Orioles Report (5/23)

Photo by Cole Burston/ AP

 

That was a week of baseball right there! Five wins and just one, gut-wrenching loss to the Angels have our Birds firmly entrenched in second place in the AL East, at a ridiculous 31-16 overall. Second best record in baseball and we can't even lead our own division...what a juggernaut the Rays are... 

Nonetheless though, this year's been a lot of fun, and we're not even a third of the way done yet. Easily the most I've been able to enjoy baseball in my lifetime. Let's look back at the last seven days!

Record since Last Orioles Report: 5-1

Overall Record: 31-16

Three More vs. the Angels

Dean Kremer put the Orioles in yet another position for a win, giving up three through 5.2 of work. Bryan Baker made things a little sketchy in the sixth, but sustained the one run lead. Ryan Mountcastle took it from there, coming in with a pinch hit, two-run bomb after Jorge Mateo knocked in an insurance run on a sac fly. Cionel Perez looked sharp for the first time in a while, with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings. If he can get back to 2022's form, this could be the best bullpen in the league.

On a night where Dylan Bundy was ejected from a Mets' AAA game for having a sticky substance on his pitching hand, Kyle Bradish-- a key piece in the 2019 Bundy trade from Baltimore to these very Angels-- locked things down on the OPACY bump. He went 6.2, only allowing a single run on a Mike Trout home run. No shame in that. Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays provided a go ahead and insurance run on an RBI single and dinger, respectively, priming Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista to do what they do in the 8th and 9th. 3-1 victory, guaranteeing at least a split of the series.

Unfortunately, that'd be all the Birds would muster. Felt like a 12:35 start on a Thursday would play into our hands against a west coast foe, but the middle relief faltered in multiple opportunities to put the game away. After Ohtani and Trout bombs put us into a 3-0 hole, long balls from Anthony Santander and Adley put us back in front 5-4 in the seventh. Brian Baker blew the lead during the subsequent inning, a reflection of his shaky week overall, as Baltimore fell in the finale 6-5.

Over the Northern Border for Three

One of the best series I've been a witness to in a long time here. Kyle Gibson kicked things off Friday night with a spectacular seven inning, one run performance. In a disappointing development, we did have Yennier Cano give up his first run, but we're nit picking here. Santander continued his power streak with another homer, with Ryan Mountcastle and Adam Frazier also joining in on the fun. Dominant 6-2 win to start things off right in Toronto. 

As good as Friday was though...Saturday was inspirational. After allowing a 2-0 lead to transform into a 5-2 deficit, Ryan O'Hearn played hero ball by launching a three run shot out of the park in the top of the eighth to knot things up. For a guy firmly on the fringe of this roster, it was a career-defining moment. Yenny got back on track with the scoreless work, and Felix went the ninth and tenth frames, collecting the dub after an Austin Hays RBI in the top of the tenth. Still very early in the year obviously, but this felt like a monumental win over a tough, divisional rival. 6-5 Birds

It took extra innings, but we got to break out the brooms on Sunday! Dean was very good once again, allowing just one run in 5.1 innings of work. Mychal Givens cost him the opportunity at a decision however, collecting his first blown save during his inaugural appearance of the 2023 season. Baltimore was unable to close out their one run lead in the bottom of the tenth, but a five run explosion in the eleventh provided more than enough cushion for the Birds to get it done. Cedric Mullins finished the day an absurd 5-6 as he continues a torrid month of May, in which he's raised his batting average nearly 30 points. 8-3 victory to wrap up the sweep.

Farm Report

-Drew Rom was sent back down to Norfolk, where he caught his second loss of the year. He only allowed one run in 5.2 innings

-Chris Vallimont, Darwinzon Hernandez, Eduard Bazardo and Nick Vespi combined for a five hit shutout for the Tides Wednesday night

-Jordan Westburg's up to 12 home runs now, while still repping strong .323/.397/1.016 slashes and 42 RBI. He's quite possibly the AAA MVP as of writing this

-Colton Cowser is set to miss a little time after landing himself on the 7 day IL with a quad strain. An injury was seemingly the only thing capable of slowing him down

-Lewin Diaz and Daz Cameron had productive weeks and would likely be scratching the big league level in many other farm systems

Photo by Mike Caudill

-Bowie had a combined no hitter Thursday, split between Chayce McDermott, Nolan Hoffman and Easton Lucas

-Cesar Prieto stayed scorching at the plate, with hits in all six games this week and a grand slam

-Coby Mayo hit his fifth home run of the season Sunday, raising his average to .270 in the process. Lost in the sauce though is his OBP being just a shade under .400. Mayo doesn't just boast a potential power bat, but a borderline elite eye at the dish

-TT Bowens doesn't look like a dude who missed the first month of 2023. He went 8-18 on the week, with a home run, three RBI and more walks than strikeouts 

-Encouraging 5-1 week for Aberdeen

-Jackson Holliday an INSANE Tuesday/Wednesday night, going 8-9 with 11 RBI, 6 runs and six extra base hits. His .619/2/14 week is better than some teammates' seasons thus far. How long til Bowie's calling?

-Max Wagner really upped his on-base percentage against Winston-Salem, collecting at least one hit and one walk in each of his five appearances, scoring ten runs for the Ironbirds

-Alex Pham stayed sharp on the bump, lasting four innings in his one start while allowing two hits and three walks and striking out six

-Elio Prado and Carter Young had strong weeks on Delmarva, collecting one or more hits in every game but Saturday's

-Douglas Hodo has established himself as a stalwart in the outfield, getting burn at all three positions in the field while going 6-20 at the dish against Charleston

-Last year's 20th rounder Reese Sharp stayed sharp in relief for the Shorebirds, providing two scoreless innings of work, lowering his ERA to a tidy 1.13

Concluding Thoughts

Jorge Mateo's struggles at the plate were still firmly on display this last week, with the shortstop going just 2-16 with six strikeouts. I'm curious how much longer his leash will be with Westburg continuing to tear up AAA pitching. His hot start and usefulness on the base paths definitely helped buy him time, otherwise the move may have already happened.

Loved seeing the Mountain getting back to form. He allowed two hits and three walks in four innings of work this week, striking out nine and earning a win plus a save. Confidence is so crucial as a closer, and he's projecting a lot of it right now.

Incredibly excited for this upcoming series in the Bronx. The O's currently have a three game lead on them between second and third place and could really distance themselves in the upper echelon of the division with a winning series. A sweep...would be absolutely fucking magical. Let's hope! 

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@Choppinglines

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