Orioles Start Second Half With a Big Road Trip Against the Astros

Where the Orioles Stand Right Now

It might sound weird, but even though the Orioles (a baseball team from Baltimore) often played pretty badly before the midseason All-Star break, they start the second half of the 2026 season still close to a playoff spot.

• The American League (one of the two big groups of teams in baseball) is a total mess this year.
• After a four-day break, the Orioles are only two games behind the third "wild card" playoff spot.
• That spot is currently held by the Mariners and Twins, who are both below a .500 winning rate (meaning they’ve lost more than they’ve won).

Important Point: A "wild card" spot is like a backup ticket to the playoffs for teams that didn’t win their division but still had a good enough record.

What the Orioles Need to Do

If the Orioles want a real shot at the playoffs, they have to:

1. Catch up to the Mariners and Twins.
2. Also pass two other teams that are currently ahead of them.

Good news: Their first trip after the break is against those exact two teams — the Astros and the Red Sox.

• If the Orioles win both series (a series is a few games in a row against the same team), they climb up the standings.
• If they lose both, they’ll dig themselves into a deeper hole, and the trade deadline (when teams can swap players) is only weeks away.

First Stop: Houston Astros

The Orioles head to Daikin Park in Houston for a three-game weekend series.

The Big Warning: Avoid Yordan Alvarez!

If we could give the Orioles just one piece of advice, it would be: DO NOT PITCH TO YORDAN ALVAREZ.

• He is a 29-year-old left-handed batter who is having an amazing season (like an MVP, the league’s best player award).
• He leads the whole league in almost everything offensive:
  • Hits: 111
  • Home runs: 31
  • RBIs (runs batted in): 70
  • OBP (how often he reaches base): .426
  • SLG (power measure): .633
  • OPS (combined skill number): 1.059
  • OPS+ (skill compared to others): 193
  • Total bases: 221
• For most players, those are great numbers for a full season — and Alvarez still has 64 games left!
• Orioles pitchers should not give him good pitches to hit unless the game is already a blowout (one team is way ahead).

The Rest of Houston’s Team

• Besides Alvarez, Houston’s hitting is not scary.
• Corner infielders Isaac Paredes (12 HRs, .776 OPS) and ex-Oriole Christian Walker (20 HRs, .775 OPS) are okay.
• Their outfield (players in the grassy sides) has been bad. Two starters were sent to the minors (little leagues), and rookie Brice Matthews has a low .582 OPS in 82 games.

Houston’s Pitching Problems

The Astros’ starting pitchers have been a disaster:

• Their team starter ERA (earned run average, lower is better) is 5.26 — third worst in baseball.
• Tatsuya Imai (from Japan) has a 6.06 ERA and says he’s still learning MLB customs.
• Mike Burrows went 4-9 with a 5.99 ERA before getting hurt.
• Old star Lance McCullers Jr. had a 6.86 ERA and was traded away.

But lately, help arrived:

• Ace (best pitcher) Hunter Brown returned in June from a shoulder injury. Houston went 14-10 since then (they were 33-41 before).
• Closer (end-of-game pitcher) Josh Hader, from a local high school, returned in June too. He has 10 saves out of 10 tries, 25 strikeouts, and only 2 runs allowed in 15.1 innings.
• So, the Orioles should try not to be losing in the ninth inning.

Important Point: The Astros are a good team but not the unbeatable giants they used to be. This series is winnable — but the Orioles have blown easy series before.

Game-by-Game Breakdown

Game 1: Friday, 8:10 PM ET, MASN

RHP Dean Kremer (1-2, 4.09) vs. RHP Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.14)

• Alvarez leads Houston in WAR (wins above replacement, a skill score) with 4.3.
• Surprise: second is Peter Lambert (2.4), a 29-year-old who was bad before (6.28 career ERA). After a decent year in Japan, Houston signed him and he’s been great at limiting hits.
• Lambert faced the O’s in April and only lasted 4.1 innings.
• Orioles’ Kremer is on his 5th start after a leg injury. He has a 4-0 career record vs Houston (2.59 ERA), but Alvarez and Altuve hit him well.

Game 2: Saturday, 4:10 PM ET, MASN

LHP Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.48) vs. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-5, 4.50)

• Rogers has been awesome since June: 1.73 ERA in 7 starts, dropping his season ERA from 6.96 to 4.48.
• Astros hitters are only 6-for-35 against him.
• Arrighetti is average-ish (like Kremer) and has held the O’s to 2 runs in 11.2 career innings.

Game 3: Sunday, 2:10 PM ET, MASN

RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (1-0, 3.57)

• Bradish has the most losses in MLB (tied), but that’s misleading — he’s pitched well after elbow surgery.
• He has NEVER allowed a run to Houston in 22.2 career innings!
• Brown was great in 2025 but is still warming up after injury. His fastball is tough, but other pitches are off.

Summary

The Orioles are surprisingly close to a playoff spot in a weak American League. They start the second half against the Houston Astros, a flawed but dangerous team carried by Yordan Alvarez. Avoiding him, beating up the weak Astros rotation, and getting good starts from Kremer, Rogers, and Bradish could let Baltimore win the series and move up the standings before facing Boston.

FAQ

Q: What is a wild card spot?
A: It’s a playoff ticket for teams that didn’t win their division but have a good enough record to still get in.

Q: Why should the Orioles avoid pitching to Yordan Alvarez?
A: Because he is hitting better than almost anyone in baseball and will likely do a lot of damage if they give him good pitches.

Q: Are the Astros still a super team?
A: Not like before. Their starters are mostly struggling, but they have a few key players back and can still win.

Q: What does ERA mean?
A: Earned Run Average — it shows how many runs a pitcher lets in per 9 innings. Lower is better.

Q: Is Kyle Bradish having a bad year because he has many losses?
A: No! Wins and losses for pitchers depend on team scoring, not just pitching. Bradish has actually pitched very well.