A lame loss, the Suárez story, and Bradish keeps on working his way back.
Good Morning, Birdland!
Well, it was a good win streak while it lasted. The O’s lost on 9-4 Friday night, ending the four-game run of success. It was not a good day for the bullpen. Keegan Akin and Dillon Tate were both bad. And the lineup struggled too, scoring all of their runs on one Adley Rutschman swing. It happens. Hopefully the guys start another string of wins today.
They have a good chance of doing just that. Corbin Burnes is back on the mound, looking to further his early-season Cy Young case. But it won’t be easy. Cole Ragans is the opposing pitcher, and he’s in the conversation as the AL’s best starter too. The last time he faced the Orioles (just a couple of weeks ago) he tossed 6.1 scoreless and struck out seven.
As bad as the O’s offense was last night, it felt important to get Rutschman going a little bit. Going into the game he was slugging just .348 with three extra base hits (one homer, two doubles) on the year. That’s not to say he had been bad. He’s been a singles machine that, as a result, had a fine on-base percentage (.338). But he hits second in the lineup for a reason. He’s capable of more, and his peripheral stats indicate that he has deserved better than he’s gotten to this point.
The O’s are still waiting on Jackson Holliday. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and was taken out for pinch hitter Ramón Urías to face the left-handed Will Smith. To that point the team had been letting him face southpaws, but it could be time to position him for success as much as possible.
At least Austin Hays got a hit! That raised his average to .095, sadly the highest it has been since April 5. He did smack the single pretty hard at 98.5 mph, so perhaps he is inching towards his normal self. But it will take continued improvement from him plus a slump of one or two other people in the Orioles’ lineup in order to regain a foothold on regular playing time.
That said, the left-handed Ragans on the mound may force Brandon Hyde to switch things up a bit. That could mean a day off for Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Ryan O’Hearn. That probably wouldn’t be a bad idea on all fronts, and it would give the O’s a superb bench against a Royals bullpen that has not been particularly good this season.
Links
Another look at how Suárez came to the Orioles | Roch Kubatko
It is pretty amazing how far-reaching a baseball organization’s tentacles can be. Apparently the Orioles had been somewhat interested in Albert Suárez since 2017? That’s before Mike Elias was even the GM of the team.
O’s pitching staff motivated by ‘brotherly’ trash talk: ‘No one is safe’ | The Baltimore Sun
It seems like the Orioles have a bunch of a silly geese on their hands with this pitching staff. It’s no wonder that the homer hose idea came from that group.
Injuries & Moves: Bradish to make 2nd rehab start Sunday | MLB.com
Look, I’m not trying to get TOO excited, but if Kyle Bradish is back to his 2023 form and he joins up with Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez the way they are throwing the ball…hoooo! That is going to be fun.
Reds Claim Liván Soto From Orioles | MLB Trade Rumors
Please drop your favorite moments from the Soto era of Orioles baseball in the comments down below. For me, it was the day he was selected off waivers the second time by the Orioles. I’m picking that day mostly because it’s the only time I recall ever hearing about him since the he just did not stick in my brain the first time. A truly magical moment.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
No former Orioles players were born on this day, but it is the birthday of musician Luther Vandross (1951), baseball legend Don Mattingly (1961), actor Andy Serkis (1964), and rapper Killer Mike (1975).
This day in O’s history
1988 – The Orioles set a major league record by losing their 14th straight game to begin a season. They aren’t quite finished their run of poor play just yet.