I traded my Easter ham for a hot dog last weekend to watch the Orioles take on the Pirates at PNC Park. On paper, it felt like dealing Erik Bedard for Adam Jones and a quartet of pitchers. It’s not like I was skipping Thanksgiving dinner, and it’s always a thrill to catch a game or three at the second most beautiful park in baseball.
There was a legitimate buzz in Pittsburgh leading up to the team’s home opener. A traditionally pessimistic fan base garnered some optimism with the signings of Ryan
O’Hearn, Brandow Lowe, and Marcell Ozuna, but the city caught fire when the organization announced they were promoting top prospect Konnor Griffin before the first home game of the season.
The top prospect in baseball? That’s nice. Call me when you go back-to-back-to-back. Baltimore’s lineup should have featured Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday, but the youngest reamined on the IL recovering from a broken hamate bone. Still, I couldn’t help but smile when the sold out crowd rose to its feet to greet the future of its franchise. Pirates fans are aching for the type of feeling Baltimore enjoyed during a 101-win season in 2023, and Orioles fans are looking to rediscover the magic.
Griffin delivered a big hit, and the Orioles failed to recover from a four-run deficit. Baltimore went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and Gregory Soto danced around a solo homer for his first save of the season. Fans talked some smack in a jovial manner as I left the park. “We’ll get you tomorrow,” I said with a grin, and the fans conceded like it was already a foregone conclusion.
That’s not what happened though. Baltimore let a two-run lead slip away with the type of defense that we all feared would rear its ugly head at some point. Coby Mayo failed to turn a double play. Anthony Nunez couldn’t corral a weak grounder, and the Pirates walked it off for their second one-run win in as many days.
I won’t waste much time on the finale. Chris Bassitt looked old and cold with temperatures in the low 50s. Craig Albernaz yelled at home plate umpire James Jean like a manager watching his team get hopelessly swept, and Jean barked back like a guy unhappy to be working on a holiday. I left the park like a guy who went to three games and all he got was a lousy opening series pin.
I was ready to air grievances like some odd combination of Easter and Festivus, but I don’t post on Monday mornings. Since then, the Orioles traveled to Chicago and clinched a series victory with a pair of close wins. They enter today with a chance of a series sweep and a return to .500. So where does that leave us?
Nothing is coming easy for this team right now. Baltimore finished 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position yesterday with 14 men left on base. The team could have coasted to a comfortable victory but instead needed its closer for a second straight day in April.
Baltimore’s early struggles are manifesting in strange ways. The team desperately needed a hit with runners in scoring position and less than two outs yesterday. Albernaz sent Ryan Mountcastle up to pinch hit in the fifth inning because he couldn’t trust Colton Cowser to put the ball in play right now. Mountcastle drove in a run with an RBI-groundout, but the move said more about Cowser’s inability to handle offspeed pitches than anything else.
Samuel Basallo can hit the ball HARD, but the Orioles still have a rookie batting .167 in the cleanup spot. A team that spent $155 million on Pete Alonso should be able to let guys like Basallo and Beavers cut their teeth a little lower in the order.
Trevor Rogers has looked the part through his first three starts, but the second head of Baltimore’s two headed monster failed to complete five innings in either of his first two outings. The Orioles could use a strong start from Kyle Bradish today with closer Ryan Helsley likely unavailable.
Cade Povich and Brandon Young have already turned in better appearances than free agent signing Chris Bassitt. The 37-year-0ld is 0-2 with a 14.21 ERA on the season. The Birds will need more out of Bassitt with Zach Eflin already on the 60-day injured list.
Henderson, Rutschman, and Taylor Ward look capable of carrying the offense until Alonso heats up, but the bottom half remains a question mark without Holliday and Jordan Westburg. Mayo has yet to offset the defense at third base, and Jeremiah Jackson looks to be the easy option once Holliday returns.
After 11 games, the optics match reality. The Orioles are playing like a team fighting to play .500 baseball. That’s not a disaster, but it’s not enough either. These two close wins in Chicago stopped the sky from falling, but Baltimore could really use a comfortable win to catch its breath. There’s an opportunity to get that win today with Bradish on the mound against University of Maryland product Sean Burke.
