Good morning Birdland,
These Orioles are gonna make me believe in them again, aren’t they? Their 6-1 win on Monday night in Anaheim made it three in a row, and they did it in impressive fashion. Kyle Bradish tossed eight scoreless innings, Taylor Ward and Coby Mayo hit home runs, Gunnar Henderson had three hits, and it never really felt like the Angels had a shot. That final wild card spot in the AL remains just two games out of reach.
There was some bad news yesterday. Blaze Alexander had to leave
the game with right knee discomfort. That sounds ominous. Jackson Holliday missed the game entirely with a groin issue. That forced Leody Taveras into action as the team’s third baseman for much of the game. He did alright, even making the very first play of the third inning after he was subbed in!
I blame myself for Alexander’s injury. You can’t just praise a player like that and expect the baseball gods to let him stay healthy for a full 24 hours after it’s posted. Never again.
The fact that Holliday was unable to play in that situation is a bit worrisome. Perhaps it happened too early in the game, and Craig Albernaz just wanted to give him a bit more time on the bench. Whether he plays today will be a big tell, especially with a righty (Ryan Johnson) on the mound for the Angels. Alexander may need an IL stint. We don’t know much about his injury right now.
A roster move that already happened was that the team selected Chadwick Tromp and added him to the active roster. Michael Siamo was DFA’d to make room. Tromp gives the Orioles three catchers on the roster, alongside Samuel Basallo and Sam Huff. Adley Rutschman will be on the concussion IL for at least a few more days. Hopefully the addition of Tromp is not an indication that Rutschman could still be a ways away.
Links
‘Who wants to play third?’: Desperate O’s put career outfielder Taveras at hot corner | MLB.com
This was fun! It would have been less fun if he made a crucial error. But that didn’t happen. Maybe Taveras will get more involved in infield drills moving forward.
What’s evolved with four Orioles | Roch Kubatko
The Orioles that take the field right now look quite different from the team we expected back in February. Injuries have been to blame to some degree. Underperformance is another factor. And in some cases, it’s because guys have actually made the case for more playing time. Few expected Alexander and Brandon Young to make such an impact in 2026.
With the Orioles or in his backyard, Blaze Alexander never lost his childhood joy from baseball | The Baltimore Banner
It wasn’t just me that gave Alexander some love on Tuesday. We all must be mean to him now so that the universe is balanced and his knee heals quickly. That’s how these things work, right?
Orioles Select Chadwick Tromp | MLB Trade Rumors
In case you missed it, Tromp is back with Baltimore. How much will he play? Hopefully not much, but clearly the Orioles felt like they wanted more flexibility in the catcher’s role for the next few days while Rutschman recovers.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Jorge Mateo turns 31 today. The speedster was a waiver claim that turned into an extremely useful utilty player for the Orioles from 2021 through ’25. His best season was 2022 when he became the Orioles everyday shortstop, led the league in stolen bases, and played terrific defense.
- Mark Hendrickon is 52 years old. The 6-foot-9 lefty spent parts of nine seasons with the Orioles from 2009 through 2011 to wrapped up his decade in MLB.
- The late Lorencito Fernández (b. 1939, d. 2020) was born on this day. His only MLB experience came in a 24-game stint with the Orioles in 1968.
This day in O’s history
1954 – The Orioles and Red Sox set a new AL record by playing a game that takes four hours and 58 minutes to complete. They also tie a major league record by combining to use 42 players in that game. The Orioles win the 17-inning affair 8-7.
1964 – O’s catcher Charley Lau ties a major league record by having two pinch hits in the same inning as the Orioles score seven runs in the eighth inning to beat the Yankees 9-8.
1973 – Orioles pitcher Jesse Jefferson throws 10 innings and allows one run in his major league debut, beating the Red Sox 2-1
