O's stay in win-one, lose-one mode and some Britton talk

The Orioles are in win-one, lose-one mode and they can't seem to get out of this cycle. It is probably not going to be good enough if they can't begin to improve on it - even in a mediocre group of teams competing for the second American League wild card.

The Orioles got a homer from Jonathan Schoop in the first inning last night and scored nothing after that. They scored 12 runs last Saturday and three Sunday. They scored 11 runs Monday and one last night.

The last 20 Orioles were retired Tuesday night. It's the same team that had 20 hits a few nights ago. It's kind of an all or nothing offense right now.

At 59-61, the Orioles will return home from this long road trip as an under-.500 team. They need to win this afternoon just to go 5-5 on the trip.

Britton talk: The Orioles didn't deal Zach Britton at the trade deadline, as they reportedly did not get an offer good enough to make that happen. After this season, we'll head into a winter where no doubt there will be some speculation again about Britton and a possible trade.

Buster Olney of ESPN wrote this week: "So the Orioles will face a really tough decision: Do they keep an expensive closer who will take up a lot of the payroll space for a team with other climbing salaries, or do they move him? It was only four years ago that the Orioles faced a similar decision with Jim Johnson, and they scrambled to unload the All-Star after he led the AL in saves because they needed to shed his salary."

Britton, through arbitration, could get a salary in the $14 million range for next season. Johnson saved 50 games during the 2013 season, which turned out to be his last in Baltimore, but suffered nine blown saves that year. The current Britton of now is better than the 2013 Johnson.

However, the Orioles could still deal their closer, and while it would seem a trade would bring less this winter then it would have in July, it still could bring a lot and pique the club's interest.

While $14 million next year for Britton is a high price tag - some might say too high for a closer - it still would be no higher than fourth-best in average salary for a closer. Aroldis Chapman's deal has an annual average value of $17.2 million with Kenley Jansen at $16 million and Mark Melancon at $15.5 million. This is the new going rate for the best closers in the game. A big-market team would not bat an eye at adding Britton at that price.

The Britton trade talk has obviously been silenced for now after July 31 came and went. But it seems it will be likely heating up again this winter.