Does it matter that Orioles are back home?

SEATTLE - The Orioles are off today and back at Camden Yards on Friday, where they've gone 35-23 this season. There's no place like home for this team. Clicking heels is optional. And anyone who's afraid to admit it is cowardly lyin'.

(Please accept my apology. It's been a long season.)

Yesterday's loss in Seattle left the Orioles 24-39 on the road. They should be giddy to get off the road, especially with their 35 wins at home tied with the Yankees for second-most in the American League.

The West Coast continues to agitate the Orioles, who went 4-6 on their three-city trek and now stand three games back for the second wild card. Logic tells us that playing 16 of the next 19 games at home, beginning with a weekend series against the Angels, should come as a relief. Manager Buck Showalter tells us to chill out, though he didn't use those exact words.

"On paper maybe, on paper," he said. "Game's not played on paper."

The spikes would tear it up, of course, but I digress ...

"We're home for six days and we go back on the road (to Boston)," Showalter said. "You're playing a team that had an off-day and then played two in Washington, another off-day. And they're sitting there waiting on you. I don't know. It's just that time of the year.

"It's not like Boston, New York, Toronto, Tampa, they don't make a West Coast trip and you do. Everybody does. Every team has their tale of woe with the schedule. You can pull up everyone's schedule and you'll find something. It's just what it is. But there's a great return for the hardship you go through, so suck it up. Nobody wants to hear it."

Sixteen of 19 at home still sounds pretty good to me. The Angels are 29-33 on the road and the Athletics, who follow them into Baltimore, 19-37.

"On paper, on paper," Showalter said, still not taking the bait.

"If you look at home records, but I don't think the Angels care, I don't think Oakland cares. What may be perceived as a bad matchup or something with pitching going in, I can't tell you how many times you go ..."

Twenty consecutive batters without reaching base to close out Tuesday night's loss? Good example.

The Orioles remain in a crowded field of wild card contenders. Clubs are bunched up like (insert underwear analogy here, so to speak). Makes you wonder whether a .500 team could make the playoffs.

"It seems like every year someone takes off," Showalter said. "There's a big snowball time of the year. That's probably what's been a little surprising. Sometimes, mentally it becomes a challenge because of the wear and tear on the emotional and mental side of the game to stay engaged. So, you're always hoping that you get on that positive roll. But at this level, with so many talented people, there's small separators and things can snowball either way."

The Orioles will remove infielder Ryan Flaherty from the disabled list later today after activating Rule 5 outfielder Anthony Santander last night. It still seems likely that infielder Rubén Tejada, who's played only two innings this month, is designated for assignment, but I've been wrong a few times in the past.

Plenty of fans were upset with Joey Rickard's removal from the 25-man roster, but as I explained, he's got options and can return Sept. 1. It's now Aug. 17 and the Orioles are off today and next Thursday. We can get through this together if we try.

Rickard won't lose service time because he's gone for fewer than 20 days. The Orioles will try not to lose games while carrying a Rule 5 pick in late August and without Rickard to offer them plus defense in the outfield.

The Orioles aren't reduced to a 24-man roster, but Santander isn't going to get a whole lot of playing time unless there are blowouts. As I've stated, this is no time for Showalter to start experimenting or using the last six weeks to evaluate a player who spent the entire 2016 season in the Carolina League.

This would have been more fun back in in the day, and I mean during the 14 straight losing seasons. The Orioles would have welcomed the diversion and devised some sort of advertising campaign to entice fans to come to the ballpark just to watch Santander, who would have been in the lineup every night, given a bobblehead and promoted as a future star.

He may develop into one and he's certainly worth keeping. It was a smart acquisition at the winter meetings. The farm system isn't stocked with guys who hit .290/.368/.494 with 42 doubles, 20 home runs and 95 RBIs, as Santander did last summer at Single-A Lynchburg.

It's just odd timing to have him debut at this stage of the season. But the world isn't perfect. And Santander is more easily stashed once rosters expand.