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Saturday afternoon Orioles game thread: @ Blue Jays, 3:07 pm

Are you a fan of chaos? You might need to root against the Orioles, then.

By Stacey
MLB: SEP 20 Orioles at Phillies Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Just two days remain in the 2021 regular season, and things are pretty wild. I mean, not for the Orioles. They’re finishing in last place no matter what. But they can contribute to the A.L. Wild Card chaos by losing. And hey, they’re really good at that!

Here are the current standings for the four teams trying to get one of the two wild card spots:

  • Yankees, 91-69
  • Red Sox, 90-70
  • Blue Jays, 89-71
  • Mariners, 89-71

For maximum chaos, the Yankees need to lose their two final games to Tampa Bay. The Red Sox need to go 1-1 against the Nationals, and the Mariners (vs. Angels) and Blue Jays need to win out. That would give us a four-way tie, which would be wild.

In the abstract, I can root for this. I am rooting for this. What better way to kick off the postseason than with madness like this? But in reality, I am watching today’s Orioles game and I can’t root for them to lose. I guess I’ll just have to be happy either way. I hope John Means goes out on a high note, at least.

If you’re still hoping for that first draft pick, it’s a long shot. The Diamondbacks are two games worse than the Orioles with two games to go. For the 1st pick, the Orioles will have to lose out and the D-Backs will have to win out. That will give both teams a 52-110 record and the Orioles have the tiebreaker due to their worse record in 2019.

The D-Backs were winning their game 7-0 against the Rockies last night and ended up losing 9-7, so they’re really no help.

Hey, if the Orioles want to get that first pick and help ensure chaos, that’s actually ok with me at this point.

Orioles lineup

1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF

2. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B

3. Austin Hays (R) RF

4. Trey Mancini (R) DH

5. Kelvin Gutierrez (R) 3B

6. Ryan McKenna (R) LF

7. Pat Valaika (R) 2B

8. Nick Ciuffo (L) C

9. Richie Martin (R) SS

SP: John Means (LHP)

Blue Jays lineup

1. George Springer (R) CF

2. Marcus Semien (R) 2B

3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B

4. Bo Bichette (R) SS

5. Teoscar Hernandez (R) LF

6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) DH

7. Santiago Espinal (R) 3B

8. Danny Jansen (R) C

9. Randal Grichuk (R) RF

SP: Alek Manoah (RHP)

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