The Bat Around

The 2026 Orioles season is officially over, and somehow a team that featured four starting pitchers with 150 innings, a top-10 bullpen and the American League leader in home runs and RBIs still finished 79-82. Paul and Zach look back at a bizarre and disappointing season, from injuries and offensive regression to sloppy defense and missed opportunities. More importantly, Orioles players are speaking candidly about what went wrong behind the scenes, with Chris Bassitt calling for higher standards, greater accountability and changes that reach all the way through the minor-league system. Are the Orioles missing the organizational identity that once defined “The Oriole Way,” and what has to change before 2027?

Sweep the Mets. Get swept by the Brewers. Now on the verge of sweeping the Blue Jays. One step forward, two steps back. That’s been the 2026 Orioles in a nutshell. Now, they’re one Orioles loss or White Sox win away from elimination, with little left to play for besides staying out of last place. Meanwhile, Craig Albernaz is making headlines after publicly calling out his players following two ugly losses. Was he justified, or is the manager avoiding accountability for a team that has played sloppy, fundamentally poor baseball all season? Plus, Pete Alonso leads the American League in home runs and RBI, the Orioles try to salvage some pride down the stretch, and we look ahead to what needs to change in 2027. All that and more tonight on The Bat Around!

What does the future hold for Coby Mayo after another memorable home run? Pete Alonso blasted career homer No. 300 in his return to Citi Field. Can the Polar Bear eventually make a run at 500? Plus, with another MLB labor battle looming, Paul and Zach dive into the collective bargaining agreement and the growing divide between the players and owners. Plus, the Orioles are on the verge of sweeping the Mets and keeping their faint Wild Card hopes alive, but is it too little, too late? That and much more tonight on The Bat Around!

Last Sunday, the Orioles finished off a sweep of the Athletics and headed to Colorado with a chance to finally get back to .500. On Monday, Colton Cowser made one of the most spectacular game-saving catches you’ll ever see, and the Orioles did just that. Since then, everything has fallen apart. The O’s have scored just 13 runs while losing six straight, dropping them four games out of the final Wild Card spot with only 18 games remaining. For all intents and purposes, the season is over. Paul and Zach break down what went wrong, how a season that briefly had life slipped away, and what the Orioles need to do to right the ship in 2027. That and more on The Bat Around!

The Orioles did exactly what they needed to do, sweeping Oakland while nearly everything else in the Wild Card race broke their way. Baltimore is now just one game behind Cleveland for the final AL Wild Card spot with 25 games to play and three more against the Rockies before the schedule gets tougher. Paul and Zach break down the race and what the Orioles need to do the rest of the way. Plus, can Enrique Bradfield Jr. help the Orioles down the stretch? Why his speed, base running, and elite defense could help Baltimore more than his Triple-A OPS suggests. That and more on The Bat Around!