BALTIMORE -- Plenty went wrong this weekend for the Orioles, who took a 3-0 loss to the Brewers on Sunday at Camden Yards to get swept in a three-game set vs. MLB’s top team. At this point -- with only six games remaining -- Baltimore’s 2026 season is on life support.
The O’s (75-81) can’t finish with a winning record. They sit five games back of the third American League Wild Card spot, currently held by the White Sox (80-76), and they’re also still behind the Blue Jays (77-79) and Rangers (78-78).
Elimination is imminent, barring an improbable run.
With the stakes so high amid crunch time, the little moments can become magnified. And that was the case late Sunday night, when manager Craig Albernaz began discussing what turned out to be one of the Orioles’ more disappointing showings during an up-and-down season in which the lows have outweighed the highs.
Baltimore was shut out for the second straight game, now having not scored over its past 19 innings. Albernaz pinpointed one moment as the most frustrating -- Jeremiah Jackson’s first-pitch bases-loaded groundout to end the sixth inning.
“Swinging bases loaded after nine pitches not in the strike zone was shocking,” Albernaz said. “I’m embarrassed. That’s not winning baseball. That’s not baseball, period.”
For those who may not have been watching Sunday Night Baseball, let’s set the scene.
Milwaukee had a 2-0 lead, but right-handed reliever Chad Patrick was visibly struggling with command. He hit Gunnar Henderson with a pitch with two outs, then uncorked two wild pitches that allowed Henderson to move to third.
Patrick issued consecutive four-pitch walks to Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo to load the bases. That set the stage for Jackson, who entered the day among the O’s better hitters in bases-loaded situations. The 26-year-old was 4-for-12 (.333) with two grand slams and 12 RBIs in those spots this season.
Jackson swung at the first pitch he saw from Patrick -- a 96.1 mph four-seam fastball in the strike zone -- and grounded out to first base. The Orioles’ best scoring chance of the night led to no runs.
In retrospect, Jackson understood where his manager was coming from.
“Probably not the best idea to swing,” Jackson said. “Obviously, in a situation like that, you want to help the team win. I was just trying to get something over the heart of the plate. Obviously, given the at-bats before, I probably should have just not swung. So that's on me. ...
“It was just kind of one of those things that you look back at and you wish you didn't do it. But I think I had the right idea, or right thought. It was a good pitch to swing at. Just in that situation, it wasn't the right time to swing.”
Jackson said he and Albernaz had a talk about it after the game, though he didn’t get into the specifics of the conversation.
“I'm sure he shared his thoughts on it, and it was probably the same thing he told me,” Jackson said. “Just wasn't a great baseball play. Nothing I can do about it now, obviously. I wish I hadn't swung, or I wish I drove the ball in the gap and scored some runs.”
Again, if this had been mid-June, July or potentially even August, perhaps this one moment wouldn’t have felt like such a huge missed opportunity. Especially if the O’s weren’t scrapping and clawing to try to save their season at the time, too.
But the deficit that Baltimore must now overcome to reach the postseason for the third time in four years (and the first time since 2024) feels almost insurmountable with so little time left.
The Orioles host the Blue Jays for three games starting Monday, then conclude the regular season with a three-game series vs. the Yankees in New York next weekend. They would probably need to win all six, while also getting help via losses from the other teams in the mix.
“I guess, at this point, it’s continue to [try to] win,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “Anything can happen at this point in the season. I mean, obviously we haven’t really given ourselves a big shot after getting swept here. But still just go out there and continue to win ballgames. Who knows? Crazier things have happened. It’s all we can do, is just go out there and do that,”
But the frustration was clear from the tone expressed by multiple players inside the Orioles’ clubhouse. This isn’t the position they wanted to be in, and they’re not happy about being here.
“Very disappointing,” right-hander Brandon Young said. “I think we all know in here how much it means, and how disappointed we are as a whole.”