It will likely take a miracle for either the Baltimore Orioles or Washington Nations to make the playoffs. Despite strong starts from both teams, they simply lacked juice in August to secure spots despite winning records. Baltimore has been eliminated from the AL East race thanks to Toronto while the Washington Nationals are 6 ½ games back from the New York Mets and remain a just almost out of wild card contention. The two teams will try and end their series finale on a high note.
The Orioles thought they stood a chance, but the Blue Jays winning on Wednesday secured their place just outside of the postseason. This is a disappointment for Baltimore considering they were leading the division in July. They sit four spots behind the Houston Astros for the wild card spot. The Nationals have the most at stake with this game. They cannot afford to lose right now as they try and recover from a 4-13 stretch that allowed the Mets to take contract. Losing on Tuesday and Wednesday did not help their chances.
Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth are trying to bring the team back as they have combined to go 7-1 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs recently. It might not be enough though. Tanner Roark will get the start after being 4-6 with a 4.73 ERA on the season. He has struggled heavily since getting called up, failing to go past five innings in his last three starts. He is coming off his worst game of the year after giving up six runs and eight hits to the Miami Marlins. The Orioles will aim to take advantage of that.
Baltimore will star Tyler Wilson who is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA on the season. The rookie has been a bright spot for the team this season. He did recently give up six runs on eight hits to Tampa Bay in just over four innings of play, but he has been solid in six starts with a 2.19 ERA overall. The 26-year-old could be a nice piece for the future. He will not have the support of Adam Jones who is hurting with a back injury.