The Baltimore Orioles will be taking aim at the third and final American League wild-card berth Friday night when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays for the start of a three-game series.
The Orioles (71-76) enhanced their chances when they defeated the Cleveland Guardians 9-5 on Wednesday night in the rubber match of a three-game series to finish a 2-5 homestand.
The Blue Jays (73-74) completed a 5-4 road trip with a 2-0 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday in West Sacramento, Calif.
The results left the Guardians with the third wild-card berth, one game ahead of the Blue Jays, two games in front of the Texas Rangers (who lost 4-3 to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday) and three games ahead of the Orioles.
The Orioles are trying to overcome a 2-7 start to September.
“We’re still in it,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said. “Our record is not where we want it, but we’re still in the fight. Our guys show to be resilient pretty much every step of the way this season. Yeah, (a 9-5 loss on Tuesday) was tough, but the boys came out and responded (Wednesday).”
The Orioles were without shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who had a sore right knee, and utility player Blaze Alexander, who went on the injured list with a back issue. To compound matters, they fell behind 2-0 in the first inning before rallying with eight runs in the third.
“When we play our best, we can beat anybody,” said left fielder Dylan Beavers, who was 2-for-5 with three RBIs on Wednesday. “It’s just about taking it game to game. Winning 15 games is tough. But if you try and win one game every day, it feels a lot more manageable.”
Baltimore is scheduled to start former Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (6-5, 4.96 ERA) in the opener. He is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays, for whom he pitched in 2023-25. He is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA in one start against them this season.
Veteran right-hander Max Scherzer (2-7, 6.03) is listed as Toronto’s probable starter. He has not faced the Orioles this season. He has made 18 starts against Baltimore in his career, with a 7-4 record and a 3.54 ERA.
Scherzer is 1-3 with a 3.76 ERA in eight starts since coming off the injured list on July 27. He has struck out 34 and walked 16 over 40 2/3 innings. In his last outing, he allowed three runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the host Kansas City Royals on Sept. 5.
The Blue Jays, who lead the season series 4-3, will visit Baltimore for a three-game series Sept. 21-23.
Losing two of three to the Athletics left them frustrated, especially being blanked on six hits by five pitchers in the finale.
“It was a frustrating way to end the otherwise pretty good road trip,” Toronto manager John Schneider said Wednesday.
The Blue Jays won two of three in both Cleveland and Kansas City before dropping the series in West Sacramento.
“I thought (the energy level) was fine,” Schneider said. “This is a tough place to play. It’s the ninth game of a tough road trip and it’s definitely a different atmosphere here, but I thought the guys were ready to play and just didn’t get it done today.”
The lack of a key hit — a recurring problem this season — cropped up when the Blue Jays stranded seven runners despite going 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was again a focal point. With runners at first and third with one out in the fifth, he bounced back to the pitcher to start an inning-ending double play.
Guerrero is batting .222 with a .489 OPS, no extra base hits and one RBI, in seven games since hitting his eighth homer of the season at Cleveland on Sept. 2. The Blue Jays had hoped that blast in a five-RBI game would mark a turning point for the first baseman.
–Field Level Media
