The month of October can be slow for teams that aren’t in the playoffs. That’s sort of the idea. The spotlight shines on the ones who remain in the championship chase. The others quietly take care of their business and wait until free agency begins and other important dates arrive. Big announcements are frowned upon.

The last Orioles transaction is left-hander Tucker Davidson choosing free agency on Oct. 7 after he was designated for assignment on Sept. 29. However, changes are being made in the front office.

According to a source, Bill Wilkes, Ben Sussman-Hyde and Sam Berk will not return to the advance scouting and strategy department in 2025.

Wilkes served as the Orioles' manager of major league strategy since October 2021 after spending three years as advance scouting operations manager. Sussman-Hyde was major league video/run creation strategist manager after three years as major league video/advance scouting coordinator. Berk finished his first year as an advance scouting analyst after his promotion from advance scouting fellow.

Director of baseball strategy Brendan Fournie remains in the department.

The narrative for some is how bad the Orioles are on offense. We saw them score one run in two playoff games.

Yes, it still hurts and probably will be that way for a while.

The challenge for the organization in how to improve the offense is that over the long sample of the last two full seasons, it’s been among the highest-scoring in the sport.

Combined runs scored, 2023 and 2024:

1,748 – LA Dodgers
1,651 – Atlanta
1,632 – Arizona
1,593 – Orioles

Here is the thing about baseball: It can indeed break your heart. And in a sport that takes six months to play 162 games and can seem never-ending, the actual playoff ending can take about 24 to 48 hours.

All those games, all those ups and downs, all those emotions, then it's over in a blink.

And a whimper for the Orioles scoring just one run.

Mike Elias indicated Thursday he doesn’t want to make any knee-jerk reactions to the season and that is prudent.

The fanbase, on the other hand, or segments of such, are providing us an overwhelming amount of knee-jerk reactions. Someone must pay for this!

The music didn't play. The reflections from the disco lights didn't bounce off the walls and ceiling. The Orioles sat in silence at their lockers or circled the room and hugged, failing to repeat as division champions and now mimicking last year’s morose elimination setting.

The losing streak in the playoffs has reached 10 games. Any chance to snap it must wait until 2025.

The Royals broke a tie in the sixth inning on Bobby Witt Jr.’s infield single with two outs that scored Kyle Isbel, and the Orioles lost 2-1 in a do-or-die Game 2 of the Wild Card series before an announced crowd of 38,698 at Camden Yards.

That’s it. Being all-in with the winter trade for Corbin Burnes and talking about avenging last year’s ouster in the Division Series in Texas led to another sweep. Too many injuries and too little offense.

And now, a lot of time to think about it.

Corbin Burnes threw his last warmup pitch, stepped off the mound, turned his back to home plate and settled into a crouch before his catcher could do it. With his head lowered, he chose a crowded venue to hold a private moment.

Burnes finally stood, faced home plate and owned it again.

This is why the Orioles traded for him. To start on Opening Day and in Game 1 of a playoff series, in this instance the Wild Card round. To be that guy. But he can’t score runs for himself.

Bobby Witt Jr. singled with two outs in the sixth inning to produce the first lead of the day, and the Orioles were silenced by Cole Ragans and three relievers in a deflating 1-0 loss today before an announced crowd of 41,506 at Camden Yards.

The playoff losing streak has reached nine games dating back to the Royals’ sweep in the 2014 Championship Series. They need to win Wednesday afternoon with Zach Eflin starting or be shut down again.

Ryan O’Hearn is treating today like it’s the first game of the Wild Card round. He’s being literal. He denies any motivation to get back at the Royals, who drafted him in 2014 and kept him in the majors for five seasons before the cash considerations trade with the Orioles in January 2023.

That’s his story, and he’s playfully sticking to it.

“Obviously you want to win every playoff game and every game you play,” he said this morning at his media session. “There's really no, like, revenge in my mind.”

Then came the slight pause and the kicker.

“You know,” he added, “even if there was, I wouldn't tell you guys.”

Now that the Orioles survived a rocky second half, one where they needed to win their final three games to play .500 ball (33-33), manager Brandon Hyde hopes the team gains something from the adversity.

“I’m hoping it makes us tougher honestly,” Hyde said Monday at Camden Yards. “The adversity our guys went through this year, I hope it benefits us this postseason. I think it’s going to benefit guys in the future.

“I think last year’s (playoff) experience, of what that felt like at the end, when we did have that kind of fairytale season and a quick exit. I’m hoping these guys still have that taste in their mouth going into this postseason.”

According to at least one of the guys, the Orioles do.

They lost to the Rangers three straight in the American League Division Series last year by scores of 3-2, 11-8 and 7-1. A long successful season was followed by a quick out in the postseason.

The start of the 2023 postseason for the Orioles included the shocking news that John Means wouldn’t make the Division Series roster due to elbow soreness that followed his appearance in an intrasquad game at Camden Yards. The club didn’t share anything of that magnitude this morning, but the inclusion of Colin Selby in the bullpen came as a surprise.

Selby was chosen over Matt Bowman. Albert Suárez wasn’t going to make it after working six innings Sunday in Minnesota.

Explaining the Selby move, manager Brandon Hyde said, “We just felt Selby in a couple games he’s thrown for us showed really, really good stuff. And just from a matchup standpoint, wanted an extra right-hander in the bullpen. He’s got a 97 mph fastball and a really good slider, so we’re excited to add him.”

The Game 2 starter remains a mystery, and it appears that what happens later today might dictate the choice.

Where is Hyde on the Game 2 starter?

MINNEAPOLIS – Keegan Akin didn’t make last year’s Division Series roster. He didn’t stand a chance.

A lower-back injury ended Akin’s season on June 28. He allowed 10 earned runs and 13 total in four innings over his last four appearances, an ugly stretch by any measurement.

The Orioles are meeting to discuss their roster for the upcoming Wild Card series and Akin’s spot is secure. He’s healthy and having the finest season of his career. He’s just doing it quietly.

More people should be talking about this guy.

Akin’s 65 appearances rank second to Yennier Cano’s 69 and are 20 more than his previous high in 2022. He’s registered a 3.13 ERA and 0.927 WHIP, the best of his five seasons in the majors, and he’s struck out 96 batters in 77 2/3 innings.

As the phrase goes the Orioles have been “getting the band back together” getting some of their injured list players back recently as Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe, Ryan Mountcastle, Ramón Urías, Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad have all made it back to the active roster.

It is a big boost to a team that recently had 12 players on the injured list.

And while the O’s pitching staff took a big injury hit even before the All-Star break, some MLB stats indicate that the Orioles have not been hurt as badly on the injury front as other clubs. At least when looking at player games missed.

This is total games that players on the injured list have missed this year for each club and each missed game counts the same whether it is an All-Star that is out or the last guy on the roster. So we need to keep that in mind.

But here are the top clubs in most player games missed to this point, according to Stats Perform:

Well, Captain Obvious said that losing five straight late-season series is no way to win the American League East or build momentum for the playoffs.

With the AL East now all but gone, the Orioles have one week left to get more at-bats for returning players like Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías and innings for relievers Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb. Grayson Rodriguez hasn't made it back yet and neither has Ryan Mountcastle, but at least he is playing in games.

In their past five series, the Orioles are 1-2 versus the Rays, Red Sox, Tigers, Giants and Tigers.

The Orioles (86-70) are six games behind the Yankees (92-64) with six to play. Their only chance at the division is to go 6-0 while New York goes 0-6.

When the Orioles won last Saturday night at Detroit, on Sept. 14, they were just two games out of first place. On Sept. 10 they were a 1/2 game behind.

Jordan Westburg’s return from the injured list yesterday pushed Jackson Holliday to the bench. Westburg wasn’t playing third base due to Ramón Urías’ simultaneous return. The setup was cemented.

The times are changing, and back to the norm.

Holliday won’t be buried but his opportunities to start could be impacted, and especially against left-handed opposing pitchers. Urías was the club’s hottest hitter at the time that his right ankle rolled on Aug. 31 in Colorado while he covered the bag on a stolen base. Sending him back to his previous utility role might have to wait until 2025 if he’s back with the club as expected.

Asked yesterday whether he’d stay with Westburg at second and Urías at third, with maybe the occasional starts for Holliday, manager Brandon Hyde said it depends how the Orioles are hitting.

“Ramón was swinging the bat great until he got hurt, swung the bat great today, and Westy will be in there,” he said. “So it’ll be day-to-day.”

Players arrived at Camden Yards this morning unsure whether they’d celebrate a playoff berth later in the afternoon. Some wondered where they’d do it. Whether they’d hang around the clubhouse and wait for the result of the Mariners game or board a train to New York. Is there time to cover lockers, furniture and the floor in plastic or just toast the achievement?

They had to beat the Tigers, of course, or it didn’t matter.

The magic number also can make plans disappear.

Albert Suárez matched his season and career highs with three home runs allowed. The Orioles battled back to tie the score in the fifth before Kerry Carpenter burned Súarez again leading off the sixth, and the Tigers held on for a 4-3 victory before an announced sellout crowd of 44,040 that kept pumping electricity through every section of Camden Yards.

Hopes of winning the last regular season home game were short-circuited.

The Orioles will try again today to clinch a playoff berth, needing a win over the Tigers and Mariners loss in Texas. That’s all it takes.

Seattle’s game starts an hour later, so the Orioles might have to linger at the ballpark.

Infielders Ramón Urías and Jordan Westburg were reinstated from the injured list today after completing their rehab assignments at Triple-A Norfolk. They were removed from the Tides' game last night in the fifth inning.

Outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Livan Soto were optioned to Norfolk.

Urías and Westburg were injured exactly a month apart. Westburg fractured his right hand on July 31 and Urías sprained his right ankle on Aug. 31.

The unpredictability of baseball, and so often the Orioles organization, were on full display again yesterday. Trying to guess along is a dangerous game, bound to burn its participants.

News leaked that the Orioles were optioning corner infielder Coby Mayo to Triple-A Norfolk, and the immediate assumption had utility infielder Ramón Urías rejoining the club from the 10-day injured list. Two rehab games at Triple-A Norfolk, where Urías homered Friday night, seemed sufficient.

I jumped to that conclusion so hard that I may have qualified for the next Olympics.

Instead, the Orioles selected outfielder Daniel Johnson’s contract from Norfolk because Cedric Mullins’ status was uncertain due to the neck soreness that kept him on the bench Friday night. Mullins and right fielder Austin Slater attempted diving catches simultaneously the previous night and collided.  

Johnson made sense based on the circumstances, but Urías’ return is imminent, perhaps by this morning. Urías and Jordan Westburg were removed from last night’s game by design in the fifth inning. It’s just a matter of which players are bumped from the roster.

Two events today made it clear that the Orioles were preparing for a roster move.

Reliever Burch Smith walked to the bullpen this afternoon with pitching coach Drew French, assistant Mitch Plassmeyer and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel. He completed a session and returned to the clubhouse, exiting it after the media arrived at 3:30 p.m.

Left-hander Danny Coulombe returned to the club after three rehab appearances with Triple-A Norfolk, stopping by his locker multiple times and offering a smile to reporters as he passed. He wasn't able to speak about his status until it became official.

Manager Brandon Hyde offered confirmation during his session, saying that Coulombe was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and that Smith would go on the 15-day IL with a right adductor/groin strain.

Coulombe hasn’t pitched for the Orioles since June 8. He underwent surgery later that month to remove bone chips from his left elbow, robbing them of a high-leverage reliever with a 2.42 ERA and 0.615 WHIP in 29 appearances.

Manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ready or willing to contribute to the publication of his team’s obit. Not with more games to play, possession of the first wild card and champagne to chill. He’ll keep trying to clear the air of any negativity.

Hyde isn’t blind to the season’s downward turn, but he retains full confidence in the Orioles' ability to get hot again.

Beyond the usual injury and rehab updates, Hyde spent most of his nine-minute pregame media session rehashing what’s gone wrong during a sub-.500 second half and slippage in the division race. Exactly when he began to worry. Why slumps are lasting for long periods.

Hyde finished with a quip about his players occupying the top of Triple-A Norfolk’s lineup, rose from his chair and returned to his office. And the Orioles backed his trust.

A blown save in the top of the ninth inning was followed by Anthony Santander's two-run walk-off homer and a much-needed 5-3 win over the Giants before an announced crowd of 23,181 at Camden Yards. Bedlam ensued. The Orioles were eager to release their frustration and it spilled all over the dugout, track and home plate.

Blame the injuries, inexperience and faulty execution. Blame the weather, traffic, sound system, advertising signs or astrological signs. Whatever suits the narrative. Whatever the imagination allows.

Just be sure to include how the Orioles raised the bar too high and too quickly.

They went from 83 wins in 2022 to 101 and a division title. They set themselves up for regression and criticism. Fans are demanding that heads roll because their favorite team can’t get on one.

No one in their right mind projected 102 or more wins this season, but playing sub-.500 ball since the All-Star break wasn’t in the brochure. Rock bottom keeps moving, too. An 8-1 loss to the historically putrid White Sox was supposed to be it, until the Tigers no-hit them for 8 2/3 innings after using an opener. Until the Orioles responded to Mike Elias’ words of encouragement and optimistic tone Tuesday afternoon by managing only one hit in six innings against the Giants’ Blake Snell, allowing six runs in the top of the ninth and losing 10-0.

The Yankees, meanwhile, were beating the Mariners in Seattle to open a four-game lead in the division race. Now it's five. The Orioles are choking on the fumes, but they can get healthier this month and still make some noise in the postseason.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias took his turn today providing injury updates to the media, asking in a joking manner for questions to be broken up individually rather than in one lump inquiry. Just trying to simplify the process.

Ryan Mountcastle (wrist) is in a hitting progression down in Sarasota, the most positive news about the first baseman since he was shut down.

“I was there during instructional league yesterday and had a chance to see him work out,” Elias said. “He has a sore wrist and he’s making his way back from that, and that takes a few steps, but I do think we have a really good chance of seeing him playing for Norfolk here pretty soon, and I do think we’re going to get him back, and he’s making a push. And we definitely will take what we can get from him, and we’re hopeful to get him back before the season’s over.”

Jordan Westburg took batting practice for the first time since fracturing his right hand. “Like a normal citizen,” Elias said.

“Jordan’s doing great, too,” Elias added. “We can’t wait to have him back, and we are expecting him back before the end of the regular season. We’re not totally there yet, but it’s going really well.”

The Orioles were victims of a violent flood of injuries over the course of the season, threatening to sweep away their hopes to repeat as division champions, but players who are able to return will do so in trickles.

Reliever Jacob Webb appears the closest to reinstatement after Thursday night’s scoreless inning with Triple-A Norfolk. Manager Brandon Hyde told the assembled media in Detroit that the right-hander could be available this weekend. The Orioles just need to check his recovery.

Danny Coulombe could be right behind him after a second rehab outing, expected to be tonight. He threw 10 pitches Wednesday in a scoreless inning with the Tides.

The Orioles went slowly with Webb, giving him five days’ rest between appearances before Tuesday night’s outing. He pitched for a fourth time Thursday and the shorter break seemed like a positive sign.

Coulombe might not be on the same schedule. He faced hitters in live batting practice at least twice at Camden Yards. The elbow felt great.