Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! I hope you enjoyed your day off from the Orioles as they traveled home from Cincinnati ahead of this week’s homestand. They weirdly had both Thursday and Monday off surrounding their short road trip to Ohio, so it feels like the Orioles have barely played lately. That’s the thing about game that is on my TV nearly every day for six months. It feels weird when it’s not.
If you thought having the day off from the Orioles was convenient for your World Cup watching, that
didn’t go so well either. My condolences to everyone pulling for Team USA, who were eliminated last night in a 3-1 loss to Belgium. oo
Tonight, the Orioles begin a six-game homestand with the Cubs and Royals that will take them right up to the All-Star break. The Cubs are having a good season, sitting at 50-40. That’s good for second place in the NL Central and the first NL Wild Card. The Royals aren’t doing quite so well. They are 37-54 and have the second-worst record in the American League. I’d say the Orioles have a better chance of beating the Royals than the Cubs, but we watched them recently win a series against the Dodgers and then immediately lose two out of three to the Angels. The Angels, by the way, are the one team worse than the Royals in the AL.
Speaking of the All-Star break, the news that former Oriole Bryan Baker was named to the team got me thinking about other recent Orioles who have moved on. Baker, who was traded to the Rays last year, as 23 saves and a 1.83 ERA for the Rays this year. It figures.
No other members of the 2025 Orioles team made the roster, however. Last year’s rep, Ryan O’Hearn, is having a good season for the Pirates, with an 119 OPS+, but he hasn’t been named to the team. Of all the players who left the Orioles during or after 2025, O’Hearn is the only position player having a good season. Cedric Mullins is with the Rays and on the active roster, but struggling at the plate with a .293 OBP and just a 14 out of 20 success rate stealing.
Ramón Urías, who many wanted the Orioles to re-sign, started the season with the Cardinals but went on the IL in early May with tennis elbow in his right arm. Then, while rehabbing in the minors, he suffered an injury to his left elbow. He’s currently on the 60-day Injured List.
The other Ramón (Laureano) has not been able to duplicate his success from last season. He struggled at the plate and then had season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip.
Fan favorite Jorge Mateo is with the Braves, and is starting semi-regularly at shortstop. His bat is playing better than it did in his short time playing last season, but not much better than his career numbers. Backup catcher Alex Jackson, who only got extra-base hits last year, is backing up in Minnesota this season. Remember Gary Sánchez? He’s back with the Brewers as a backup catcher and DH, and he’s hitting well with an .815 OPS and eight homers.
Baker is just one of three 2025 Orioles who are now closers for other teams. Seranthony Domínguez is closing for the first-place White Sox, though he has a 4.85 ERA to go along with 12 saves. Gregory Soto is closing for the Pirates. His ERA is also over 4.
Tomoyuki Sugano made 16 starts for the last-place Rockies before going to the IL with back
spasms. Hopefully, he’ll be back in action soon. His 4.80 ERA could be better, but he is in Colorado.
And finally, can you believe that teams are still paying Cionel Pérez to pitch? He’s pitched for both the Nationals and Mets this season, and is on the active roster for New York. He has not improved.
Are there any departed 2025 Orioles you wish were still on the team? I guess we have to say Baker, even if he was incredibly frustrating as an Oriole.
This content brought to you by the off day.
Links
MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis on possible Orioles’ draft picks – Baltimore Baseball
Rich Dubroff talked to MLB Pipeline guy Jim Callis ahead of Saturday’s draft. He thinks college hitters are what is waiting for the Orioles. Shocker.
The chemistry between Samuel Basallo and Trevor Rogers is hard to explain, but there’s no denying it – The Baltimore Banner
It all began with a start against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp two years ago. Now, Trevor Rogers and Samuel Basallo are a winning pair.
Rutschman joins rare O’s company with latest All-Star nod – MLB.com
Adley Rutschman is the first Oriole to be selected for three All-Star Games in four years since Manny Machado.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have just one Orioles birthday buddy. Tim Nordbrook was drafted by the Orioles in the ninth round of the 1970 draft. A local kid, he went to high school at Loyola Blakefield and made his Major League debut in 1974. From ‘74-’76, he appeared in 74 games with the Orioles as a middle infielder. The Orioles sent him to the California Angels in late 1976, and from then till ‘79 he appeared in a total of 55 games with the Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Brewers. Today he celebrates his 76th birthday.
Also born on this day in history are Hall of Famers Billy Herman (1909) and Satchel Paige (1906).
On this day in 1970, the Orioles and Yankees went into extra innings tied at 2-2 after the Yankees scored the tying run in the ninth off starter Mike Cuellar. Cuellar stayed on to pitch the tenth and picked up the win when Brooks Robinson hit a game-ending grand slam.
In 1995, the Orioles traded Scott Klingenbeck to the Twins for starting pitcher Scott Erickson. Erickson played for the Orioles from 1995-2002. He was a workhorse for his first four full seasons with the team, topping 220 innings pitched each year from 1996-1999. In 1997, he led the league in starts (36), complete games (11), and innings pitched (251.1).
