Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Eleven days ago in this space, I wrote that the Orioles were beginning a season-defining homestand that, if it went well, would help them build some momentum and start to salvage their season — or, if it went poorly, could spell “stick a fork in ’em” time for the 2026 team. Truthfully, I was fully expecting the latter to happen, and that I’d be coming back in 11 days to write about which players the O’s should start putting on the trade market for the inevitable selloff.
Happily, the Orioles had other plans. They rattled off an excellent 7-3 homestand, with two series wins and a split, and they do indeed appear to have some momentum on their side for once. They’re not out of the woods yet, of course; the O’s are still four games under .500, so let’s hold off on printing the playoff tickets. But, as our Tyler Young pointed out, there was a lot to like about the Orioles’ performance of the last week and a half. The starting pitching has improved, their offense started scoring runs more consistently, and the O’s showed a lot of heart with some thrilling late-inning comebacks.
Now comes the tricky part: can the O’s bring their winning ways with them on the road? So far this year, the team has been utterly hopeless away from Camden Yards. The Orioles’ road record is just 9-17, and only one team in baseball (the Royals) has fewer road wins than the Birds. The majority of that damage happened in May, when the Orioles went a dreadful 3-10 on their two road trips, which included being swept by two AL East opponents, the Yankees and Rays.
This next road trip, too, will pit the Orioles against divisional foes, albeit two — the Red Sox and Blue Jays — who are having much worse seasons than New York and Tampa Bay. The Red Sox in particular have been awful at home, carrying a 9-19 record at Fenway Park, so theoretically these next three games should be ripe for the Orioles to take. That doesn’t mean they will. The Birds are going to need to continue the recent solid work from their starting staff and the improved plate approach from their hitters, and they’ll need to do it in hostile territory.
I’ll hold off on declaring this as a season-defining road trip, although obviously the worst-case scenario of six straight losses would leave the Orioles hopelessly buried in the standings. If the O’s can keep their wits about them and at least split the six games against two teams that they should be able to beat, then they’ll still be in position to gain some ground when they return to the friendly confines of Oriole Park next Monday.
Links
Orioles starters keying resurgence leading into next road trip – School of Roch
If you’d told me before the season that the Orioles would lose Zach Eflin for the season, Dean Kremer for who knows how long, and have Trevor Rogers post a 6.84 ERA, I’d have expected their rotation to be even more in shambles than last year. The fact that they’re holding their own — and even thriving of late — is kind of remarkable.
Why Orioles infielder Coby Mayo worked with a pitching coach – The Baltimore Banner
I don’t think Mayo will ever be a very good defensive third baseman, but you certainly can’t accuse him of not putting in the work.
Who has best outfield arm in Orioles history? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Some of these guys are before my time, but Nick Markakis is the name that jumped immediately to my mind, as it did Rich Dubroff’s. Any other suggestions, Camden Chatters?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day: left-hander Jack O’Connor (68), infielder Bob Saverine (85), and the late outfielder Roger Freed (b. 1946, d. 1996).
On this date in 1958, Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, then in his first full MLB season, grounded into a triple play against the Senators. It was the first of four triple plays he grounded into during his 23 seasons, setting a dubious major league record. His career turned out pretty okay anyway.
And in 2016, the O’s mashed seven home runs in one game, second most in team history, to defeat the Red Sox at Camden Yards, 12-7. The Orioles homered in every inning from the fourth through the eighth, with Mark Trumbo and Adam Jones each hitting two, while Manny Machado, Pedro Álvarez, and catcher Francisco Peña (in his O’s debut) bashed one apiece.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 2, 2010, the Orioles suffered their seventh straight loss of what eventually became a 10-game skid, dropping a 9-1 blowout at Yankee Stadium. The O’s were out of the game almost immediately as starter Brad Bergesen coughed up six runs in just 2.1 innings, while the Yankees’ Phil Hughes dominated the Birds’ lineup for seven strong innings. The embarrassing contest featured Miguel Tejada getting thrown out trying to score on a double in the eighth when the Orioles were losing by seven runs. The loss dropped the Orioles to 15-38, by far the worst record in baseball, and they fired manager Dave Trembley two days later.
