Baltimore Orioles Virtual Playoffs in the Hands of Others

In the MLB: The Show Players’ Tournament, the Baltimore Orioles have done all they can to get to the playoffs.

The Baltimore Orioles finished the 29-game regular season with a record of 19-10. Virtual Manager Dwight Smith Jr. led the team to a surprising finish with the roster that fans are expecting to see in the 2020 season.

As play progressed Sunday night, it looked like Smith Jr. would win enough games to make his way into the top eight. But, too many other teams still have several games to finish on the final night of the regular season.

As of Monday morning, the Orioles have a .655 win percentage. Unfortunately, there are several teams nipping at Smith Jr.’s heels as they try to get into the final eight. Everyone is scheduled to play 29 games, and since no one will be rained out, everyone should be able to reach the milestone.

Tonight, the players to watch include Trevor May, Ian Happ, and Lucas Giolito. These three are below Smith Jr. in the standings. May is current 15-10 and has to win four games to knock the O’s out of the playoffs. Happ is 16-9 and Giolito is 17-9.

There are a few other players who are currently ahead of Orioles in the standings who could fall and actually help the O’s. Tommy Kahnle is 17-8 and Jeff McNeil is 17-7. Kahnle has a tough night as he has to face Gavin Lux – who is in fourth place, as well as Amir Garrett – who won an earlier unofficial tournament.

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Unfortunately, the schedule posted on MLB.com is in accurate. Giolito has two games scheduled, but he needs to play three to get to 29. He’s scheduled to play Juan Soto and Lance McCullers Jr., who could both help keep Smith Jr. in the top eight if they can defeat the White Sox pitcher.

If players like Giolito, Happ, and Kahnle end up tying Smith Jr.’s record, the playoff decisions will come down to game stats. Playoff spots will be determined first by runs scored. Surprisingly, the Orioles bats had some good games and scored 119 runs under Smith Jr.’s management. The second factor that will determine playoff spots is run allowed, and the O’s pitchers held other teams to only 56 runs.

If the Orioles do make it into the playoffs, you can watch the games live starting on May 1 on ESPN, ESPN2, and FS1.