Baltimore Orioles begin the second half

The second half of the 2026 season starts tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in Houston. It opens with the Orioles being on notice that they’ll be without lefty reliever Keegan Akin for some time. Akin underwent Tommy John’s surgery over the All-Star break.

Akin reported elbow surgery after his June 27th outing against Washington. Akin, a seven-year MLB veteran, has spent his entire career with the Orioles. The surgery leaves Grant Wolfram as the only southpaw in the Orioles’ bullpen.

This news comes of course on the heels of Blaze Alexander suffering a broken arm Sunday against the Kansas City Royals after being hit by a pitch late in the game. The benches emptied, but order was restored quickly. Perhaps it’s fitting that the Birds go into the break with a fresh slew of injuries.

The series with Houston opens this evening at Daikin Park. Dean Kremer get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Peter Lambert. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: First four-game winning streak of the year to end the first half

The Baltimore Orioles now have their first four-game winning streak of 2026, this in the final game of the first half of the season. It took awhile to get here, and this was no picnic. But Shane Baz set the tone for the O’s, and the bats eventually came around to record a three-game sweep of Kansas City. Baz’s line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R (one earned), 0 BB, 9 K.

Baz was throwing strikes, evidenced by the nine strikeouts. Kansas City also got to a few pitches, which can also be a derivative of throwing strikes. They got a runner aboard in the top of the second on a throwing error by Blaze Alexander, and Kansas City made them pay. Collins’ subsequent run-scoring triple gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead.

Put the ball in play, and things happen sometimes. We’ve said it all season. But the O’s weren’t to be stopped today. Not yet, at least. In the bottom of the second Leody Taveras hit a LONG two-run homer to give the O’s a 2-1 lead. The ball traveled 448 feet to the batter’s eye. Kansas City would tie the game an inning later, and we were knotted at two.

Baz only lasted 4.2 innings due to a few laborious innings. He probably deserved to win the game. But he set the tone, and put the team in a spot to win. That’s the goal.

All year we’ve seen the Orioles fall victim to fluky plays. Today they got one back, and it sparked a big time rally. With one on and one out in the last of the sixth Tyler O’Neill pinch hit for Colton Cowser, and he popped up a shallow fly ball to right. Cagliqnone, the KC right fielder, appeared to not pick up the ball in the sky, and it fell to the turf. Runners at the corners ensued.

Leody Taveras came through again immediately after. His RBI-single gave the O’s a 3-2 lead. Another pinch-hitter, Jeremiah Jackson, added an RBI-double. And the Birds led, 4-2.

Next up was Gunnar Henderson, who was credited with an RBI before he even got a base hit. Kansas City pitcher Straham was called for a balk, and with a runner on third the Orioles led 5-2. Henderson’s RBI-single extended it to 6-2.

But the O’s weren’t quite done yet in the inning. Pete Alonso’s RBI-single made the margin five with an RBI-single, and the Orioles led 7-2.

Samuel Basallo led off the seventh with a solo home run to center. The one downside of this game came after that, with the Birds leading 8-2. Blaze Alexander, who despite his error today has had a great first half, was hit with a pitch right after. Alexander was hot, and the benches cleared.

Order never really was in question. This was never destined to be a benches-clearing brawl. It was more of a gathering at home plate. However Alexander was pulled from the game. It’s unclear if an injury factored in. One has to hope not. That’s the last thing the Orioles need or can afford.

With the 8-2 win, the Birds now have their first four-game winning streak of 2026. They finish the first half with a three-game sweep at home of Kansas City, and with a record of 46-51. Needless to say, they wish they were better than that, and the plan was to be better than that.

Adley Rutschman now heads to Philadelphia to be a part of the AL All-Star team. The rest of the players and coaches will disperse for a few days. As will I. Surf’s up, dude!

Baltimore Orioles: Teeing off on Kansas City

Kyle Bradish probably should have been the big story for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Needless to say, he was part of the big story. Bradish’s line: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Bradish didn’t surrender a hit until the sixth inning. That’s why I say he should have been the big story. But it was what went on at the plate for the Birds which took the cake tonight.

Pete Alonso led the second inning off with a double, and he later scored on Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single. Basallo did make the unfortunate decision to try to stretch the single into a double, and was thrown out at second base. Sometimes common sense needs to overrule exuberance.

But the O’s didn’t let that bother them. Pete Alonso smacked a two-run home run in the last of the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. But one inning later it was Coby Mayo who gave us the highlight of the night. He smacked a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-0, and in doing so hit the ball off the facade of the second deck in left field.

Keep in mind, earlier in the season when these teams met in Kansas City, Mayo hit a tape measure homer. Then earlier this week against Chicago he joined an elusive club of players (which includes Pete Alonso as an opponent) who had hit the ball into the second deck. And then he more or less did it again tonight – smacking it off the facade.

Taylor Ward joined the homer parade in the sixth, his first home run at Camden Yards as an Oriole. After breaking up Bradish’s no-hit bid, Kansas City would get on the board in the seventh on a sac fly-RBI by Perez. But just to show the Birds weren’t kidding, Gunnar Henderson restored their five-run margin with a solo shot in the eighth, leading the O’s to a 6-1 victory.

The O’s once again have a shot at a four-game winning streak if they can win tomorrow. Either way, they’ve won the series. But a four-game winning streak would go a long way towards helping the O’s to perhaps get over the hunp.

The series and the first half conclude tomorrow at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Seth Lugo. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles select Eric Booth Jr #7 overall

The Baltimore Orioles selected OF Eric Booth Jr. with the number seven overall pick in today’s MLB draft. Booth entered the draft straight out of high school, and he comes to the Oriole organization from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, MS. He was the top-ranked outfielder in the draft.

Booth has committed to Vanderbilt. Presumably the Orioles have done their homework and are confident he’ll sign. The O’s have never taken a pitcher in the Mike Elias era.

Baltimore Orioles: Sammy slams it home

The Baltimore Orioles needed and received another quality start from a pitcher in last night’s series-opener against Kansas City at Camden Yards. And they got it out of Brandon Young. While he didn’t qualify for the win – which came later- he put the Birds in a spot to win with how he pitched. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

At first at least it appeared that Young might be victimized by a lack of runs offensively. Or become the most recent Oriole starter to suffer that fate. RBI-singles in the third by Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson gave the O’s a 2-0 lead. As much as Henderson has struggled of late, he needed that.

However Young allowed Kansas City to equalize. Caglianone’s solo home run in fourth cut the lead to 2-1, and Rojas’ RBI-double later in the inning tied the game at two. However it wasn’t tied for long. Blaze Alexander’s solo homer in the bottom of the inning gave the O’s the lead back at 3-2.

Young lasted through seven, and was sent back out in the eight. He led off the inning by surrendering a solo homer to Collins, tying the game at three. He was promptly lifted. Young probably deserved to win the game, and he probably shouldn’t have come back out to pitch the eighth. But again needless to say, he set the Orioles up for success in the game.

And in the last of the eighth inning, it was Samuel Basallo who delivered that success. With Pete Alonso aboard, he jumped on a hanging slider and smacked a two-run home run. The Birds took a 5-3 lead, which was closed out in the ninth and turned into a 5-3 win.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Noah Cameron. Game time is set for just after 7 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: Opponents either guess right or know what’s coming

Most of the decisive blows in this evening’s Baltimore Orioles’ loss to Chicago came after starter Dean Kremer had departed. Yet, he still got the loss. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Crow-Armstrong smacked a solo home run in the top of the third, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. The O’s would tie the game in the bottom of the inning when Gunnar Henderson grounded into a double-play with runners at the corners, tying the ballgame at one.

Pete Alonso smacked a two-run home run in the fourth which gave the O’s a 3-1 lead. Yet that was the only thing the O’s were able to do that inning. They had additional runners on, but couldn’t convert.

However Chicago could. Once we went to the fifth, that is. The first two pitches of the inning, one by Conforto and the second by Kelly, were hit out of the ballpark. Consider that – THE FIRST TWO PITCHERS. Meaning that in the snap of a finger, the game was tied. That fast. To make matters worse, Crow-Armstrong smacked a third solo homer later on the inning, and Chicago led 4-3.

The most intimating part of the game was that inning. The beginning of that inning, that is. Whomever is calling pitches (from the dugout or above) should be advised that those were back-to-back home runs ON THE FIRST PITCH. Meaning two pitches, and two home runs. To lead off an inning.

Conforto, Kelly, and others are either guessing right, OR they know what’s coming. Has the current regime not seen or understood that yet? Do they not see how incriminating it is to throw two pitches to lead off an inning and have two solo home runs?

Solo home run aren’t supposed to beat you. But when you have multiple solo home runs in a game (heck, in an INNING), that adds up. I would severely caution the current regime going forward, that someone COULD be tipping pitches. Notice I didn’t say stealing signs. I said tipping pitches. That fourth inning was perhaps the most incriminating part of the game.

I’ve insinuated since early last year that people were tipping pitches. Notice, I’m not suggesting that signs are being stolen. I’m saying that the Orioles are somehow tipping pitches. Someone’s doing something which indicates what’s coming, AND/OR where it will be. The alternative is that opponents are getting lucky. Argue amongst yourselves which is more likely, and/or which is more incriminating.

Chicago put up five runs in the seventh. They loaded the bases early in the inning and scored on Crow-Armstrong’s sac fly-RBI. Grant Wolfram uncorked a wild pitch netting another, and Suzuki’s three-run home run extended the Chicago lead to 9-3. For the record, the slider that Suzuki hit out of the ballpark was on a two-strike count. How many two-strike and/or two-out rallies have we seen against the O’s this year?

The O’s did battle back. Or they attempted to, at least. Tyler O’Neill smacked two solo homers – one in the seventh and one in the eighth. Coby Mayo would also smack a two-run home run in the eighth, and Ward’s RBI-single combined to cut the lead to 9-7. The O’s went quietly in the ninth, and have now dropped the first two games of this series.

Keep in mind that the margin of victory for Chicago was two runs. Think back to those two solo homers to begin the fifth inning. Two pitches, two home runs. And I maintain that the two hitters (Conforto and Kelly) either got lucky or knew what was coming. Assuming it’s the latter, that’s incriminating. To whomever is truly guiding this franchise.

If pitches are being tipped, it goes without saying that it’s unintentional. However the pitch selection (or more realistically how the pitches are being guarded) needs to change. Granted, some might argue that the late runs were in garbage time. But the margin of victory was still two no matter how you market it. Something needs to change.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s David Peterson (a southpaw). Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Can’t hit to southpaws and a lack of situational hitting

Shane Baz became only the latest Baltimore Orioles pitcher to throw a quality start in a losing effort last night. The Birds are starting to get decent starting pitching, and at times those outings are wasted because the bats can’t get anything going. Baz’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The real villain of last night’s loss to the Chicago Cubs is the fact that the Birds haven’t been able to hit left handed pitching all year. Chicago starter Boyd is a southpaw. Which all but doomed the Orioles before the game even started. The sad thing is that the O’s have improved against lefties. In the beginning of the season they were at risk of getting no hit by them at first.

Last night’s game began in a 56-minute weather delay. The rain never quite came, and the field was never covered. Yet the game was delayed. Mercifully when it did Gunnar Henderson recorded a base hit in the first inning, meaning that the Chicago southpaw wasn’t going to no-hit the Birds.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI-single by Bregman. However Baz limited the damage and got out of the inning. Crow-Armstrong’s RBI-single in the fifth extended the lead, as did Bregman’s fielder’s choice-RBI. And the O’s trailed 3-0.

The Orioles had chances in this game. They put two runners on in the fourth without recording an out. However what looked at first like a promising inning quickly faded. Boyd struck out the next three Orioles to get out of the inning.

A lack of situational hitting is as much to blame with the Orioles’ struggles (with pitchers from both sides) as anything. Granted, Samuel Basallo was the first hitter to come up in the fourth with two on. But a well-placed bunt would push both runners into scoring position. A sacrifice fly would then scratch across a run.

Instead, the O’s are swinging away. And opposing teams are taking advantage. It’s almost as if the Birds are surrendering the advantage when in theory they have it. But you have to push those runners into scoring position in that situation. Many will say that’s giving away outs; but isn’t that better than three strikeouts? Incidentally, you can’t even totally blame the players for that. You can blame them for not executing, but the decision to put on a bunt play or not isn’t theirs.

Chicago would push a fourth run across in the seventh with Busch’s sac fly-RBI. The Orioles finally did put two up in the bottom of the inning with a two-RBI single by Adley Rutschman. However Chicago would tack an insurance run across in the eighth on an RBI-single by Swanson, to lead them to a 5-2 win.

The Orioles are one-dimensional. The lineup which came down last night was intended to beat a lefty. First off, that lineup didn’t do that. However whichever program that is used from above the field to decipher the lineup day in and day out only take the matchups and potential into account. It doesn’t pay any attention to things such as situational hitting. Rendering results such as this.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ Kyle Bradish a hard-luck loser

The Baltimore Orioles’ Kyle Bradish almost achieved a statistical anomaly this afternoon in Cincinnati. He almost pitched a complete game in a losing effort. Needless to say, Bradish goes down as a hard-luck loser this afternoon for the Orioles; he was outstanding. Bradish’s line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Needless to say, it’s about commanding the zone. Bradish did that today. He retired the first twelve hitters Cincinnati sent up, before allowing a walk to lead off the fifth. That brought Steer to the plate, who smacked a two-run homer. The ball barely made it over the wall. But it was enough.

But Bradish rebounded. That was but a mere blip in the radar in a sense. Until the end, that is. The O’s would get on the board in the sixth on an RBI-single by Coby Mayo. The O’s would proceed to leave the bases loaded that inning, which never bodes well.

I want to give both Bradish and manager Craig Albernaz credit. Albernaz went to the mound with two outs in the eighth and a runner on second to lift Bradish – again after a great outing and a quality start. But Bradish talked him out of it. All of the analytics said to change pitchers there. But Albernaz relented.

That shoes feel for the game. Which is what the Orioles have lacked to this point in many cases. That doesn’t mean it always works out; in this case, Bradish surrendered an RBI-double to Stewart, the O’s trailed 3-1.

Many fans will say that’s why you should trust the analytics. I reject that sentiment. Feel for the game and standing behind your players means more. Sport often mimics life; nothing in life is set in stone. With each day we leave everything to chance.

This isn’t a video game; sometimes the other guy’s going to win. And you accept those moments with grace. But if the last two years’ of Orioles’ baseball tells us anything, it should be that you can’t use a computer to achieve a projected outcome in the real world. It doesn’t work that way.

And the O’s did make it interesting in the ninth. They loaded the bases and Gunnar Henderson’s sac fly-RBI cut the lead and the final to 3-2. End of the day, the elusive four-game winning streak still hasn’t happened. But overall the Birds took two-of-three in the Emerald City over the weekend. There are worse spots in which to be.

Baltimore Orioles brought back by a big inning

It wasn’t always a guarantee that Brandon Young was going to make it deep into tonight’s game for the Baltimore Orioles in Cincinnati. Young had a rough second inning, needless to say. But to Craig Albernaz’s credit, he stuck with the young right hander. And it paid off. Young’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

I’ve said many times that pitchers will have ten good starts, ten bad, and ten in between. That last category is where the success or failure of your season lies. Tonight Brandon Young was able to work through some choppy waters and stuck around enough to qualify for the win.

In short, the story of this game is pitchers’ vulnerabilities being taken advantage of. The O’s did it early against Cincinnati’s Greene, who was making his first start of the season. Gunnar Henderson led the game off with a walk, and Pete Alonso walked later in the inning with two outs. Samuel Basallo then smacked his second home run in as many games, this one of the three-run variety. And the Birds led, 3-0.

Cincinnati would get one back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-single by Suarez. However the Cincinnati rally would continue in the second. Following a leadoff single, Trevino’s RBI-double would cut the lead to 3-2. Friedl’s RBI-triple would tie the game at three, and Cincinnati would take the lead at 4-3 on De La Cruz’s RBI-single.

The startling thing was the O’s surrendering the lead in one fatal swoop after taking it. We’ve seen that far too often this year, and in many cases the O’s couldn’t come back. Tonight wasn’t one of those times.

The turning point in the game overall was a fourth inning at-bat by Jackson Holliday, The O’s had two on with nobody out, and Holliday was attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt – which is not something Holliday usually does. While he struggled to get the bunt down, the pitcher Greene uncorked a wild pitch – allowing both runners to scoot into scoring position. That saved the Orioles an out, and it still got the job done.

Holliday would end up walking, and Blaze Alexander’s subsequent two-RBI single gave the O’s the lead back at 5-4. Adley Rutschman tacked on a two-RBI double, and Pete Alonso an RBI-single. That expanded the Orioles’ lead to 8-4.

The impressive part is that the Orioles came back. And they did it with a big inning, something which has evaded them a lot of the year. And as I’ve said often this season, things happen when you get guys on base. Jackson Holliday isn’t a great bunter. To Craig Alberbaz’s credit, he told Holliday to get a bunt down so as to have the O’s stay out of a double-play. But things can happen with guys on base – in this case a wild pitch. And that began the rally.

Cincinnati would tack one on in the seventh on an infield RBI-single by Suarez. End of the day this is a series with two teams in similar spots. However the Orioles showed that they were the better team. Thus far at least. This was a good team win, and hopefully one on which they can build.

With the 8-5 win, the Orioles have won the series in Cincinnati. Tomorrow is yet another shot at winning four in a row. It would also be a series sweep if the O’s can win. Incidentally this game couldn’t have been won without Colton Cowser making a diving catch with runners on base in the ninth, saving at least one run.

It was also announced during the game that catcher Adley Rutschman was selected to his third All-Star game, representing the Orioles. A well-deserved honor, and one that manager Craig Albernaz announced to the team prior to the game starting. Rutschman will be at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on the AL All-Star team on July 14th.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Great American Ballpark. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Nick Lodollo. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: An emerald win in Cincy

The Baltimore Orioles sent Trevor Rogers to the mound last night in Cincinnati to open a three-game series. If it begins and ends with starting pitching, it began and ended last night with Trevor Rogers setting the tone for the ballgame. He only went five innings, but that’s all the Orioles needed. Rogers’ line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K.

As we’ve said previously, things happen when you put the ball in play or guys on base. With two on in the first, Pete Alonso was called out on strikes to record the second out of the inning – and of the game. The O’s attempted a double steal on the play, with Gunnar Henderson trying for third. As he slid in safely, he was also able to score on a throwing error with the ball going into left field.

Again, you never know what’s going to happen when you put people on base. In that instance it yielded the Orioles a run. With a runner at third and two outs in the third, it did the same. This time however, it came on a two-run homer by Samuel Basallo. And the Orioles led, 3-0.

As great as Rogers was, the bullpen equaled him. They put up zero’s across every inning. Most notably, with Ryan Helsley again on the IL, one question was who was going to close. Last night it was Tyler Wells, who put up zero’s just like the rest of his pitching brethren. And the Birds sailed to a 3-0 victory in the opening game in the Emerald City.

The series continues this evening at the Great American Ballpark. Brandon Young gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene. Game time is set for 7:10 PM.