With the Orioles being swept by the New York Yankees to drop to six games under .500 for the first time since July 11, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. One or two steps forward, two or three steps back. It’s the story of the season for the Orioles, who “built” on one of their best series of 2026 by being swept for the first time since May. The Yankees were playing without two of their three best hitters too.
2. A lineup that exploded against Tampa Bay last weekend got the leadoff man on three times in 27 innings. In the way first-down futility hurts in football, it’s difficult to get much going with one out and the bases empty constantly. This offense has underperformed for more than two years.
3. When you’re using Josh Walker and Cam Sanders in pressure situations, it speaks to how sorely miscast this bullpen is, especially after Mike Elias dealt away Tyler Wells at the trade deadline. That move has hurt the current club more than trading away Adley Rutschman or Taylor Ward.
4. Considering replay review was introduced 18 years ago specifically for calls like Pete Alonso’s drive down the left-field line Wednesday night, Major League Baseball not maximizing technology to get calls right is inexcusable. Standardized cameras in every ballpark and the use of ball-tracking data shouldn’t be too much to ask.
5. Alonso has a career-high 12-game hitting streak and is batting .500 with six home runs and a 1.524 OPS over the last 11 games. He’s doing all he can to carry this offense, and it’s a shame his first season in Baltimore is being squandered. He’s been a total pro.
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6. Gunnar Henderson has the athleticism and arm to be a good defensive shortstop, but Thursday’s third inning brought the latest lapse leading to two unearned runs and a 38-pitch inning. The Orioles weren’t getting Jose Caballero at first base, so just catch the ball to get the sure out.
7. That error aside, it wasn’t a good outing from Kyle Bradish, whose night concluded with him surrendering two home runs after Baltimore closed the deficit to 3-1 the previous inning. Bradish said, “Just a bad series overall. I felt like I let the team down in a big spot today.”
8. It’ll be interesting to see how often Samuel Basallo catches down the stretch with the Orioles carrying two other catchers. Maybe that’s best for the 22-year-old rookie’s right shoulder, but it leaves a black hole in the lineup whenever another catcher has to hit.
9. No area of Baltimore’s roster needs more offseason reconstruction than the outfield, which is why a strong finish for Dylan Beavers would be encouraging. The oblique injury disrupted his rookie campaign, but you’d like to see him look the part of a starting outfielder the rest of the way.
10. Shane Baz’s win-loss record fell to 4-13 Tuesday. A 4.02 ERA isn’t fetching Cy Young votes by any means, but there can’t be many starters who’ve been hurt more by poor run support and shoddy defense this season. He could be much closer to 13-4 with even decent support.
811. Optioning Jeremiah Jackson and his .194/.231/.269 slash line since May 1 was long overdue in a vacuum, but that left the Orioles without a backup second baseman to Jackson Holliday, who is the backup to Henderson at short. It’s just another example of this organization not prioritizing defense.
12. That’ll be resolved with the return of Blaze Alexander, who aims to be back during the road trip. Felix Bautista will also begin a rehab assignment very soon. Both could help the Orioles’ cause in September, but they now need to go 20-14 just to finish .500. Time’s running out.
