Tag Archives: Jordan Westburg

Zach Eflin acted as a stopper of sorts for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. The O’s had only lost two straight, but better to end a losing streak now than let it really get churning. And Eflin turned in a quality start in ending the losing streak. Eflin’s line: 6.2 IP. 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Ramon Urias got the O’s on the board in the third with a two-run homer. However the Orioles continued getting guys on base. They even got them into scoring position. They just couldn’t get them home. The fear of course, was that this would come back and bite the Orioles. For a moment, it looked like it would.

Detroit put two runners on base in the seventh, and Keith’s RBI-double cut the lead to 2-1. That left one out and two runners in scoring position. The Orioles brought the infield in, and Dingler lined out. Tony Mansolino lifted Eflin, and Keegan Akin struck the final hitter out.

That was a jam. While the Orioles didn’t want to surrender a run there, that inning was a win. The game could have imploded. But they limited the damage. And it was especially big given that Gunnar Henderson smacked an RBI-single in the last of the eighth extending the lead to 3-1.

Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double in the last of the eighth seemed to somewhat seal the deal. Mullins would later score on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 5-1. Insurance runs mean something. Especially that one, as it meant the Orioles didn’t need to use Felix Bautista.

But the onslaught didn’t end there. Following a couple of walks Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 7-1. But it was a three-run home run by Jordan Westburg that capped the evening off, Westburg’s second game back and his second home run in that span.

The fact that Westburg seems to be picking right up where he left off is meaningful. And on top of that, this was the Orioles’ biggest win since Opening Day in Toronto. Go figure, guys get healthy and things improve.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

It’s interesting that it’s the Baltimore Orioles who seem to be turning the concept of analytics on its head. Not in the manner that that one would think, however. More on that later. Detroit got to starter Cade Povich early. Povich’s line: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Detroit was going to start Sawyer Gibson-Long. But they switched that up and used Brant Hurter as an “opener.” Detroit did this to the Orioles last year, and earlier in 2025. And it’s been especially effective given the Orioles’ inability to hit left-handed pitching.

Hurter is a righty, so the Orioles set their lineup prepared to hit the starter. Then he leaves the game, surrendering to a righty. The lineup is already set to hit a southpaw, and there‘a nothing the Orioles can do about it. Save for figuring out how to hit lefties.

McKinstry tripled in the second, which led to Perez’s sac fly-RBI. But the O’s did tie the score. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI- single in the last of the third knotted things up at one.

However it unraveled quickly. And you almost didn’t see it coming. Baez’s RBI-single in the fourth gave Detroit the lead back. One inning later Detroit got an RBI-single by Dingler, and a two-run home run by Torkelson. Needless to say, they’re a pesky bunch.

The Orioles did attempt a late rally. Adley Rutschman followed a Jackson Holliday double (followed by a wild pitch advancing Holliday to third) with a sac fly-RBI. Following a walk Ryan O’Hearn went to a 3-0 count, before taking ball four…

…in theory. Home plate umpire Alex Tosi called a pitch that was well outside (and low) strike one. O’Hern fouled the next pitch off, and swung through the following pitch for strike three (ending the inning).

On top of everything else, not even borderline pitches went against the Birds. The only reason O’Hearn swung at either of the last two pitches was because he had no choice. In his mind the home plate umpire had already proven that everything was a strike. So it was swing or get caught looking. To his credit, O’Hearn didn’t say a word – he glared angrily at the home plate umpire and walked away.

Jordan Westburg would smack a solo homer in the ninth to narrow the lead to 5-3. That didn’t really help the O’s in terms of the game, however it helped Westburg’s confidence. Tonight was his first game back from the IL.

The Orioles’ biggest issues were highlighted in this game. Again, they’re turning analytics on its head. They’re so committed to what the computer is saying to do, other teams are finding ways around that. The computer says you struggle against southpaws. So the opponent pitches a southpaw for a brief period, and you set your lineup accordingly.

In short, opponents are outsmarting the Orioles. In a certain sense, how are you going to improve against lefties if you only face them in a controlled environment designed to not let you fail? Again, Detroit has done this to the Orioles before (among other teams). They’re playing to their opponents’ weaknesses. And it’s working.

In the AL East world, the team with more power and better pitching wins. So we look at an “opener” as weak. I do as well – I’m not a fan of the practice. I see it as gutless, and I see it as sleight of hand. But against a team like the Orioles who are dug into analytics at all costs, it’s working.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Zach Eflin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Casey Mize. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles played solid ball this afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader in Detroit. Starter Brandon Young had perhaps one tough inning. However end of the day, it was enough for Detroit to sneak their way into a win. Young’s line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 6 K.

There are two reasons the Orioles lost today, and one plays into the other. One of those reasons is hitting with runners in scoring position – the Orioles were 1-for-8 today. The other was the sixth inning.

Detroit put a couple of runners on in the second, and Baez’s RBI-double gave them a 1-0 lead. Young would later load the bases, and Torres would add a sac fly-RBI. Keep in mind, Detroit picks you to death by 1,000 paper cuts. They look at each base runner as not only a potential run, but the potential for a big inning. To Brandon Young’s credit, he stayed out of that big inning.

The O’s would cut the lead in half on Ryan O’Hearn’s solo homer in the fourth. But that’s all the Orioles would get. And Jung’s RBI-single in the fifth gave Detroit a two-run lead once again at 3-1.

The Orioles got back-to-back bass hits to open the sixth inning, the second of which sent Jordan Westburg from first to third. That brought Heston Kjerstad to the plate, who bounced a ball to the first baseman Torkelson. The Orioles had the contact play on, and Westburg broke for home on the crack of the bat…

…however it was just enough time for Torkelson to throw the ball home and nail Westburg at home plate. Detroit would induce a pop up snd a strikeout in the aftermath, ending the inning. And the Birds ended up with nothing despite getting a runner to third with less than two outs (heck, with nobody out).

That was the game right there. To be clear, it was the right play there to have Westburg running on contact. In that situation, you have to. However if you look at the play in depth, they would have been better off doing it “wrong” and not having the contact play on. It’s easy to say had Westburg held up he would have stayed at third, Kjerstad would have been out at first, and the O’s would have had two runners in scoring position. BUT…

…nobody covered first base. So had Westburg not run on contact, the bases would have been loaded with nobody out. It’s also worth noting that it was a bang-bang play at home plate. Meaning the Orioles forced Torkelson to make a perfect play. And he did.

And that’s one of the many stories of this season thus far. Detroit entirely anticipated the Orioles having the contact play on there. They put all of their eggs into that basket. And it worked. You have to do things by the book. But it doesn’t always work out. That sixth inning was the game.

Jordan Westburg would get on again in the seventh with an RBI-single, cutting the lead to 3-2. But the teams would swap homers again, with Torkelson for Detroit and Ramon Urias for the O’s (in the top of the eighth). And the Birds fell to 10-15 with the loss.

Not an awful game for the O’s, but that sixth inning stung. It was almost as if Detroit anticipated the actual swinging bunt to the first baseman. Needless to say, they anticipated that Westburg was running at third, and Torkelson made a perfect play. 1-for-8 in scoring position across the whole game is the key stat. But if Kjerstad just hits the ball out of the infield in the air as opposed to what happened, a run scores. And all things being equal, the game ends up in extra innings.

The series continues this evening at Comerica Park. Keegan Akin gets the start for the Orioles (presumably as an “opener”), and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Keider Montero. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Dean Kremer had to labor in his maiden start for the Baltimore Orioles in 2025. A pitcher is going to have ten good starts a year, ten bad, and ten in between. This one was in that latter category – but it was enough to win. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

The Birds led from the get go. Colton Cowser smacked a solo home run in the first at-bat of the ballgame. Jordan Westburg would follow suit later in the inning with one of his own. However Toronto would tie it in the bottom of the inning. They would take a 4-2 lead in the third on Giminez’s two-run homer.

However the O’s weren’t dead just yet. Gary Sanchez would bring them to within one with a sac fly-RBI in the fourth. However the Birds would eventually load the bases with Ramon Urias coming to the plate. And he didn’t disappoint- his bases-clearing double gave the Orioles the lead back at 6-4.

The Orioles would extend their lead in the fifth with an RBI-single by Cedric Mullins, Heston Kjerstad racked on a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds led 8-4. However Toronto would inch closer in the bottom of the inning with an RBI-groundout by Guerrero.

If the Orioles thought they were going to collapse in this game, Jordan Westburg reminded them that they were in the lead, his second homer of the game was a solo shot in the seventh, and served as an insurance run in the Birds’ 9-5 win.

On top of this, Toronto’s starter Scherzer (a future first ballot hall of famer), left the game early. This meaning that Toronto’s bullpen got taxted. To the point that they may have to make a roster move in anticipation of tomorrow’s game. That‘s huge.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Chris Bassitt. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

The only downside to tonight’s game for the Baltimore Orioles is that starter Zach Eflin wasn’t around to be the pitcher of record. He missed getting the win by one out, however the more important thing is that the team wins. And they did. Eflin’s line: 4.2 IP. 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 1 K.

The real shocker was the five walks. Eflin doesn’t walk people. However the fact is that you aren’t going to have your best stuff all the time. Luckily for the Birds, it happened when they didn’t need him to have his best stuff.

New York had to scratch their original starter (Cortes) due to injury concerns. These Orioles of course know all about injuries; nobody had any sympathy when the injury bug bit them, And they didn’t offer that courtesy to their division rivals.

To be blunt, they ambushed New York from the beginning. They loaded the bases in the first inning with nobody out, and Colton Cowser’s two-RBI double gave them a 2-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single later in the inning extended it to 3-0 before the inning ended. And that was almost a disappointment – that they only got three runs that inning. But you take what you can get against New York in the Bronx.

New York would get on the board in the second on an RBI-single by Volpe. But the Birds did exactly what you should do against New York – they never really stopped adding on. In the fourth Gunnar Henderson’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 5-1. The best part? That came after a stolen base by Cedric Mullins. Having a more balanced attack offensively is yielding the Birds additional bases.

Yet, the inning wasn’t over yet. Henderson would score on an RBI-double by Anthony Santander. That brought Colton Cowser to the plate, and another RBI-double plus a James McCann RBI-single later the O’s led 7-1. This all in the fourth inning.

In most cases you’d say the game was over. And in reality, it was teetering towards being over most of the night. However this was against New York in the Bronx. Soto reminded the Orioles of that with a two-run homer in the fifth. But again, the O’s shut things down after that. Which is exactly how to play it.

For good measure, Jordan Westburg tacked on an eighth inning RBI-single to extend the lead to 9-3. And it’s a darned good thing he did. Because New York would get an RBI-single from Soto, and a three-run homer from Judge in the last of the ninth. At 9-7, the game was closer than the score indicates. But the Orioles won – which is all that matters to them.

They also prevented New York from celebrating at their expense with a division title. This for the second consecutive game. With the win, the Orioles snapped a six-series losing streak, and narrowed the magic number to clinch (at least) the top wild card spot to one.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerritt Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Solo homers did hurt the Baltimore Orioles’ Albert Suarez today, they say solo home runs shouldn’t hurt you. However when you give up multiple solo shots…is there really a difference between that and a three-run homer? To be clear, Suarez didn’t pitch poorly per se. He just gave up a few solo shots. Suarez’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K,

I’ve said versions of this for some time. However Detroit pitchers seemed to live on the fringes of the plate – and they got the called strikes. Albert Suarez, like many other Oriole pitchers, was throwing strikes. And they were being hit.

After retiring the first five hitters, Suarez gave up a solo homer to Torkelson in the second. He then surrendered back-to-back doubles, the second of which was an RBI-double by Sweeney. One inning later Carpenter smacked a solo home run, and the O’s trailed 3-0.

The best news of the day for the Birds was that they saw the return of both Ramon Urias and Jordan Westburg this afternoon. They were called up off their rehab stints just before the game, and made an immediate impact…

…Urias singled with one out in the fifth. He was followed by Cedric Mullins, who slugged the Birds right back into the game with a two-run homer. That was followed by a Gunnar Henderson single. This bringing the other returned player, Jordan Westburg, to the plate.

Ramon Urias made his immediate impact by getting on base to start a rally. Westburg made his by scoring Gunnar Henderson on an RBI-triple which tied the game in the last of the fifth. If you question how much the O’s had missed some of these injured players, the fifth inning today should make it clear.

Incidentally the O’s almost took the lead in that inning. Colton Cowser was robbed of a homer by Detroit’s Meadows. The ball was over the wall, and Meadows brought it back. Outstanding play. However that play ended up being bigger than it looked even at the time, as Suarez surrendered a third solo homer in the top of the sixth, this to Carpenter. His second of the game.

And with the Orioles not being able to score again, that catch by Meadows cost the Orioles the game. Just to show he wasn’t kidding, Ramon Urias made a play for an extra bases in the ninth, and Meadows ran it down. It’s also worth mentioning that Colton Cowser was thrown out at third base in the fourth – the second out of the inning. This following an Adley Rutschman single – with Cowser on first…

…should Cowser have stayed at second base? In my opinion, yes. It wasn’t a risk worth taking. And it cost the Birds an out and a runner in scoring position.

But again, this came as a result of the O’s throwing too many strikes. And too good of strikes. Combine that with a team like Detroit who was intent on being aggressive at the plate, and you see the result.

In a way, you have to credit Baltimore Orioles’ starter Al Suarez. He had a very rough first inning, which in effect ended up being the game. But he did hang in there enough to go five innings, sparing the bullpen – a little bit, at least. Suarez’s line: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

Houston led 1-0 after the first pitch in the last of the first after Altuve cranked a solo homer. He ambushed the first pitch of the game. And that was a motif for Houston hitters all day; swing early and often. And it worked – all day. All weekend, actually.

Diaz would add an RBI-single later in the inning, Pena and RBI-double, and Dubon an additional RBI-single. All of those runners got on base and got in as a result of getting at it early in the at-bat. After one, the Birds trailed 4-0.

Suarez also elevated many of his pitches. He was throwing strikes – too many of them, if anything. But they were elevated in the strike zone. When you have a team set on hitting everything you throw out there, that’s a deadly combination.

Diaz would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the fifth, and the O’s finally got on the board in the sixth with a solo home run by Jordan Westburg. However Houston would get their margin of victory back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-double by Pena. Diaz would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the eighth. For what it’s worth, that’s a run that probably didn’t need to be scored, however Houston opted to manufacture a run up five plus in the later innings,

The Orioles have performed valiantly this month, with the schedule being what it is. Their lone off day was this past Monday, and they don’t have another one until next Monday. This series should show them more than ever that they need to acquire pitching at the deadline. If not before.

Houston started this season in a rough manner. But they’ve been getting hot of late, and are working their way into the playoff race. There are lots of teams out there such as that, who are hovering around, and potentially trying to decide if they should buy or sell.

In short, let’s say a team like Houston (or Boston, or even Tampa) decides they’re going to go for it and buy. Does that put them automatically in a stronger position than the Birds? NO. But as we saw last year, all it takes is to get hot at the right time – which the Texas Rangers did. If another team makes the right moves, they could easily ambush the Orioles in October – similar to what Houston did this weekend.

And I have news for Orioles fans…that means they’ll have to part with prospects. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t keep everyone all while trading for quality players. Something has to give, and it all but has to be on the side of trading for pitching. Perhaps multiple arms. Keep in mind that two starters (John Means and Kyle Bradish) have undergone Tommy John’s this month.

You can’t be reactionary either. None of this means you need to make trades this week. But why wait until the deadline? It’s easy enough to say that the Orioles have more to offer than other teams, because they do. But do you really want to let things go straight down to the deadline and let things fall where they might?

The O’s now head home to open up a three-game set with Cleveland. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Al Suarez labored tonight at Yankee Stadium. He didn’t give up any poignantly loud knocks, which almost makes losing worse. At least if they bludgeon the ball it looks like they’re working hard to beat you. That wasn’t the case tonight. Suarez’s line: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 3 K.

Fact is you don’t expect to be defeated by New York by way of small ball. Yet that’s what best the Orioles tonight. Volpe’s RBI-single in the second gave them a 1-0 lead. One inning later Stanton would follow suit with one of his own, doubling the lead.

Neither but was particularly hard. Again, small ball beat the O’s tonight. Torres would add a sac fly-RBI later in that third inning, and LeMahieu one of his own in the fifth. The Birds would rally late with a two-run homer by Anthony Santander, but end of the day it was too little too late. And New York took the series opener, 4-2.

The more concerning aspect of this game was the injuries. Jordan Westburg collided with New York’s Juan Soto in the first inning. Soto was called out for interference, the second time in a week that’s happened. Soto clearly ran into Westburg, although certainly not intentionally. And the umpiring crew called it correctly, ruling Soto out.

Westburg would later come out of the game, with what the Orioles are calling hip discomfort. As Westburg was being removed from the game, Connor Norby was being removed from triple-A Norfolk’s game tonight. Obviously the idea is to get him to New York in time for tomorrow night’s game if Westburg has to go to the IL.

For the record, New York also lost Aaron Judge on a HBP later in the game. So injuries happened tonight. The concerning thing is what happens going forward. Jordan Westburg has been a huge part of what the Orioles have done to this point. However they have to have a next man up mentality.

To be clear, what happened with Juan Soto was an accident. Nobody’s going in trying to interfere with a play. Nor are they trying to injure someone. Soto may well push the envelope on too many things across the board. But he certainly wasn’t trying to injure Jordan Westburg.

The series continues tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole (making his season debut). Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Cole Irvin took to the hill for the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field in Tampa this evening in game one of four. The Birds and Tampa are playing a “wrap-around” series which culminates on Monday evening. And Irvin set the table for tonight’s game, and for the series. Irvin’s line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R (two earned), 0 BB, 6 K.

Make no mistake, this is a huge series. The Birds are playing well, but New York is playing out of their minds. They came into this evening on an eight-game winning streak. Even when you’re playing well, that’s tough to compete with.

But Anthony Santander got the Orioles off to a good start with a solo homer in the second inning. Later in the inning Ramon Urias smacked a double, and Colton Cowser was thrown out at home plate trying to score. Or was he?!

The Birds challenged the play. Admittedly, at first I thought he was out. But replays seemed to show that Cowser’s hand got in ahead of the tag. And the umpires seemed to agree. The Birds led 2-0.

However a solo homer by Siri in the second and a sac fly-RBI by Rosario in the third would tie the score. However Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Orioles the lead back at 4-2.

However keep in mind that Tampa doesn’t go away. This despite being at a diminished power this season. They would bet a run on a Gunnar Henderson throwing error in the sixth, pulling to within one at 4-3.

The Birds needed some insurance. Perhaps mentally more than anything else. Following Irvin’s departure, Jacob Webb came in and held the Orioles over solidly for an inning plus. And suddenly the Birds got their insurance.

It came in the form of Jordan Westburg. His two-run home run in the eighth inning. And that was the coup de grace for Tampa. The Orioles cruised to a 6-3 victory, snapping a two-game losing streak. And getting a much-needed division win.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Tropicana Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s TJ Bradley. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.