Uncertainty looms for Orioles with Trade Deadline nearing

BALTIMORE -- The next time the Orioles take the field on Tuesday night at Camden Yards, the team could look much different. Or only slightly different. Or possibly even the same.

As Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline draws closer, there’s still a good bit of uncertainty surrounding how many more moves will be made by Baltimore -- and what type of moves those deals could be, if they come to fruition.

But regardless of which players will be on the O’s roster, they’ll need to play better than they did this weekend against the Phillies if they hope to still make a push into the postseason.

The Orioles took an 8-0 loss in a rain-shortened 5 1/2-inning game on Sunday afternoon to Philadelphia, which outscored Baltimore 13-0 over the final two contests of its series win. The finale was called in the middle of the sixth following the second weather delay of the day.

Despite the back-to-back losses, the O’s (54-58) are only 2 1/2 games back of the third American League Wild Card spot, currently occupied by the Guardians (57-56). The Twins (56-57), Rangers (55-57), Mariners (55-58) and Tigers (54-58) are all in the mix as well.

And what’s happening on the field is all the players can focus on -- not what the front office may or may not do ahead of the Deadline.

“What we have in this clubhouse is more than capable of winning, regardless of what they do,” right-hander Kyle Bradish said. “But at the end of the day, it’s something you can’t control."

It felt like Sunday’s game had an opportunity to go in the Orioles’ favor after the first delay.

Play was halted for 1 hour and 49 minutes in the middle of the third inning, so neither starter came back out afterward. Bradish allowed two runs over three innings, while Philadelphia right-hander Zack Wheeler tossed two scoreless frames.

Wheeler, who has a 2.49 ERA in 18 starts this season, appeared to be in top form. So, it could have been big for the O’s to get into the Phils’ bullpen by the third, especially because their 4.40 ERA ranks near the bottom of the National League.

However, Baltimore’s bats remained quiet, having not scored a run in 15 consecutive innings dating back to Friday. Meanwhile, Philadelphia tagged the O’s bullpen for six runs, with Anthony Nunez (two), Josh Walker (one) and Albert Suárez each unable to work clean innings.

“It’s not ideal,” manager Craig Albernaz said of the contest becoming bullpen games for both clubs. “The Phillies had one of their guys going, Wheeler, and we had K.B. It would make for a really good game. It just stinks that they were both done.”

On Friday afternoon, president of baseball operations Mike Elias said the Orioles would be neither buyers nor sellers in the traditional sense. Instead, his staff is weighing different trade opportunities and could make moves that swing both ways.

The only deal the O’s have made since came late Friday night, when they traded Dean Kremer to the Twins -- a transaction that would easily fit more on the sell side of the spectrum.

“Difficult part of the business,” Bradish said. “He’s one of my best friends. We’ve played together ever since I’ve been in the big leagues, so it’s tough not having him around every day.”

The players inside the Orioles’ clubhouse hope the roster remains intact from here. They believe they can still make this a successful season, as they feel they have the talent to do so.

But nobody knows exactly what will happen before Tuesday’s series opener vs. the Angels. So for now, everybody will just wait.

“You look at the landscape of the division, where everyone’s at in the AL, we’re not too far off,” outfielder Colton Cowser said. “I have a lot of belief in this clubhouse and know that we can win a lot of games. So, kind of putting our faith in the front office, and whatever they decide to do, they decide to do."