Another win, the bullpen comes up big, and Camden Yards is no longer so welcoming
Good morning, Birdland!
Well, this has been a fun ‘lil series so far, hasn’t it? I mean, my heart rate has reached dangerous levels while simply sitting and “enjoying” a baseball game , but other than that we’re having fun!
Dean Kremer, Keegan Akin, and Jacob Webb held the vaunted New York offense to just two runs in the O’s 4-2 win on Tuesday. Both runs scored on solo home runs. And that was a follow up to Monday, when Grayson Rodriguez led an effort that kept our visitors off the scoreboard entirely. While these Yankees have run hot and cold at the plate this season, they had come to Baltimore scoring 30 runs in their previous two games. It feels good to see the O’s pitchers dice them up like this so far.
Next up on the mound for the Birds is our ace, Corbin Burnes. The big righty has shown to this point that other than some first-inning miscues, he’s largely unhittable. It would be pretty neat to make it three dominant pitching performances in a row against the Bronx Bombers.
The other storyline to watch today is whatever fallout there is from Juan Soto staring down Kremer throughout his home run trot. Soto claimed after the game that Kremer had done something to indicate he “didn’t like the shuffle” and so Soto responded by looking at him all menacing like. Sometimes, this game is very dumb.
I have yet to see any evidence that Kremer was upset with anything Soto was doing, other than hitting a home run. Fun fact: pitchers aren’t huge fans of home runs. Maybe there is something I’m just not seeing. Kremer does get the “eye of the tiger” going when he is in the middle of a start, and looks angry the entire time, so perhaps there was a misinterpretation there? I don’t know. The Soto thing just came out of nowhere.
What I do know is that the Orioles are now and sit atop the AL East all by their lonesome. Another win today would make them the first AL club to reach 20 wins, earn them a series victory, and ensure they exit this series with the division crown in hand for the time being. Now that would be worth a little shimmy.
Links
Webb, shorthanded O’s ‘pen step up vs. Yanks’ big bats | MLB.com
I cannot believe Jacob Webb has been as good as he has been this season. The same goes for Keegan Akin. The O’s bullpen is about to get a shot in the arm when John Means and Kyle Bradish return, therefore pushing some of their current starters to the ‘pen. But the unit has been better than expected. They should still prioritize another addition by the end of July.
Curiosities mounting over Orioles’ pitching plans | Roch Kubatko
The O’s still have one rather “easy” roster move in their pocket, and that would be a DFA of Yohan Ramirez. Other than that, it’s gonna be tough to get Bradish and Means back on the roster without losing someone you like. Maybe there is an IL stint coming, although that has not been the indication regarding Craig Kimbrel, who seemed like the logical candidate.
Orioles’ hot start to 2024 through March and April, by the numbers | The Baltimore Sun
This Orioles offense is very, very good. And it can win in a lot of different ways. It may not stay that way, but boy is it fun to watch.
Yankees fans no longer rule Camden Yards, thanks to surging Orioles | The Athletic
Yes, I too am shocked that now that the Orioles have a good product on the field the local fans are actually happy to spend money and watch the team play. This is absolutely worthy of an article.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Dillon Tate turns 30. The recently demoted righty was the big get in the Zack Britton trade with the Yankees back in 2018. Since then, Tate has been a steady member of the Orioles bullpen.
- Allan Ramirez celebrates his 67th. He pitched in 11 games for the 1983 World Series champion O’s.
This day in O’s history
2012 – Buck Showalter registers a win in his 1,000 game as an MLB manager when the O’s beat the Yankees 7-1. It was also Brian Matusz’s first win in 11 months. He had gone 0-12 with a 10.47 ERA in 14 starts during the interim.
2014 – The O’s take both halves of a doubleheader against the Pirates. The second game is particularly important as Manny Machado is back on the field after missing the first month of the season, and Matt Wieters wins it with a walk-off homer.