The 2026 season had to get in another jab at the Orioles.

Already reeling from the injuries, the offensive outages and occasional sloppy play? The false momentum and possibility of back-to-back last-place finishes?

Too bad. The last two home games will be crammed into the same day, in a split-doubleheader that feels like another cheap shot.

A silver lining in the gray skies was the opportunity to rest last night, especially the bullpen, and the Orioles are off again Thursday before a weekend series at Yankee Stadium. But does it matter?

The White Sox won 14-11 last night in Kansas City to leave the Orioles’ elimination number at one. No one can paint a smiley face on it. The picture of a winning team with World Series aspirations that emerged at Pete Alonso’s introductory press conference has smeared.

Alonso’s second home run Monday enabled them to at least wield a modicum of control. Their fate wasn’t entirely up to the White Sox. But that’s over. A loss today or Chicago win puts an “E” next to them in the standings. It doesn’t mean “euphoria.”

A 29th man can be added for the doubleheader and the Orioles might use him to start the second game. Chris Bassitt takes the ball in Game 1.

Trey Gibson seems like a logical choice, but Cade Povich could be summoned on regular rest after facing the Brewers on Friday. The minimum wait is waved for doubleheaders.

The Orioles will face Max Scherzer, whose Hall of Fame career is winding down. Scherzer allowed six runs and seven hits in five innings on Sept. 11 at Rogers Centre, but he rebounded with one run and three hits allowed win five innings against the Tigers last Wednesday.

Alonso is 4-for-23 with two doubles and 10 strikeouts against Scherzer.

Bassitt makes his 20th appearance and 18th start to conclude his season after signing an $18.5 million contract in February. He missed over two months after undergoing surgery on his lower back and has posted a 3.76 ERA in seven starts since his return. He allowed two runs in five innings against the Blue Jays on Sept. 11 and one run in six innings on May 28 at Camden Yards.

George Springer is 9-for-26 with a double and two home runs against Bassitt, and Myles Straw is 5-for-13.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 1-for-11. He didn’t play Monday because of lower-back tightness.

Samuel Basallo was removed from Monday’s game after taking a foul ball off his mask, and we’ll find out later today if the Orioles are shutting him down. And if so, whether they’re going with two catchers, moving Creed Willems from the taxi squad to the active roster or bringing up someone else. The doubleheader could be a complication.

“I haven’t seen a foul tip like that square a catcher up in a long time, and he felt fine,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “The thing is, with that, the concussions, sometimes that happens later on. When he went back out to catch the next inning, he was flinching on some balls and I didn’t feel comfortable with him staying in there and flinching. So he’s getting looked at now, just to double and triple check, make sure he’s OK.”

The 2026 season has been a strange ride for Basallo. He was on the injured list in July, at the same time as Adley Rutschman, with right shoulder inflammation. Rutschman was traded to the Red Sox, making Basallo the No. 1 guy behind the plate, but he’s taken a beating and slashed .140/.235/.221 in 29 games in the second half.

Basallo is 12-for-78 after missing a month with his injury. His 18 homers this season rank fourth on the team, and his 54 RBIs are tied with Leody Taveras for fourth.

Shane Baz will lead the team in innings with a career-high 179 2/3 after totaling 166 1/3 last season with the Rays. He’s also going to rank first in losses with 15, but they don’t offer a true reading of his season.

Given his injury history, Baz finds tremendous satisfaction in making 31 starts that also lead the Orioles.

“Obviously, I spent a lot of time on the shelf, and I just have really wanted to put that behind me and show that I can be kind of a workhorse and eat important innings and still pitch well,” he said. “I’m definitely most proud of that this year, just the way that I’ve been able to stay in the rotation, take the ball every five days and give us a chance. And, you know, that’s been a bright spot for me.”

The Most Valuable Oriole will be announced today, with an award presentation on the field prior to Game 2. The media hasn’t been given the results ahead of time, but we’re making an assumption that the winner’s name rhymes with Skeet Alphonso.