First baseman Pete Alonso walked into the clubhouse this afternoon, cut through the large media contingent and said, “OK, let’s tear off the Band-Aid.”

Players knew that they’d be asked about the trade deadline and losing three popular teammates – catcher Adley Rutschman, left fielder Taylor Ward and reliever Tyler Wells. The reactions, of course, but also the level of confidence that the Orioles can make the playoffs.

“Obviously, those guys are great talents, but for who they are as people and teammates, yeah, obviously, we’re gonna miss them as human beings,” Alonso said. “Those guys are unbelievable professionals and talents and we will miss them.”

Alonso already was trying to move on, citing the additions of catcher Carlos Narváez from the Red Sox in the Rutschman deal and Christian Franklin, a young outfielder from the Nationals who’s making his major league debut tonight. But there’s no way to avoid circling back to the departed.

“We still have pieces where we can win,” Alonso said. “There is a world where we do turn it around and really make a step forward. I think obviously you don’t want to be in this situation. This is just consequences of a bunch of small little things that happen over time. And that’s the nature of the business. But unfortunately, it is what it is, losing people and friends and talents, but also, too, we’ve got some pieces that are going to help us win now and long term. That’s just the way it is, unfortunately.”

The news of the Rutschman trade brought conflicting emotions to Alonso. Knew it was a possibility, but also jarring.

“If you’re expected to do something and you fall short, there’s consequences to that, and that’s just the reality of the industry,” he said. “Yes, we’ve lost some good talents, but also we’ve gained some, as well. We have a really special day today. We have a major league debut happening today. That shouldn’t be taken lightly. And for us to pout and kind of be stuck on it, it would be doing this organization a huge disservice because we have a bunch of talented players.

“Yes, Adley, Ward and Wellsy and Dean (Kremer), those are guys who have meant not just the past, but what’s kind of been going on this year, but we have to turn the page. And that’s just the truth. And we have to play better. We’re still only 2 ½ games out. If I recall, just history, I think it was 2004 when the Red Sox traded away Nomar Garciaparra. They were like, ‘How are you going to win without him?’ And hopefully we’re one of those special cases where we can find a way to the playoffs and make some noise and go on a special run.”

Colton Cowser was walking into a movie theatre with Rutchman and a few other teammates yesterday when the three-time All-Star received a call about the trade.

“There was some shock there,” Cowser said. “You could kind of see it on his face that something might have been brewing up. I guess you could say there’s a little bit of shock factor.

“It was pretty emotional yesterday. I think that the initial shock of it was something that was tough to see. Definitely some sadness there, and all I could do was give him a hug and tell him that I’m here for him and I love him. So yeah, it was obviously tough.”

Cowser stays away from social media during the season but he logged in and got caught up on the rumors. He had dinner with Rutschman Sunday night. And then yesterday arrived and it got a lot worse.

Cowser worked to control his emotions as he spoke. The jovial side of his personality was shelved.

“Obviously, it was an interesting day,” he said. “One where, as a player, you look inward and you think there’s probably a lot more that we as players could have done to prevent something like that from happening. Just overall, it sucks to see a lot of our guys go. It’s just one of those things, that’s part of the game. It’s something where you look inward and you feel as if you can be at fault as a player, wanting to keep a lot of your best friends here, and that’s just how it panned out.”

Cowser said Rutschman meant a lot to him as a teammate and a friend. They could relate to being first-round picks and the pressure that comes with that stature. They had lots in common, including games of Cribbage at a table near their lockers.

“He’s an exceptional talent, can hit from both sides of the plate, exceptional on defense, and someone who’s been anchoring this team for the past 4 ½ years,” Cowser said. “He’s truly going to be missed here. And as a friend, he’s someone who I’ve grown really close with. He’s gonna be in my wedding, and someone I’m gonna miss dearly on a day-to-day basis. So you know, on the human side, that’s the part that sucks. It’s not getting to see him every day. But you know he’s going to do great things, and I’ll always be in his corner.

“Yeah, gonna miss him.”

Players tried to stay focused on the original goal. They want to be playing in October and believe they weren’t denied the opportunity in spite of yesterday’s moves.

“It wasn’t a complete overhaul, it wasn’t a complete gutting, even though, yes, there are some important pieces gone,” Alonso said.

“There’s gonna be some pieces that are helping us this year and beyond, and for the health and better of the organization, Mike (Elias) is doing the best he can. And ultimately, where we’re at, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and accept the consequences because, yes, we are out of a Wild Card spot, yes, our record is what it is. Coaches and front office, they aren’t out there playing the game. We are as players. So we needed to do a better job to kind of justify some things and go out, be big buyers. And we didn’t necessarily earn that fully, you know?”

Elias and manager Craig Albernaz spoke to the team earlier today.

Asked about Elias’ message, Alonso said, “Obviously, there’s some huge personal attachment to guys that have been here, especially the guys that have been here a long time, but Mike said, ‘I have a job, I have to do what I think is best for the organization. Not just at the big league level, not just now but for years to come. … We could have been him in a little bit better spot.

“So the message he sent, he’s like, still believe in your guys, you guys are still a great team. The expectation is still to go to the playoffs and still go on a run. Our starting pitching’s been excellent. Our offense has been pretty good throughout the year. And I think for us, if you combine that, play better defense, close out some games, we’ll be in a great spot. I think we have 50 games left, and what a time for us to go on a run.”

Cowser relayed how Elias said he’s got “belief in this room and this clubhouse.”

“It’s a tough part of his job is making decisions like that for the future landscape of this organization,” Cowser said.

“The record’s not there where it needs to be and it puts Mike in a tough position. He felt like he had to do what he had to do for, like I said, the future landscape of this organization.”

Alonso said the team appreciated the directness of the message and received it relatively well, considering the emotions bubbling at the surface.

“The harshness of yesterday obviously is fresh for a lot of guys, but I think honesty is best policy,” Alonso said. “There’s no kind of pitter patter around the bush. … We’d rather have a straight up answer than just kind of have like something of less substance.

“Being part of multiple trade deadlines, for us, you have to trust Mike because he’s the overseer, so to speak, of everything. And we could have as players done a better job to help support him to get some more, but guess what? We didn’t do that, and we need to be better.”

They also had to accept how the Orioles veered far to the seller side while 2 ½ games back in the Wild Card race.

“It’s a little weird,” said Jackson Holliday. “I don’t really know how to exactly, really what to think about it. It’s just I guess the business of baseball. I’m probably not the best person to answer that question, but it’s a little weird to look and think about, but we have to go out there and play and compete tonight.”

The Orioles begin a three-game series tonight against the Angels before embarking on a three-city road trip. Perhaps they’ll be within one game of .500 when packing for Texas.

It would seem appropriate in a strange season.

“I think we have a really good clubhouse,” Cowser said. “I think it’s one of those things where you look at it, Boston’s able to go on a run that they have been going on, and what’s keeping us from doing that? I think we as players have fallen short thus far and you’d like to think there’s a lot of good games ahead of us, and all it takes is going on a little bit of a run like that and we’re right where we need to be.”

*Catcher Chadwick Tromp cleared waivers and elected free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment,

*Right-hander Cameron Foster’s rehab assignment has been paused due to bilateral knee discomfort.