Rockies walk off Orioles in 11th, take series
The Orioles blew a late lead and fell to the Rockies in 11 innings, dropping the series finale as Baltimore sits 1.5 games back of the third AL Wild Card spot.
Blaze Alexander's night undone in the 11th
The Orioles lost 6-5 in 11 innings to the Rockies on September 2, a walk-off finish that erased a lead they had carried into the bottom of the inning. Blaze Alexander went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in the 11th that put Baltimore up 5-3, but Colorado answered with a two-run single from Brett Sullivan to win it.
Rockies2-1Rockies2-4Rockies5-6Colorado took the series 2-1. Baltimore's lone win came on August 31 behind Trevor Rogers, who allowed 2 runs on 6 hits over 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 decision, before back-to-back losses in Denver closed the set. The Orioles also thinned their outfield during the trip, placing Christian Franklin on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to August 31, with left hand inflammation.
Rangers, Blue Jays and Orioles deadlocked at 69-71
Baltimore sits 1.5 games behind Cleveland for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, and shares that exact 69-71 record with the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays. The three clubs aren't equally close to falling out of it, though: Toronto and Baltimore both carry an elimination number of 9, while Texas' sits at 21.
| AL Wild Card | W | L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Yankees | 80 | 60 | .571 | +9.5 |
 Red Sox | 75 | 65 | .536 | +4.5 |
 Guardians | 70 | 69 | .504 | — |
 Rangers | 69 | 71 | .493 | 1.5 |
 Blue Jays | 69 | 71 | .493 | 1.5 |
 Orioles | 69 | 71 | .493 | 1.5 |
 Twins | 67 | 73 | .479 | 3.5 |
 Mariners | 66 | 74 | .471 | 4.5 |
The Orioles have gone 3-2 in their last 5 games to get to this point, and they now host a club sitting well clear of them in the race — the Red Sox own a wild-card position at 75-65. The next three games against Boston are a direct measuring stick for whether Baltimore can close that gap.
Upcoming
The Orioles host the Red Sox tonight, with Brandon Young (9-3, 3.38 ERA) opposing Boston's Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.27 ERA). Young allowed 1 run over 7 innings against the Athletics in his last start on August 28, striking out 4 and walking just 1 in a no-decision. Bennett was better in his last outing, throwing 6 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts and no walks against the Yankees on August 29 to pick up the win.
Boston is favored tonight, and the total reads middling — not a shootout, not a pitchers' duel. Given Bennett's scoreless turn last time out and Young's own clean outing against Oakland, a tighter, lower-scoring game fits both starters' recent form, and it would put the pressure on Baltimore's lineup to find the same late-game touch it showed against Colorado's bullpen this week.