Orioles Head to Colorado With Chance to Climb Above .500 as September Playoff Push Begins
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The Baltimore Orioles have spent most of the 2026 season trying to dig themselves out of a hole. Somehow, as the calendar turns to September, they have put themselves right back in the postseason conversation.
Baltimore heads to Coors Field for a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies beginning Monday night. The Orioles enter the series at 68-69, while Colorado sits at 52-85.
The timing could not be much better for Baltimore.
The Orioles are coming off a three-game sweep of the Athletics, capped by an 8-5 comeback victory Sunday. Baltimore has won seven of its last nine games and has climbed within striking distance of the American League wild-card race.
Now comes a series the Orioles simply need to take advantage of.
Colorado has the worst record in baseball, Baltimore is favored by ESPN Analytics in all three games, and the Orioles have favorable pitching matchups throughout the series.
There is another reason for optimism: Baltimore just added former All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr., claiming him off waivers. With rosters expanding in September, Robert gives the Orioles another potentially dangerous bat for the stretch run.
This is no longer about simply finishing the season strong.
The Orioles have given themselves a chance to play meaningful baseball in September.
Orioles Finally Have Momentum
Baltimore’s 8-5 victory Sunday was one of the more encouraging wins of the season.
The Orioles fell behind 5-1 before scoring the final seven runs of the game. Gunnar Henderson delivered a huge afternoon, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a triple and five RBIs. Coby Mayo also hit a three-run homer as Baltimore completed the comeback and finished off the sweep.
It was exactly the type of game the Orioles struggled to win earlier in the season.
Instead of allowing an early deficit to turn into another loss, Baltimore’s offense responded, and the bullpen gave the lineup enough time to take control.
More importantly, Henderson appears to be heating up at exactly the right time.
Baltimore’s lineup becomes significantly more dangerous when Henderson is driving the baseball. Combine a productive Henderson with Mayo’s power and the addition of Robert, and the Orioles suddenly have considerably more upside offensively heading into September.
The Orioles have worked their way back to one game below .500 after being nine games under at the end of June.
Getting back to .500 is no longer the goal.
Getting into the postseason is.
Game 1: Cade Povich vs. Tanner Gordon
Monday, Aug. 31 — 8:40 p.m. ET
Baltimore: LHP Cade Povich — 2-1, 4.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP
Colorado: RHP Tanner Gordon — 1-4, 5.38 ERA, 1.43 WHIP
Baltimore will turn to Cade Povich in the series opener.
Povich has thrown 28 1/3 innings for the Orioles this season and enters with a 4.45 ERA. He recently returned from left elbow inflammation and looked strong during his latest Triple-A outing, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and striking out 11.
Now comes a much different challenge.
Coors Field is one of the toughest places in baseball for a pitcher, particularly one returning to a major league rotation. Povich cannot afford to hand Colorado extra baserunners with walks because a routine inning can unravel quickly in Denver.
The Orioles should have opportunities offensively against Tanner Gordon.
Gordon enters 1-4 with a 5.38 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Baltimore needs to make him work, get into favorable counts and avoid allowing a struggling pitcher to settle into the game.
According to the ESPN Analytics matchup predictor shown before the series, Baltimore has a 59.5 percent chance to win, compared with Colorado’s 40.5 percent.
On paper, this is Baltimore’s game to lose.
Game 2: Kyle Bradish vs. Gabriel Hughes
Tuesday, Sept. 1 — 8:40 p.m. ET
Baltimore: RHP Kyle Bradish — 7-12, 4.03 ERA, 1.41 WHIP
Colorado: RHP Gabriel Hughes — 0-6, 6.61 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
The second game may be Baltimore’s biggest pitching advantage of the series.
Kyle Bradish enters with a 4.03 ERA through 143 innings. His 7-12 record does not necessarily reflect how effectively he has pitched at times this season, and Baltimore should feel comfortable with Bradish on the mound against a struggling Colorado starter.
Gabriel Hughes enters 0-6 with a 6.61 ERA through 47 2/3 innings.
That is a matchup Baltimore’s offense has to exploit.
The Orioles cannot allow Hughes to work five or six comfortable innings. At Coors Field, against a pitcher carrying an ERA over six, Baltimore should be aggressive when pitches are in the strike zone and force Colorado into its bullpen.
ESPN Analytics gives Baltimore a 57.9 percent chance of winning Game 2, compared with 42.1 percent for Colorado.
Tuesday could also provide Orioles fans with their first look at Robert in a Baltimore uniform.
Robert has not produced at the level he did during his best seasons, but there is still significant power and athletic ability there. He was also showing signs of improvement in August.
Baltimore does not need Robert to become the centerpiece of the lineup. If he provides some power, speed and competent production down the stretch, the waiver claim could become a meaningful September addition.
Game 3: Trevor Rogers vs. Tomoyuki Sugano
Wednesday, Sept. 2 — 3:10 p.m. ET
Baltimore: LHP Trevor Rogers — 9-9, 4.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
Colorado: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano — 12-8, 5.23 ERA, 1.36 WHIP
The series finale brings a familiar opponent.
Former Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano is scheduled to face Baltimore after pitching for the Orioles in 2025.
Sugano enters with a strong 12-8 record, but his 5.23 ERA suggests Baltimore should have opportunities against him.
Trevor Rogers counters for the Orioles.
Rogers enters 9-9 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP through 137 2/3 innings. Of Baltimore’s three scheduled starters, Rogers has the lowest WHIP.
ESPN Analytics views the finale as the closest matchup of the series, but Baltimore is still favored at 54.8 percent, compared with Colorado’s 45.2 percent.
Even the game ESPN views as the most competitive still slightly favors Baltimore.
Coors Field Is Never Easy
Colorado’s record cannot become an excuse for Baltimore to relax.
Coors Field has produced strange baseball games for decades. The altitude changes how pitches move, the ball carries exceptionally well and the massive outfield creates opportunities for doubles and triples that might be routine outs elsewhere.
A four-run lead can disappear quickly.
That makes Baltimore’s pitching approach important throughout the series. The Orioles need their starters to limit walks and keep Colorado from putting multiple runners on base ahead of extra-base hits.
Baltimore’s bullpen will also be tested differently than it is in most ballparks.
Manager Craig Albernaz cannot assume a three-run lead in the sixth or seventh inning is safe. The Orioles need to keep attacking offensively even when they get ahead.
Fortunately, Colorado’s pitching staff gives Baltimore plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
The three scheduled Rockies starters enter with ERAs of 5.38, 6.61 and 5.23.
Baltimore should score runs in this series.
Henderson Heating Up at the Right Time
One of the most important developments from the Athletics series was Henderson beginning to look like a difference-maker again.
His performance Sunday was enormous.
Two home runs, a triple, four hits and five RBIs are the type of numbers Henderson is capable of producing when everything is working.
The Orioles have needed that.
Mayo has also provided power, and Robert’s arrival gives Baltimore another player capable of changing a game with one swing.
Suddenly, the lineup looks considerably more dangerous than it did earlier in the summer.
That does not mean all of Baltimore’s offensive problems have disappeared. The Orioles still need better situational hitting and cannot depend entirely on home runs.
But heading to Denver with several power hitters getting hot is certainly not a bad situation.
The Wild-Card Race Changes Everything
A month ago, the idea of discussing Baltimore as a legitimate September playoff contender would have seemed optimistic.
Now the standings have forced the conversation.
The Orioles have climbed back to 68-69 and are within striking distance of the final American League wild-card position.
That makes every game important.
It also makes losing a series against Colorado particularly damaging.
Baltimore’s remaining schedule gets much more difficult after leaving Denver. The Orioles will see several teams that are either holding postseason positions or fighting for them.
That is why these three games matter so much.
The Orioles cannot control what Cleveland or the other wild-card contenders do every night.
They can control what happens against a 52-85 Colorado team.
MSB Take: This Should Be a Sweep
There is no way around it: the Orioles need to win this series.
Winning two of three would technically be a successful road series. Under normal circumstances, taking a series away from Camden Yards is something you take every time.
These are not normal circumstances.
Baltimore is trying to chase down a playoff spot with only September remaining, and the Orioles are facing the worst team in baseball.
This is when good teams take advantage.
The Orioles are favored by ESPN Analytics in all three games. Colorado’s scheduled starting pitchers have ERAs of 5.38, 6.61 and 5.23. Baltimore arrives having swept its previous opponent. Henderson is heating up. Mayo is hitting for power. Robert is joining the club.
Everything is lined up.
That does not mean sweeping Colorado will be easy. Nothing at Coors Field is easy. The Rockies are still major league hitters, and one bad pitching inning in Denver can completely change a game.
But Baltimore cannot spend September looking back at games it gave away against teams buried in the standings.
Two wins should be the floor. Three should be the target.
A sweep would send the Orioles out of Colorado at 71-69, guarantee that they leave the series above .500 and potentially put them in a playoff position depending on what happens elsewhere.
Think about where this team was two months ago.
Now Baltimore has a chance to enter the heart of September above .500 and fighting for October.
The Orioles have already done the difficult part by dragging themselves back into the race.
Now they have to finish the job.
MSB series prediction: Orioles win two of three — but this is a series Baltimore should be trying to sweep.
