Good morning, Camden Chatters.
It’s nice to be back home, isn’t it? The Orioles returned from their nine-game trek to the West Coast — their longest road trip in two years — with a solid victory against the Nationals on Pride Night to begin a six-game homestand. While one win over a reeling Nats team doesn’t erase the ugly way that the Birds’ road trip ended, it’s something the Orioles desperately needed. Check out Andrea SK’s recap of the Orioles’ 3-1 win.
That’s not to say the Birds played a mistake-free
game. They simply don’t do that. The loss featured yet another baserunning blunder, with Blaze Alexander inexplicably getting thrown out at third base for the final out of the fourth inning just before Jackson Holliday crossed the plate, denying the O’s a run. It’s the second time this month that Alexander has made that exact baserunning mistake to wipe a run off the board, which suggests that the Orioles didn’t properly address the issue the first time. It’s this kind of constant foolishness, even in an O’s victory, that makes fans skeptical that the Orioles can go on any kind of an extended hot streak.
But there was plenty to like about last night, too. Firstly, there aren’t any Orioles players who got themselves into hot water on Pride Night like some Giants pitchers did recently, so that’s a plus. And as for on-field performance, Trevor Rogers delivered one of his most dominant outings of the year, notching a season-high eight strikeouts. If Rogers is back to being a capable pitcher, we’re almost at the point where O’s fans can feel reasonably confident in four of the club’s five starters, and a rehabbing Dean Kremer is on the horizon to fill that fifth spot soon. It was also nice to see the Orioles’ bullpen rebound from their ugly road trip by tossing 2.2 perfect innings last night.
The Orioles are still just 1.5 games out of the final wild card slot, and there are the pieces on this roster for a potential contending team. I’m going to need to see a lot more than this before I believe they’ve got any real shot at October baseball, but a homestand-opening win is a nice start.
Links
Rogers holds down Nationals and bullpen finishes 3-1 win (updated) – School of Roch
Besides Rogers, one of last night’s stars was Coby Mayo, who had his first career two-double game. Coby really needs to decide whether he’s a good player or a lousy one, because his constant back-and-forth is confusing me.
Orioles should not trade Adley Rutschman | MAILBAG – Rich Dubroff
I probably wouldn’t consider trading Adley during the season. But this offseason, all bets are off.
Kremer, Povich make 2nd rehab starts as O’s rotation reinforcements near return – MLB.com
Swapping in Kremer for Trey Gibson will be a nice upgrade for the Orioles’ starting staff. But I don’t really see any rotation spot available for Povich, at least until the next inevitable O’s injury.
Basallo is already the Orioles’ most impressive hitter, and you’re telling me he’s only going to get better? Maybe the O’s can have nice things after all.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Six former Orioles were born on June 27, including righty Jim Johnson (43), infielders Óscar Salazar (48) and Jackie Gutiérrez (66), outfielders Jeff Conine (60) and Nelson Simmons (63), and the late right-hander Lou Kretlow (b. 1921, d. 2007), a member of the inaugural 1954 Orioles.
On this date in 1964, the Orioles’ Boog Powell single-handedly defeated the Washington Senators, blasting three solo home runs to provide all the O’s offense in a 3-1 win. Boog went deep off Senators starter Jim Hannan in both the first and fourth innings, then added an insurance run in the ninth with a blast against reliever Ron Kline.
In 1967, the Birds’ Frank Robinson was injured in a second-base collision with Al Weis of the White Sox, causing him to miss 28 games with double vision. The injury perhaps cost Robinson a chance at a second straight Triple Crown season, as he was hitting .337 with 21 homers and 59 RBIs before the injury but batted .282 with nine dingers and 35 RBIs afterward.
And in 2022, the Orioles hit back-to-back homers in back-to-back innings for the first time in their history, all against rookie Mariners starter George Kirby. Fellow rookie Adley Rutschman went back-to-back with Ryan Mountcastle in the top of the third, and Anthony Santander and Austin Hays followed suit in the fourth. The home run barrage powered the O’s to a 9-2 win.
