One more against the Halos, Westburg imitates Henderson, and Means looked better in rehab.
Good morning, Birdland!
That could have gone better. The Orioles lost 7-4 to the Angels in the early morning hours here on the east coast. The scoreline belies just how gruesome the game felt. Grayson Rodriguez had a stinker, and the offense couldn’t do enough against a starter that entered the game with an 8.05 ERA. On top of that, the Yankees did manage to beat the Athletics earlier in the day, ending the O’s perch atop the AL East after only a few hours.
Of course, there is still some good news buried within the bad. The lineup that Brandon Hyde put forward was a fun one. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Heston Kjerstad, and Jackson Holliday all featured. That’s six Mike Elias draft picks making it to the big leagues all at once, an impressive achievement for the front office.
What’s better is that many of them are performing quite well, although not all did so in this game. Kjerstad took an 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his season debut at the level. But that was a bit balanced out by Holliday getting his second hit of the year, a 104.4 mph single. Rutschman is heating up as well; he had a trio of singles in the loss. And then there’s Gunnar, who launched his seventh homer of the season. His seventh homer in 2023 came on June 8. If his current pace continues he will hit 49 bombs this year. It’s been an amazing start to the year.
Hopefully Dean Kremer can help the O’s snatch a series win tonight. The finale is even on at a decent time, 4:07 in Baltimore. A getaway day victory would be oh so sweet.
Links
‘I just don’t think he executed’: Rodriguez roughed up by Halos | MLB.com
In the span of 4.1 innings, Rodriguez added nearly two runs to his season ERA. It was a tough night, but he will bounce back.
Because You Asked – Staying Alive | Roch Kubatko
Roch says that the team is planning to do some team Hall of Fame inductions this year. That’s exciting! Adam Jones feels like a no brainer, and maybe Nick Markakis? It would be neat to put them both in together, and each is certainly worthy.
Orioles’ Jordan Westburg adopted Gunnar Henderson-inspired stance to fuel breakout season | The Baltimore Sun
The science of baseball is so interesting because—to me, a layman—Henderson and Westburg are very different hitters. But their results have been quite similar to begin 2024, so what do I know?
Orioles starter John Means shows flashes of his past form in latest rehab start | The Baltimore Banner
This is fantastic news! The Orioles are not exactly desperate for a starter since Albert Suárez has been so good out of nowhere. But I don’t think that anyone truly buys that for the long-term just yet. Means comes with a track record that, if healthy, is going to help this team.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- John Means turns 31 today. The southpaw has been a surprisingly important member of the O’s staff since 2018. At times he has been the staff ace and an all-star. Currently, he is rehabbing and expected to make an impact in Baltimore sometime soon.
- Welington Castillo is 37 today. He spent just one season in Baltimore, but it was a good one. In 2017 he posted a career-best 116 OPS+ as the team’s starting catcher.
This day in O’s history
It’s been a slow day in Birdland, historically. Maybe this year’s squad will change that. Until then, here are few non-Orioles things that have happened on this date:
1704 – The first regular newspaper in Colonial America is published. It is called The Boston News-Letter.
1800 – The United States Library of Congress is established.
1895 – Joshua Slocum begins what will eventually be the first successful single-person sailing voyage around the world.