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CHICAGO – With a Wild Card berth no longer a mathematical possibility, official elimination arriving late last night, the Orioles must set other goals over the last few weeks.
Perhaps they can finish in fourth place in the division. Maybe post a non-losing record along the way.
Sights are lowered for a team in the basement.
The Orioles completed their sweep of the White Sox this afternoon with a 3-1 victory before an announced crowd of 10,919 at Rate Field. They return home to play the Yankees and Rays and make their final trip with a weekend series in the Bronx.
That’s a wrap on 2025.
Ten games remain and the Orioles are 72-80. One loss leaves them no better than .500. They’re 1 ½ games behind Tampa Bay, which plays tonight.
The Orioles rebounded from the sweep in Toronto by continuing their dominance of the White Sox, going 6-0 this season and 11-1 since the start of 2024.
Tyler Wells allowed one run in six innings in his penultimate start. Dylan Beavers followed last night’s triple and home run with a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Gunnar Henderson had two more hits and stole a career-high three bases.
Henderson was 6-for-41 this month but he collected five hits in the last two games and pushed his stolen base total to 26.
“He’s one of the most complete players in the big leagues for me in a lot of ways," said interim manager Tony Mansolino. "The power numbers and the home runs and the whole thing will come back next year. He’ll figure out the reason why he’s not hitting home runs and doubles the way he has in the past and he’ll get that solved this winter, and he’ll come back with a vengeance in ’26. And he will do the whole thing. He’ll hit the ball over the fence. He’ll hit the ball in the gaps, and the defense, the baserunning, the at-bats all stay the same, and it will be quite possibly the best player in baseball once it all comes back.”
The Orioles tied the club record with seven steals.
“Credit to the players for being fearless and aggressive," Mansolino said. "And then it’s also a good time to recognize Anthony Sanders. He does such a wonderful job with our baserunners. Everything he does out there, sometimes we don’t notice him because he’s a first base coach. He’s got a lot going on with those seven stolen bases right there. It was a great day for both the players and coach Sanders.”
“I just think Sanders does a really nice job of watching video and getting tips from their pitchers and knowing what to hone in on going into the game, depending on whether it’s a starter or reliever," said Beavers, who swiped his second major league base. "We have a ton of good resources that give you a better clue of where to look and how to get the best jump you can. I think today it just kind of all came together and we were aggressive.”
Wells threw 10 pitches while retiring the side in order in the first. White Sox left-hander Martín Pérez threw 32, with 16 strikes, but allowed only one run.
Henderson reached with two outs on a bloop single to left and advanced to second base on Will Robertson’s fielding error. Tyler O’Neill walked, they executed a double steal, and Henderson scored on Jeremiah Jackson’s infield hit.
Jackson has 21 RBIs in 40 games.
Pérez threw only eight pitches in the second and he retired eight in a row. Mayo singled with one out in the fourth and Beavers reached the right field seats at 107 mph for his third major league home run.
Beavers told Mansolino before Tuesday's game that he would shave his head if he didn't contribute. He's homered twice in less than 24 hours.
"I’m just trying to contribute any way I can, whether it’s playing good defense or getting on base any way I can," he said today. "Had a couple of slow games and I wanted to get back in the mix."
Was he serious about his hair?
"I would have done it, but I mean, I already got a haircut, so I just would have made it shorter," he said, smiling. "I don’t know if I would have gone all the way down but would have buzzed it."
Beavers is batting .277 with an .893 OPS in 27 games.
“He’s good, he’s a good player," Mansolino said. "He just keeps on plugging away. He has good at-bats. He has some at-bats that may not be the best, but by and large they’re way more good than bad in a lot of ways. It’s a big home run there that won us the game and he’s doing great.”
“I think it's impressive," Wells said. "I think the way that he goes about the game is great. I talk with him a lot. I introduced myself whenever he first got drafted and it's kind of always been like a little bit of a bond thing with me and him, where it's just every time that we see each other, we say hello and we talk. And so I just hope that he continues to be able to come to me with anything and talk to me and so far, he hasn't had to do that because he's been just doing a great job and handling his business the right way.”
Jorge Mateo, making a rare start, doubled and stole third base in the fourth, and Pérez exited with left shoulder soreness.
Mike Tauchman homered to lead off the fourth inning, pulling a slider over the right field fence. Wells had escaped trouble in the second after back-to-back singles by Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero, getting Lenyn Sosa to ground into a double play.
Wells retired the last seven batters and left with his pitch count at 89. He allowed four hits, walked none and struck out four, and his ERA is 2.04 in three starts. Three homers have accounted for the four runs against him.
“Another good one," Mansolino said. "It’s a guy that can throw any of his repertoire in any count, any spot. The pitchability is so good, so advanced in a lot of ways. In an era of catchers setting up middle and pitchers throwing just as hard as they can down the middle, Tyler Wells is a little bit of a throwback in how he pitches. He’s been really good so far.”
“Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better return so far," Wells said. "Really just trying to kind of focus on staying within myself, controlling the game. I know I can go out there and I can control the ball and, yeah, it's showing and I think that that's kind of the biggest takeaway so far of everything.”
Mansolino said it was “all hands on deck” in the bullpen, and Yaramil Hiraldo followed his 1 1/3 scoreless innings last night by retiring the side in order in the seventh. Rico Garcia and Keegan Akin also worked in consecutive games. Garcia retired his three batters and Akin recorded his seventh save.
Mansolino has reached the four-month mark in his new role with his record improving to 57-52. He’s unsure whether he fits in the team’s plans for 2026, but a strong finish is important under any circumstances.
Asked twice today what he’s learned from the experience, his response didn’t change.
“The most visible thing is what happens in the game, right?” he said. “The bullpen moves and the pinch-hitting and win-losses, as it should be in a lot of ways. But I think probably the most important thing for a major league manager is actually what’s going on in the building, what’s going on in the clubhouse, what’s going on with his staff, the connection and collaboration, front office, down through coaches and players. The culture you create on the team. The freedom and looseness that you try to get your team to play with.
“To the fans and the people in the stadium, what’s on the field, what’s on the grass and the dirt they probably think is the most important, but I promise you the leadership and culture part far outweigh the actual in-game stuff for me personally. But you need to win, so you better do the stuff on the field the right way, too.”
More games against the White Sox would lessen the challenge.
* Catcher Gary Sánchez is on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk and Mansolino said there are “a lot of moving parts with that right now” regarding the veteran’s return.
“I think over the next few days we’ll see how his rehab goes and how he’s feeling and everything that’s kind of associated with that, and then we’ll probably go from there.”
* Adley Rutschman started his rehab assignment today with Norfolk. He’s catching Game 1 of a doubleheader.
* The Braves claimed reliever Carson Ragsdale on waivers from the Orioles.
