The Orioles aren’t good. The Phillies are good. We’ll see if the obvious happens.
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The Orioles have 50 games to play between now and season’s end. Every one of them will be another little test to see how well the core players can help to restore good feelings about the team heading into next season. Every one will offer a different test to players who are more on the fringe of that picture, or maybe who aren’t in the picture at all, to see if they can play themselves into deserving roles on that team.
The key for me is that I don’t want to see the Orioles wasting this period of time by handing out playing time to jabronis about whom there’s not even really any hope for 2026. The team is not meeting this standard up to this point. Perhaps once we get to the point where players can be called up without burning their rookie eligibility going into next year, that will change.
It’s going to be frustrating up to that point. But at least it’s not like the lineup is full of nobodies. Most games, it will matter, as in Monday’s lineup. We need to see signs of life from seven of the nine batters to feel better about next year. Starting pitcher Cade Povich needs to finish the season strong so he can seem like a back-end rotation option next year rather than a guy who should be like #8 on the depth chart.
Orioles lineup
- Jackson Holliday – 2B
- Jordan Westburg – 3B
- Gunnar Henderson – SS
- Adley Rutschman – C
- Tyler O’Neill – DH
- Jeremiah Jackson – RF
- Colton Cowser – LF
- Coby Mayo – 1B
- Dylan Carlson – CF
Povich is back from the injured list to make the start for the Orioles. The O’s also activated recent waiver claim Vidal Bruján, who I figured would be buried in the minors. The O’s optioned Jordyn Adams as well as Houston Roth to make room for these guys.
Just get Dylan Beavers up here already. Sheesh. Instead, the outfield includes Jeremiah Jackson – a guy I was interested in seeing play, just not in the OF grass – and Dylan Carlson. It’s the wrong Dylan. We need Dylan B. and we got Dylan C. I had that problem in a group project in middle school once.
Phillies lineup
- Trea Turner – SS
- Kyle Schwarber – DH
- Bryce Harper – 1B
- J.T. Realmuto – C
- Nick Castellanos – RF
- Harrison Bader – CF
- Otto Kemp – 3B
- Edmundo Sosa – 2B
- Weston Wilson – LF
Jesús Luzardo is set to start the game for the Phillies.
The 1-5 hitters in this lineup are guys easily recognizable as Phillies, because they’ve been around there a few years and they’ve played a lot. Bader was just acquired ahead of the trade deadline. Those 7-9 hitters are players who’ve been more in reserve roles this season who haven’t been hitting all that well when they have played. Schwarber and Harper are the only well-above-average hitters on the team so far. We’ll see if Povich can navigate this lineup.