A calendar flipped to May wasn’t a welcome sight for the Orioles. 

One game under .500 as April concluded, Baltimore traveled to their division rivals in New York for four to begin the new month. They scored 10, allowed 39, and fell in each contest. A few weeks later, they dropped five of six against the Nationals and Rays. 

But after a 7-3 homestand to put a bow on May, the O’s can enter June with optimism. They can thank starters like Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Brandon Young for that, as well as an offense that has scored the eighth-most runs in baseball since May 1. 

Here’s a closer look at some standout performers from the month:

Samuel Basallo 

Basallo’s meteoric rise hasn’t stalled after dominating the minor leagues. 

There are only six 21-year-olds in the big leagues with at least one plate appearance. Basallo is among three, joining Kevin McGonigle and Konnor Griffin, to have played at least 30 games. McGonigle was MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 prospect entering 2026, and Griffin was No. 1. But it’s Basallo that, entering play on Monday, had the best slugging percentage and OPS by a significant margin. 

In May, the catcher hit .338, slugged .597 and posted a .973 OPS, the highest on the team during that stretch. He mashed 11 extra-base hits, including a triple, and drove in 16. This level of play is impressive enough in its own right, but Basallo has yet to even appear in his 80th career game or reach 300 at-bats. 

To say that the sky is the limit might be understating things. 

Blaze Alexander 

Unlike Basallo, Alexander’s 2026 has been much more tumultuous. Entering May, the super-utility-man was hitting just .137 with a .404. Though underlying metrics like expected batting average suggested that he could see better results soon, the box score success continued to elude him. 

The success of Alexander’s May was punctuated with a six-RBI day to conclude the Orioles’ sweep of the Rays about a week ago. Overall, he hit .365 in the month with a .911 OPS and played five different positions in the process. 

Alexander gives hitting coach Brady North the credit for a key tweak in his approach. He told Roch Kubatko that North approached him with an idea: ‘Hey, have you ever tried like forward pressure?’ It was something that just kind of like clicked in my head,” Alexander said. “Yeah, forward pressure on your leg. I’m kind of pushing forward here, but as soon as he said that it kind of clicked and it was like, well, that’s something that I know I can repeat.”

The value that Alexander brings doesn’t always need to mean offensive success, as his defensive versatility and value can stand on its own. But it sure is nice to have both. 

Colton Cowser 

The Milkman’s recent success, thanks to a pair of walk-off home runs in back-to-back days, has been well documented. But it’s still important to highlight its significance. 

After two more knocks on Sunday against Toronto, including a three-run home run, Cowser pushed his OPS in May to an .891 with a .275 batting average and .364 on-base percentage. He found some success against non-fastballs, too, with a pair of home runs against sliders over the last few weeks. 

Game-winning heroics aside, Cowser’s success at the plate has a trickle-down effect. If the outfielder can continue to hit, he should see more time in the lineup. And if he’s seeing more time in the lineup, that means the Orioles get his glove more frequently, a glove that is the best among Baltimore’s outfielders and among the most significant on the team. 

The talent has always been there for the former No. 5 overall pick. And after a slow start to the season, he’s starting to put the pieces together. 

There are a few others worth highlighting, too, such as Pete Alonso and his .840 OPS in May, Jackson Holliday and his return with a pair of home runs, and Coby Mayo, who continues to figure things out at the big league level. 

Though May had a few low points, Baltimore has a real chance to build on some positive momentum heading into a new series against the Red Sox. Contributions from hitters like Basallo, Alexander and Cowser are a big reason why.