The Orioles are down to the last city on a road trip that’s taken them to St. Louis and Sacramento and improved their standing in the playoff hunt.

They’re making a return visit to Coors Field. The air is thin, but they remain in the thick of the Wild Card chase.

They won two of three games in Denver on Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2024 and were 79-59 after claiming the rubber game. They also won two of three over the Rockies last summer at Camden Yards, including an 18-0 demolition on July 26, and were 47-58 after taking the rubber game.

The 2026 Orioles are 68-69 and could reach .500 for the first time since Game 1 of an April 30 doubleheader.

I’m reaching into the mailbag for another sequel to the beloved 2009 original. You ask and I try to answer. The effort that I put into it may vary, which also was true with my first marriage.

Let’s get to it.

How are you leaning MVO-wise?
I’d have to be falling-down drunk to consider anyone besides Pete Alonso with my first pick, but there’s time to change my mind. He’s actually fallen into a slump, going 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts in his last four games and 2-for-19 in his last five, but he singled and walked yesterday before a fastball slammed off his helmet, and he’s carried this team back into contention. One of my colleagues asked me a while back where the Orioles would be without him. They were in last place at the time, as I pointed out, but I understood. Most likely dead and bloated, which also is a cool STP song. Alonso could be a unanimous selection, but you can’t predict what other voters are going to do with their ballots. Let’s never forget that Dylan Carlson received a vote last year and Rougned Odor in 2022. Far more interesting will be the other names on a three-man ballot. Brandon Young must be considered. Can Coby May and Christian Encarnacion-Strand be a two-headed, lefty-killing entry?

How unusual is it for a player, in this case Gunnar Henderson, to homer twice and hit a triple in the same game?
So unusual that only four other Orioles have done it: Nelson Cruz on Sept. 7, 2014 in St. Petersburg, Chris Richard on Sept. 3, 2000 in Cleveland, Jeffrey Hammonds on July 5, 1997 in Detroit, and Cal Ripken, Jr. on April 13, 1991 in Texas.

How weird it is that every instance happened on the road?
Yeah, that, too.

Any update on Nick Raquet?
Raquet came out of Saturday’s game with Triple-A Norfolk because of discomfort in his left elbow. He went on the injured list yesterday. And it sounds serious.

Will we ever see Heston Kjerstad in Baltimore again, or is he not getting called up and will be traded/released this offseason? Seems as if the front office has moved on from him.
I stretched my hamstrings yesterday before jumping to the conclusion that Cade Povich and Heston Kjerstad were going to be on Tuesdays’ expanded roster. Povich was scratched from yesterday’s start and Kjerstad wasn’t in the lineup. Povich will be in Denver, but Kjerstad isn’t expected to be the extra position player. However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to be recalled at some point. I don’t see why he’d be released in the offseason. There’s no reason to do it. He’s going to be out of options and that could lead the Orioles to seek a trade partner if he’s blocked on the major league roster. He’s hitting again, which is his main tool. A team searching for a left-handed bat could come calling. But that’s for later. We could see Kjerstad again. There are four weeks left in the regular season.  

Now that the Rays have their stadium deal, where do you think Major League Baseball will expand?
They should put a team in Sacramento. I mean right now for the final month. OK, sorry. Nashville and Salt Lake are widely seen as the top contenders. Portland, Charlotte and Montreal also get mentioned. I’ll go along with Nashville and Salt Lake if pressed to choose two teams.

Who’s your granddaughter’s favorite Oriole, aside from The Bird?
The Bird and Ketchup are 1-2. Otherwise, she’s just there for the ice cream, her Papa in the press box and the retired number statues for photo ops.

What will it take for Enrique Bradfield Jr. to get called up?
Maybe just an expanded September roster. Speed and defense are valued, and especially by teams in the playoff hunt. The Rockies are starting three right-handers, if that matters. Otherwise, I’ll say again that other moves can be made later in the month. And there’s always 2027.

Got anymore minor league promotions? They usually happen on Sundays.
How observant of you! Outfielder Ty Head and right-hander Harrison Kreiling are moving up to High-A Frederick, left-hander Iziah Salinas is moving up to Class A Delmarva, and right-hander Bradley Brehmer is moving up to Double-A Chesapeake. The intriguing name, of course, is Head because he was the second-round draft pick this year and he’s the No. 15 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline. Kreiling came from the Mariners in the Taylor Ward trade.

Are we still doomed? Some fans seem to think so.
So does some media. Who can say? Being one game behind the Guardians for the last Wild Card is a long way from doomed, but the schedule is brutal after this road trip. Not to diminish what the Orioles have done on it, but they aren’t playing the ’84 Tigers. They aren’t playing the Towson Tigers. These are some bad teams. But you’re supposed to beat up on them. That’s the assignment.

Have you ever experienced an O’s pennant chase like this one? What is your take on it all?
I don’t recall a team being a game out of a playoff spot and a game under .500. The American League is down this year. Do away with a third Wild Card and we wouldn’t be having this discussion. But it exists and the Orioles are hot and they’re healthier with Blaze Alexander back and Félix Bautista getting closer. Fewer teams are bunched up behind the Guardians. It’s gonna be a wild final month. You can choose to embrace the weirdness or complain about it. I tend to bounce back and forth.

The 2024 deadline ‘pen overhaul was generally a good move, considering the injuries and ineffectiveness of the crew at the time. Why couldn’t they pull off something similar this season if the deals weren’t just about getting prospects and Officer Hoppy? Not a Cam fan here.
First of all, I’m throwing major props your way for the Sanford and Son reference. Well done! Cam Sanders has been pretty good since leaving the Pirates. He’s earned his first career win, save and hold. He was really stingy with the hits allowed until his last two appearances. Did you know that he became the first Oriole to record a save on one pitch since Darren O’Day on April 22, 2017 and the first on the road since Koji Uehara on Aug. 29, 2010? Don’t care? OK, fine. The 2024 deadline strategy was much different. The Orioles were all-out buyers and made the playoffs again. They leaned much more toward sellers this time while still believing that they could get back into the postseason. They really wanted to bring back minor league starter Michael Forret and were willing to part with Tyler Wells. That was a gamble. Contenders usually want to hold onto that kind of a high-leverage arm. I expected them to add a lefty reliever. I thought strengthening the bullpen would be a priority. So did many others. But the Orioles veered in another direction and put their trust in the current group and some Triple-A options, and in getting back Bautista and Ryan Helsley. The dice have been rolled.

When writing a noun ending in S, do you use the s’s ala the MLA style or the s’ via the AP style?
I had to look up MLA. I thought it stood for “Mom Likely …” I wasn’t sure about the A. Anyway, I don’t live by the AP stylebook. I don’t write for AP. I don’t agree with all of its rules. However, it always should be s’, as in, “the Orioles’ record.” I also was asked about the letter X, as in Red Sox’s record or Red Sox record. Both are correct, but I use x’s.

Please help explain why Leody Tavares is playing every day.
That isn’t a question.

Can you please help explain …
He’s one of the better defensive outfielders on the team, especially in right instead of center. And I know the bar isn’t raised that high. Tyler O’Neill is injured. Taylor Ward was traded. He’s a switch-hitter. He had multiple RBIs in three of his last five games and eight total before yesterday. He can bunt. His six triples were tied yesterday for the American League lead. His 52 RBIs were tied for second on the club until Gunnar Henderson and Coby Mayo combined for eight. He has nice eyes. I don’t know. What do you want from me? On a better team he probably isn’t getting this many starts but he’s got some positive qualities. We’ll find out whether an extra outfielder on the expanded roster would impact his playing time.

What’s the deal with these big names being dangled via waivers (Suarez, Robert, etc.), and do you see the Orioles biting on any of these?
Teams are hoping that they can ditch the remaining salary. It’s just a cost-cutting move. Players claimed by today are eligible for the postseason. The Orioles could snatch a player that way if he’s an upgrade. I can’t predict whether that’s going to happen. MLB eliminated revocable trade waivers and post-deadline waiver deals before the 2019 season. We’re down to one firm deadline, which is plenty for me, if anyone’s interested.

Does the organization have to treat Albert Suárez like this? I feel like he’s gotta be breaking a record for single-season DFAs. And when he’s with the team he barely pitches. Didn’t he go something like 18 days without pitching at some point? Is this all weird or is it just me?
You’re probably weird, too, but let’s not get personal. The Orioles love Suárez and the way he can sit for long stretches and still get the job done, consuming innings and saving the bullpen. He bounces back quickly. He’s a great guy in the clubhouse. But he’s out of options and DFA is the only way to remove him from the roster when another arm is needed. That’s one of the thankless jobs in baseball. Cover a bunch of innings and become expendable. But they wouldn’t keep re-signing him if they wanted to get rid of him. And he wouldn’t keep re-signing if he wanted to get away from them. He understands the role and his situation.  

Why do some people feel the need to drink more heavily this baseball season than other years? Asking for a friend, of course.
Of course. The craziness of this season could drive anyone to drink. But don’t drink and drive.

When are they going to announce a Rogers extension?
Jake Rogers? He was traded with Adley. Or do you mean Trevor Rogers? My guess is that Rogers is given the qualifying offer and the Orioles try to re-sign him in free agency. He wants to stay, which is an asset in negotiations. Maybe he’d take the offer with a lockout looming and the uncertainty surrounding the 2027 season, but there’s a nice payday awaiting him. He probably hits the market.

If you hadn’t become a sportswriter, what career path would you have chosen?
Oscar Madison, and having no other discernible skills, made me want to be a sportswriter. Rob Petrie made me want to be a comedy writer. I thought writing copy at an ad agency would be fun. Again, tapping into my creative side. And there was always male model if I couldn’t pay the rent. Or maybe a bouncer at a salad bar, escorting people out the door for spilling the bacon bits. I hadn’t really thought it through. And this is probably a good place to stop.