Mercifully, the Orioles let their season die just in time for Baltimore to turn its attention to the Ravens week one matchup with Indianapolis.
For a brief moment, the Orioles seemed like they were right back in it.
Monday night’s win in Colorado brought the Birds back to .500 for the first time since April and within a half-game of the final American League Wild Card spot. After everything that has happened this season, somehow they had dragged themselves all the way back into legitimate contention.
They then lost the next six games.
The O’s dropped the final two games against one of the worst teams in baseball in Colorado, returned home and got swept four straight by Boston, and ended the week at 69-75. They are now four games behind Cleveland for the final Wild Card with 18 games remaining.
It was not even primarily a pitching failure. The Orioles scored 15 runs in seven games, and five of them came in Thursday’s series opener against Boston. Over the final three games of the week they scored one run. Total.
The pitching staff repeatedly gave them chances to win. The offense simply did almost nothing with them.
A week that fell apart
Monday provided the lone happy memory. Cade Povich allowed one run over five innings at Coors Field, Samuel Basallo doubled home Dylan Beavers to tie the game in the fifth and Colton Cowser drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh. The real highlight came with two outs in the ninth, when Cowser climbed the center-field wall and robbed Jake McCarthy of what would have been a walk-off two-run homer, helping Andrew Kittredge close out the 2-1 win, and putting the O’s at 69-69.
That apparently used up the week’s supply of good fortune. On Tuesday Kyle Bradish battled through five innings, allowing two runs despite some shaky command, and Jackson Holliday went deep as part of a three-hit game. The Orioles nevertheless managed only two runs at Coors Field against a Rockies team that entered the night riding a franchise-record ten-game home losing streak. A Holliday error extended the seventh inning and rookie Luis De León surrendered a two-run homer to TJ Rumfield, making the Birds 4-2 losers.
Wednesday was more aggravating because Trevor Rogers was outstanding. Rogers struck out a career-high 11 over 6⅔ innings while walking nobody and allowing only two runs. The O’s built an early lead behind Pete Alonso and newly acquired Luis Robert Jr., then watched the bullpen give it away. Even after they scored twice in the top of the 11th, Colorado answered with three in the bottom half to win 6-5. A series that began with the Orioles finally reaching .500 ended with them losing two of three to the Rockies.
Things got worse when Adley Rutschman returned to Camden Yards Thursday wearing a Red Sox uniform.
Brandon Young gave the Orioles another perfectly respectable start, allowing three runs over 6⅔ innings while striking out seven. Luis Robert Jr. hit his first homer as an Oriole and Pete Alonso immediately followed with another to give the O’s a 3-1 lead. But Adley homered twice in his return, and Boston eventually tied the game before Nick Sogard hit a two-run homer off Yennier Cano in the eighth. Roman Anthony added another homer in the ninth, which proved important when Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run shot in the bottom half. The comeback stopped there in a 6-5 loss.
Friday the offense disappeared as Shane Baz allowed a home run to the second batter of the game, then spent the rest of the night essentially shutting Boston down, finishing with 6⅓ innings of one-run ball while allowing only four hits and striking out six. He got no run support however, resulting in a 1-0 loss.
The O’s collected six singles, three of them from Blaze Alexander, and never scored. It was another entry in the increasingly long collection of Baz starts where he pitched well enough to win and received virtually nothing from the offense.
Saturday the pain continued. Chris Bassitt matched Sonny Gray through five scoreless innings before finally allowing three runs in the sixth. The Red Sox added two more against the bullpen, but it hardly mattered because the Orioles were shut out again.
They managed five hits and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the 5-0 loss.
Sunday offered one final opportunity to salvage something from the week. Encarnacion-Strand doubled home Coby Mayo in the first inning to give the Orioles an immediate 1-0 lead.
Kyle Bradish pitched well, giving up no earned runs. A Gunnar Henderson error extended the second inning before Eli White hit a three-run homer. Bradish lasted only four innings because he needed 85 pitches, but Anthony Nunez, Luis De León, Cam Sanders and Grant Wolfram combined to blank Boston the rest of the way.
Again, it did not matter. Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle struck out 12 over six innings, Aroldis Chapman recorded his 400th career save and Boston completed the four-game sweep with a 3-1 win.
Player of the Week: Christian Encarnacion-Strand
This was not exactly an award with fierce competition.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 6-for-21 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI, producing a .286/.318/.524 slash line and an .842 OPS.
His biggest swing came Thursday, when his two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth gave the Orioles a last chance against Boston. He also drove in Baltimore’s only run Sunday with a first-inning double.
An .842 OPS is normally a nice week. This week it made Encarnacion-Strand look like Barry Bonds compared with most of his teammates.
Coby Mayo deserves the strongest offensive honorable mention after going 5-for-16 with a double and two walks, good for a .312 average and .389 on-base percentage. There was not much power, but simply reaching base consistently qualified as a major accomplishment this week.
The better honorable mentions are on the mound. Rogers, Baz and Bradish all gave the Orioles opportunities to win. Walker and Sanders combined for 5⅔ scoreless relief innings with ten strikeouts.
The pitching was not perfect.
It also was not why they went 1-6.
Down on the Farm
The best news in the organization continues to come from Chesapeake.
Vance Honeycutt had a monster week, going 9-for-22 with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI and three stolen bases. He finished with a .409/.458/.818 slash line and 1.276 OPS. Honeycutt’s speed and defense have always provided a path to the majors. If this kind of offensive production becomes even remotely consistent, his ceiling changes considerably.
Wehiwa Aloy supplied even more power, hitting three home runs and driving in five while stealing two bases. He only hit .238 for the week, but three homers in 22 plate appearances will play.
Anthony Eyanson delivered perhaps the most encouraging pitching performance, allowing one run over six innings while striking out eight without issuing a walk. The lack of walks is particularly notable considering command has been one of the areas to monitor since the trade.
So at least the O’s have that going for them after Adley crushed two homers and Red Sox fans celebrated a four-game mop in Camden Yards. Mike Elias is happy.
Patrick Reilly was excellent as well, working seven innings with four hits, one walk and eight strikeouts while allowing two runs. Caden Hunter struck out nine over five innings and JT Quinn threw five scoreless.
At Norfolk, Enrique Bradfield Jr. continued doing what he needs to do to build a major-league case. He hit .292 with a .393 OBP, two doubles, a triple and four stolen bases. The power is never going to be the selling point. Getting on base, creating havoc with his legs and playing high-level defense is the formula.
The pitching news at Norfolk was considerably less encouraging. Cade Povich was tagged for eight runs in five innings, while Michael Forret allowed two runs in three innings with three walks. Félix Bautista continued his rehab work, allowing one run over 1⅔ innings with three walks and three strikeouts. At this point the results matter less than the health, but the command clearly still has some distance to go.
Question of the Week
Is it over?
Yes.