Baltimore Orioles officially eliminated from postseason

Season Breakdown

After back-to-back playoff appearances, Baltimore entered 2025 with October expectations and a chip on its shoulder, having not won a playoff game in that span. However, 2025 was a struggle from the beginning.

The lineup, which was the most exciting part of this team heading into the season, has regressed and played inconsistently. Gunnar Henderson hit just .228 through April and is on pace for his lowest number of HRs and RBIs in his career. Adley Rutschman has battled injuries, but even when healthy has looked like a shell of his 2023 and 2024 All-Star self, hitting just .227 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 85 games. Colton Cowser, who has also missed significant time due to injury, is batting below the Mendoza line at .199.

Pitching woes have only deepened the struggles. Dean Kremer and offseason signing Tomoyuki Sugano have pitched the bulk of the innings, but have been inconsistent with both sporting an ERA of 4.39.

Injuries have also devastated the rotation. Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, Cade Povich, and Trevor Rogers have all missed extended time, while Grayson Rodriguez hasn't thrown a pitch all season due to a right elbow injury.

Baltimore's bullpen hasn't fared much better. Yennier Cano has regressed with a 5.09 ERA, and star closer Félix Bautista is expected to be out at least a year due to a torn rotator cuff and labrum in his throwing shoulder.

All this instability got Baltimore off to a dismal 15-28 start, led to the team trading nine players at the trade deadline, and ultimately cost Brandon Hyde his job. While Mansolino has steadied the ship since taking over on May 17 (56-52), it hasn't been enough to get Baltimore firmly back in the postseason hunt.

Yet things have been looking up toward the back-end of the season. Baltimore is 10-4 this month, arguably playing its most complete baseball all year, and flashing the strong upside of its young core.

Henderson, Holliday, Rutschman, Cowser and Jordan Westburg all still have tremendous upside despite their struggles, and the callups of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers have generated buzz with their success so far.

On the pitching side, Rogers has been a revelation, while Bradish and Wells have looked strong since returning.

Baltimore has reason for optimism, but the disappointment is undeniable as 2025 did not go the way it was intended. However, they can still play spoiler and use this as motivation for the future.

"There is a lot of motivation going forward," Mansolino said. "I promise you that."