Félix Bautista’s return is the Orioles’ lone bright spot in a dismal sweep by the Brewers

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Forget the first batter for a moment. After more than a year away from the major leagues, Félix Bautista could be afforded a mulligan, especially in this game, with the Orioles already trailing. Focus on the surrounding events, instead, because it’s been a while since this imposing presence stood atop the mound to make it a mountain.

The lights at Camden Yards dimmed ahead of the seventh inning, and Omar’s Whistle introduced Bautista to Baltimore for the first time since July 2025.

The months between then and Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers featured the second lengthy rehab process for the 31-year-old right-hander. Bautista dealt with Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery late in 2023 and missed 2024. Then he required shoulder surgery last year, which prompted 14 months on the shelf.

So the leadoff double Bautista allowed to Jake Bauers was understandable. There will be rust. The RBI single from Cooper Pratt can be forgiven, especially because it wasn’t as if the Orioles’ offense was managing much anyway.

But, before he allowed that run, Bautista flashed his vintage form. He struck out Joey Ortiz and Christian Yelich with splitters before Pratt’s single and Garrett Mitchell’s walk.

Just like that, Bautista’s outing was over. He threw 19 pitches and faced five batters before manager Craig Albernaz went to fetch him, and the Dominican Republic native left the mound to a standing ovation.

He was back. That meant a lot, even if this wasn’t Bautista’s dominant self.

The Orioles (75-81) will be careful early in Bautista’s time back, as evidenced by his cameo Sunday. But there was plenty to like about his first appearance since July 20, 2025, including a high velocity of 98.1 mph and six whiffs on nine swings. All four swings against his splitter ended in misses.

And, given the challenging nature of this return for the former All-Star, pitching at all is a worthy achievement.

“I knew that it was just as long of a road and it took a lot of time, but my entire focus the entire time was just on the work itself, staying focused on the work,” Bautista said before the game through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I think that’s why being able to come back and being here now feels so good, because of how long it took, but also just because of my work and being able to come back.”

There was plausibility to the idea that Bautista would miss the last week of the season, too, because the Orioles are virtually out of the postseason picture. With Sunday’s loss and the White Sox’s win, Baltimore’s tragic number for elimination is down to two. The Orioles could be officially out of it by Tuesday.

And, with their 81st loss Sunday, the best the Orioles can finish this season is exactly .500.

But Bautista said he set a goal of returning this season, and he wanted to see it through.

That made for an emotional moment Saturday when he was activated off the injured list, and Sunday’s reception was warm.

Perhaps it would’ve been more storybook had Bautista worked a clean inning, or if he had inherited a lead to protect. As it is, few things about the 2026 Orioles have been storybook, and despite right-hander Brandon Young’s quality start, Baltimore was trailing.

Young allowed two runs in six innings while throwing a career-high nine strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 3.62, and he likely has only one more start to conclude what has been a breakout season.

But Young didn’t receive run support, just as left-hander Trevor Rogers did not in Saturday’s 1-0 loss.

While Jacob Misiorowski and his triple-digit velocity would always be a challenge, Misiorowski was purposely shortened to three innings as Milwaukee prepares for the postseason. With him out of the game, the Orioles could’ve broken through with a key opportunity in the sixth.

Right-hander Chad Patrick had absolutely no command out of the bullpen for the Brewers. He hit Gunnar Henderson and threw four straight balls to walk Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo to load the bases with two outs.

Jeremiah Jackson, however, swung at the first pitch he saw. He grounded out weakly to end the frame. Although the pitch was in the strike zone from Patrick, the pitcher had just uncorked nine straight balls. Working the count is advisable unless the pitch from Patrick is the perfect one at which to swing.

Maybe it was. It was a fastball near the middle of the zone. The soft groundout, though, makes it appear to be a worse decision.

And Baltimore continued a poor series with runners in scoring position by stranding two in the seventh. After Colton Cowser singled and Christian Encarnacion-Strand walked, Dylan Beavers and Pete Alonso flied out.

The Orioles have gone 19 straight innings without scoring a run. Their season, effectively, is over. All that is left now is official elimination.

So, at the very least, Bautista was one bright spot in what was a tremendously poor series against baseball’s best team — the type of disparity that shows why Milwaukee will play in October and Baltimore will stay home.