Rutschman, Rodriguez help O's inch closer to division title

BALTIMORE -- Adley Rutschman, starting at designated hitter, had quite a bit of time in the Orioles’ dugout on Wednesday night. So naturally, the 25-year-old’s eyes drifted toward the out-of-town scoreboard in right field at Camden Yards -- Baltimore needed a win and a Tampa Bay loss to clinch its first American League East title since 2014.

“A little bit. Just to see,” Rutschman said with a grin.

The O’s beat the Nationals, 5-1, but they didn’t get the necessary help from the Rays, who notched a 5-0 win at Boston. Baltimore’s division magic number dropped, but only from two to one, rather than to zero.

On Thursday, though, the Orioles won’t need any assistance. If they beat the Red Sox, they’ll be crowned AL East champs for the 10th time in team history. And there will surely be plenty of fans packed in the stands at Camden Yards eagerly awaiting a potential celebration.

• Games remaining (4): vs. BOS (4)
• Standings update: The Orioles (99-59) and the Rays (97-62) are in a tight race atop the AL East, with Tampa Bay 2 1/2 games back. However, should that gap tighten further, Baltimore owns the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series between the two teams, 8-5. If the Orioles win the division, they will be the No. 1 seed and get a bye into the best-of-five AL Division Series. If the O’s fall out of first place, they will be the No. 4 seed and host a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Camden Yards.
• Magic number for AL East: 1

The Orioles, who have already clinched their first postseason berth since 2016, are sitting 40 games above .500 for the first time since finishing the 1979 campaign at 102-57. It’s also the first time they have recorded 99 wins in a season since going 100-62 in ’80.

“We’re playing in the toughest division in sports. And to lose 110 two years ago -- and to have a chance to win 100 now -- it says a lot about those guys in that room,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “They’ve learned to battle and fight and grind and beat good teams. So in just two years to be able to do what they’re doing is amazing.”

Baltimore’s 99th victory of its incredible season was highlighted by 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball from Grayson Rodriguez, a two-run homer by Rutschman and 3 1/3 scoreless frames from the bullpen. Rutschman’s blast gave the O’s a 2-0 lead in the third, and they led the rest of the way.

Among the benefits to winning the AL East (and thus securing the best record in the AL) is the ability to line up starters in any order for the ALDS. That would allow the Orioles to likely pitch Kyle Bradish in Game 1 and Rodriguez in Game 2, which would give them a great opportunity to jump out to an early series lead.

Bradish, who pitched a season-high eight scoreless innings in Tuesday’s win over Washington, has developed into an ace on Baltimore’s staff. The 27-year-old right-hander (who may not start again in the regular season) has a 2.86 ERA this season, with a chance to become the first qualified O’s pitcher with a sub-3.00 ERA since Mike Mussina posted a 2.54 ERA in 1992.

In the second half, Bradish has a 2.40 ERA, which is second in the AL behind only Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (2.35), the probable AL Cy Young Award winner. Who ranks third? Rodriguez, who recorded a 2.58 ERA over 13 starts after rejoining the Orioles’ rotation on July 17.

Rodriguez pitched well again Thursday, retiring 13 of the Nationals’ first 14 batters. The 23-year-old righty threw 60 of his 87 pitches for strikes, and he issued no walks for the second time in his past three outings.

The next time Rodriguez takes the mound for a start, it will be in the postseason. And he’s eagerly awaiting the opportunity.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve never been to a big league postseason game before, I always just watched them on TV. Pitching in one, or sitting in the dugout, is going to be pretty special.”

Before that, Baltimore must take care of its final regular-season business at some point over the next four days against Boston.

The only way the Orioles won’t win the AL East is if they get swept in their four-game series against the Red Sox and the Rays sweep their three-game set vs. the Blue Jays in Toronto that begins Friday. There’s a fairly low chance of that happening, especially because Baltimore has gone 90 consecutive multi-game series without being swept, dating back to May 2022.

That streak has happened because the Orioles never look too far ahead. So unsurprisingly, they’re not thinking about an AL East title or potential postseason success. They’re solely focused on trying to beat the Red Sox to pick up a fifth straight win on Thursday.

“It was good to get the one today, but tomorrow is a new day, got to go out and get it,” Rutschman said. “Everyone’s excited. But tomorrow, just the same thing as it always is, another game, keep going with the process.”