Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Another series, another series loss. The O’s dropped the opening leg of their three-city road trip with a 2-0 shutout loss to the Mariners yesterday, which you can read about in my game recap if you’re so inclined. If you missed the game, don’t worry; so did the Orioles’ offense. The Birds’ bats have been M.I.A. in two of the first three games of their West Coast tour, and things are only going to get tougher, with a three-game series against Shohei Ohtani and the 48-27
Dodgers up next. Good luck.
The Orioles continue to be stuck in quicksand, gradually sinking deeper into the muck without making any real progress toward freeing themselves. They’re back to six games under .500 with 76 games in the books. That’s barely improved from where they were after 50 games, at a season-worst eight games under .500 on May 20. Improving by just two games over nearly a month’s worth of action is probably not the best way to vault the Orioles into contender status…although, with the current sorry state of the American League, who knows?
In the meantime, there’s some changes going on behind the scenes, where Orioles legend and part owner Cal Ripken Jr. is set to take on a larger role in player development, as reported by both The Athletic and The Baltimore Banner. The idea is for Cal, who grew up under “The Oriole Way” during his Hall of Fame playing career, to help emphasize fundamentals throughout the organization. The O’s, as you might have noticed, aren’t a particularly good defensive team, and they’ve been sloppy at some aspects of baseball that don’t necessarily show up in the box score — failing to turn double plays, missing cutoff men, etc.
At first glance, the idea of a team owner becoming heavily involved in on-field operations could spark unsettling flashbacks to the late-90s era of the Orioles. But then again, this is Cal Ripken, not Peter Angelos. If there’s anyone who knows the finer points of baseball and is qualified to dispense such wisdom, it’s the Iron Man. And as the Banner article notes, Ripken will be just one part of a larger group of coaches and personnel who are tasked with establishing best practices in the minor leagues regarding defense and fundamentals. He’ll have his say, but he’s not taking over the whole operation himself.
There’s a sizable contingent of O’s fans who have been clamoring for years for Ripken to take on an on-field role, with some even suggesting the Orioles should hire him as their manager or general manager. I’ve never quite understood that sentiment, and I say that as someone who considers Cal my all-time favorite player. It’s been 25 years since he retired and he’s never held so much as a coaching role since then, so I don’t see any reason to believe he’d be capable of taking on such a prominent position as skipper or GM.
But this? Working behind the scenes, offering tips to young players on how to prepare, how to position themselves, how to focus on the minute details of playing defense? That’s up his alley. Whatever work that Ripken and the development team do might be too late to save this Orioles season — akin to closing the barn doors after the horses have gotten out, and all that — but if there’s a chance that it can have a positive impact on the future of the ballclub, them I’m all for it.
Links
Will the Orioles finally draft a pitcher in the 1st round? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Do college outfielders still exist? Then no, the Orioles will not draft a pitcher in the first round.
O’s pitching prospect Luis De Leon looks to get back on track after slow start – Steve Melewski
The hard-throwing lefty’s rocky 2026 season has dropped him off some prospect lists, but the Orioles insist his struggles will only make him stronger in the long term. Uh, sure. Let’s go with that.
Rutschman exits game after being hit by throw on left ear – MLB.com
Adding injury to insult yesterday, Adley Rutschman might be hurt after taking an errant throw off his head. If this team didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck at all.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! A whopping seven former Orioles were born on June 19. They include right-handers Cody Sedlock (31), Logan Verrett (36), and Willis Roberts (51); outfielders Val Majewski (45) and Butch Davis (68); and lefties Bruce Chen (49) and the late Don Ferrarese (b. 1929, d. 2024).
On this date in 1962, the Orioles signed 18-year-old shortstop Mark Belanger as an amateur free agent out of Pittsfield HS in Massachusetts. It was a good decision. Belanger debuted in the majors three years later and developed into an all-time elite defender at shortstop, manning the position for 17 years with the Orioles and winning eight Gold Gloves.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 19, 1969, the Orioles blanked the Washington Senators, 2-0, to notch their seventh straight win. Dave McNally improved to an incredible 10-0 on the season by throwing his second consecutive shutout and fourth of the season, holding the Senators to a meager two hits, both singles. McNally would finish the season with 20 wins and 11 complete games. Washington righty Jim Hannan countered with seven shutout innings of his own before the O’s broke a scoreless tie with two runs against reliever Dennis Higgins. The aforementioned Mark Belanger reached base three times on two hits and a walk.
