Orioles head west for crucial three-game series against injury-riddled Athletics
The Baltimore Orioles enter the final weekend of August with very little margin for error.
Baltimore opens a three-game series against the Athletics on Friday night at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, beginning a stretch against two of the worst teams in baseball that could determine whether the Orioles remain legitimate contenders in the American League wild-card race.
The Orioles enter Friday at 65-69, while the Athletics sit at 53-81. Baltimore is coming off a 7-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday that prevented an Orioles sweep. More importantly, the defeat left Baltimore roughly three games outside the final AL wild-card position with barely a month remaining in the regular season.
This is the type of series the Orioles simply cannot afford to waste.
Baltimore plays three games against the Athletics before moving on to Colorado. The Orioles then enter a far more difficult September schedule, meaning six games against struggling Oakland and Colorado represent one of their best opportunities to gain ground quickly.
Series schedule
Friday, Aug. 28 — 9:40 p.m. ET
Baltimore Orioles at Athletics
Brandon Young vs. Jacob Lopez
TV: MASN
Saturday, Aug. 29 — 10:05 p.m. ET
Baltimore Orioles at Athletics
Shane Baz vs. Jack Perkins
TV: MASN
Sunday, Aug. 30 — 4:05 p.m. ET
Baltimore Orioles at Athletics
Chris Bassitt vs. Jeffrey Springs
TV: MASN
All three games will be played at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. MLB lists Young, Baz and Bassitt as Baltimore’s scheduled starters for the weekend, while the Athletics’ projected rotation matches the pitching assignments shown by ESPN entering the series.
Game 1: Brandon Young vs. Jacob Lopez
Friday might feature Baltimore’s biggest pitching advantage of the weekend.
Brandon Young:
9-3
3.50 ERA
1.36 WHIP
123.1 innings
99 strikeouts
Jacob Lopez:
5-4
4.98 ERA
1.48 WHIP
94 innings
90 strikeouts
Young has quietly developed into one of the Orioles’ most reliable starters this season.
A 9-3 record jumps off the page, but the 3.50 ERA through 123.1 innings matters more. Young has given Baltimore stability at a point in the season when nearly every start carries postseason implications.
Opponents are hitting .259 against Young, and he has allowed 48 earned runs in his 123.1 innings.
Baltimore should also have an opportunity offensively against Lopez.
The Athletics left-hander enters with a 4.98 ERA, having surrendered 92 hits and 52 earned runs over 94 innings. His 47 walks suggest Baltimore’s hitters should make him work rather than expand the strike zone early in counts.
ESPN Analytics gives Baltimore a 52.5% chance to win Friday, according to the matchup information supplied to MSB.
That number feels almost conservative considering the pitching matchup.
For Baltimore, the key is getting Young an early lead. A team fighting for a playoff spot cannot allow a 53-win opponent to hang around deep into the game.
Game 2: Shane Baz vs. Jack Perkins
Saturday provides a fascinating contrast.
Shane Baz:
4-14
4.04 ERA
1.35 WHIP
151.1 innings
135 strikeouts
Jack Perkins:
3-9
6.68 ERA
1.48 WHIP
90.1 innings
104 strikeouts
Do not let Baz’s 4-14 record completely define his season.
Baltimore has struggled repeatedly to provide him with run support, contributing to one of the strangest win-loss records in the Orioles rotation.
Baz has pitched 151.1 innings with a 4.04 ERA and 135 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .264 against him.
His last start offered another example.
Baz allowed three runs against Tampa Bay on Aug. 23, but Baltimore scored only once in a 3-1 loss. The Orioles had scored two runs or fewer in nine of his previous 12 starts, and Baz remained winless over that 12-start span.
That should not happen Saturday.
Perkins enters with a 6.68 ERA.
He has allowed 96 hits and 67 earned runs in just 90.1 innings while walking 38 hitters. His strikeout total — 104 — shows that he has legitimate swing-and-miss stuff, but his command and overall consistency have been major problems.
ESPN Analytics gives Baltimore a 59.6% chance to win Saturday.
This is arguably the game Baltimore’s offense needs to attack most aggressively.
Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo, Gunnar Henderson and the rest of the lineup cannot let Perkins settle into the game.
Game 3: Chris Bassitt vs. Jeffrey Springs
Baltimore closes the series Sunday afternoon with another favorable matchup on paper.
Chris Bassitt:
5-4
4.74 ERA
1.55 WHIP
74 innings
Jeffrey Springs:
3-12
6.08 ERA
1.50 WHIP
118.1 innings
Bassitt’s season numbers do not tell the entire story.
The veteran right-hander recently returned from back surgery and delivered one of his strongest outings of the season Tuesday in St. Louis.
Bassitt worked 6⅔ innings, allowed one run on six hits, struck out five and did not issue a walk as Baltimore blasted the Cardinals 13-1. It was only his third start since returning from surgery.
If Bassitt can reproduce anything close to that performance Sunday, Baltimore should have another substantial opportunity.
Springs has struggled badly.
The veteran left-hander enters at 3-12 with a 6.08 ERA. He has surrendered 128 hits and 80 earned runs over 118.1 innings while issuing 49 walks. Opponents are batting .273 against him.
ESPN Analytics gives Baltimore a 58.7% chance to win the finale.
On paper, all three pitching matchups favor Baltimore.
Now the Orioles have to capitalize.
Pete Alonso remains the centerpiece of Baltimore’s offense
Baltimore’s lineup continues to revolve around Pete Alonso.
Through 132 games, Alonso is hitting .276 with a .364 on-base percentage and .512 slugging percentage. He leads the Orioles with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs.
He also enters this series swinging a hot bat.
Alonso went 4-for-4 Tuesday against St. Louis with a home run, double, four RBIs and two runs scored in Baltimore’s 13-1 victory.
That is the type of middle-of-the-order production Baltimore needs during this stretch.
The Athletics’ pitching staff has been among baseball’s worst. Oakland enters the series with a team ERA around 5.47, compared with Baltimore’s 4.17 mark.
This should be an opportunity for Baltimore’s offense to put together multiple big innings.
Coby Mayo is becoming increasingly important
Coby Mayo also deserves attention entering the weekend.
Thursday’s loss looked headed toward a blowout before Mayo launched a three-run homer that brought Baltimore back into the game.
Gunnar Henderson followed with an RBI double, and suddenly the Orioles had turned a 5-0 deficit into a competitive contest before ultimately falling 7-5.
Mayo’s season has included plenty of swing-and-miss — his strikeout rate remains high — but his power is undeniable.
He enters the weekend slugging .434, with home runs accounting for nearly 5% of his plate appearances.
Baltimore does not need Mayo to become a .300 hitter.
It needs him to punish mistakes.
Against Oakland’s struggling pitching staff, there should be plenty of opportunities.
Gunnar Henderson still capable of changing the series
Gunnar Henderson has not produced the dominant offensive season Orioles fans hoped for, but he remains one of Baltimore’s most dangerous hitters.
Henderson enters the weekend batting .219 with a .302 on-base percentage and .392 slugging percentage.
Those numbers are well below the standard he established earlier in his career.
Still, his RBI double Thursday showed how quickly he can impact a game.
A productive September from Henderson would dramatically change the complexion of Baltimore’s lineup.
The Orioles do not necessarily need one player to carry them. With Alonso, Mayo, Henderson, Samuel Basallo and others capable of hitting for power, they need consistent contributions throughout the order.
Oakland’s season has fallen apart
The Athletics were not always this bad.
Oakland reached 38-38 earlier in the season before collapsing to 53-81 entering Friday.
Injuries have played a major role.
Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom have all dealt with significant injuries, and several have been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Wilson was recently moved to the 60-day injured list after shoulder problems derailed his sophomore season. He finished his year hitting .266/.298/.388 with seven home runs.
Kurtz was also transferred to the 60-day injured list.
The result is an Athletics lineup that looks considerably different from the one the organization envisioned entering the season.
Oakland is essentially spending the final month evaluating players for 2027.
Baltimore does not have that luxury.
Do not overlook the Athletics
There is one danger for the Orioles.
Oakland may be 28 games under .500, but it has actually played better recently.
The Athletics won two of three against Minnesota immediately before this series and had also taken two games from Houston during the previous weekend.
That makes this a classic trap series.
Baltimore has playoff aspirations.
Oakland has very little to lose.
Young players fighting for jobs can be dangerous in August and September, particularly against a team feeling postseason pressure.
The Orioles cannot simply show up in Sacramento and expect three victories.
The wild-card implications are enormous
This is what makes the weekend so important.
Baltimore is 65-69.
There are only 28 games remaining after Thursday’s loss.
Cleveland currently occupies the final wild-card position, with Baltimore among several teams chasing the Guardians in a crowded race.
The Orioles are running out of opportunities to make up ground.
A series win in Oakland is helpful.
A sweep could change the entire complexion of the race.
Losing two of three would be devastating.
Getting swept would likely move Baltimore to the edge of postseason irrelevance.
That sounds dramatic, but this is what late-August baseball looks like when a team enters four games below .500.
Baltimore needs to take advantage of the schedule
The Athletics are followed by the Colorado Rockies.
Baltimore may not see a stretch this favorable again.
After Colorado, September presents more dangerous opponents and direct competition with clubs involved in the playoff race. Camden Chat noted that Baltimore’s upcoming six-game trip through Oakland and Colorado represents a particularly important opportunity before the schedule becomes more difficult.
There is no trophy for beating bad teams.
There are simply wins.
And Baltimore desperately needs them.
Three keys to the series
Score early. Oakland’s projected starters carry ERAs of 4.98, 6.68 and 6.08. Baltimore should not spend six innings waiting for the offense to wake up.
Get length from the rotation. Young has been reliable, Baz has pitched better than his record suggests and Bassitt looked excellent Tuesday. Six-plus innings from each would prevent the bullpen from becoming overworked during a long West Coast trip.
Play with urgency. The Athletics can approach this series as an evaluation opportunity. Baltimore cannot. Every game affects the Orioles’ dwindling postseason chances.
MSB prediction
Friday: Orioles win
Young gives Baltimore the pitching advantage, and the lineup should generate enough offense against Lopez.
Saturday: Orioles win
Baz finally gets some run support against Perkins and his 6.68 ERA.
Sunday: Orioles win
Bassitt builds on his tremendous outing in St. Louis and Baltimore takes advantage of another struggling Oakland starter.
MSB series prediction: Orioles sweep, 3-0
MSB Take
There really is no excuse here.
The Orioles are trying to make the playoffs. The Athletics are 53-81, missing several of their most important players and starting three pitchers with ERAs of 4.98, 6.68 and 6.08.
Baltimore is favored by ESPN Analytics in all three games — 52.5% Friday, 59.6% Saturday and 58.7% Sunday — and the Orioles have the better starting pitcher on paper in every matchup.
That does not mean Oakland will simply hand Baltimore three wins.
The Athletics have won consecutive series and their young players are playing for future jobs. That is exactly why Baltimore needs to attack this series with urgency instead of assuming the wins will come.
The Orioles have spent much of 2026 hovering around the wild-card race without ever completely seizing control of their season. Somehow, despite being four games under .500, they remain close enough to make September meaningful.
But eventually a contender has to start winning games it is supposed to win.
This weekend qualifies.
Taking two of three should be considered the minimum.
A sweep is what Baltimore really needs.
If the Orioles want to make one final postseason push, West Sacramento would be a very good place to start.
