Good morning Birdland,
From an Orioles fan perspective, this All-Star Game reminded me of my childhood fandom. You see, during my formative years, the Orioles really stunk. But I liked baseball anyway. So I was used to watching the Midsummer Classic in anticipation of the few minor glimpses I might get of Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora, or even a less exciting name like Tony Batista or Ty Wigginton.
Usually, those glimpses came once during the introductions and then sometime in the late
innings. The Orioles tended to get just one representative, and rarely were they going to be staring for the American League.
The 2026 Orioles, in my opinion, are better than many of the teams I watched in my youth. But they aren’t “good,” so while you could argue they deserved more than just one representative this year, you could also argue the opposite rather effectively.
Adley Rutschman was the only current Oriole at this year’s game. He entered in the seventh inning as a defensive replacement, catching three shutout innings and going 0-for-1 at the plate. In that short time he also got to catch two former teammates, both of which are on the Rays now. Drew Rasmussen attended Oregon State the same time as Rutschman, and Bryan Baker, of course, was with the Orioles for several years before he was traded to the Rays a season ago.
There was no major moment for Rutschman. But the AL did win the game 4-0. A shutout in an All-Star Game is a pretty big deal, and catchers tend to get some credit in those outcomes. So that’s cool!
The All-Star break has two more days to go. Then, on Friday, the Orioles begin, arguably, their most important stretch of the season with a six-game road trip in Houston and Boston. Hopefully the lack of All-Star representatives means that most of the team is rested up.
Links
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown from 2026 All-Star Game | MLB.com
In case you fell asleep or simply didn’t care enough to watch the game, here is a quick breakdown on what every single player accomplished.
Leftovers for breakfast | Roch Kubatko
Included are some quotes from Rutschman about his future in Baltimore. It’s the sort of stuff you would expect to hear, but still nice. More realtistically, it’s tough to see a way for him to stick around with the Orioles already paying Samuel Basallo and Pete Alonso long term. Rutschman will be 29 next season, and the O’s may not be interested in paying for anything beyond that.
Orioles’ Adley Rutschman rode new defensive ‘philosophy’ to All-Star Game | The Baltimore Sun
While his bat has cooled as the season has gone on, Rutschman has been great in the field all season long. That is why the talk of trading him right now seems off base. If the Orioles want to win in 2027, they need Rutschman around.
Two words of advice for Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias | Baltimore Baseball
This is an argument for the Orioles to buy at the deadline. That’s fine. In fact, I think I agree. The AL stinks, and it’s not as if trading for prospects guarantees a winner in the future. So just go for it now and see what happens.
Adley Rutschman coy on Orioles extension talks, but makes one thing clear: ‘I love Baltimore’ | The Baltimore Banner
More on the quotes mentioned earlier. Maybe Rutschman sticks around long term, but I wouldn’t bet on it. So let’s just enjoy what we have right now.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Ramón Laureano turns 32 today. The outfielder spent part of the 2025 season in Baltimore, coming out of nowhere to be one of the team’s very best players. The O’s traded him, along with Ryan O’Hearn, to the Padres for a haul of prospects.
- James Baldwin is 55 years old. He pitched in 20 games for the Orioles in 2005.
This day in O’s history
1960 – Brooks Robinson goes 5-for-5 and hits for the to cycle to lead the Orioles to a 5-2 win over the White Sox. That also makes it eight consecutive at-bats with a hit for Robinson, dating back to the O’s previous game in which he had three knocks.
1996 – Cal Ripken Jr. shifts to third base after playing 2,216 consecutive games at shortstop for the Orioles. His overall consecutive games played streak (2,243 at this point) remains in tact. Manny Alexander takes Ripken’s place at shortstop, but will struggle, and after six games Ripken returns to his position.
2005 – Rafael Palmeiro becomes the 26th player to collect 3,000 hits when he hits an RBI double off of Mariners starter Joel Pinero. Palmeiro is also only the fourth major leaguer with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. A few weeks later, Palmeiro will test positive for steroid use, tarnishing his legacy and effectively ending his career.
