Good morning Birdland,
There was a whole lot of goodness in the Orioles 13-3 beatdown of the Blue Jays on Friday night, and perhaps just one small (for now) thing to worry about.
First, the good news. The Orioles looked amazing, even if it took a little while for the offense to get it going.
Adley Rutschman’s solo homer in the first inning is all they could muster against Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage through the game’s first five innings. But they caught fire in the sixth, plating five runs and putting
the game out of reach for a Blue Jays lineup that got shut down in the second half of the evening.
Rutschman was the star, going a perfect 4-for-4 with the homer, two doubles, and five runs driven in. His season totals are looking mighty fine after that performance. But he didn’t do it all alone. Coby Mayo hit a two-run dong. Jeremiah Jackson entered as a pinch hitter and had two hits and two RBI. Colton Cowser had two more hits and made a nice throw from right field. Gunnar Henderson reached base twice, scored two runs, and put pressure on the defense with his speed. It was just a really impressive group effort up and down the lineup.
The pitching was also good! Brandon Young got the win, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. Then, the trio of Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, and Anthony Nunez combined for 2.2 shutout innings to close out the win.
The only thing we really need to be worried about is Samuel Basallo. He was the DH in this one, but exited early due to “right abdominal discomfort.” O’s manager Craig Albernaz described the decision to remove Basallo as “precautionary,” and that they will know more on Saturday. Sam Huff is already with the team as a member of the taxi squad, though he would need to be added to the 40-man roster if he is needed.
Losing Basallo for any amount of time would hurt. The rookie has been such an impactful part of their offense. He has also allowed Rutschman to get out from behind the plate more frequently, either as the DH or on the bench. Upending that balance could have some negative downstream effects. Fingers crossed this ends up being a day-to-day thing.
Links
Orioles injury updates and some mailbag questions | Roch Kubatko
We got some positive injury updates this week. Chris Bassitt should be OK to make his next start. Ryan Helsley is set for a rehab stint next week. Dylan Beavers is hitting in the cage. And Dean Kremer is running and throwing live batting practice. Getting the team healthier would be a big boost!
Arms on the Farm: Breaking down fast-moving Orioles pitching prospect Joseph Dzierwa | The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles have fairly recently turned their developmental attention away from hitters ever so slightly, and brought pitchers into the fold more. The result has been some better pitching prospects down on the farm. Dzierwa might be the best of the few that Mike Elias has deemed worthy of a draft pick.
The Draft is just over 5 weeks away! Here’s the latest mock | MLB.com
The Orioles have the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, which makes things a bit more interesting. Clearly, you can get good players deeper than that. Look no further than Henderson. But the draft is most exciting in the top half of the first round. Here are a bunch of names to get familiar with.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- The late Merv Rettenmund (b. 1943, d., 2024) was born on this day. The outfielder spent six seasons in Baltimore during the club’s Golden Age from 1968-73. He put together three different seasons with bWARs of 4.2 or better, with his standout campaign coming in 1971. That got him some down ballot MVP votes, finishing in 19th place for the award.
This day in O’s history
1993 – Cal Ripken Jr’s consecutive games played streak nearly comes to an end when his spikes get stuck in the grass and twist his knee. Although his knee will be badly swollen the next day, he plays anyway.
2010 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox 4-3 in 11 innings, ending a ten-game losing stream and giving interim manager Juan Samuel his first victory at the helm.
2012 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox 2-1 to retake sole possession of first place in the AL East.
