Good morning Birdland,
It’s amazing what a couple of wins can do for your team outlook. Coming into this White Sox series, it already felt like the Orioles’ season was on life support. Now, they have won two in a row, could wrap up a sweep today, get back to .500, and then head home for the weekend. Much better.
That is, of course, all hyperbolic. But you can understand the feeling of urgency from the fan base. This team has been a disappointment since the 2024 all-star break. That’s a long time to
play below your supposed talent level. And the way they had opened 2026 (underwhelming starting pitching, shambolic defense, and meager offense) was not inspiring much confident.
Two wins later, they look better. Brandon Young and Trevor Rogers both pitched well. The bullpen has felt more dependable. The lineup has had a ton of runners on base. There are elements on which a winner can be built.
However, these couple of games in Chicago have not entirely shifted the vibe. Concerns continue. The offense is getting plenty of hits, but struggling to cash in on them. They went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position on Tuesday. Gunnar Henderson is the only one hitting home runs. Other players need to step up. There have been a few questionable moments on defense too, like Pete Alonso dropping a throw from Blaze Alexander. Ryan Helsley saved both games, but he is yet to look as dominant as he did back on Opening Day.
These Orioles aren’t perfect. Entering the season, most outlets expected them to be an 85-ish win team on the fringes of the AL playoff picture. These first 11 games have done nothing to change that perception. They are going to make some mind-boggling mistakes. They are going to frustrate us at times. Hopefully they find their groove and come out ahead in more of these close games than they lose.
Links
O’s were waiting for it — and they got it, with Gunnar’s decisive homer | Orioles.com
Henderson is having himself a nice series in Chicago. The Orioles probably lose both games without him. He is amazing. He also needs his teammates to step up, particularly Alonso, who is in the midst of a nasty slump.
Another round of this, that, the other and more | Roch Kubatko
Roch digs into how good Trevor Rogers has been this season. He sure is looking more and more like a legitimate ace, regardless of sample size. The lefty now has a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings this year. The strikeout numbers are humble, but he makes it work with the soft contact and limited walks.
Cardinals Trade Nick Raquet To Orioles | MLB Trade Rumors
This move has been in the works for a couple of days. The two teams announced it officially on Tuesday. Raquet has joined the Orioles bullpen while Young was optioned to Triple-A to make room. Raquet is no spring chicken. He is already 30 years old, but has only two games of big league experience. So he fits right into an Orioles bullpen that has a lot to prove.
Colton Cowser keeps seeing a steady dose of off-speed pitches. He’ll need to prove he can lay off. | The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles offense will never find another level if it doesn’t get contributions from some of the “secondary” members of the lineup. It can’t all be left up to Henderson, Alonso, Adley Rutschman, and Taylor Ward. The back half of the order has to deliver. We have seen Cowser do it before. It needs to be more consistent.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Zach Eflin turns 32 today. A veteran righty that was supposed to be a key member of this year’s rotation, he instead suffered an elbow injury last week that could cost him the entire season.
- Jeremy Hellickson is 39. He was named Rookie of the Year with the Rays in 2011, and won a Gold Glove the following season. His time with the O’s came in 2017 as a trade deadline acquisition. It did not go well. He had a 6.33 ERA over 51.2 innings.
- Brian Burres turns 45. The lefty tossed 258.2 innings between 2006 and ‘08 with the Orioles.
- Jeremy Guthrie is 47 today. The righty was the Orioles ace from 2007 through 2011. He made three Opening Day starts in that span, and also eclipsed both 200 innings and 4.0 bWAR on three occasions. The O’s eventually dealt him to the Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom.
- The late Dick Luebke (b. 1935, d. 1974) was born on this day. He pitched in 10 games for the 1962 O’s.
- A posthumous celebration for Charlie Maxwell (b. 1927, d. 2024). He spent 14 years in the bigs, but only played four games for the Orioles in 1955.
This day in O’s history
1954 – The Orioles purchase pitcher Dave Koslo from the New York Giants.
2019 – Chris Davis goes 0-for-5, increasing his streak of at-bats without a hit to 49, which includes 28 to begin the season. That breaks the previous record of 46 set by Eugenio Velez from 2010-11.
