Does anyone want the third Wild Card in the American League?

Of course they do, but the execution seems to be lacking.

The Orioles lost to the Rockies yesterday in 11 innings, but the Guardians were down 7-0 to the Blue Jays by the third inning.

The Rangers also lost and are tied with the Orioles and Jays at 1 ½ games back.

After going 6-3 on their three-city road trip, the Orioles are rewarded with four games against the Red Sox and three against the Guardians. This might sound familiar, but we could have a better read on their playoff legitimacy by the next off-day.

There’s more for us to wonder about besides the chase.

What will the lineups look like?

Manager Craig Albernaz used his 123rd different lineup yesterday by starting Luis Robert Jr. in left field and using Jackson Holliday as the designated hitter. The 2025 Orioles used 148.

The two most common orders this season, four times each, had Taylor Ward, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Pete Alonso, Samuel Basallo, Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser in the top seven and Holliday batting ninth. Coby Mayo or Blaze Alexander batted eighth.

Ward and Rutschman are gone. Holliday has hit first in 14 of the last 17 games. Alonso has hit second in 38 of 40.

An expanded roster is bound to bring changes, but this isn’t just about the Orioles stashing an extra position player. Outfielders Luis Robert Jr. and Heston Kjerstad can alter how Albernaz otherwise would have combated opposing left-handers and right-handers.

He’s also going to want to plug Alexander into different positions and take advantage of the production received from Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

“I think we’ve shown as a staff how we like to use everyone, and everyone has a skill set that’s special in this game,” Albernaz told the media Tuesday. “We want to use it. So, these guys are all going to impact a game, even if they’re not starting.” 

Robert made his Orioles debut yesterday in left field, a position he hadn’t played until this season, and he delivered a two-run double in the third inning. Another new lineup could emerge with Robert moving to center field during the homestand.

The Red Sox are starting three left-handers in the four-game series.

What’s happening with the bullpen?

Félix Bautista wasn’t reinstated from the injured list Tuesday because three appearances on a rehab assignment didn’t satisfy the Orioles.

They’re happy with his health and how he’s recovering from those outings, but he hasn’t pitched in a major league game since July 2025, a month before undergoing surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff.

Prospect Luis De León was introduced to the bullpen Tuesday. Albert Suárez made his latest return to it. Bautista stayed with Triple-A Norfolk, where he pitched again last night and was removed at 26 pitches in two-thirds of an inning. He allowed a hit, walked two and struck out two, and Gerald Ogando let an inherited runner score.

Bautista’s sinker was low-to-mid 90s.

De León surrendered a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning Tuesday to absorb his first major league loss. At 23 years and 140 days old, he became the youngest Orioles pitcher to make his debut since starter Grayson Rodriguez on April 5, 2023 in Texas, and the youngest lefty since Nestor Cortes on March 31, 2018.

Someone will have to go when Bautista is ready. Suárez is the only reliever who can offer real length, but he’s been designated for assignment four times He knows where to find the nearest exits.

Tied to the bullpen question is closer Ryan Helsley, who signed a two-year, $28 million contract to replace Bautista. Helsley is on the injured list for a second time with right elbow inflammation, and the team’s most recent report this week stated only that he’s “continuing his rehabilitation and is currently throwing bullpens.”

Until he’s facing hitters and ready for a rehab assignment, there’s no way to project a possible return date and who’d step aside for him.

Anyone else coming up?

More specifically, would the Orioles consider former first-rounder Enrique Bradfield Jr., who was passed over for Kjerstad?

That’s two different skill sets, of course, but both players bring solid arguments for major league promotions.

Bradfield’s speed and defense are useful tools, but also, he came within a home run of the cycle Wednesday night and was 8-for-20 in his last five games. He had four hits on Aug. 15 and was 8-for-16 in a four-game span.

Going into last night, Bradfield had registered a .360 on-base percentage in 84 games this season., including five each with Class A Delmarva and High-A Frederick. He had 35 steals in 40 attempts.

What can the Orioles expect from Kyle Bradish in September?

Bradish has the stuff to be an ace and he’s resembled one over stretches of his career, especially during the 2023 season when he finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting. He logged 168 2/3 innings while posting a 2.83 ERA and 1.043 WHIP in 30 starts. He was on the mound for Game 1 of the Division Series.

That’s an ace.

Bradish’s career took a massive hit with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that required reconstructive surgery on June 19, 2024. He totaled 14 starts and 71 1/3 innings from 2024-25 and has become a durable figure on the staff this season with 27 appearances and 148 innings.

The Orioles arranged to give Bradish an extra day of rest Tuesday night in Colorado and he responded with two runs and six hits allowed over five innings. The Rockies pushed his pitch count to 95.

Bradish has allowed 12 earned runs and 14 total in his last three starts over 15 innings. The Orioles aren’t off until Sept. 10, and he’s pitching again Sunday in the series finale against the Red Sox at Camden Yards.

How much is left in the tank?

“I’ve been feeling great,” Bradish told the media Tuesday night. “September now, so however you’re feeling, you just got to put that aside. But me personally, I feel really good.” 

How will Henderson finish?

No amount of number twisting and turning can make Henderson’s season appear more palatable. However, he’s had moments that are remindful of his Rookie of the Year and All-Star campaigns.

They just aren’t sustained. They aren’t links in a long chain of successes.

Henderson hit .245/.377/.447 in 28 games in August, tied for his highest average in any month this season and his highest on-base percentage and OPS. That’s the good.

Threats are made to go on a lengthy tear. Henderson went 3-for-5 with a double and home run on Aug. 11 after beginning the month 2-for-25, was hitless in five plate appearances on Aug. 12 – walking twice – and went 4-for-4 with a double and home run on the 14th.

He’s back, right? That’s what a lot of people were saying and writing.

Henderson was 9-for-49 with one RBI before his 4-for-4 outburst with one triple, two homers and five RBIs in the series finale in Sacramento.

He’s back, right?

Henderson went 1-for-12 in Colorado. He lined out yesterday at 105.6 mph with two runners on base and one out in the seventh inning.

A red-hot Henderson would provide a huge lift down the stretch, perhaps high enough to clear whichever team is occupying the third Wild Card.  

How will the Orioles finish?

OK, we must circle back to it.

Even a casual observer understands the importance of the next two series, and especially with Cleveland being the team that the Orioles are chasing for the third Wild Card.

The next road trip takes the Orioles to Rogers Centre and Citi Field. The last homestand pits the Orioles against the Brewers and Blue Jays, followed by a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

“Definitely excited,” Albernaz told the media yesterday. “All of our guys are excited. That’s why we play the 162-game season., and to come down to the final stretch, and it’s against division opponents, against contenders, that’s what you want. Any competitor will tell you that.”

The Orioles are starting Brandon Young tonight, Shane Baz Friday, Chris Bassitt Saturday and Bradish Sunday. The Red Sox are starting Jake Bennett, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray and Payton Tolle.