Baltimore Orioles: Power surge

Brandon Young wasn’t at his best for the Baltimore Orioles last night. Certainly not his worst, either. It was one of those famous in between starts, and You mg motored through six innings. Young’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 earned), 3 BB, 4 K.

For what it’s worth, the previous two games had starters lifted early. So the fact that Young went six innings saved the bullpen a bit. He also qualified for a quality start.

Gunnar Henderson singled to lead off the game, and was followed by Pete Alonso. And Big Pete set the tone for the evening with a two-run home run. That gave the Birds a 2-0 lead, immediately putting Minnesota on notice.

In reality however, Henderson set the tone by getting on base. That’s what a lead off man is supposed to do. One has to hope that last night’s game is a catalyst for Henderson breaking out of his slump.

And I say that also in part because in his next at-bat in the second inning, Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run home run of his own. That doubled the Orioles lead. It also meant that Minnesota needed to score at least five to beat the Orioles. And when you’re playing a team who put up nine the day before and refused to take its foot off the gas, that makes a difference.

Young would load the bases in the last of the second. However the only run he surrendered was on an RBI-groundout by Roden. In limiting the damage, he pitched through difficulties and maintained the status quo. And he was rewarded for that, as one inning later Christian Encarnacion-Strand smacked a solo homer and extended the Orioles’ lead to 5-1.

The O’s may have another issue at catcher coming out of this game, as Yohel Pozzo got clipped by a swing in the last of the third, and had to leave the game. In short, it’s an injured thumb, and x-rays were negative. Whether a roster move is pending remains to be seen. Lee’s subsequent run-scoring double cut the lead to 5-2.

That’s an unearned run, as catcher’s interference was called on Pozzo – which is an error. That pushed a runner already at first base into scoring position, further highlighting the Orioles’ luck with catchers. Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman were both hurt, Rutschman was traded to Boston, Basallo’s still injured, and now one of the replacements might be down as well.

Josh Walker and Yennier Cano retired Minnesota in the seventh and eighth, and Andrew Kitteredge closed things out in the ninth. All in all, a good win for the O’s, who need to finish off the series today in strong fashion.

The series concludes this afternoon at Target Field. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Zebby Matthews. Game time is set for 1:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Unwavering on approach since June of 2024

It would have probably stood to reason that the Baltimore Orioles would have changed things up a bit against former starter Dean Kremer last night. But they couldn’t for the most part. Trevor Rogers turned in an uncharacteristically short start on top of that, and Oriole bats couldn’t muster much until late. Rogers’ line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Rogers, along with all Oriole pitchers, was tentative. As I’ve said many times, you don’t want to just throw the ball consistently right down Broadway. But you have to attack the strike zone. They don’t consistently do that, and they didn’t do it last night.

Rogers surrendered a solo home run to Martin in the third. One inning later however the Birds would actually tie the game in a fairly strange manner. With one out and runners at the corners, Tyler O’Neill struck out and Jackson Holliday was caught stealing on the base paths. However Craig Albernaz had apparently put on a double-steal, enabling Gunnar Henderson to in essence steal home plate.

However Rogers gave the lead right back. He hit the first batter of the fourth by a pitch, followed by a double by Lee – resulting in two runners in scoring position. Culpepper’s sac fly-RBI would give Minnesota the lead back at 2-1.

When you’re trying to pitch exclusively on the fringes, that will sometimes happen. In fact, Rogers hit another batter before the inning ended. Sometimes pitches get away from someone. It happens. However when you aren’t allowing a pitcher to attack the strike zone and instead consistently and tentatively pitching to the fringes of the plate, you run the risk of a pitch getting away.

Minnesota recorded two infield hits to lead off the seventh. One was in no man’s land, and Jackson Holliday didn’t have time to make the throw to first. The second was a soft bunt, compounded by a throwing error which put two runners in scoring position. When you pitch to the fringes, fringe things can happen. Jeffers’ two-run single gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead.

Later in the inning Bell’s three-run home run extended the lead to 7-1. The O’s would rally just a bit, with Coby Mayo smacking an RBI-double and Christian Encarnacion-Strand an RBI-groundout in the eighth. However Minnesota didn’t call off the dogs; they added two more in the bottom of the inning before Coby Mayo’s two-RBI double in the ninth. All in all, the Birds dropped this one 9-5.

Kremer pitched outstanding against his former team. This would be one reason you don’t help out someone with whom you’re competing directly for a postseason spot. Especially when you’re playing them in short order.

The Orioles slowly began going into a swoon in mid-June, 2024. They were never the same after that. Something changed; is it approach? Effort? Maybe even luck? Tough to say.

However as I alluded above, the Orioles cannot change their game plan. They always attack the fringes of the plate. Dean Kremer, because he was forced to do this also, knows that. If there were ever a time to maybe change up your approach, it would be against a guy who was part of said approach until a couple of weeks ago.

But whomever calls the shots in game wasn’t about to let that happen. Again, since June of 2024, the Orioles the O’s have been very rigid in how they’ve approached games from a pitching perspective. Kremer knows this. He also knows the machine won’t allow anything to change it. So he was Minnesota’s “advance scout” for this series. Minnesota hitters infernally refused to swing at anything that wasn’t right over the plate. And it worked.

And the fact that a pitcher like Kremer was able to go to a different team and throw seven innings of one-hit ball against his former team is equally incriminating. He knew that the Orioles aim only for launch angle and exit velocity. And he used that to his advantage.

Since June of 2024, the team has been managed very rigidly. This over three different managers (one of whom was an interim manager). You can’t win games on a spreadsheet. You win them on the field. It’s no mystery what the Orioles are doing. The word got out in June of 2024. And the results since then show that.

The series continues this evening at Target Field. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Bailey Ober. Game time is set for 7:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Polar Bear plunges a stake deep in the heart of Texas

Coming into this afternoon’s series finale in Texas, the Baltimore Orioles had gotten great pitching but little in the way of hitting. Cade Povich was hoping he wouldn’t be the latest victim. The good news is he wasn’t. The bad news (for Povich) is that he didn’t stick around long enough to qualify for the win. Povich’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

The Orioles put two runners on with two outs in the first inning. Dylan Beavers’ RBI-single gave them a 1-0 lead. Leody Taveras followed with an RBI-double, and the O’s led 2-0 early on.

After Povich sent Texas down 1-2-3 in the last of the first, Colton Cowser smacked a mammoth solo homer to center in the second, and the O’s led, 3-0. Later in the inning Gunnar Henderson drew a walk, bringing Pete Alonso to the plate. And Big Pete sent a two-run homer over the left field wall, giving the Birds a 5-0 lead.

Povich was cruising, as for once were Oriole bats. However the third inning brought problems for Povich. He allowed an infield single with one out, followed with a walk with two outs having been recorded. Suddenly Povich couldn’t find a strike zone, and he surrendered a three-run home run to Nimmo which cut the lead to 5-3.

Povich got out of that inning without any further runs scoring, but he seemed spooked. That ended up being his last inning, which wasn’t a huge deal as the Oriole bullpen was well rested due to starters pitching deep (albeit in losing efforts) in the first two games of the series. You wish that Craig Albernaz would have allowed Povich to qualify for the win, but end of the day he opted for the bullpen.

In the mean time, Pete Alonso smacked his second two-run homer of the ballgame in the fourth, extending the Oriole lead to 7-3. It was Alonso’s first multi-home run game as an Oriole. And in the wake of the rough third inning, it re-centered the Orioles a bit.

Tyler O’Neill provided some insurance in the sixth with a two-run homer of his own. To further the point, Colton Cowser walked in a run in the ninth. Texas would also slide two across in the bottom of the inning – runs which meant nothing.

End of the day you wish you had won this series. However the Orioles finished it off with a bang, running away with a 10-5 victory off of Pete Alonso’s bat, deep in the heart of Texas. Hopefully the offensive output continues.

The O’s now head to Target Field to open a three-game set against Minnesota. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Dean Kremer (of course a former and very recent Oriole himself). Game time is set for 7:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Slim margins

For the second consecutive night, the Baltimore Orioles got a great start out of their starter. Kyle Bradish didn’t surrender an earned run. And yet he was haunted by defensive miscues, earning the loss. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (zero earned), 0 BB, 4 K.

Jackson Holliday’s solo homer in the first put the O’s ahead, 1-0. Duran got on board for Texas in the second on an infield hit. The ball was perfectly placed, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand had to eat it.

Bradish would attempt a pickoff, and an errant throw would send Duran to third. Carter would drive in the run on a fielder’s choice, tying the game. To make matters worse, Gunnar Henderson fielded the ball that Carter put in play, and threw home to try to cut off the run. The run scored, and the runner was safe at first base.

I suppose it’s fair to say that if he nails the runner, it was a good decision. But he didn’t; so it wasn’t. It would have made more sense to take what the offense is giving you – an out at first base.

Bradish would surrender another single, and the runner would go to second on a wild pitch. That runner would later come around to score on an E5. Bradish allowed two runs, both unearned.

To make matters worse, Oriole bats weren’t coming through. The Birds were only 0-for-3 in the game with RISP. They couldn’t get guys on, over, or in. Which is a huge problem.

Seager would smack a three-run homer in the eighth to cement the game for Texas. Again, when you barely threaten over nine innings. And when you do threaten, you allow the opposing team to get themselves out of it.

The series concludes tomorrow at Globe Life Field. Cade Povich gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Kumar Rocker Game time is set for 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles within two games of .500

Needless to say, the selloff has been harsh on the Baltimore Orioles this week. However the O’s also have quietly continued their push into the standings and for the postseason in the midst of heavy trade winds against them. Trevor Rogers continued their quest for October this evening against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Rogers’ line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K.

To be blunt, the Orioles need to extend Rogers. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, but he’s been invaluable to this franchise in 2026 – and before. Withstanding a lockout, he should be an Oriole in 2027 and beyond.

The O’s pulled ahead in the fourth inning, following a walk. And it came from the unlikeliest of spots. Tyler O’Neill’s two-run homer gave the Birds a 2-0 lead. That was followed up by a solo shot by Coby Mayo, and the Orioles led hapless Anaheim, 3-0.

However Anaheim chipped away. Siri’s solo home run in the sixth cut the lead to 3-1. Meckler’s RBI-single in the seventh further cut the lead to 3-2. The game hung in the balance in a sense. But not for long.

Gunnar Henderson reached on a HBP in the last of the eighth. He would advance on a throwing error, and Craig Alberbaz would pinch-hit Leody Taveras for Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill, who had already smacked a home run.

To his credit, Craig Alberbaz has pushed a lot of the right buttons of late. He isn’t always given credit for that, specifically not from me. But he’s pushed the right buttons recently. As he did tonight.

Leody Taveras’ two-run home run extended the lead to 5-2. And that made it a lot easier for Andrew Kittredge, who came on to close things out in the ninth. With the win, the O’s closed to within one game of the final playoff spot (at the time of this article’s publication, and to within two games of .500.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Ryan Johnson. Game time for a set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cade Povich cool as a Polar Bear

The Baltimore Orioles put Cade Povich in a bit of a spot tonight. Povich was activated off the IL, and was taxed with starting tonight against Anaheim – in the first game after GM Mike Elias controversially traded Adley Rutschman (among others). And to his credit, Povich delivered. Povich’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Povich has quietly had a great regular season, despite the injury. Coming into to tonight’s game, he had a 3.91 ERA. My personal opinion is that he’s a keeper. Despite having traffic on the base paths for most of the night, he did pitch a shutout over six innings.

The Orioles immediately inserted a couple of their new players into the lineup, including Christian Franklin and Carlos Narváez. The latter of which (who was obtained in the Rutschman trade) was hit by a pitch in the third. The Birds would proceed to load the bases, and Pete Alonso’s two-RBI single would give them a 2-0 lead.

This wasn’t a game noted for its offensive output. With one out Coby Mayo would triple in the seventh. Franklin would then reach on a fielder’s choice, with Mayo being thrown out at home plate.

Craig Albernaz had the contact play on. The O’s always seem to have the contact play on. It didn’t work. The O’s ran into an out. How good a bunter Franklin is, but would a safety squeeze not have been a better idea there? The contact play works well if the game is truly on the line late in the game. The scenario didn’t call for it in that instance.

Grissom’s run-scoring double in the eighth sort of drove home the point about the safety squeeze. Suddenly the Orioles were only ahead by one, and that out at home plate registered greater. To make matters worse, an error by Christian Encarnacion-Strand at third helped drive the run in.

But the Orioles pitched out of it. On top of that, they got an insurance run from Tyler O’Neill in the form of a solo home run in the last of the eighth. Yennier Cano closed Los Angeles out in the ninth, and the O’s took the first game of this series, 3-1.

This was a huge win. Not regarding the postseason race or anything, because the math says the Orioles are still very much alive for that. But it was a big win for the psyche of the clubhouse, given the players who were unceremoniously removed over the past day-and-a-half. The Orioles had no choice but to win the game today. And yes, the standings say they’re very much alive.

They also won this game and beat former starter Grayson Rodriguez. He was of course traded to LA in the off season for Tyler Ward – who was just traded to Seattle yesterday, Needless to say, Rodriguez had injury issues beyond his control. But the Birds certainly didn’t want him coming back in here and beating them.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Reid Detemers. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles send Adley Rutschman to Boston

Adley Rutschman was the Baltimore Orioles first round pick in 2019. Not only that, he was the first overall pick in the draft. He was a 1:1.

Today President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias traded Rutschman to division rival Boston. Rutschman is a free agent after 2027, and he’s currently on the IL with a wrist injury. In return for Rutschman, the Orioles are reportedly getting RHP Anthony Eyanson, OF Endy Azocar, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, C Carlos Narvaez, and a player to be named later. Eyanson and Witherspoon are the #2 and #3 prospects in Boston’s system.

Whether that’s a legitimate haul for Rutschman remains to be seen. Perhaps some of that depth was even warranted in the Orioles’ farm system. What IS factual is that six of the eight deadlines in the current Elias regime have been sales.

On top of that, this goes well against the grain of baseball logic. While the O’s got some decent players back, traditionally you don’t trade within your division. Many will say that’s a good thing. While my view is irrelevant, again I’ll just reiterate that regular logic goes against this.

It’s also worth mentioning that the O’s are still 2.5 games back in the playoff race. Adley Rutschman is a franchise sort of player who’s now going to be that for a division rival. There does appear to be something wrong with that picture. But that’s the reality of the situation.

It’s entirely possible that Mike Elias is comfortable with the Orioles continuing their postseason push without the likes of Rutschman, Taylor Ward, and Dean Kremer. It could be that he’s comfortable with those players being on teams who are directly competing with the Orioles. But needless to say, the moves are curious.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Orioles locked C Samuel Basallo into a longterm deal last year. So while Basallo’s injured also for now, there’s no question mark at the catcher position for the foreseeable future. But again, usually you don’t help out your division rivals.

Baltimore Orioles send Taylor Ward to Seattle

The Baltimore Orioles have traded Og Taylor Ward to Seattle. With the MLB Teade Deadline set for 6 PM this evening, Ward appears on the move. Neither side has confirmed the deal.

In return, the O’s appear poised to receive RHP’s Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. All three appear to be high leverage relievers. Perhaps they can be stretched out. Time will tell.

Despite an unfortunate turn of events over the weekend against Philadelphia, the Orioles are 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. In Seattle and Minnesota, they’ve now traded with two teams with whom they’re competing for that spot. I find that odd. But perhaps I’m outdated in my thinking. In my world you never make someone who’s a threat to you better.

Baltimore Orioles: Nothing good happens after a walk – or after bad challenges

You can’t pitch better than Shane Baz did tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. Sadly tonight’s game against Philadelphia was also par for the course, as the Orioles don’t seem to score runs in games when Baz pitches. Beginning and ending with tonight – where they put up zero. Baz’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Philadelphia’s starter Sanchez matched Baz. Both were outstanding. The Orioles lost a challenge in the third inning, on a pitch that was outside the strike zone by over an inch and a half. In the moment however it was a non-issue because Baz got out of the inning. In the moment being a key phrase there.

Philadelphia would take a 1-0 lead in the fifth on an RBI-single by De La Cruz. This with two outs in the inning, and on the heels of a walk. The only walk of the game that Baz issued. Which was followed by the only run of the game that he allowed.

Remember that bit above about that missed challenge not hurting the Orioles in the moment? It began to hurt them in the seventh when Taylor Ward missed their second and final challenge of the game. On a pitch that was clearly a strike. Putting them out of challenges for the game.

I fundamentally disagree with computers calling balls and strikes. But the system is what it is; the O’s haven’t been good with challenges this year – either offensively or defensively. They either challenge the wrong pitches or let bad calls go unchecked. Or, they shoot their wad early and often.

With Philadelphia still leading 1-0 in the top of the eight, Schwarber walked on a full count with one out. Ball four was CLEARLY in the strike zone to the naked eye. A fact that was backed up by pitch track. But the Orioles couldn’t challenge. Grant Wolfram tapped his hat, but the Birds were out of challenges. Everyone in the ballpark knew thatwas strike three. But it went as ball four.

Following a second walk and a wild pitch, Bohm’s RBI-single extended the lead to 2-0. After Bohm’s RBI-single it was 3-0. Crawford would tack on a two-RBI single later in the game, extending the lead to 5-0. Most of the runs in that sequence came off of walks…

…and nothing good happens after a walk. Walks may only equal one base, but they’re runners on base. Philadelphia took advantage of their opportunities once those runners got on. Meanwhile the Orioles were 0-for-3 with RISP. You can’t win games like that.

You also can’t win games by challenging pitches that you have no business challenging, leading to you being out of challenges. Again, that system isn’t something in which I believe. But it’s there, and you have to utilize it correctly. When the Orioles were faced with a pitch that was an OBVIOUS strike three, they couldn’t enforce it.

It’s easy enough to say that it’s nobody’s fault but their own that they allowed the inning to balloon after that. AND that they couldn’t put a run on the board, losing 5-0. And that’s true. However does nobody on and two outs not sound better than one on and one out? Do we think that inning still balloons the way it did if that’s a strike three instead of a ball four? And make no mistake, IT WAS a strike three.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles trade Dean Kremer to Minnesota

Word on the street is that the Baltimore Orioles traded starter Dean Kremer to Minnesota shortly after last night’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia. Again word on the street is that in return they’re receiving Jhomnardo Reyes, a single-A outfielder. Neither the Orioles or Minnesota have announced the trade.

Kremer heads to Minnesota with a 6.50 ERA on the season. (It ballooned to that level after his most recent starts in Boston and Detroit.) For his part, Reyes was Minnesota’s 12th prospect in their organization. He also bats from the left side.

The Orioles are a game-and-a-half back from the final Wild Card Spot. So they aren’t selling – per se. This is a curious move to me, especially given the fact that the team currently in the final Wild Card spot is…Minnesota. The trade deadline is Monday, which is an off day for the Orioles. Does this foreshadow the addition of another pitcher?

Kremer was slated to start on Tuesday, so the O’s will need a starter for that game against Anaheim. They could also skip the start, given the off day. The Orioles also head to Minnesota in just over two weeks. Needless to say, best wishes to Dean Kremer.