The Baltimore Orioles Can Play Spoiler Over The Final Six Weeks

When the Baltimore Orioles swept a short two-game series against the Red Sox in Boston ten days ago, it seemed like a lost season for the O’s could at least allow them to play spoiler. With their win over their American League East rival that day, combined with the Yankees win over the Tampa Rays, Baltimore pushed Boston to a game behind New York in both the division and the Wild Card chase. That sweep of the Red Sox was just a prelude to six additional series for the Orioles over the season’s final six weeks that could alter the playoff picture in two different leagues.

The Red Sox came down to Baltimore for a four-game set this week, and the O’s had a chance to really mess things up. Unfortunately for fans of the black and orange, it didn’t happen. Boston returned the favor and swept all four games in Baltimore’s home park. As such, Boston left town in second place in both the division and the Wild Card (ahead of the Yankees). But all is not lost.

After three games in San Francisco this weekend, the Orioles head down to San Diego where they will take on the second place Padres for the first time this season. They then fly home to take on the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers for three games. With the way things have been going in the National League West, it is possible that the Dodgers and Padres may swap spots in the standings either before or after their tilts with Baltimore, but that will not change the import of their respective series against the Orioles. If the O’s falter against one and thrive against the other, that could have a huge impact on the race in the National League West.

The following week Baltimore goes north of the border to take on the first-place Toronto Blue Jays. As of this writing, the Jays have a 3.5-game lead in the American League East, but that could change either before or after Orioles players get a diet of poutine and powdered milk. And if they are able to pull off the rare sweep in Toronto (they did it in 2023, which was the first time they had done so since 2005), that could really shake up the AL East.

A few days after that, Baltimore will host the Yankees for three games. They have split their first six battles this season, so it is anyone’s guess how that will go. After the Yankees leave, Tampa Bay comes in for three games, which will close out Camden Yards for the year. The final weekend of the season will find the Orioles in the Bronx. Will the AL East be on the line? The Wild Card? Wild Card seedings? Will home field advantage be decided by how the Baltimore Orioles – an extremely disappointing team suffering a severely disappointing season – show out over those last three days? Or, for that matter, the last three weeks.

Tony Mansolino, who became the team’s skipper when Brandon Hyde was fired after a 15-28 start, has led the team to a 45-46 record. While that is not great, it is considerably better than what occurred before. Trevor Rogers is having a breakout season, with a 1.40 ERA and 4.7 bWAR. Gunnar Henderson continues to be the anchor of the lineup, and is slashing .277/.348/.461, with 51 extra base hits, which leads to a 4.3 bWAR. And Samuel Basallo has come up from Triple-A, signed a long-term contract extension (8 years, $67 million), and looked like a masher. He already has eight swings with exit velocities over 100 MPH, with one as hard as 112 MPH. His average exit velocity is above league average, while he has a strike out rate about 27% below league average. This is a team that could do some damage. This is a team that could make things interesting while making things difficult for other teams playing for October.

The question is whether the Orioles will rise to the occasion. In their first chance to make an impact, they faceplanted against the Red Sox. But they still have 19 games over five more series to change the shape of the playoff race.