First weekend of baseball is in the books and man does it feel good! The O's have come out swinging, literally and figuratively, looking like the offensive force we expected them to be. It's far from a perfect product, but they're also far from a finished one. Anticipate some really fun baseball from the Orange and Black in the upcoming months.
But no need to rush, let's talk about those first four games!
Opening Series vs. the Angels
Excuse me while I wipe the tear from my eye; it seems we've found a bona fide ace in Baltimore. Corbin Burnes was as advertised and more Thursday afternoon, striking out 11 while allowing just 1 hit-- a solo shot to Mike Trout-- over 6 effortless innings. He was untouchable.
Burnes didn't need much run support, but the offense was more than willing to provide. Anthony Santander produced two runs on outs before knocking in two more on a 4th inning dinger. Cedric Mullins also provided a long ball, driving in three runs. Sprinkle in RBI singles from Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman, plus a Ryan Mountcastle sac fly, and that's how you put an 11 spot. 11-3 Orioles, to kick of 2024 proper.
 |
| Photo: Fan Nation |
Saturday immediately wasn't any better for Angels fans. Gunnar Henderson led off the bottom of the first with a bomb before Ryan Mountcastle added the first of his two RBI doubles to put the O's up 2-0. Taylor Ward parked one in the bleachers to give the illusion of a threat, which was overwhelmingly quashed by a nine run sixth, capped off by a three run home run by Tony Taters. The team batted around prior to the first out being recorded in that inning. Slaughter rule. 13-4 Birds.
Sunday however, not great Birdland. Reid Detmers was locked in, allowing just two hits through five while striking out seven. Tyler Wells struggled early, surrendering four runs (three earned) in the first two innings before figuring it out from there. Not the worst showing from #68. Unfortunately, the offense went completely dormant, mustering just one run on three hits. Tough way to end it, but a nice series win to start the year.
A Royal Monday
Gutsy W to start off the second series! A rough third inning by Dean set Kansas City up with a 3-0 lead, after serving up two taters to Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, that were promptly sent to the stands. The boys' battled back though, knotting things up with a three run fourth, accentuated by a Mountcastle two-run bomb. He'd later reach on an infield single to put the good guys ahead 4-3.
Then Craig Kimbrel blew his first save with the club. Maikel Garcia hit a sac fly to drive in Dairon Blanco after the pinch runner stole his way around the diamond. Curious how much of that's on Adley and how much is on Kimbrel failing to hold runners. Hopefully not a concerning development.
Regardless, the stage was set for heroics, and Jordan Westburg didn't disappoint. With Cedric Mullins on, the former Mississippi State Bulldog parked one in right center bleachers, walking it off for Baltimore. An electric scene and gritty performance as a whole. Simply put-- a victory that good teams secure, while bad teams, like the Royals, give away. 6-4 Birds.
Farm Report- Norfolk
Per the advice of one of our readers, I'm going to be publishing separate Orioles farm reports starting next Monday. But with the Tides being the only team in play this weekend, we'll just plug it here:
-12 runs in each of the first two games to start the year, carrying over a lot of the momentum some of these guys built up in spring
-Jackson Holliday smoked a home run (off a lefty no less) in his first at bat of the season. He posted a .357/1/5 line on the weekend, scoring 6 times in the process
-He wasn't the only one raking though...
-Connor Norby: .400/1/4
-Heston Kjerstad: .500/0/4
-Coby Mayo: .357/1/3
-Kyle Stowers: .385/1/6
We knew there'd be a log jam of talent at Norfolk, but this is a pressure cooker waiting to blow. Sad to say it, but there's no way all of these guys finish the year in the organization.
-Solid outing for Chayce McDermott, allowing just one hit/run over 4.1 innings while racking up 6 K's. He'll need to clean up the five walks though
-Not the John Means we were hoping to see! Dude got lit up by Durham on Sunday, allowing seven on six hits in just one inning. Obviously that won't directly translate upward with him, but about as pessimistic a start as you're going to get
-Two strikeouts in one scoreless inning for Wandisson Charles. Given the weak bullpen at the major league level, a string of good performances could realistically earn him a nod
Concluding Thoughts
-Anthony Santander is more of a foundational piece of this team than he's given credit for. He might not bring the reputation of an Adley or Gunnar, but he's a legit power piece with high quality defensive ability to boot. As he approaches free agency, locking him up for the right price may be a prudent consideration
-Dillon Tate's velocity dip has been a little concerning. He was hovering in the lower 90's in his two appearances, which is a pretty noticeable decrease. The team had put a good bit of eggs in his basket as a reliever, so this is a development to track
-I'm not in the same boat as many thinking the sky is falling with slow starts by Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins, but the lack of action for Colton Cowser is a bit off putting. Given his draft pedigree and scorching hot spring, it feels like he should be working his way into the lineup sooner than later here if Hays/Mullins can't pick it up. Or even as DH, getting Ramon Urias out of there. Disappointed not to see more CC early
-Possibly an overreaction, but I can admit the Yankees look great. Anthony Volpe's been awesome so far, Juan Soto is a perfect fit, and they're missing Gerrit Cole still. I'm not any less confident in the Orioles, but the Bronx Bombers aren't going anywhere
AL East Standings
1. New York Yankees (5-0)
2. Baltimore Orioles (3-1)
3. Boston Red Sox (3-2)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (2-3)
5. Tampa Bay Rays (2-3)
------
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment