Hello, friends.
Can we possibly make it a day without there being any bad Orioles injury news? Yesterday was not the day, with the O’s losing Adley Rutschman to the injured list due to left ankle inflammation before the game even began and then having Ryan Mountcastle exit the game early after having an awkward run from first to second while hitting a double. After the game, manager Craig Albernaz said both players will receive an MRI on their respective injuries today. That doesn’t mean we, the fans,
will get the news about those injuries today.
The Rutschman injury clearly caught the team off guard, since he was only placed on the injured list minutes before the game began and the team had to rush catcher Maverick Handley up from Bowie to serve as the backup for the game. That might only be the one game, because the team also seemed to be maneuvering to get catcher Sam Huff up from Norfolk in time for today.
In the process of this roster shuffling, pitcher Chayce McDermott was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Handley. The 27-year-old McDermott had washed out as a starter in the organization and did not do enough to show he had value as a reliever either. They don’t all turn into Kyle Bradish. A different 40-man roster move will need to be made for Huff. That might just be DFA’ing Handley after one game.
At least the Orioles did manage to win the game while all that was going on. The game was not without its frustrations, but the O’s ended up as 6-2 winners over the Giants, in the process moving themselves back up to a .500 record at 7-7. The Orioles are tied for second place in the AL East and just one game behind the Yankees. As bad as things have felt through these early couple of weeks, one difference between 2025 and 2026, at least so far, is that it’s not slipping away. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals.
The major league team was joined by victories from all four farm teams on Saturday night, delivering the always fun system sweep. Frederick’s JT Quinn struck out 10 batters with no walks allowed in 4.2 innings of an 11-2 win for the Keys. That’s pretty good. We’ll have more from that farm action elsewhere on Camden Chat later on Sunday.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
A lot of people want to talk about Pete Alonso, which is understandable since he’s batting .167/.262/.259 through his first 14 games.
Pete Alonso took full accountability for his poor start – now, will production follow? (Steve on Baseball)
It is less than ideal circumstances to be asking the $155 million question two weeks into Alonso’s Orioles tenure.
Pete Alonso deserves patience as he fights slow start (The Baltimore Sun)
Again, it would be better if columns like this did not need to appear in the newspaper or on the newspaper’s website.
More on Orioles early offensive struggles and Albernaz praising Alonso for handling early slump “like a pro” (School of Roch)
Included in here is manager Craig Albernaz’s thinking that Pete Alonso’s slow bat speed is a result of his expanding the strike zone and chasing bad pitches. If so, hopefully that approach can be corrected soon.
Why a few Orioles hitters could take a lesson from Taylor Ward (Baltimore Baseball)
Ward has been perhaps the most pleasant surprise on offense so far this season, all the more impressive considering that he is not hitting the dingers that I thought he would have to hit to make any kind of positive contribution around here.
The Orioles novel tactic for simulating pitcher windups in baserunning drills (Orioles.com)
Before Rutschman’s injury news, the most interesting thing during the pre-game for all of the assembled media was the Orioles using an 80-inch TV to show pitchers windups to baserunners.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
In their 14th game a year ago, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays, 5-4, to improve their record to 6-8 for the season. A three-run sixth inning that included Adley Rutschman hitting a home run put the Orioles on top. Despite walking two batters, Félix Bautista had his first save of the season. Five players who appeared in the game that day are still on the active roster.
There is one current Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 26th to Cade Povich! Hey, he’s today’s starting pitcher. Good luck on your birthday. A few former Orioles were also born on this day. They are: 2023 reliever Shintaro Fujinami, 2024 reliever Burch Smith, 1961-67 catcher Charley Lau, 1956 pitcher Mel Held, and 1955-57 pitcher Bill Wight.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: St. Peter’s Basilica architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1484), Declaration of Independence signer Lyman Hall (1724), author Beverly Cleary (1916), author Tom Clancy (1947), actress Claire Danes (1979), Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie (1987), and actress Saoirse Ronan (1994).
On this day in history…
In 1204, soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, who were supposed to re-take the city of Jerusalem, instead breached the walls and entered the city of Constantinople.
In 1796, then-less-known army commander Napoleon Bonaparte won his first substantial victory in the Battle of Montenotte, maneuvering to prevent allied Austrian and Piedmont forces from joining up with one another. One result of this victory was that portions of modern-day Italy were annexed by France at the end of this war. Many more Napoleonic wars remained.
In 1861, insurrectionist Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, effectively marking the beginning of the Civil War.
In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away, leading Vice President Harry Truman to ascend to the presidency.
In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 12. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
