild Card spot.
I remain fascinated by the fact that they are still in contention. This has been a mediocre team in a mediocre American League, and a four-game winning streak was enough to vault Baltimore into October position. After selling at the deadline and then losing two of three in Minnesota, the season seemed to be moving toward its logical conclusion. Instead, the Orioles went to Tampa Bay and took three in a row from the best team in the AL.
A 4-2 week moved them to 61-63 and into sole possession of the final Wild Card after Texas lost to Oakland on Sunday. We can debate whether they deserve to be there. For now, they are there.
Monday’s opener in Minnesota belonged to Dean Kremer, facing his former team. He allowed one run on one hit across seven innings with seven strikeouts in a 9-5 Twins win. Trevor Rogers lasted four innings for Baltimore, allowing two runs while walking two and hitting two batters. Minnesota broke it open with a five-run seventh, capped by Josh Bell’s three-run homer. Coby Mayo drove in three late runs after the game was out of reach.
The Orioles answered Tuesday. Gunnar Henderson singled and Pete Alonso followed with a two-run homer in the first. Henderson added a two-run shot in the second, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand launched a 460-foot solo homer in the third. Brandon Young gave the Orioles six innings of two-run ball, only one earned, in a 5-2 win. Henderson finished 3-for-5 with a homer and a double; Alonso went 3-for-4.
Wednesday started well and unraveled. Baltimore led 4-1 after an early run and Dylan Beavers’ three-run homer, but Shane Baz exited after three innings having allowed five runs on nine hits. Minnesota came back for a 7-5 win and the series.
After Thursday’s off day, the Orioles opened in Tampa Bay by ending the Rays’ nine-game winning streak with a 6-5 win. Henderson went 4-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer and two runs scored. Beavers delivered the go-ahead hit, a two-run pinch single in the seventh. Chris Bassitt returned from the injured list and allowed two runs over 5.1 innings. Josh Walker earned the win, and Cam Sanders recorded the final out.
Alonso and Encarnacion-Strand hit solo homers Saturday, helping Baltimore carry a 3-2 lead into the ninth. Tampa Bay tied it against Andrew Kittredge, but Tyler O’Neill drove in automatic runner Colton Cowser in the top of the tenth. Sanders escaped a jam in the bottom half to close the 4-3 win. Alonso added another three-hit game.
Sunday supplied the exclamation point. Jackson Holliday tied the game in the fifth, then Alonso’s two-run double put Baltimore ahead. The Orioles sent eight straight hitters to the plate with two outs in a seven-run sixth: Cowser hit a two-run homer, Holliday drove in two with a double, and Encarnacion-Strand cleared the bases with a three-run double. Rogers allowed two runs over six innings with six strikeouts and one walk. Walker, Grant Wolfram and Albert Suárez combined for three scoreless innings in a 10-2 win.
Baltimore scored 35 runs in six games and produced at least four in every one. Alonso was on fire, Henderson had his best week of the season, Cowser hit two homers in 12 at-bats with a 1.166 OPS, and Encarnacion-Strand homered twice while leading the club with seven RBIs.
The Orioles are still 61-63. They sold useful pieces at the deadline and have a difficult schedule ahead. None of that has changed. But they are in a playoff spot, and this season refuses to die.
Player of the Week
There is no debate this time.
Pete Alonso went 12-for-22 with a double, two home runs, five RBIs, four walks and a hit by pitch. That is a .545/.630/.864 line and a 1.494 OPS. He reached base 17 times in 27 plate appearances.
The consistency was as impressive as the production. Alonso had three hits Tuesday, two Wednesday, two Friday, three Saturday and reached base four times Sunday. Tuesday’s homer gave the Orioles an early lead, Saturday’s homer broke a tie, and Sunday’s two-run double put Baltimore ahead for good. This is what the Orioles paid him to do.
Henderson deserves an honorable mention after going 8-for-22 with five walks, two doubles, two homers and four RBIs. His .364/.481/.727 line produced a 1.208 OPS. His season has been disappointing, but Baltimore will need this version of Gunnar if it intends to remain in the Wild Card race.
Rogers also deserves recognition. He allowed four earned runs across ten innings in two starts, with 11 hits, ten strikeouts and three walks — a 3.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Down on the Farm
At Triple-A Norfolk, Enrique Bradfield Jr. hit .389 with a .542 on-base percentage, drawing six walks in 24 plate appearances and stealing three bases. He slugged only .444, but the formula remains simple: get on base, create havoc with his speed and play elite defense.
Heston Kjerstad went 7-for-23 with two homers and four RBIs, good for a .304/.346/.565 line and a .911 OPS. Michael Forret had a difficult outing, allowing ten hits and eight earned runs over five innings, but he remains one of the system’s more relevant arms for 2027.
At Double-A Chesapeake, Aron Estrada produced the loudest week in the system. He went 9-for-19 with five homers, ten RBIs and a 1.316 slugging percentage, finishing with a 1.792 OPS. Dom Keegan added three homers and a 1.157 OPS, while Wehiwa Aloy hit .318 with a homer and two stolen bases.
Joseph Dzierwa threw six scoreless innings, allowing one hit with seven strikeouts and three walks. Anthony Eyanson allowed two runs over 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts and four walks. The command remains the concern with Eyanson relative to Dzierwa. Dzierwa looks like the steadier upper-level option; Eyanson offers the higher pure-stuff ceiling. For once, the Orioles may have multiple legitimate pitching prospects arriving together.