Orioles Head to Queens for Critical Three-Game Series Against Mets
The Baltimore Orioles have reached the point of the season where almost every game feels like a must-win, and that makes their three-game trip to Citi Field especially important. Baltimore opens a series against the New York Mets on Monday night after dropping two of three games to the Toronto Blue Jays, including an ugly 8-1 loss Sunday. The Orioles enter Monday at 72-78 and have only 12 games remaining in the regular season.
Baltimore remains within striking distance of the final American League Wild Card position, but the margin for error has almost disappeared. The Orioles are four games out of a postseason spot and need to start stacking victories rather than simply winning an occasional series. That makes facing a Mets team sitting at 69-80 an opportunity Baltimore cannot afford to waste.
The series also carries several fascinating storylines beyond the standings. Pete Alonso returns to Citi Field for the first time as an opposing player and enters the series sitting on 299 career home runs. Meanwhile, Baltimore must continue its postseason chase without Kyle Bradish, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with lower abdominal discomfort.
Orioles Need to Forget What Happened in Toronto
Baltimore had a chance to build momentum in Toronto but instead lost two of three games and ended the series with one of its most frustrating offensive performances of the season. The Orioles loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning Sunday against Dylan Cease but failed to score, and that became a preview of the afternoon. Baltimore eventually went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners in the 8-1 defeat.
Toronto broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth when George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto hit three consecutive home runs against Trevor Rogers. Baltimore never recovered, and Toronto added four runs in the eighth to turn the game into a blowout. The loss dropped the Orioles to 72-78 and gave Toronto the season-series tiebreaker over Baltimore.
That performance highlighted the issue Baltimore must correct immediately in New York. The Orioles are still capable of creating scoring opportunities, but simply putting runners on base means little when those runners continually remain stranded. With only 12 games left, Baltimore does not have enough time to wait for the offense to rediscover its consistency.
Kyle Bradish Goes on the Injured List
Baltimore’s rotation took another hit Sunday when Bradish was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower abdominal discomfort. The timing effectively ends his regular season because there are fewer than 15 days remaining before Baltimore’s Sept. 27 finale. The Orioles recalled right-handed reliever Yaramil Hiraldo from Triple-A Norfolk to take Bradish’s spot on the active roster.
Bradish finishes his regular season 7-14 with a 4.12 ERA across 29 starts. He had struggled recently, allowing at least five earned runs in three of his previous nine starts while failing to complete five innings five times during that stretch. Bradish nevertheless provided Baltimore with 155 innings this season after making only six starts in 2025 following Tommy John surgery.
The injury creates a significant problem beyond this Mets series because Baltimore still has difficult games remaining against Milwaukee, Toronto and the New York Yankees. Bradish had been scheduled to pitch again later this week, so the Orioles will have to determine how to replace his turn through the rotation. If Baltimore somehow reaches the postseason, Bradish could potentially become eligible to return, but getting there is now the immediate challenge.
Game One: Brandon Young vs. Jonah Tong
Baltimore will give the ball to Brandon Young in Monday’s 7:10 p.m. series opener. Young enters the game 9-4 with a 3.71 ERA, giving the Orioles one of their better pitching matchups of the series. New York counters with rookie right-hander Jonah Tong, who enters at 2-1 with a 4.80 ERA.
Young’s job is relatively straightforward: keep Baltimore in the game long enough for the offense to attack an inexperienced pitcher. The Orioles desperately need length from their starters with Bradish gone and a demanding final two weeks ahead. Getting six or more competitive innings from Young would also allow Baltimore to avoid overworking its bullpen at the beginning of the series.
Tong presents an interesting challenge despite his limited major-league experience. The 23-year-old has shown enough ability to earn an opportunity in the Mets rotation, and Baltimore cannot afford to treat his 4.80 ERA as an invitation to coast offensively. After Sunday’s failure with runners in scoring position, the Orioles need aggressive but disciplined at-bats whenever Tong gives them an opening.
The first game could ultimately establish the direction of the entire series. Baltimore does not want to immediately put itself in a position where it must win the final two games simply to take a series from a team well below .500. With Young on the mound and the Orioles still trying to recover from Sunday’s loss, Monday is a game Baltimore should approach with postseason urgency.
Game Two: Shane Baz vs. Sean Manaea
Tuesday’s second game brings a much different pitching matchup. Baltimore is scheduled to start right-hander Shane Baz, who enters at 6-15 with a 4.05 ERA over 169 innings according to the pitching information provided for the matchup. New York is expected to counter with veteran left-hander Sean Manaea, who enters at 5-7 with a 4.79 ERA.
Baz’s 6-15 record looks ugly, but wins and losses alone do not tell the entire story of a starting pitcher’s season. His 4.05 ERA is respectable enough that Baltimore should have an opportunity to win if the offense gives him support. What the Orioles cannot afford is another game in which the starter keeps them close while the lineup repeatedly leaves runners on base.
Facing Manaea gives Baltimore an opportunity to attack a veteran left-hander who has not dominated this season. His experience, however, means Orioles hitters will need to avoid chasing and allowing him to control the pace of the game. Baltimore’s right-handed bats could become especially important in this matchup.
Tuesday is also Roberto Clemente Day throughout Major League Baseball. The Orioles and Mets will play at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field, with MASN and SNY carrying the game. For Baltimore, however, the focus will remain entirely on finding another victory during a playoff race that is quickly reaching its conclusion.
Game Three: Chris Bassitt vs. Robert Stock
The series concludes Wednesday night with Chris Bassitt scheduled for Baltimore against Robert Stock. Bassitt enters the matchup 7-5 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 90 1/3 innings, while Stock is 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over 30 1/3 innings. On paper, this is another matchup Baltimore’s offense should be capable of exploiting.
Stock’s 5.93 ERA and 1.75 WHIP suggest opportunities should be available. The Orioles cannot repeat what happened Sunday, when they continually created traffic without producing the decisive hit. If Baltimore gets runners into scoring position Wednesday, the lineup needs to turn those opportunities into runs rather than allowing another struggling pitcher to escape.
Bassitt will also have an interesting storyline against his former organization. He pitched for the Mets in 2022 before eventually moving on, and Baltimore will be asking him to provide an important start at Citi Field. With Bradish unavailable, veterans such as Bassitt become even more important to the stability of Baltimore’s rotation.
Wednesday’s game begins at 7:10 p.m. and is scheduled for national coverage on ESPN in addition to the ESPN App. Depending on what happens Monday and Tuesday, it could be the difference between Baltimore leaving New York with a sweep, a series victory or another damaging series loss.
Pete Alonso Returns to Citi Field
No player will receive more attention during this series than Alonso. The longtime Mets star signed a five-year, $155 million contract with Baltimore last offseason after spending his first seven major-league seasons in New York. He played 1,008 games for the Mets, making his return to Citi Field in an Orioles uniform one of the most interesting individual storylines of Baltimore’s season.
Alonso could make the return even more memorable because he enters Monday with 299 career home runs. One swing would give him No. 300, and accomplishing the milestone at the stadium where he became one of baseball’s premier power hitters would make for a remarkable moment. He also reached 100 RBIs for the season during Sunday’s loss in Toronto.
The Orioles need more than a sentimental homecoming from Alonso. They need his power in the middle of the lineup as they attempt to rescue their season. Baltimore’s offensive inconsistency makes Alonso’s ability to change a game with one swing especially important over these final 12 games.
Mets Are Playing Spoiler
New York’s record makes this look like an easy series, but Baltimore would be making a major mistake by treating it that way. The Mets have played much better baseball since early August despite falling out of serious postseason contention. New York is 22-14 since Aug. 3 and has won series against several contending clubs during that stretch.
The Mets recently showed that ability against the Yankees. New York won 12-2 on Saturday behind seven strong innings from rookie Zac Thornton before dropping Sunday’s game. Interim manager Andy Green has also expressed confidence that his young players are not intimidated by games carrying a postseason atmosphere.
That makes New York exactly the kind of opponent capable of damaging Baltimore’s season. The Mets can play aggressively because they have little to lose, while every Orioles mistake carries postseason consequences. Baltimore must create its own urgency rather than expecting New York’s record to produce easy victories.
Baltimore Must Find Its Offense
The biggest question surrounding Baltimore remains whether the offense can become consistent enough to support the pitching staff. Sunday’s 1-for-12 showing with runners in scoring position demonstrated just how quickly an otherwise competitive game can get away. Baltimore tied Toronto in the fifth before three consecutive home runs immediately changed everything.
Strikeouts also became a major issue Sunday, with Cease recording nine in five innings. Baltimore forced him to throw plenty of pitches but failed to turn that workload into enough runs. Working counts only matters when someone eventually delivers the hit that brings runners home.
The Orioles need more production throughout the order rather than depending on one or two hitters. Alonso can provide power, but Baltimore also needs its younger hitters to extend innings, make productive outs and avoid empty at-bats with runners in scoring position. September baseball frequently comes down to execution rather than raw talent, and that is where Baltimore has fallen short too often lately.
Young Pitching Has to Step Forward
Bradish’s injury puts additional responsibility on Young, Baz and the rest of Baltimore’s available rotation. Young has a chance to provide exactly what Baltimore needs Monday with his 9-4 record and 3.71 ERA. A strong opening performance could settle the pitching staff and give the bullpen a chance to recover after the Toronto series.
Baz will then be asked to provide innings Tuesday despite a difficult win-loss record. Bassitt gets Wednesday and has the veteran experience to handle the pressure of a meaningful September start. The Orioles no longer have the luxury of assuming Bradish will make another regular-season turn.
Baltimore’s bullpen becomes equally important because the rotation cannot afford short starts. Hiraldo has been recalled to add another arm after Bradish went to the injured list, but he owns a 5.87 ERA across seven relief appearances this season. Craig Albernaz will have to carefully manage his bullpen with nine more games still waiting after the Mets series.
The Schedule Gets Much Harder After New York
This is what makes the Mets series so important. After leaving Citi Field, Baltimore returns home for three games against a Milwaukee Brewers team that has been among baseball’s best clubs this season. The Orioles then host Toronto for three games before finishing the regular season with three games at Yankee Stadium.
There are no easy stretches remaining after New York. Toronto already owns the season-series advantage over Baltimore, and the Yankees will present another difficult challenge on the final weekend. If Baltimore leaves Queens having lost two of three, the mathematical path to a Wild Card berth could become extraordinarily narrow.
That is why winning two games should be considered the minimum goal. A sweep would dramatically improve Baltimore’s position and give the club momentum heading into the final nine games. The Orioles have reached the stage where simply playing respectable baseball is not enough.
Every Game Now Has Postseason Consequences
Baltimore is four games behind in the Wild Card race with 12 games remaining. That is not an impossible deficit, but the Orioles need help from teams ahead of them while simultaneously winning at a much higher rate themselves. There simply are not enough games remaining to recover from another extended losing streak.
The Orioles have lost nine of their last 12, which is exactly the type of stretch a contender cannot have in September. Yet baseball seasons can change quickly if a team gets hot, particularly when several clubs remain involved in a crowded Wild Card race. Baltimore’s task is to make sure it is still close enough for those other results to matter.
A sweep in New York would move the Orioles to 75-78 before Milwaukee arrives. Winning two of three would put them at 74-79, while losing the series would leave Baltimore needing something close to a miracle during the final nine games. The mathematics make the importance of these three games obvious.
Series Prediction
Baltimore has the pitching matchup it wants in Monday’s opener with Young facing Tong, and Wednesday’s matchup against Stock should also favor the Orioles offensively. Tuesday appears less predictable with Baz opposing Manaea. The Orioles therefore have a legitimate opportunity to take at least two of three if the offense performs anywhere near its capabilities.
The concern is Baltimore’s recent inability to consistently capitalize on opportunities. New York is below .500, but the Mets have played well enough recently to punish teams that overlook them. If the Orioles continue leaving runners in scoring position, the records of the two teams will not matter.
Prediction: Orioles win the series, two games to one. Baltimore should have enough pitching and offensive talent to rebound from the Toronto disappointment, but a sweep is difficult to predict considering how inconsistent the club has been. The Orioles need to treat all three games like postseason games because their actual postseason chances could depend on them.
MSB Take
This is the series Baltimore absolutely has to win. The Orioles have Milwaukee, Toronto and the Yankees waiting after they leave New York, so dropping a series to a 69-80 Mets team would put them in an almost impossible position. Two victories are necessary, and a sweep should be the goal.
Bradish going on the injured list makes the situation even tougher. Baltimore has already spent much of the season trying to keep its pitching staff together, and now one of its established starters is unavailable for the entire remaining regular-season schedule. Young, Baz and Bassitt have to give the Orioles innings, because constantly asking the bullpen to cover four or five frames is not sustainable.
The offense also has to be considerably better than it was Sunday. Going 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and leaving 13 runners on base during an 8-1 loss is unacceptable for a team fighting for its season. Baltimore does not need every hitter to suddenly become a superstar, but it does need professional at-bats and timely hits when opportunities appear.
Alonso’s return to Citi Field could provide the emotional spark Baltimore needs. He is one home run away from 300, and there would be something fitting about reaching that milestone in Queens while wearing an Orioles uniform during a critical September series. More importantly for Baltimore, Alonso needs to continue driving in runs and providing stability in the middle of the lineup.
There is still a path for the Orioles, but it is becoming narrower every day. Baltimore cannot control what Cleveland or the other Wild Card contenders do, but it can control whether it takes advantage of a sub-.500 Mets club. The Orioles have spent 150 games keeping themselves close enough to have something to play for in September, and now they have to prove they belong in the race.
The mission in New York is simple: win the series, preferably sweep it, and keep the season alive.
