The Orioles have lost three of their last four series and five of seven. None of them sweeps. All of them knocking dents in their Wild Card aspirations.

A 4-1 lead in the third inning yesterday dissolved into a 7-5 loss to the Twins. Colton Cowser lined into a 1-3 double play after Leody Taveras’ leadoff home run in the ninth and Christian Franklin’s walk. Reliever Yoendrys Gómez put up his glove to protect himself, ducking away from the ball.

Who’s gonna protect this team?

Can’t duck the Rays.

A 2-4 road trip isn’t getting any easier. The Orioles begin a four-game-series Friday night at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay is 74-46 overall, winners of nine in a row, and 41-18 at home. The Orioles were outscored 25-10 while losing all three games in St. Petersburg in May, but they outscored the Rays 26-10 in a three-game sweep later in the month at Camden Yards.

Yeah, more weirdness to the 2026 season.

Let’s hit the mailbag again on this glorious off-day, when leads and games aren’t lost. I found more questions.  

Still curious about whether the Kremer/Alonso thing impacted the decision to move Kremer or if Kremer’s demotion earlier this year was an indication (or a cause of) bad blood between the team and Kremer.
I’m curious whether there’s a question in here. I’ve got it. “Did the Kremer/Alonso thing impact the decision to trade Kremer to the Twins?” Also, the demotion thing. Let’s start there. The demotion was about going with a five-man rotation, Zach Eflin being ready and Kremer having a minor league option. Boom. The incident when Kremer signaled to Alonso after a pickoff throw seemed innocent, at least to me. Maybe there’s a better way to check whether your first baseman can see you or if the sun is creating a glare. Call time and motion him over to you? Either way, it made sense to check. But Kremer also has shown frustration with teammates a few times in the past, which leads to assumptions. Appearing this week on Ryan Ripken’s podcast, Kremer laughed when the subject came up and said: “We’re fine. That whole debacle got blown way out of proportion.” Kremer explained that Alonso thought he was asking for the number of outs. Kremer just wanted to know about a possible visibility issue. Unless Alonso says otherwise, that’s it. And he isn’t going to make a big deal about it to the media. I’m not suggesting that Kremer was the most popular player in the clubhouse, but the problem was his status as the weakest statistical link in the rotation chain. And Chris Bassitt is nearing a return from the injured list. I was surprised by the trade because Kremer hadn’t reached free agency and Trevor Rogers seemed more likely to go. Kremer had a better chance to stay if he dominated hitters the way that he did Monday night.

What is there to be hopeful about the Orioles in the future? And why must they always hurt me? Is that just what it means to be an Orioles fan?
One of my best friends is a diehard Jets fans. He’d laugh at “suffering” O’s fans. They won 101 games as recently as 2023 and made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Anyway, if you want hope, I’d point to the talent that Mike Elias pumped back into the farm system that could keep the organization healthy, ownership’s willingness to spend money, the potential of some younger players like Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo. I’d remain optimistic, no matter how hard, that Gunnar Henderson will figure it out. You don’t just forget how to hit when blessed with these tools. Something’s going on and I’d make myself believe that he’ll fix it. He walked twice yesterday after coming within a triple of the cycle on Tuesday. And hey, the ballpark is still one of the best in baseball. Sure beats losing and playing home games in Sacramento.

Give me a reason to care about 2027. Sorry, that’s not a question. Why should any of us care about 2027 or any year?
I’m beginning to get depressed here. If you’re a baseball fan, if you’re an Orioles fan, that’s your reason. What if you asked the same question about 2023? Look what happened. You just never know. The White Sox are in first place. That’s why their fans shouldn’t have punted on 2026 and began counting down the days until Bears training camp. And, taking another look at the standings, you might care more about 2027 after the Orioles earned a Wild Card in ’26. They aren’t out of it.

Hey Roch, what member of the Orioles bullpen do you trust other than Yennier Cano? And don’t say “your mom.”
I’d never! It depends on the day. Unfortunately, the answer fluctuates. At this exact moment, you could argue that Cano is the most trustworthy – not to be confused with spongeworthy – but you’d have to ignore his career struggles in the ninth inning. For some reason, many fans seem to forget or purposely exclude Andrew Kittredge, who has surrendered an earned run once in his last 20 appearances. Why the distrust? By the way, heading into Tuesday, Kittredge was charged with 10 unearned runs to rank first among major league relievers. He’s the third O’s reliever with 10 or more unearned runs, joining Nate Snell (14 in 1985) and Eddie Watt (11 in 1968). But I digress. I haven’t forgotten Rico Garcia’s dominance earlier in the season, but he hasn’t been able to stay at that level. Cam Sanders was intriguing with 3 2/3 scoreless innings and a win and save over his first three appearances, but it was a tiny sample size and he allowed two runs and four hits yesterday in 1 1/3. Yaramil Hiraldo has the arm but not the control or track record to make fans breathe easier. He let both inherited runners score yesterday after replacing Sanders, but he wasn’t charged with a run in 1 2/3. Alex Hoppe, acquired from the Mariners in the Taylor Ward trade, looks like he could help fill the void after Tyler Wells was shipped to the Rays, but the jury is still out. I trust Albert Suárez to eat innings and save the bullpen more than anything else. Is this making you feel any better? A healthy Félix Bautista might help, but we don’t know how labrum/rotator cuff surgery is going to impact his velocity and feel for his pitches. Yeah, the ‘pen is an area that again must be addressed over the winter.

What is your favorite “leftovers” meal? And don’t say …
Hey, hey! Leftover Chinese, cold pizza, cold or reheated pasta. Can’t go wrong.

What exactly does the pitcher “hear” in his ear when the catcher give a signal? Beeps? Numbers? Stella Lefty? Your Mom?
I have no one to blame but myself. PitchCom enables the pitcher to hear a computer-generated audio call such as “four-seam fastball away,” and minimize the risk of sign stealing that comes from a catcher putting down fingers. It also can be set for other languages. For Scott Erickson, it would be set to the sound of grunting, or “Me throw ball.”

Is outfielder Harold Rivas ranked among Orioles prospects now that he’s the player to be named later for Adley Rutschman?
Also for Jake Rogers. Let’s not forget it. Yes, he is. MLB Pipeline has Rivas 26th. The outlet ranked him 13th in the Red Sox organization. Baseball America had him 10th.

I’m planning to retire soon and one of my goals is to visit as many ballparks as I can before I go the great luxury box in the sky. What are your 3-to-5 favorite stadiums in terms of atmosphere and convenience?
This is a difficult question because my opinions are shaped from my press box experiences. They’re work related. For instance, I love The Trop because of the spacious, air conditioned press box and convenience getting to the food room, clubhouse and field. That doesn’t make it an enjoyable fan experience. I’ll suggest Fenway Park and Wrigley Field because they’re iconic and everyone should experience them, but they’re old and lacking in certain comforts – which is also how my wife describes me. Check out Petco Park in San Diego, Oracle Park in San Francisco and PNC Park in Pittsburgh, a very underrated city and with hotels right across the street from the ballpark. I also think everyone should experience Rogers Centre with the roof closed and the stands packed in a big game. That’s right, Roch Kubatko is recommending Toronto. Seemed as unlikely to happen as Roch Kubatko getting rich on Bitcoin.

What is the rationale of grading trades when prospects are involved?
If I’m interpreting your question correctly, these trades are graded prematurely based on what was surrendered and the level of young, unproven talent in return. Like, the Adley Rutschman trade got some As for the O’s because the prospects ranked among the highest in the Red Sox’s system. Now, there are three in the Orioles’ top eight, including Anthony Eyanson at No. 1. But we won’t truly know until years from now. Like, I think it’s safe to grade the Manny Machado trade to the Dodgers.

Has less travel been a good thing or are you still constantly checking X/Twitter for breaking news while the team is on the road?
The attempt at more “life balance” has mixed results. I’m still attached to my X account. Not the one selling Bitcoin and Crypto. The new one (@RochXRK). I’m happy to have the time home, and especially with my granddaughter starting kindergarten in the fall. I took my wife to brunch yesterday for her birthday – and posted the lineup when the team sent it. But it’s hard to keep up and to come up with story ideas when the team is gone for two weeks. I’d say it’s a tradeoff. I do not miss airports and long flights. However, I won’t escape the stress of breaking news, draft day, trade deadlines and the rest of it until I’m retired. That’s 24/7, no matter where I am.  

Which international signee does Roch see making the next impact on the Orioles?
Roch sees infielder/outfielder Aron Estrada and left-hander Luis De León as possibilities. Estrada could be a utility-type guy. De León has some of the best stuff in the system. Impressive velo and he gets ground balls. He’s just a work in progress. His control wavers. I talked to a scout from another organization in October who said De León was “really exciting.” He added, “Really good (stuff). Good fastball, a good slider, the changeup’s coming. Kind of gave him a chance at being a bottom-of-the-rotation type arm with upside. I think he’s gonna have to develop a fourth pitch, but he’s only 22.”

Any fond memories of a trip to Texas with the team? Do you remember your first visit?
I don’t have specific memories of my first time because I’ve been on the beat since 1997, but it’s funny how I’ve covered games in Texas at three different ballparks. That’s got to be a record, right? If you’re pressing me for an Arlington memory, I’ll say winning the inaugural 2012 Wild Card. The playoff drought was over, the Orioles won with Joe Saunders starting – Steve Johnson warmed in the first inning – and Buck Showalter stood back and watched the celebration after the final out. I’ll always remember the raucous party in the clubhouse, but more so because of Adam Jones standing in the hallway and saying something about how it’s just one game and there’s more work to do. That’s a leader. He enjoyed the moment for sure, but he was ready to move on to the next series. Meanwhile, I got back to my hotel with clothes soaked in champagne and beer, and the clerk at the front desk handed me a garbage bag for packing purposes. I didn’t have to ask.  

If you look up into a sunny day, sunglasses on or off?
I see what you did there, and so does Jeremiah Jackson. On. Definitely on.

Will we see Enrique Bradfield, Heston Kjerstad and/or Andrew Magno make appearances with the O’s this season? Or will Magno be this year’s version of Houston Roth?
An expanded roster creates some opportunities. Magno lowered his ERA to 1.07 Tuesday night, but if we haven’t seen him by now, even with the bullpen shuffling and need for a lefty, it doesn’t look promising. Bradfield and Kjerstad certainly are possibilities depending on space. Bradfield’s plus defense and speed would be useful. Kjerstad seems deserving of another shot in the majors, and especially if the Orioles fall out of the race and they want to take another look at him. He’s going to be out of options next year. Carry him or trade him if there’s a market. It was a lot easier back in the days when you could empty your 40-man roster into the clubhouse and set up temporary lockers in the middle of the room.

What do you think is the driver behind the defensive struggles of this team? I think from the minors on up, the organization over-values positional versatility. How do you see it?
That’s one theory, how moving players around keeps them from getting comfortable in one spot. But also, there’s a lot of good to be said for having the flexibility to move players. It doesn’t have to be all of them. Just a few who can fill multiple spots and aid roster construction. I’ll say again that the defensive shortcomings aren’t from a lack of work. Mike Elias said in one of his media scrums that it’s “on me,” and he added, “I think we knew going into this that the team wasn’t built around defense, but we could have played better than we have.” Elias said the front office has to do a better job in that regard, but also, “you can’t go all in on defense, and you still have to worry about other parts of the game.” Defense is another area that must be addressed in the offseason, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the Orioles do it without sacrificing, say, offense.

Do you ever fantasize about working for another organization?
My fantasies never involve baseball. And this seems like a good place to stop.