The math is impossible to ignore. The Orioles aren’t going to make the playoffs this year. After a 3-4 homestand against the Tigers and Astros, they’re four games back of the Mariners with just 10 games left to play. And since the M’s hold the tiebreaker in the event the two teams finish with the same record, the O’s are essentially five games back. Realistically, it’s just not going to happen, unless the Mariners keep blowing nine-run leads every night.
That doesn’t mean the Orioles have nothing to play for. With just under two weeks remaining in the season, they’re on the brink of clinching a winning record, which would be their first since 2016.