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[Baltimore Orioles]

Listless Orioles lose again, get swept away by Tigers

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

It was an ugly afternoon of baseball for the Orioles as their struggles continued on Sunday.

What an awful afternoon of baseball. The Orioles, a supposed contender coming into the season, were outclassed by a team that actually has a chance to make a run this year. The Tigers topped the Birds 7-0, completing the weekend sweep and bringing a merciful end to this series.

There was no reason for an Orioles fan to watch that baseball game. In the midst of a skid, the Orioles trotted out a “B” lineup against one of the best pitchers in the world, and were rightly punked the entire afternoon.

According to reporting prior to the game, Adley Rutschman was nursing a sore hand, and Cedric Mullins was feeling under the weather. In their place, Brandon Hyde started Gary Sánchez and Dylan Carlson. Those two went a combined 0-for-6 with three strikeouts, but I guess credit to Sánchez for getting hit by two pitches. He was one of only two members in lineup to get on base multiple times. The other being Jorge Mateo, who singled twice and stole two bases.

The entire batting order continued to flounder. The Orioles entered the day hitting .178/.264/.244 against left-handed pitching on the season. They looked even worse against Tarik Skubal. The southpaw worked six low-stress, scoreless innings. He didn’t walk a batter and he struck out 11. The Orioles had one hard-hit ball and four total hits against him.

That’s not to say the Orioles were without chances. They had runners in scoring position multiple times. They just did nothing with it, going 0-for-9 in such instances. Mateo put himself into scoring position twice only to be stranded.

It seemed like there might be a little bit of good news on the pitching side for a little while. Dean Kremer turned in five solid innings, allowing three runs in the process. It was no dominating performance, but it was the type of 4.5-ish ERA outing we are all hoping to get out of someone—anyone—in the rotation.

Then he did something he probably shouldn’t have. He went back out onto the mound for the sixth inning. The Tigers were in the midst of their third time through their order. Kremer had gotten past Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres to wrap up the fifth. Perhaps the thinking was that he could finesse his way through with two of their better batters out of the way?

It didn’t quite work out. He gave up a double, recorded a pair of outs, and then served up a single to Jace Jung. That booted him from the game with four runs in. Cionel Pérez was called upon to leave Jung on base, but as we have come to expect this season, that didn’t happen. Pêrez gave up a pair of hits to score Jung and only got out of the inning thanks to a TOOTBLAN from Trey Sweeney.

That saddled Kremer with a pitching line that included five runs allowed. That is a tad cruel to the righty, and his manager’s misguided faith in him did him no favors. But ultimately it didn’t matter much because the Orioles offense was, once again, putrid.

Mateo was a bright spot. He got to start against a left-handed pitcher and showed off his abilities. He got hits and he swiped bases. If he can continue to contribute in that way, he will have an important role.

Heston Kjerstad went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. His numbers on the year have crated to a .197 batting average and .603 OPS. So much for making the most of his opportunity with Colton Cowser on the IL. Although he is still second on the team with 12 RBI, an example of how bad the hitting has been for Baltimore.

This team isn’t good. They aren’t fun to watch. They just have no redeeming qualities. And that is a real shame. It seemed like there was plenty of promise coming into the season. But all of that has been zapped away in the first month of the year.

Regardless, the team will still need to play the final five months of the season. That includes the series that starts on Monday at Camden Yards. The AL East-leading Yankees will be in town for three games. The opener starts at 6:35 p.m., but who will toe the rubber for the Orioles is, at this moment, unknown. If you get to the ballpark early enough they might just snag you out of your seats. It’s worth a shot.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/4/27/24418922/orioles-tigers-game-recap-dean-kremer-sweep-2025

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles injuries keep piling up with Jordan Westburg, Gary Sánchez on injured list

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

The Orioles made a pair of moves just ahead of the start of Monday’s game against the Yankees.

The number of Orioles on the injured list has grown yet again. The O’s added two guys to the IL at once right before Monday’s game against the Yankees. Infielder Jordan Westburg lands on the 10-day IL with what the team called a left hamstring strain, while catcher Gary Sánchez is down with right wrist inflammation.

This roster shuffle brings infielder Emmanuel Rivera up to the Orioles, as well as catcher Maverick Handley. Rivera appeared in 27 games with the O’s a year ago, hitting very well: .313/.370/.578 over 73 plate appearances. He’d been OPSing just .708 with the Tides before getting this call back to the majors. Rivera was not on the 40-man roster at the time of this callup.

Neither was Handley, an O’s draft pick in 2019 who will make his MLB debut the first time he appears in a game. He, at least, was hitting with Norfolk this year, batting .346/.433/.558 so far. Over parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level, he’s OPSed .684. I’m happy to see Handley get chances as the backup rather than Sánchez after what we’ve seen of Sánchez so far.

These moves meant further juggling to the 40-man roster. The Orioles handled this without getting rid of anyone: Colton Cowser and Grayson Rodriguez were each transferred to the 60-day injured list. Each of their injuries meant they’d be at least out for another month, so there’s nothing new going on there; changing their status is just a formality that clears a couple of 40-man spots for now.

One more 40-man move slipped in on Monday. The Orioles claimed lefty pitcher Walter Pennington off waivers from the Rangers. The 27-year-old Pennington pitched in 16 games between the Royals and Rangers a year ago, posting a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings. Pennington was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk upon arrival in the organization.

If Pennington doesn’t suck at Norfolk, we’ll probably see him in Baltimore. We might even see him even if he does suck. Earlier on Monday, the O’s recalled Kade Strowd from Norfolk. Strowd has an 8.10 ERA in his first eight outings with the Tides.

Because these players were placed on the injured list so close to the start of the game, there was no comment about them in any pregame media availability. We’d known for a couple of days that Westburg had an ailing hamstring, since that’s why he didn’t play the previous two days. Nothing has been said about Sánchez’s wrist before now.

There will likely be a comment about the severity of these situations after the game. Maybe reality will bear out the first provided estimate. If they follow the pattern of everything else that’s happened to the Orioles this year, Westburg and Sánchez will both miss longer than whatever is first said about them.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/4/28/24419868/orioles-news-jordan-westburg-gary-sanchez

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles starters need to alter their approach to salvage the floundering rotation

David Reginek-Imagn Images

Outside of Tomoyuki Sugano, the O’s current crop of starters is a mess. The underlying numbers suggest it’s because they don’t throw their best pitches enough.

As the cruise of disappointment that is the 2025 Orioles sails toward the second month of the season, starting pitching continues to be an anchor around this team’s neck. The O’s starters are in competition with the Marlins and Rockies for the “honor” of MLB’s worst rotation, with Baltimore currently ranking last in starter FIP and fWAR.

There are at least some reinforcements on the way; Kyle Gibson will make his 2025 debut tonight against the Yankees. Zach Eflin threw a bullpen on Friday and could be on his way to a return in late May or early June.

However, with Grayson Rodriguez’s timetable still uncertain and Kyle Bradish likely only back by the All-Star break (or later), the current members of the rotation will need to step up if the O’s are going to stop this ship from sinking. Given the results after 5+ trips through the rotation, it begs the question of whether the Orioles’ pitching lab needs to get these guys to change their approach.

Last week, ESPN’s Jeff Passan published an article detailing baseball’s top pitchers and their never-ending journey to fine-tune their arsenal of pitches. Passan highlights how the best pitchers in today’s game all feature arsenals that are five to six pitches deep (or, in rare cases like Kansas City’s Seth Lugo, even deeper).

Passan highlighted 22 different hurlers in his article, including reigning Cy Young winners Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale, presumptive future Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and other standouts like Spencer Schwellenbach and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. When breaking down the arsenals of these top pitchers, it becomes clear that they not only have a diverse selection of pitches to work with but also a plan on how to use that arsenal.

Across those 22 pitchers, their average usage rate of their primary pitch is 40.8% of the time. For 15 pitchers in this group, the primary offering is a four-seam fastball. Some, like Sonny Gray and Framber Valdez, prefer sinkers as their go-to pitch. We’re all familiar with Corbin Burnes and his trusty cutter. Skubal throws his changeup more than any other pitch, while Sale favors his slider.

For those pitchers, their second-most-utilized pitches are thrown 25.3% of the time on average. For their tertiary offerings, that number drops to 15.9%, and their fourth and fifth pitches come in at 10.4% and 5.7% usage rates.

These trends track the general approach to pitching that became popular along with the rise of analytics. Instead of constantly trying to vary your pitches and set hitters up with sequencing and pitching IQ, analytics suggest you should rely heavily on your top pitches and use the rest of your arsenal just enough to keep hitters guessing somewhat.

This approach to pitching has resonated throughout the Orioles’ pitching lab since Mike Elias and Co. took over in 2019. When Kyle Bradish debuted in 2022, he was relying on a four-seam fastball that was producing objectively terrible results. After a demotion, Bradish retooled his arsenal to highlight his slider and two-seamer, and upon his return to Baltimore, posted a 3.28 ERA and .212 BAA in the second half of his rookie season. The O’s similarly helped Zach Eflin retool his repertoire, which saw him severely limit his sinker usage upon arrival in Baltimore in favor of his cutter and curveball.

The problem with the current crop of Orioles starters is that they either don’t have a pitch good enough to reliably call a number one offering, or they are underutilizing their best pitch(es) in favor of more mediocre ones. Compared to the select group of pitchers highlighted by Passan, the O’s current staff uses their primary pitch 31.1% of the time and their second pitch 22.9% of the time—drop-offs of 9.8% and 2.4% respectively.

This also means that O’s starters are relying more on the third through fifth offerings. Baltimore’s starters throw their third pitches 17.3% (+1.4%), the fourth pitches 16% (+4.6%) and their fifth pitches 12.7% (+7%).

This paints a picture of pitchers that are perhaps tinkering too much with their approach. It also suggest that some of the O’s are struggling to get hitters out with what should be their best pitches, forcing them to throw their other offerings more.

The poster child for the latter problem is Charlie Morton. The 41-year-old came into this season off back-to-back years of 40+% curveball usage, with his breaking ball far and away the best pitch in his arsenal the last four seasons. This year, opponents are hitting .370 with a .741 slugging percentage on Morton’s big breaker, making it one of the worst pitches in baseball.

Morton has made a living the last four years as someone who pitches backwards, getting ahead on his breaking ball before unleashing his fastball. Given his current struggles and the fact that opponents are hitting only .154 on his fastball, Morton should look to go back to a traditional approach to try and salvage the horrid start to his Orioles career.

Dean Kremer has the former problem in that he doesn’t seem to have a consistent plan from start to start. Last season, Kremer’s newly added splitter was his best pitch. This year, opponents are hitting .400 on the 29-year-old’s splitter, resulting in his shying away from the pitch. Given the early-season numbers, it’s Kremer who should pitch like a vintage Morton, as his curveball has become his best pitch in terms of opponent BAA while also generating a 43% chase rate.

Cade Povich, who continues to get dominated by RHHs, should look to take a page from Skubal’s book when it comes to changeup usage. Povich’s new kick change has been his best weapon against righties, holding them to a .231 average and .385 slugging percentage. Skubal throws his changeup 35.2% of the time to right-handers, compared to 18.5% for Povich. If Slim can start pumping in offspeed pitches against righties, he may prove to be effective enough to stay in this rotation long-term.

This is not to say that the pitchers messing with their approach would all of a sudden take this Orioles rotation from the bottom of the league to above average. However, the Orioles have limited options in terms of replacements until the likes of Rodriguez, Bradish, Eflin and others get healthy. These current Baltimore starters have pitches that get batters out, but currently, they don’t throw them enough. This is not typically a coaching staff/organization that likes to deviate from their original plans, but in the case of their starting pitchers, a new approach is badly needed.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/4/2...s-starting-pitcher-charlie-morton-dean-kremer

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles forget how to play baseball in 15-3 loss to the Yankees

At least the outcome was known very early on.

Uh, what did I just watch? Was it a game between two major league baseball teams? Because it sure did not look like it. To me, it looked more like one major league baseball team and one old man baseball team that meets up on Wednesday nights at the ball field behind the Moose Lodge.

It was another massacre for the Orioles, a 15-2 loss.

First, there was the 37-year-old Kyle Gibson, who has been pitching a bit in the minors around his back pain. I get it, Kyle. When you reach a certain age, your back just starts hurting for no reason. It happens to me too.

Second, there was the offense. Their first hit didn’t come until the team was down 12-0. Carlos Rodón was perfect through five before walking Emmanuel Rivera to lead off the sixth. Jorge Mateo broke up the no-hitter with a double, then Rivera came in to score on a groundout that the Yankees didn’t bother trying to cut down.

The second hit and run for the Orioles came on a Gunnar Henderson FUHR in the seventh inning. The third came on a sac fly in the ninth when the Yankees had 15 runs.

Now, back to Kyle Gibson and the pitching disaster.

Before I could even settle into my recliner to enjoy this game, Gibson fell apart. He threw an 87-mph cutter right down the middle, and you could practically see Trent Grisham’s mouth start watering in anticipation. He launched it 412 feet over the out-of-town scoreboard. But don’t blink! On the very next pitch, Aaron Judge also went deep.

But wait, there’s more! Ben Rice joined the party with a home run of his own. That’s back-to-back-to-back home runs that all felt like they came in the span of about 45 seconds.

Paul Goldschmidt embarrassingly grounded out before Cody Bellinger made it four home runs in the inning. Jazz Chisolm and Anthony Volpe decided to mix it up with back-to-back doubles for the fifth run.

Gibby’s fifth home run allowed came the next inning, It was his last of the night. He’s only pitched in one game this year and has now given up more home runs than Cade Povich and just one fewer than Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton. And Morton’s the worst pitcher in baseball! More on him later.

The Kyle Gibson Meltdown Experience continued until he was pulled after 3.2 innings. His pitching line is 3.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 5 HR. He threw 73 pitches. I think only about 55 of them were total meatballs.

Matt Bowman followed Gibson and gave up three runs of his own, but I don’t want to give him a hard time. He has been pretty solid out of the bullpen so far and he’s been getting a lot of work. Get ‘em next time, Matt.

Then something wild happened. They brought in Charlie Morton! As broadcaster Ben McDonald pointed out, today would have been a day that Morton threw a bullpen anyway, so he basically was just throwing his bullpen in a pointless game. Morton just threw 80 pitches on Saturday. I remember because I had to write about that game as well.

Maybe I was shell-shocked after Gibson, but Morton didn’t look that bad. He threw 43 pitches in 2.1 innings. But he only gave up one run, and it was unearned. Henderson booted what should have been the third out. Not great, Gunnar. Morton lowered his ERA from 10.36 to 9.45.

Once you’ve had the two worst starting pitchers appear, why not the worst relief pitcher? Oh yeah, it was Cionel Pérez time. He came out to start the eighth inning and went to a 3-2 count before hitting Oswaldo Cabrera.

He got a double-play ball hit to second base, but Jackson Holliday couldn’t make the play. He had just come into the game to start the inning. It was the third error of the game for the Orioles, the other two were from Henderson and Ramón Laureano. So of course Cabrera came in to score one batter later. It was the Yankees’ 14th run.

In the 9th inning, the Yankees had 18 hits and none were from Austin Wells. Enter Bryan Baker. Wells took him deep for their 15th run and his first hit of the game. Not that it mattered at that point.

In my final paragraph, I’ll shout out Maverick Handley. After six minor-league seasons, Handley made his major league debut when he replaced Adley Rutschman in the 6th inning. He went 0-for-2 at the plate, but he still looked like he was loving life. Welcome to the big leagues, Mav.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/4/29/24420657/mlb-scores-orioles-yankees-game-recap

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Wednesday night Orioles game thread: vs. Yankees, 6:35

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Orioles can still take the series after a lopsided defeat on Tuesday.

The best thing about Baltimore’s 15-3 loss to New York was that it only counted as one game. The Orioles won the first of three on Monday, and they can still take the series with a win tonight.

Ramón Laureano will bat fifth and play right field. He’ll be joined in the outfield by leadoff hitter Cedric Mullins and Heston Kjerstad.

Gunnar Henderson will take his usual place at shortstop with Jackson Holliday playing second base. Ramón Urías and Ryan Mountcastle will take the corners. Adley Rutschman will return behind the plate.

Lefty Cade Povich will take the mound against New York starter Carlos Carracco.

Orioles Lineup

1.) Cedric Mullins CF

2.) Gunnar Henderson SS

3.) Adley Rutschman C

4.) Ryan O’Hearn DH

5.) Ramón Laureano RF

6.) Jackson Holliday 2B

7.) Ryan Mountcastle 1B

8.) Heston Kjerstad LF

9.) Ramón Urías 3B

Starter: LHP Cade Povich

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/4/30/24421189/orioles-yankees-game-thread

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Some alternate suggested meanings for Ryan O’Hearn’s “SMFB!” rallying cry

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

There are some situations where you probably shouldn’t say the real thing.

In Monday’s Orioles game against the Yankees, Ryan O’Hearn made a place for himself in the book of Birdland legends by hitting a three-run home run. It wasn’t the home run itself that was legendary. Rather, after doing the traditional walk down the dugout high-fiving everyone and then taking a drink out of the homer hose, O’Hearn, who was oblivious to or uncaring of a hot mic right next to him, exclaimed, “Suck my fuckin’ balls!”

He could have said anything right there and it would have been great, because he just gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead over the Yankees in a game that everyone hoped would launch an O’s season comeback that is desperately needed. The fact that he said something that you just don’t hear on live television every day made it funny and legendary.

Even the YES broadcast, which picked up the moment of exuberance, added to the legend as announcer Michael Kay, who had just explained the homer hose, deadpanned, “Maybe they should wash their mouths out.”

There are a lot of situations in one’s daily life where it will be for the best not to shout “Suck my fuckin’ balls!” any time something cool happens. If kids are around? Don’t say it. Any work setting? Keep it to yourself. Nobody knows this sense of time and place better than Adley Rutschman, who, after participating in the celebratory drink since he was one of the runners on base, made this priceless face when he turned and noticed the camera had picked up what O’Hearn said:

— Steve Uncle (@the-barely-jew.bsky.social) 2025-04-29T22:40:17.723Z

Like, he knows his mom is watching and he just got busted for even being near someone saying “Suck my fuckin’ balls!” He probably heard about that one later.

On the theme of parents: I will be going to Saturday’s Orioles game with my own parents, and there is a zero percent chance that I am going to bring up this topic, no matter how much fun I’ve had with it on here this week. If they ask me about it, I’ll allude to it vaguely, and do my very best to avoid quoting that combination of words to my parents under any circumstances.

In that spirit, sometimes it will be best to stick to an acronym of the words: SMFB. And it might be for the best to have some alternate meanings handy. I’ll start with a few suggestions:

• Shag many fly balls
• Smell my French bread
• Said Moses, “Fiery bush!”
• Speedily make fifty bucks
• Searing means flavorful beef
• Strange magic fantasy books
• Something major: Ferocious bears
• Strategically mine ferrous byproducts

Do you have any ideas for other meanings for SMFB? Give me your best in the comments below.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/1/24421603/orioles-ryan-ohearn-smfb-yankees

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

The biggest deliverers of Orioles Tragic so far this season - week 5 edition

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Many Orioles are failing to get it done so far this year. Some failures are more impactful than others.

The 2025 Orioles season remains stuck in the muck. Even Monday’s delightful explosion of profanity from Ryan O’Hearn, which in better times would be the rallying cry that sparks massive approval, bought the team all of one game before the misery returned on Tuesday. We check in on another week of O’s baseball that mostly kept things feeling grim, though winning the series against the Yankees was better than the alternative. Since last time, the Orioles have gone 3-4.

This series looks at each Orioles game, the most crucial play that happened in it and who was involved, and the Oriole who contributed the most positive to a win or negative to a loss. These determinations are made using the Win Probability Added stat, which you can find in game logs on Baseball Reference or FanGraphs.

Here’s how that looked over the last seven days:

Game 24​

• Result: Orioles beat Nationals, 2-1
• Orioles record: 10-14
• The biggest play: Félix Bautista closes out the game by getting a 6-3 groundout (+16%)
• The biggest hero: Cade Povich (.288 WPA)

This is a unicorn for the Orioles so far this season, but it can be done: A starting pitcher has a good game, keeping the other team mostly off the board even while the offense isn’t doing a whole heck of a lot. Povich gave up an early run and that was it. He pitched into the seventh inning, allowing only five baserunners overall, grinding down the Nationals chances of winning 2-4% at a time and just continuing to do it.

The game ended with the tying run on third base, which is why Bautista’s getting the final out turned up as the biggest play of the game. The Orioles got their two runs with a pair of singles that scored a man on second base (+14% for each of Ryan O’Hearn and Cedric Mullins). Yes, hitting with RISP can be done by this team. It’s just not happening consistently enough to win most games.

Game 25​

• Result: Orioles lose to Tigers, 4-3
• Record: 10-15
• The biggest play: Javier Báez gives Tigers 1-0 lead by hitting double off of Brandon Young (-15%)
• The biggest goat: Heston Kjerstad (-.177 WPA)

This was a bad start in the first game of the doubleheader from Young, in part because he managed to walk five guys while pitching only 4.2 innings. However, despite giving up three runs, he didn’t end up too far into the negatives (-.027) because he managed to avoid true disaster. And as far as WPA is concerned, the big failure of that third run scoring goes against Bryan Baker, who inherited the runner and let him score (-.088).

In this game, the Orioles went just 1-8 with RISP, so even though three players had three hits apiece, nobody following after them ever got the big hits to drive them in. O’Hearn did much to try to carry the team to victory (.272) but nobody else could follow up with something good - particularly Kjerstad, whose big negative is driven by tapping into a fielder’s choice/out at home when the O’s had men on first and third with no one out in the sixth inning.

Game 26​

• Result: Orioles lose to Tigers, 6-2
• Record: 10-16
• The biggest play: Riley Greene hits three-run home run off Charlie Morton in third inning (-24%)
• The biggest goat: Morton (-.231 WPA)

This second game of the doubleheader saw the Orioles try out Keegan Akin as an opener to see if that would shake out something other than failure from Morton. Akin retired five of six batters he faced. The Orioles still got Mortoned anyway, as the 41-year-old began his first full inning by putting two men on base before he gave up a titanic dinger that turned an early 1-0 Orioles lead into a 3-1 deficit.

That big swing proved to be enough for the Tigers, in part thanks to more failure with RISP, just 1-6. Ramón Urías also ended up with a rough number (-.218) as he went 0-3 in this game, including grounding into a double play when the tying run was on first base in the seventh inning. Seranthony Dominguez gave up three runs in the bottom of that inning (-.101) to really put the thing out of reach.

Game 27​

• Result: Orioles lose to Tigers, 7-0
• Record: 10-17
• The biggest play: Báez hits two-run double off Dean Kremer to give Tigers 2-0 lead (-20%)
• The biggest goat: Kremer (-.139 WPA)

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, struck out 11 Orioles over six innings on the way to Detroit sweeping the O’s. That was an incredibly good start by WPA (.311). I’m envious! Maybe we’ll have a pitcher like that some day, if Elias ever develops a good pitcher who stays healthy, or signs a good pitcher, or trades for a good pitcher with more than one year of contractual control.

The Orioles only got six men safely on base all game: Five hits and one walk. As a result, seven of nine batters were in the negatives by WPA. Shoutout to Jorge Mateo, who tried (.120). It did not make a difference for getting the Orioles into the win column.

Game 28​

• Result: Orioles beat Yankees, 4-3
• Record: 11-17
• The biggest play: Ryan O’Hearn hits three-run homer to put Orioles up 4-0 (+15%)
• The biggest hero: Tomoyuki Sugano (.212 WPA)

O’Hearn’s big home run was a real, if regrettably temporary, cathartic kind of moment. Since the Orioles were already leading, it’s not as dramatic of a boost as it would have been if this had broken a 0-0 tie or especially if it swung the O’s from trailing into leading. Among hitters, Ramón Laureano actually ended up as a bigger positive than O’Hearn (.147) since his RBI double in the second inning is what opened up the scoring in the game.

Here is a Japanese word to describe Sugano’s five shutout innings where he struck out eight batters: Sugoi! It means, roughly, awesome. I didn’t think he had it in him after some earlier outings where, while keeping an acceptable ERA, he wasn’t striking out much of anybody. Sugano had also been homer-prone. We saw the next day that these Yankees were primed to tee off on an old guy in the Orioles rotation, making Sugano carving them up even more impressive in retrospect.

Game 29​

• Result: Yankees beat Orioles, 15-3
• Record: 11-18
• The biggest play: Trent Grisham leads off the game with a home run off Kyle Gibson (-10%), also Aaron Judge goes back-to-back with Grisham (-10%)
• The biggest goat: Gibson (-.427)

Gibson did not turn out to be the cure to what ails the Orioles rotation, a rough shock for anyone who, out of misguided optimism or desperation, had convinced themselves that a guy who had been an innings eater with mediocre results on a previous good O’s team would be able to come back and do that again.

He was so bad and so early on in the game that no Orioles batter ever took any moderately leveraged at-bat. The O’s batters stunk, certainly - three hits and three walks all game - but when you’re losing 5-0 after half of an inning, that doesn’t matter in the game’s outcome.

Game 30​

• Result: Orioles beat Yankees, 5-4
• Record: 12-18
• The biggest play: Ryan Mountcastle hits two-run home run to tie the game in the second inning (+18%)
• The biggest hero: Félix Bautista (.154 WPA)

Five Orioles players, including Bautista, had at least 0.1 WPA in the course of this victory. It was a positive team effort in a way that many games have not been this year. Bryan Baker gets points for a scoreless eighth inning, and among the batters, Mountcastle, Adley Rutschman, and Ramón Urías joined this club. When a game is close, getting on base or getting the big hit or both really makes a difference.

This was not a particularly good game for starting pitcher Cade Povich, who surrendered two home runs while giving up three earned runs in only 4.2 innings of action. Povich (-.086) was nonetheless much better than Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (-.332). Carrasco entered the game with an ERA over 5 and fortunately the O’s hitters made him look like that’s the kind of pitcher he is. Carrasco is right-handed. The Orioles are far more likely to be bad against lefties.

The best Orioles so far​

This time last week, the best hitter by WPA was Cedric Mullins (0.83) and the best pitcher was Seranthony Domínguez (0.51). The numbers through this week:

• WPA (hitters): Ryan O’Hearn (0.88), Mullins (0.81), Ramón Urías (0.32)
• WPA (pitchers): Félix Bautista (0.78), Bryan Baker (0.43), Domínguez (0.42)
• fWAR: Mullins (1.4), O’Hearn (0.7), Urías (0.5)

In bWAR, the leaders are Mullins (1.2) for hitters and Tomoyuki Sugano (0.9) for pitchers.

The worst Orioles so far​

In last week’s update, the worst hitter by WPA was Jordan Westburg (-0.49) and the worst pitcher was Charlie Morton (-1.38). Currently:

• WPA (hitters): Heston Kjerstad (-0.97), Tyler O’Neill (-0.47), Ramón Laureano (-0.43)
• WPA (pitchers): Morton (-1.62), Dean Kremer (-0.80), Cade Povich (-0.47)
• fWAR: Four Orioles tied at -0.4 - Morton, Kyle Gibson, Jorge Mateo, Gary Sánchez

In bWAR, the worst Orioles are Morton (-1.1) and Mateo (-0.5).

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/1/24420946/orioles-clutch-hitting-best-worst-batters-2025

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles-Royals series preview: Bobby Witt, Jr. is coming to town

Photo by Mikayla Schlosser/Getty Images

The Royals are winning despite not doing much hitting. So that’s great.

The Kansas City Royals come into Baltimore on a roll. They just swept the Rays and have won nine of their last 10 games. Even with that, they are in third place in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the Tigers.

The Orioles and Royals played each other in the third series of the season. The Orioles lost two out of three. It’s strange to be finished with a team by May 4th, but I won’t mind. I hate the Royals.

Bobby Witt, Jr. is one of the biggest stars in baseball, and he is having an incredible season. He’s in the midst of a 22-game hit streak and has a .400 OBP and an OPS of .896. The only thing that hasn’t come along for him so far this year is his power. He hit his third home run of the season last night. But he has 12 doubles and hit 30+ home runs each of the last two seasons. So I expect that’ll change soon.

Outside of Witt, the Royals’ offense is underwhelming. They average 3.13 runs per game, which is dead last in the American League. They have a team OPS+ of 76, also last in the AL. Basically every player not named Witt is below average.

Their pitching is a different story. Their starting pitching is arguably the best in the AL. FanGraphs ranks them second in fWAR just behind the Rangers. The relief pitching is solid as well, led by Lucas Erceg, Daniel Lynch, and closer Carlos Estévez. Fun fact, Carlos Estévez is Charlie Sheen’s birth name. Anyway, as a team the Royals are allowing 3.48 runs per game, quite a bit lower than the Orioles and their 5.63.

Game 1: Friday, May 2nd, 7:05 PM, MASN​

RHP Dean Kremer (2-4, 7.04 ERA, 20 K / 8 BB) vs RHP Michael Wacha (1-3, 3.38 ERA, 26 K / 12 BB)

Things are not going well for Dean Kremer. He has given up at least five runs in four out of his six starts, and has only had what I would consider one good start this season. He has always been up and down, but so far this year it’s just been one big downer. Back on April 4th, Kremer allowed three runs (two earned) against the Royals.

Michael Wacha is having a nice start to the season. He has completed six innings just once this year, in his most recent start. But he has allowed three or fewer runs in all but one start this season. That one start was against the Orioles, where Wacha allowed four runs in 5.2 innings.

Game 2: Saturday, May 3rd, 7:15 PM, FOX​

RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (3-1, 3.00 ERA, 17 K / 6 BB) vs LHP Kris Bubic (2-2, 2.25 ERA, 37 K / 12 K)

Oh great, a nationally televised game! It’s nice that a national audience will get to see Sugano, who has been one of the few bright spots in the starting rotation this season. He has yet to allow more than three runs in any start and has two seven-inning games under his belt. He even raised his strikeout game against the Yankees with eight in five innings.

But just as a national audience will get to see Sugano, they’ll also have to watch the Orioles face a left-handed pitcher. They are, as we know, very bad at that. Bubic faced the Orioles on April 6th and it did not go well for our team. Bubic pitched 6.2 innings with just one run allowed. He struck out eight. Hopefully the Orioles will be a little better on their second go round.

Game 3: Sunday, May 4th, 1:35 PM, MASN/MLBN​

RHP Kyle Gibson (0-1, 22.50 ERA, 2 K / 2 BB) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-3, 3.48 ERA, 28 K / 13 BB)

The good thing about this start by Kyle Gibson is that it’s almost guaranteed to be better than his last one. It’s very difficult for even the worst pitcher to give up four home runs in the first five batters. It would be even more difficult for it to happen against the Royals, who have just 14 home runs on the entire season. I have no idea what to expect from Gibson. I assume it’ll be bad, though.

The Royals traded for Michael Lorenzen at last year’s trade deadline and then re-signed him to a one-year, $7 million contract. Lorenzen is far from a top-tier pitcher, but he’s solid. He doesn’t strike out many and walks more batters than is ideal. The Orioles did not face him the first time around.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/2/24422078/orioles-royals-series-preview-bobby-witt-jr

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Adley Rutschman’s struggles are a big concern for Orioles fans

Photo by Peyton Stoike/Baltimore Orioles/Getty Images

60% of the respondents in our survey chose Rutschman as the most concerning Oriole so far.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Baltimore Orioles fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Orioles were supposed to be better than this and so far they aren’t. Even if you entered the season concerned about the starting rotation, they’ve been way worse than anybody could have feared. What’s really been dragging me down in thinking about the team, not just for this year but for the next couple of years beyond this, is how much some key hitters in the lineup have just been disappointing up to now.

In this week’s survey, I asked fans whose struggles are the most concerning out of four choices. That could mean different things to different people. A whole lot of folks were on the same wavelength, with Adley Rutschman coming in with a strong majority of votes:

It’s not hard to figure out why Rutschman’s struggles get the top billing. After all, this isn’t just a 2025 problem for him. He’s been disappointing going back into the second half of last season. Through the team’s first 31 games, Rutschman has been merely unexciting rather than the out-and-out bad that he was for much of last year. It’s an improvement, but it’s still not enough to help anyone feel like he’s reverting to the form of earlier in his career.

Mountcastle’s distant second is also not hard to figure out. He’s just been plain bad. After last night’s game, his batting line for the season is .208/.252/.323 and he’s hit only two home runs for the season. He was supposed to be one of the prime beneficiaries of the left field fence moving back in. That just hasn’t happened up to this point.

Henderson’s hitting is going to become increasingly concerning if he doesn’t start picking it up soon. Maybe the intercostal injury from spring training has lingered longer than anyone involved wanted to acknowledge, or he just really needed the exhibition games to get into form and he’s had to do that in real games instead.

This week’s survey brought to you by FanDuel.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/3/24422756/orioles-2025-season-adley-rutschman-struggling-hitters

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Baltimore bats once again baffled by left-handed pitcher in 4-0 loss to Royals

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Orioles wasted a quality start from Tomoyuki Sugano as the Royals silence the O’s offense in their Game 2 victory

The Baltimore bats were once again completely stymied by left-handed pitching, as the Orioles’ offense couldn’t pick up starter Tomoyuki Sugano in a 4-0 loss to the Royals.

The O’s had their best scoring chance in the bottom of the 1st against Kansas City lefty Kris Bubic. The Royals starter walked Adley Rutschman on six pitches and Gunnar Henderson followed it up by slapping a single down the third base line and away from KC’s shift.

Ryan Mountcastle would then strike out looking on a fastball at the knees, putting the pressure on DH Ryan O’Hearn. The former Royal got a slider over the plate, but could only launch it as far as the right field warning track, leaving Rutschman stranded at second.

From there on, the claps of thunder during the 57-minute rain delay in the 2nd were the loudest thing Baltimore could generate. The 1st inning proved to be the last time the Orioles had two runners on in the same frame, as they continued to show why they’re baseball’s worst offense against southpaws.

Ramón Laureano reached on a high-hopping single up the middle to lead off the 2nd, only to be erased on a Heston Kjerstad double play ball. O’Hearn got on thanks to a two-out, broken-bat roller to third in the 4th and Emmanuel Rivera lofted a softly-hit single to CF in the 5th—only for both to end up stranded. Soft contact was the theme of the night against Bubic, as the O’s only averaged an 82.5mph exit velocity against the crafty lefty.

The only real offensive “standout” for Baltimore Saturday was Henderson, with the star shortstop putting up his second three-hit game of the season. After the slapped single in the 1st, he reached on two rocket ground balls in the 6th and 8th. After going a measly 9-for-42 (.214) in his first 10 games, Gunnar is hitting .276 since with an eight-game hitting streak.

Sugano only made two mistakes all night, but ended up [wearing the loss/taking the no-decision] despite another overall strong performance. The 35-year-old looked well on his way to a Maddux as he cruised through the first three innings. He set down the Royals’ top of the order on nine pitches in the 1st, including punching out All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. on a great sweeper away.

The rain delay created some doubt as to whether Sugano would come back and build on that excellent first, but he came back out without issue and continued to control the KC bats. Maikel Garcia led off the 2nd with a single to left off the end of his bat. Sugano then rolled a pitcher’s best friend, getting Michael Massey to hit a sharp grounder right to Jorge Mateo at second, who turned a 4-6-3 double play.

Sugano started off the 3rd with a punch out of Cavan Biggio, getting the veteran utility man to swing over a sinker down and away. After inducing back-to-back groundouts from the Royals’ 8 and 9 hitters, the Orioles’ de facto ace was through three innings on just 24 pitches.

The rookie finally ran into trouble in the 4th. He made his first real mistake of the night to Jonathan India, giving up a lead-off double on a sweeper that caught too much of the plate. Sugano almost got out of the inning after getting Witt to ground to the pitcher before K’ing Vinny Pasquantino on a nasty splitter. However, Garcia got the better of him once again, taking a well-executed Sugano curveball and flipping it into center to drive home India.

Tommy Sugar made his second mistake an inning later. With one out, he tried to sneak a first-pitch fastball past Biggio. Instead, the son of a Hall of Famer jumped on the heater and snuck it over the right-center fence for a solo blast.

A Cavan Biggio home run adds another run for the Royals pic.twitter.com/BaR7rYPtCj

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 4, 2025​

The Biggio bomb would be the last hit Sugano allowed, though he had to work around a pair of walks in the 6th to keep the score at 2-0. He finished with a final line of 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and 4 Ks. It was Sugano’s third quality start in his last four outings, but ended up being his second loss of the season.

The bullpen couldn’t match Sugano’s quality, further deepening the deficit and making the offense’s task all the more difficult. Bryan Baker worked a scoreless 7th, but things got messy in the 8th with Seranthony Dominguez on the mound. The flamethrowing righty ended up throwing gas on the Orioles’ funeral pyre, allowing solo HRs to 9 hitter Kyle Isbel and Pasquantino. The solo shots saw the Royals double their lead to 4-0.

Cionel Pérez relieved Dominguez and got the last out in the 8th. The volatile lefty came back out for the 9th and worked around a walk to put up a scoreless inning. After posting a 10.80 ERA over his first nine appearances, Pérez now has three consecutive scoreless outings.

The loss Saturday felt all too similar to the losses the Orioles suffered against the Royals last postseason. Much of the talk this year has been about the failures of the pitching staff, but the pitching staff was more than good enough tonight. Instead, it was the bats whose horrendous showing doomed the O’s in this one.

In the two playoff games last year, the O’s managed one run on 11 hits. Through two games in this series, they’ve managed three runs on 15 hits, but have often looked just as meek at the plate. To end the game, the recently recalled Coby Mayo provided the perfect metaphor for this offense’s outlook, with the Orioles’ most major-league-ready prospect flailing at strike three for the final out.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/3/24423362/orioles-royas-game-recap-mlb-scores-may-3-bubic-sugano

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Bullpen falters in homer-filled loss to Royals

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The Orioles were out-powered by the Royals in a series finale that saw a record number of solo home runs hit.

The Orioles let a series win slip through the fingers as the bullpen fell apart and wasted a rare offensive outburst as part of an 11-6 loss to the Royals on Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards.

This was a big game for the solo home run aficionados out there. The Orioles and Royals combined to hit 11 long balls in this game, 10 of which were with no one on base. Seems like a lot, right? It is! Those 10 solo shots tied a major league record for a single game, according to Sarah Langs.

Unfortunately, the Orioles didn’t hit as many home runs as the visiting Royals. Only four of the homers came off of Baltimore bats. Jackson Holliday went deep twice in a game for the first time in his career. Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn both left the Yard in the fifth inning, with Mullins’ blast tying the game at four runs apiece and then O’Hearn’s putting the good guys up a run.

But none of that was any match for the previously lethargic Royals offense, who teed off on Orioles pitching all afternoon for 11 runs on 17 hits, including seven home runs.

Kyle Gibson made his second start of the season on the mound. He wasn’t great, but it was a huge improvement over his debut. To be fair, just about anything would have been better than what he did against the Yankees last week. The veteran righty made it through four innings here, coughing up a solo shot to Maikel Garcia in the second and then a two-run single to Drew Waters in the fourth.

It was no dominating performance, but it was the sort of useful outing the Orioles were hoping to get from Gibson. On most days, when the O’s bullpen has been solid, it would have been a fine effort that gave them a chance to win. The bullpen just couldn’t get it done behind him.

Early on, the Orioles kept pace with the Royals. The teams traded runs back and forth for more than half of the game.

Holliday knotted things at one with his first homer in the second inning. The Orioles then got their first lead of the day with an RBI double from Adley Rutschman in the third. The aforementioned Waters single put the Royals back ahead in the fourth before Holliday tied the game back up in the bottom of the frame. Jonathan India got in on the solo action with a homer in the fifth, before Mullins and O’Hearn swung things back into the Orioles’ favor. That lead lasted mere moments as Garcia led off the sixth inning with his second dong of the day.

The seventh inning is where the paths started to diverge just a bit. Yennier Cano came on and gave up the first two earned runs of his season on back-to-back home runs from Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino to make it 7-5 Royals.

Charlie Morton was called on to pitch the eighth inning, a somewhat odd decision given that the game was still winnable. Morton has stunk this season. He hasn’t exactly earned the trust to throw in a game that is within reach. That would hold true here as he gave up a homer to Luke Maile and then an RBI double to Witt Jr. to make it 9-5. Morton’s season ERA is up to 9.76. With every outing it gets harder to justify trotting him out to the mound again.

To the credit of the Orioles offense, they did keep up their end of the bargain. Ryan Mountcastle knocked in O’Hearn with a single in the eighth inning to make it 9-6. And then brought the tying run to the plate with no outs. Coby Mayo, Heston Kjerstad, and Ramón Laureano all tried to cash in on those baserunners, but ultimately came up empty.

That was a theme of this game as well. The Orioles had plenty of traffic on the bases. But most of their scoring came off of solo homers. They went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The over-reliance of the home run hangs over this offense, even on a day where they produced well overall.

Kansas City added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth inning off of Matt Bowman. He gave up the only home run with runners on base when Michael Massey smacked his first dong of the season. At 11-6, this game felt over.

It was officially over just a few minutes later. Gunnar Henderson reached base on a one-out single in the ninth, but no other damage could be done as the Orioles were retired, dropping the finale and the series.

This was a rare game where the bullpen really let the Orioles down. Brandon Hyde turned to five relievers. Four of them allowed runs. The only one to get out unscathed was Keegan Akin. The rest of them were afflicted by the same home run bug that had bit Royals starter Michael Lorenzen. But the visiting bullpen had no such problem. Over 4.1 innings of relief, the Royals firemen gave up just one run.

Three of the Orioles best relievers, Félix Bautista, Gregory Soto, and Seranthony Domínguez went unused in a game that felt winnable. That hurts a little bit with an off day coming on Monday. You can’t blame Brandon Hyde for trusting Bryan Baker and Yennier Cano when he used them. They have both been fantastic this year. The Morton move felt misguided, but it probably didn’t matter anyway. It was just one of those games that got away.

It was nice to see the Orioles have a good day at the plate. The team collected 11 hits, walked twice, and only struck out six times. Seven of the nine starters had at least one hit. Holliday, Henderson, and O’s Hearn had multi-hit days. The 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position does hurt just a tad though.

This was a game with blame to go around. The pitcher needed more lockdown innings. The offense needed to make the most of their opportunities. That’s what the Royals did, and that’s why they won.

The Orioles are back in action on Tuesday, when they begin a three-game set in Minnesota against the Twins. Cade Povich (1-2, 5.16 ERA) will pitch against his former organization. Pablo López (2-2, 2.25 ERA) toes the rubber for the hosts. First pitch is 7:40 ET.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/4...-city-royals-game-review-home-run-record-2025

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Podcast: These Orioles just ain’t got it

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

There are reasons to believe that could change. They just aren’t happening yet.

On Friday night, the Orioles pulled off a nice victory, giving themselves a chance to win three games in a row for the first time all year and a separate chance to do the same with winning two series in a row. Had they done either or both of these things, we might be able to tell ourselves that the team was continuing to move in a positive direction. Instead, they played a couple of bad and dumb games, one where the hitters were shut out and one where the pitchers gave up 11 runs.

It’s particularly disheartening in the wake of last week’s fun with Ryan O’Hearn’s “SMFB!” and the Orioles winning a series against the Yankees. That could have been the start of something good, and instead it was just a momentary interruption of the disappointment. Taken all together, it’s prompted me to conclude something in today’s episode of my podcast that I have wanted to avoid but can’t any more: These guys ain’t got it.

A big reason for this, though certainly not the only reason, is that the Orioles are, for the time being, legendarily terrible when facing left-handed pitching, which I went into in this episode:

I’m trying to talk myself into believing good things, but here’s one more thing stopping me: The Orioles’ hitting vs. left-handed pitching. It remains unbelievably bad. Heading into Sunday’s game, .174/.256/.234. They are SO bad against LHP. A year ago, the O’s had almost no platoon split for hitters as a team. vs. RHP .751 OPS, vs. LHP .750 OPS. This year, .761 OPS vs. RHP, .490 vs. LHP. What do you even do about that? They’re 2-9 vs. lefty starters. Teams are going to try to stack lefties where they can, and why shouldn’t they? ... I don’t have anything good to say about that, except for this: The next opponent, the Twins, doesn’t have any left-handed starting pitchers.

Episodes are in the 20-25 minute range (plus a few ads) and release every Monday and Friday morning. Want to hear more? Make sure to subscribe! You can find the show on Apple, Spotify, and anywhere else you like to get your podcasts.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/5/24424065/orioles-2025-season-struggles-podcast-episode

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

The Orioles’ struggles against left-handed pitchers have no easy fix

Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images

It seemed like the front office had safeguarded against handedness issues by building in potential platoons all over the field. But it has not worked out in practice.

The 2025 Orioles have a lot of problems: Injuries. Starting pitching. Over-reliance on home runs. You get the idea. But you can at least wrap your head around most of those things. There’s logic to the struggles. Something that makes no sense about this team is how bad they have been against left-handed pitching.

It was on full display Saturday, when the Orioles lost 4-0 to the Royals. The first seven innings of that game were tossed by Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch IV, two left-handers that combined to allow only five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. It was the second time this season that Bubic has stymied the Orioles. Over 11.2 innings this year he has not allowed an earned run to them.

By most major measures, the Orioles are the worst-hitting team against southpaws in all of MLB. They rank last in batting average (.174), slugging percentage (.234), wOBA (.230), and wRC+ (47). It’s been ugly.

What’s most alarming about this is that GM Mike Elias had seemingly safeguarded against this sort of outcome during the offseason. He signed Tyler O’Neill, who crushed lefties (215 wRC+) last year. He hung onto Jorge Mateo and his penchant for hitting lefties (127 wRC+ last year) to be the utility infielder. He added Ramón Laureano’s right-handed bat to balance out the lefty-heavy outfield. And he figured that Gary Sánchez would hold his own as a catching option against southpaws.

The team was constructed so that they could platoon at most positions and put players in a position to succeed. Guys like Ryan O’Hearn or Cedric Mullins wouldn’t need to be exposed by the lefties that have tormented them for most of their careers. It made sense in theory.

Unfortunately, none of those additions have panned out yet. O’Neill, now injured, is 2-for-21 against lefties. Jorge Mateo is 4-for-21. Ramón Laureano is 4-for-26. Sánchez, also injured, is 0-for-16.

But it’s not just the newbies. The holdovers are struggling as well. Gunnar Henderson has an 18 wRC+ against lefties. Adley Rutschman is at 45 wRC+. Ryan Mountcastle is at 17 wRC+.

It is a team wide issue that seems to have been avoided by Mullins (194 wRC+) and Ramón Urías (188 wRC+). They are the only two Orioles with more than five plate appearances against lefties and a wRC+ above 78.

This was not a problem the Orioles had in 2024. As a team they posted a 115 wRC+ against lefties. They finished the year in the top half of the league in batting average (.253), on-base percentage (.317), slugging percentage (.432), and wOBA (.325).

Rutschman led the way with a 159 wRC+, but Henderson (138 wRC+), Mountcastle (134 wRC+), and Jordan Westburg (112 wRC+) were also productive. Meanwhile Mullins, who has traditionally struggled against same-handed pitchers, did so a season ago (43 wRC+).

Elias was asked about these issues over the weekend, and seemed as surprised and annoyed as anyone.

“Very frustrating because it’s been a major factor,” Elias said. “The numbers are significant. I don’t think it’s permanent. We had these issues last year and we brought in some players that, scouting-wise, we believed in against left-handed pitching, but then their track records against left-handed pitching are really, really strong. And it’s a pretty small sample out of the gates for those guys.

“So I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful that they’re going to start producing like they normally do against left-handed pitching. We did some things to address that that I don’t think were too unpredictable and here we are, so it’s been frustrating.”

(h/t MASN’s Roch Kubatko)

As is the case with most other things that have gone awry for the Orioles so far this season, it seems that Elias’ only answer is to preach patience. These players were assembled based on their previous performances and projected futures. The team simply has to hope they play up to their potential.

But it’s tough to be hopeful and ignore when so many players are going through similar struggles at the same time. It feels like a deeper issue exists, although that is nearly impossible to diagnose from afar.

In the meantime, it feels like Brandon Hyde needs to shake up his lineups against lefties a little more. Perhaps this past Saturday indicated he was starting to think the same way, at least a little bit.

Ryan O’Hearn started against Bubic. He went 1-for-3 against lefties that day while Ryan Mountcastle went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. At the very least, Mountcastle should not be the automatic starter at first base against lefties right now. And more importantly, O’Hearn should probably be the first name in the lineup every day. He is the team’s best hitter right now. He should be playing regardless of the matchup.

Emmanuel Rivera is on the major league roster right now because both Westburg and Urías are on the IL. But while he is on the roster, it would be wise to use him against lefties where possible. He went 7-for-19 against them with the Orioles last year and has a passable .762 OPS against them in Norfolk this year.

Jackson Holliday stayed on the bench against Bubic, his typical spot against good southpaws. His replacement, Mateo, went 0-for-3 in his spot. At a certain point, the team needs to let Holliday learn on the job when it comes to left-handed pitching. Much like O’Hearn, he has been one of the team’s top hitters. Since April 23, Holliday owns a .407/.484/.630 slash line. For a club that needs all the offense it can get, playing him against a lefty feels like a gamble worth taking.

None of these are fool-proof solutions. They aren’t even strategies, and would be more more accurately described as throwing things at the wall.

Elias is right that the team’s only hope is for the players to figure things out. They cannot overhaul the roster midseason, and even if they could it likely wouldn’t do much good. These same players had nowhere near these sorts of issues with left-handed pitching a season ago. As the small sample size turns into a larger one, let’s hope that all of the positive outcomes are back-loaded and the Orioles start to score in bunches against lefties.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/5...-analysis-left-handed-pitching-struggles-2025

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Jorge Mateo can learn from early struggles by Ramón Urías in 2024

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Ramón Urías received plenty of criticism during a slow start before breaking out last season. Can Jorge Mateo follow suit?

The Orioles entered last night’s game with the highest team ERA in the American League. It’s difficult for an offense to compete for blame in a situation like that, but Baltimore’s bats have done just that against left-handed pitchers.

The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer dug in earlier this week on the O’s struggles against lefties, and our Tyler Young pointed out that there is no easy fix. Meyer mentioned that Ramón Laureano, Tyler O’Neill, and Gary Sánchez, the three right-handed hitters signed by Elias to hit lefties, entered the week a combined 6-for-63 against southpaws.

O’Neill and Sánchez have found their way to the injured list, and Laureano remains a rotation player even with injuries to O’Neill and Colton Cowser. But while the new guys struggle, the player eliciting the most criticism has been with the Birds since 2021.

The Orioles claimed Jorge Mateo during the middle of their rebuild in 2021. Mateo made a positive first impression with his speed, glove, and a .280/.328/.421 slash line over his first 32 games in Baltimore.

Mateo returned and delivered a career year in 2022. He posted a modest .221 batting average but led the league with 35 stolen bases. More importantly, the speedster won a Fielding Bible award at shortstop while posting a 3.7 bWAR.

Mateo remained at shortstop in 2023 with rookie phenom Gunnar Henderson being pushed to third base. Mateo came out red hot in April, but he cooled to a .217/.267/.340 line over 116 games. Mateo moved to second base last season and posted a similar .229/.267/.401 before suffering a season ending injury in July.

That brings us to this season where things have gone less than stellar. Mateo’s appearances in the lineup have amounted to one giant “Wanna get away?” airline commercial. He holds a .143/.143/.214 line after 28 plate appearances. The O’s record in starts by Mateo (1-9) has become the opposite of a “fun” fact on social media, and he holds a -3 Outs Above Average after a small sample size on defense.

Mateo is hardly the only Oriole struggling, especially against lefties, so what makes him such a focal point? O’s skipper Brandon Hyde has pledged his allegiance to a platoon strategy against starting pitchers, and Mateo has often started over former top prospect Jackson Holliday.

Holliday has represented one of the few positive stories through the first 34 games. He entered last night’s game in Minnesota with a .273/.340/.443 line, 129 OPS+, and four homers. The 21-year-old is just scratching the surface, but he needs at bats against left-handers to take his game to the next level.

Hyde has always made an effort to keep his bench active, but the Orioles need their best players in the lineup right now. The Birds are quickly digging a hole too deep to climb out of this summer.

So, is that it? Should the Orioles just move on from Mateo? The situation feels oddly familiar to a conversation that took place last season.

Ramón Urías slashed .174/.192/.261 over his first 47 plate appearances in 2024. Urías took plenty of heat for struggling at the plate and taking at bats from—checks notes—Jackson Holliday. Frustrated fans latched on to Urías’s numbers as Holliday spent some extra time at Triple-A Norfolk.

Urías snapped out of his funk and became one of Baltimore’s most valuable hitters by the end of the season. He slashed .278/.343/.476 in the second half. Urías provided some much needed stability for Baltimore with a .292/.354/.403 line this season before suffering a hamstring injury last week.

Could Mateo replicate the resurgence? He’s certainly due for a return to the mean. Mateo is a career .222/.267/.366 hitter, and those numbers should still be achievable. He can still make an impact on the basepaths, and he should be able to provide at least average defense at second base. That’s all the Orioles need from a bench bat.

Urías and Mateo have already outlasted a plethora of highly-ranked infield prospects. Urías survived his time as the poster child for the “why isn’t Holliday playing” movement. It remains to be seen whether Mateo can escape the spotlight as the O’s struggle against lefties, but the Orioles appear content to let him try.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/7/24425149/baltimore-orioles-jorge-mateo-ramon-urias

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles can’t deliver clutch hit in 5-2 loss to Twins

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Two Minnesota home runs, and the O’s going 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, doomed Baltimore to their second straight loss in Minneapolis.

The Orioles’ struggles with runners in scoring position struck once again Wednesday night, as the Baltimore bats failed to deliver the clutch hit in a 5-2 loss to the Twins.

The O’s had three moments Wednesday in Minneapolis where it felt like a timely base hit could turn the tide in their favor. Ramón Laureano gave the Orioles an early 1-0 lead with a solo HR to center in the top of the 3rd. However, a three-run blast for the Twins in the bottom of the inning meant the O’s were chasing Minnesota for the majority of the evening.

Baltimore’s only successful attempt at cutting into the deficit came via a two-out rally in the 5th. Laureano again kick-started the scoring, following up his homer with a double into the right-center gap. Heston Kjerstad wasted no time driving him, jumping on a first pitch change-up and driving it into right field. A bobble from Minnesota RF Trevor Larnach allowed Laureano to score and cut the deficit to 3-2.

The top of the order couldn’t pick up the bottom of the lineup, however, as the rally ended after one run. Nine hitter Emmanuel Rivera poked a 3-2 single into right to move Kjerstad to third and put the Orioles 90 feet from tying the game. Minnesota then turned to former Oriole Danny Coulombe to face Cedric Mullins, and the lefty reliever punched out Mullins to leave Kjerstad stranded at third.

Mullins’ punchout was the first of the three failures that doomed any thoughts of a Baltimore comeback. Ryan’s Mountcastle and O’Hearn tried to jump-start another two-out rally in the 6th. O’Hearn legged out a single on a hard-hit grounder to first, with Coulombe not covering the bag in time. Mountcastle then reached on an infield single of his own, tapping a Louis Varland curveball down the third base line to get on base.

With the tying run once again in scoring position, the chance to be a hero fell to the hottest hitter on the team, Jackon Holliday. The 21-year-old nearly made it three infield singles in a row, bouncing a slow grounder into the triangle between first, second and the pitcher’s mound. However, Varland made a tumbling play on the ball before shoveling it to first to just beat Holliday at the bag.

The Orioles’ final chance at getting back into the game came in the 8th with Twins’ set-up man Griffin Jax on the mound and Baltimore down 5-2. Gunnar Henderson started off the inning with another infield single, beating the throw to first after a hard grounder to the left side. Then, with one out, O’Hearn dumped a softly hit single into left field to move Henderson into scoring position.

The rally would die before it started, though, thanks to a double-play ball off the bat of Mountcastle. RMC got a Jax fastball at the top of the zone and tried to shoot it back up the middle. The Twins’ pitcher got just enough of his glove on the ball to slow it down, and Willi Castro scooped it, stepped on second and fired onto first to complete the 1-4-3 double play. Baltimore never threatened against Twins’ flame-throwing closer Jhoan Durán, as he punched out the side in the 9th to end the game.

While the pitching wasn’t spectacular, it wasn’t the reason the Orioles lost. Starter Charlie Morton’s line was fall from pretty with 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. However, Morton’s night was mostly good, only to be spoiled by one really bad mistake. The 41-year-old veteran took a more traditional approach against the Twins, throwing his fastball or sinker 57% of the time and working his curveball off of it. He started off the game by punching out Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach on fastballs—getting Buxton to wave through a heater up before seeing Larnach chase a four-seamer that tailed off the plate.

Morton worked around a lead-off walk in the 2nd to post back-to-back scoreless innings to start his evening. Three straight good innings were too much to ask from Morton, though, as the ugly side of his game poked its head back out in the 3rd.

Castro led off the inning by singling to left on a changeup that was slightly too elevated. The O’s starter then walked No.9 hitter Kody Clemens to put two on for former All-Star Byron Buxton. Morton made his worst pitch of the night to the Twins center fielder, hanging a first pitch curveball that Buxton blasted into the second deck off the left field stands.

Three straight games with a HR for Byron Buxton! pic.twitter.com/pC50tcU0RX

— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2025​

The 18-year vet came back out for the 4th and worked around a leadoff single by rolling a double play ball. That’d be his last inning, as Brandon Hyde pulled Morton for Bryan Baker in the bottom of the 5th—ending the second-oldest pitcher in baseball’s night at 70 pitches.

Like Morton, the bullpen was largely good, but their evening was tarnished by a poorly-timed long ball. Baker worked scoreless 5th, surviving hanging a slider to Buxton (he singled) and a Larnach liner to right (Kjerstad tracked it down).

Seranthony Domínguez took over in the 6th and started the inning with a flyout by Ty France and a punchout of Carlos Correa on a perfectly executed sweeper. Domínguez would give up a single to Brooks Lee on a 99mph fastball sent back up the middle. However, Adley Rutschman erased his pitcher’s mistake by gunning down Lee at second on a stolen base attempt.

Perhaps the most questionable decision Brandon Hyde made all night was sending Domínguez back out in the top of the 7th. With Twins slugger Royce Lewis leading off the inning, Hyde looked to play the right-on-right, only for Domínguez to walk five straight fastballs. The O’s then turned to Keegan Akin, looking to keep the deficit at 3-2.

Akin punched out Castro for the first out of the inning and then Minnesota turned to their bench with pinch hitter Harrison Bader. The roll of the dice paid off for the Twins, as Akin left a slider over the plate and Bader sent Minnesota’s second homer of the night over the left field fence for the 5-2 lead.

**

The loss on Wednesday means Baltimore drops another series and has now lost seven of the 11 series they’ve played this season. They’ll try to avoid their second sweep of the season when Dean Kremer takes on Joe Ryan tomorrow afternoon at 1:10pm ET.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/7...scores-game-recap-may-7-buxton-laureano-bader

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles’ RISP failures reach comical levels in 5-2 loss to Twins

Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The O’s squandered dozens of chances to score runs in bunches and then lost the game late in one of their most pathetic performances of the season.

You guys, what even is this team?

The Orioles suffered one of their most amateurish losses in a season already full of them, hitting a new rock bottom in a 5-2 loss in Minnesota that completed the Twins’ three-game sweep. The O’s, who entered the game as the worst-hitting team in MLB with runners in scoring position, devolved into self-parody with a wretched 2-for-13 in such situations today, turning what should have been an early rout into an eighth-inning tie that the bullpen promptly coughed up.

Yeah. It’s bleak, folks.

The Orioles, believe it or not, actually capitalized on their very first RISP at-bat in this game. In the top of the second against Twins starter Bailey Ober, they put two aboard on a Ramón Laureano walk and a Coby Mayo single to center, his first hit of the year. Emmanuel Rivera then jumped on a first-pitch changeup and laced it just fair down the third-base line. Laureano scored while Mayo stopped at third. “Oh, yes! A hit with runners in scoring position!” exclaimed a clearly surprised MASN analyst Jim Palmer.

Don’t get used to it, Jim. For the rest of the game, the Orioles reached new levels of sheer incompetence in RISP situations. It was a master class of how to squander every possible scoring opportunity in the dumbest ways imaginable. Even for the O’s — who were batting .193/.268/.305 with RISP entering the day — this was a new low.

Join me, won’t you, on this journey through unfettered ineptitude?

Let’s start with that second-inning rally, where the O’s still had two runners in scoring position with one out after the Rivera RBI double. A fly ball would get a run home. Or a well-placed grounder. You don’t even need to get a hit! But you do need to make contact, which the Orioles did not, as an overmatched Maverick Handley struck out on three pitches and a frustrated Gunnar Henderson also fanned, swinging at a pitch nearly in the dirt for strike three. Orioles RISP tally: 1-for-3.

The next inning, the Orioles got their first two runners on base on a Jackson Holliday walk and an error by Twins second baseman Brooks Lee on a Ryan O’Hearn grounder. More RISP fun! Ryan Mountcastle, to his credit, lifted a deep fly ball to center, plenty deep enough to score Holliday from third. OK, it’s not a hit, but we’ll take a sac fly. The Orioles took a 2-1 lead.

Then things got stupid again. Laureano ripped a shot to deep left field. Harrison Bader tried to make a lunging catch at the wall but the ball got past him and caromed along the warning track. Bader, momentarily stunned from his collision with the wall, finally raced over to get it. Yet somehow, O’Hearn failed to score from first base, instead stopping at third. What? How do you not score from first on a ball that rolls along the warning track while the outfielder is half-unconscious?

If you expected that missed opportunity to haunt the Orioles, you win a cookie. Heston Kjerstad fouled off a couple of hittable pitches and then struck out, and so did Mayo. Sigh. Orioles RISP tally: 1-for-5.

Oh, but there’s more. Much more. In the fourth inning, the eight and nine hitters, Rivera and Handley, each singled, which for the latter was his first major league hit. Congrats, Maverick! The O’s had two on with nobody out for the top of the lineup. You’d have to be an absolutely abysmal offense to not score in this situation. Well: have I got news for you!

Henderson had another atrocious at-bat, striking out swinging on a pitch that was shoulder-high. The Orioles’ vortex of suck has swept Gunnar up with it, I suppose. Holliday then grounded into a double play, and poof, the rally was over. Orioles RISP tally: 1-for-7.

If you can believe it, things only got worse. In the fifth, the Orioles truly reached the pinnacle of RISP failure. This time, they got runners at second and third — with no outs! — and choked it away. The inning began with O’Hearn getting hit by a pitch and Mountcastle lacing a sharp double that moved him to third. In that situation, according to various run expectancy charts, a team is expected to score at least two runs.

The O’s got zero. Laureano fouled out to the catcher. Kjerstad had another unsightly strikeout. And Mayo grounded out to short. You can’t make this stuff up. Ober miraculously made it through five innings for the Twins and gave up only two runs despite eight hits, a walk, a hit batsman, and an error. Any halfway decent major league team would’ve scored at least 5-6 runs by then. The Orioles, as we are all too aware, are not that team. Orioles RISP tally: 1-for-10.

I have some good news: the O’s finally got another hit with a man in scoring position in the sixth. Here’s the bad news: it didn’t even score a run, thanks to a great Twins defensive play and a very questionable call. Rivera led off with a double, and after Handley failed to get a bunt down and struck out, Henderson finally had a good at-bat, ripping a single to center. Third base coach Tony Mansolino aggressively waved Rivera to the plate as Byron Buxton fired home. On a bang-bang play, Rivera was ruled out.

The O’s challenged the play, and although it looked to me like Rivera’s hand touched home plate before Christian Vázquez’s glove tagged him, the replay officials apparently didn’t agree, upholding the original call. Add bad luck to the long list of things that have gone wrong for the Orioles this year. Henderson advanced to second on the play but of course he was left stranded when Holliday grounded out. Orioles RISP tally: 2-for-13.

It’s a shame the Orioles torpedoed every one of their own rallies, because Dean Kremer pitched more than well enough to win. The O’s right-hander delivered his second straight dazzling outing — working seven innings in back-to-back starts for the first time in his career — but his offense gave him no margin for error. Kremer gave up a run in the first on a Ty France RBI single and another in the sixth on Trevor Larnach’s solo homer, but otherwise he was outstanding, racking up eight strikeouts and holding Minnesota to just three hits. And yet he was saddled with a no-decision because his teammates abandoned him.

So too did his bullpen. Yennier Cano and Gregory Soto’s combined struggles blew up the game in the eighth. The former issued two walks and the latter surrendered a two-run double to Lee and a France RBI single, making it 5-2, and the O’s were officially buried.

Against the Twins bullpen, the Orioles found a way to avoid their RISP woes: by not getting any runners on base at all. Justin Topa, Griffin Jax, and closer Jhoan Duran each worked a perfect inning, and that’ll do it. What a disaster, by which I’m referring to this game, this series, and this team. All of it.

Don’t worry, we only have to endure the 2025 Orioles for another... (checks schedule) ... 126 games!? Good lord.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/8/24426342/orioles-twins-game-recap

 

[Baltimore Orioles]

Orioles-Angels series preview: Two bad teams meet in LA

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Neither team is particularly good at hitting or pitching. Other than that, it should be a lovely weekend of baseball.

It’s comforting to be in the presence of another struggling team. The Angels aren’t quite as bad as our Orioles. They did just take two of three from the Blue Jays, and they have two more wins than the incoming O’s. At the same time, no one will be confusing them for a playoff contender, even in the mediocre American League.

The Angels offense stinks. Their .650 OPS is 26th in baseball, and they have scored just one more run than the Orioles this season in the same number of games. They can hit some home runs. Their 51 long balls are the fourth-most in MLB. But that comes at the expense of two other categories: walks and strikeouts. They have worked the fewest walks in baseball, and only one team (Rockies) has struck out more.

Logan O’Hoppe and the currently-injured Mike Trout lead the team with nine home runs apiece. Taylor Ward is right behind them with eight. But it is O’Hoppe (138 OPS+) and Zach Neto (148 OPS+) that have been the driving forces of the lineup. Yoán Moncada owns a 133 OPS+ on the season, but that has been in just 11 games. He returned earlier this week after missing a month on the IL.

Things are not much better on the pitching side of things. They own a 5.33 ERA as a staff, and much of that is because the bullpen has been a disaster. Los Angeles’ relievers have a 7.15 ERA. Their most-oft used relievers are Ryan Johnson (14.2 IP, 7.36 ERA), Reid Detmers (14.1 innings, 10.05 ERA), and Brock Burke (14 IP, 5.14 ERA). Kenley Jansen, their closer, has had home run issues this year and has a 6.00 FIP. Their most productive bullpen arm has been Ryan Zeferjahn, who owns a 16.97 K/9 rate and 0.95 xFIP.

We won’t see Trout in this series. He is back on the IL with a bone bruise, but the expectation is that he will be back with the Angels shortly after the Orioles leave town. Anthony Rendon is also perpetually injured. He had hip surgery late in the winter, and likely won’t play at all in 2025.

Game 1: Friday, May 9th, 9:38 p.m., MASN/MASN+​

RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (3-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Hendricks (1-3, 5.28 ERA)

What is this? An advantageous pitching matchup for the Orioles? It’s rarely seen around these parts. And it comes when the opposing team is sending a pitcher to the mound that used to compete for Cy Young awards.

Hendricks is in his first MLB season away from the Cubs organization. It is not going great for the 35-year-old. It’s because he isn’t striking anyone out (4.70 K/9) and he is walking way too many (3.52 BB/9). That is a bad combo. But he had a terrific start against Detroit last week, when he allowed just one run on four hits, no walks, and three strikeouts over 7.2 innings. So maybe the Orioles are getting him at the wrong time.

You have to wade through all of the horrible things happening for the Orioles to find something good, but when you do it’s likely to be Sugano. His peripherals still aren’t great, but the results have been tremendous. He took a hard luck loss to the Royals last time out despite giving up just two runs over six innings.

Game 2: Saturday, May 10th, 9:38 p.m., MASN/MASN+/MLB Network​

RHP Kyle Gibson (0-1, 14.09 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Kochanowicz (1-5, 5.79 ERA)

Gibson was much better in his second start than his first. But he still only lasted four innings. If he can get to the fifth and still only cough up the three runs he did against the Royals in his most recent start, the Orioles will be happy. With a return of Zach Eflin likely in the finale of this series, the O’s should have the roster flexibility within this game to deploy an extra reliever, if needed.

Kochanowicz has lost five straight starts. In that stretch he has a .330/.400/.466 batting line against while walking 11 and striking out 12. Despite having a pretty big fastball (95.4 mph on average), he does not get much swing-and-miss. It sounds like just the type of guy to stymie the Orioles.

Game 3: Sunday, May 11th, 4:07 p.m., MASN 2/MASN+​

TBD vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (2-0, 2.68 ERA)

This is expected to be where Zach Eflin (2-1, 3.00 ERA) makes his return from the IL. He has missed a month with a right lat strain, and appears to be ready to go after just one rehab outing. The Orioles could use the help. But there will be serious doubts that the offense can back him up.

The Orioles are hitting .178/.259/.239 against left-handed pitching this season. The late-blooming Anderson has looked great this year and is yet to allow more than three runs in any one start. A soft-tossing lefty with a an ability to make everything he throws move is a bad combination for this Orioles team. Expectations should be low as a result.

Source: https://www.camdenchat.com/2025/5/9/24426750/orioles-angels-series-preview-2025