Orioles secure playoff spot: Baltimore secures a postseason spot for the second year in a row

The Baltimore Orioles clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday with a win over the New York Yankees and a Minnesota Twins loss to the Miami Marlins, making them the third American League team and sixth team overall to clinch their spot in October (Here's a look at the MLB playoffsThe Orioles will appear in back-to-back playoffs for the first time since 1996-97.

It's worth noting that the Orioles are still in the race for the American League East, albeit with no margin for error. In the current three games between the Orioles and Yankees, Baltimore must win to prevent the Yankees from clinching the division. New York has already secured its own playoff spot and is now five games ahead of the Orioles in the standings.

Therefore, the most likely outcome for the Orioles is that they enter this postseason as the AL's top wild-card team. Baltimore entered Tuesday with a four-game lead over the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals for first place. The Orioles, in turn, have a good chance of hosting a best-of-three wild-card series in the first round.

While there's no shame in that, the Orioles have to wonder what could have been had they played better in the second half. Even after Sunday's win, Baltimore has a losing record since the All-Star Game. CBS Sports recently reported on some of the issues behind the Orioles' sluggish streak, including the struggles of catcher Adley Rutschman and mixed results with trade deadline additions..

Still, the Orioles can credit their return to the postseason in part to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who leads the club by far in Wins Above Replacement. Henderson has developed into one of the best players in the sport and should be nominated for the Most Valuable Player Award for the second year in a row. Anthony Santander continued his home run streak on Tuesday, hitting his 44th home run of the season in the win.

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

The Orioles’ last five playoff appearances