This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- The Orioles will not be heading to the 2026 postseason.
Although the O’s were off on Thursday, they were eliminated from playoff contention when the White Sox recorded a 9-1 win at Kansas City and clinched a berth for themselves. Baltimore’s odds of reaching the postseason had been low for quite some time.
With only three games remaining on the schedule (all vs. the Yankees in New York this weekend), the Orioles will look to finish strong and build positive momentum toward the offseason. And while no playoff stakes will be involved, there are still things to watch for.
Here are five things to keep an eye on during Baltimore’s final series of the season.
With only three games remaining on the schedule (all vs. the Yankees in New York this weekend), the Orioles will look to finish strong and build positive momentum toward the offseason. And while no playoff stakes will be involved, there are still things to watch for.
Here are five things to keep an eye on during Baltimore’s final series of the season.
1. Attempting to finish .500
The O’s can’t end up with a winning record, but they can still get to .500. However, they’ll need to sweep the three-game set at Yankee Stadium to make that happen, and they haven’t swept a series of three-plus games in the Bronx since June 6-8, 1986.
Baltimore is guaranteed to have a better record than it did in 2025 (75-87). It hasn’t had a year in which it finished exactly .500 since going 81-81 in 2015.
“Regardless of what the record is, I just want to play good baseball, good quality baseball, and whatever we have left in the tank, just empty the tank. Because after 162, that's it, you’ve got to wait until spring,” first baseman Pete Alonso said. “Hopefully, we win all three, because that's the goal. We want to win every game that we play, regardless of the standings.”
2. How many more homers can Alonso hit?
Through 159 games, Alonso has clubbed a team-high 41 home runs during his first season with the Orioles. And he’ll surely play all three at Yankee Stadium, as he hasn’t missed a game since the 2023 season.
Here’s the list of 41-plus-homer seasons in O’s history (since 1954):
1. Chris Davis -- 53 in 2013
2. Brady Anderson -- 50 in 1996
3. Frank Robinson -- 49 in 1966
T-4. Davis -- 47 in 2015
T-4. Mark Trumbo -- 47 in 2016
6. Jim Gentile -- 46 in 1961
7. Anthony Santander -- 44 in 2024
8. Rafael Palmeiro -- 43 in 1998
9. Alonso -- 41 in 2026
Considering Alonso has six home runs over his past eight games (including three during a three-game sweep of Toronto earlier this week), it’s possible the 31-year-old slugger will add a few more to his total, potentially passing Palmeiro and perhaps even Santander.
3. RBI history for Alonso?
Another feat that Alonso could accomplish is one no player has done before.
There’s never been an MLB player to post a pair of seasons in which he led each of the two leagues (American and National) in RBIs, since RBIs became official in 1920. Alonso led the NL with 131 RBIs in 2022, and this year, he leads the AL with 110.
4. More of The Mountain
Félix Bautista made an emotional return to the Orioles earlier this week after missing more than a year due to right shoulder surgery. The 31-year-old former All-Star closer was quite familiar with long recoveries, as he previously missed all of the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Bautista has made a pair of appearances since rejoining Baltimore’s bullpen. He allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning vs. the Brewers on Sunday, then yielded two runs in one inning against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
The results aren’t too important at the moment, especially because Bautista hasn’t yet reassumed his closing duties. But it’s encouraging that he’s getting a few big league outings in before entering the offseason and looking to return to his previously dominant form in 2027.
“I stayed firm the entire time, focused on the hard work,” Bautista recently said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I knew that it was just as long of a road [as Tommy John], and it took a lot of time. But my entire focus the entire time was just on the work itself.”
5. Trevor Rogers’ potential final O’s start
The winner of the 2025 Most Valuable Oriole Award, Rogers has been one of Baltimore’s best starters over the past two seasons. The 28-year-old left-hander has a 4.07 ERA in 29 starts, but he had some struggles early in the year. Since June 4, he has a 2.92 ERA over 19 starts.
Rogers is scheduled to start Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Will it be his final time pitching for the Orioles? He is set to become a free agent after the season, but it’s possible he’ll re-sign with the club. (He could also be a prime candidate to receive a qualifying offer, which would bring him back for one more year.)