Orioles clinch playoff berth: Baltimore secures postseason spot for second season in a row

The Baltimore Orioles clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday with a victory against the New York Yankees and a loss by the Minnesota Twins against the Miami Marlins, thereby becoming the third American League team and the sixth team overall to secure their place in October (here's a look at the MLB playoff picture). The Orioles will be making consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1996-97.

It should be noted that the Orioles remain alive in the American League East race, albeit without any margin for error. The current three-game set between the Orioles and Yankees requires a Baltimore sweep to avoid the Yankees clinching the division. New York has already secured its own playoff berth and now sits five games above the Orioles in the standings.

As such, the most likely outcome for the Orioles is that they serve this postseason as the AL's top wild-card team. Baltimore entered Tuesday with a four-game advantage over the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals for that top slot. The Orioles, in turn, are well positioned to host a best-of-three Wild Card Series in the first round.

While there's no shame in that, the Orioles do have to wonder what could've been if they had performed better during the second half. Even after Sunday's win, Baltimore has a losing record since the All-Star Game. CBS Sports recently covered some of the issues behind the Orioles' sluggish stretch, including struggles by catcher Adley Rutschman and mixed returns on their trade-deadline acquisitions.

Nevertheless, the Orioles can credit their return to the postseason to, among others, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who far and away leads the club in Wins Above Replacement. Henderson has developed into one of the best players in the sport and should receive Most Valuable Player Award consideration for the second year in a row. Anthony Santander continued his homer barrage Tuesday, crushing his 44th longball of the season in the victory.

The O's are searching for their first World Series title since 1983. They snapped a six-year playoff drought last season by winning the AL East, but Baltimore was swept by the eventual champion Rangers in the ALDS. They've lost eight straight playoff games since sweeping the Tigers in the 2014 ALDS.

Orioles' last five playoff appearances