Good morning Birdland,
Last night was very nearly a signature win for the 2024 Orioles. The offense woke up in the ninth inning to score four runs and had the go-ahead run at the plate in the form of Anthony Santander. But they would come up just short. Santander flew out, and the O’s lost 7-6 to the Blue Jays on Thursday night.
Although it would have been nice to see the bats a bit more lively throughout the game, you can’t complain too much with their end result. Six runs on eight hits and three walks is solid work. That will get you a win most times out.
On the other hand, the Orioles pitching was bad. Dean Kremer was wild. He walked five and gave up five runs in just 4.1 innings. Keegan Akin wasn’t much better behind him. The southpaw did managed to get out of the fifth inning with no further damage, but then he allowed two runs in the sixth. At least Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto were better. They combined for 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. The Orioles don’t need those two to be great, but they have to be better than they have shown.
The bright side of the evening is that the Yankees lost too, 9-4 to the Angels. And they were at home in the Bronx. The deadlock atop the AL East remains.
The Orioles are off to Tampa St. Petersburg for a three-game set beginning tonight against the Rays. Zach Eflin gets to face his former team, which could be either very good or very bad (or it may not matter at all. Who knows.). Perhaps he will want to show off against the club that traded him just halfway through a three-year contract.
Links
5 things we learned from the Orioles’ week, including scrutiny of Brandon Hyde’s tactics and Jackson Holliday’s timely breakout | The Baltimore Sun
The fervor that came out of the O’s loss on Tuesday was pretty wild. I will admit that I, personally, did not love the pinch hit decisions, nor did I agree that Soto should have been the pitcher to work the sixth inning. But I also don’t believe that Hyde is making these decisions in a vacuum with no input from the front office. They didn’t work, but I’m not sure if that is a reflection on Hyde or, rather, on a somewhat flawed process overall.
More on contributions from Holliday and Jiménez | Roch Kubakto
The improvement from Jackson Holliday doesn’t feel all that surprising. We have seen this movie before with other Orioles’ position prospects. Now, did I expect him to hit four home runs in his first week? Ok, you got me there. But Eloy Jiménez going immediately from a dud with the worst team in the league to an impact bat in Baltimore has been shocking stuff. It’s still not enough to pick up his 2025 option, but he has certainly helped this team.
Coby Mayo survived the Parkland school shooting. Now he plays for those who were lost. | The Baltimore Banner
A really touching piece on Mayo and his background. Understandably, he does not like to talk about the day of the shooting, but rather what came later, the way in which his community bonded together.
No Extension Talks Yet Between Orioles, Anthony Santander | MLB Trade Rumors
Santander picked a great time to have the best season of his career. It has certainly opened up his potential market, and it should have GM’s opening up their wallets to pay him. Will Mike Elias be that GM? It’s tough to say. At this point, Santander has to test the open market. He owes it to himself to get as big of a deal as possible. And the Orioles likely have a decision to make between giving Santander a big deal or putting their faith in Heston Kjerstad. It’s not as clear cut as it felt prior to this season.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Chuck Essegian turns 93. He played outfield for six seasons in the majors, but it included just one game in an Orioles uniform. That came during the 1961 season.
This day in O’s history
1968 - The Angels hit three Orioles batters in the seventh inning, which ties an American League record for a single inning. The Orioles win the game 3-0.
2010 - Brian Roberts hits his first home run of the season to give the Orioles a 3-2 walk-off win over the White Sox. It is a continuation of good vibes for the last-place O’s, who have won six out of seven since Buck Showalter took over as manager.
