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BOSTON – The Orioles have reached the end of their three-city road trip with a chance today to register their 10th sweep.
The club has won seven games in a row and 16 of 20. The magic number for clinching a postseason berth is down to five. The lead over the second-place Rays is four.
Jordan Westburg is out of the lineup today after leaving last night’s game in the seventh inning. Manager Brandon Hyde hinted that Westburg is dealing with some soreness but didn’t specify.
Aaron Hicks is in right field. Adam Frazier is the second baseman. Ramón Urías is at third base.
His brother, Luis, is playing second base for the Red Sox.
BOSTON – A locker was set up yesterday for pitcher John Means. With clothes and equipment. The real deal.
Means has made trips in the past and his locker remains in the same location at Camden Yards. But it felt different.
The left-hander joined the team in Boston after finishing his injury rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk. He hung out with teammates on Friday, got his locker yesterday and walked to the bullpen for a side session that could determine whether he pitches for the Orioles later this week.
And keeps pitching for them through the postseason.
The medical staff and pitching coaches will confer with Means today, before the flight to Baltimore. He’s expected to enter the rotation for the Cardinals series and make his return on Tuesday, but the Orioles need to check at least one more box before deciding.
BOSTON – Jack Flaherty walked to the bullpen for his pre-start warm-up this afternoon, reversed his tracks and headed back to the clubhouse. The claps of thunder, bolts of lightning and a warning for fans to leave the lower seating area and seek cover told Flaherty that he wasn’t going to throw his first pitch at the allotted time.
Any disruption could be unsettling for a guy with an 8.35 ERA in his previous four outings since an impressive debut with the Orioles. He was seeking calm, not the storm.
Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the first inning, the damage lessened by Ryan Mountcastle’s diving stop and throw to rob Alex Verdugo. Flaherty got a new ball and stood halfway between the mound and second base to collect himself, tossing it in the air and catching it with his bare hand. He pounded his fist into his glove after Trevor Story’s fly ball to right field, the last out in a 26-pitch frame.
There’s more going on with Flaherty than the weather.
The Orioles scored five runs in the third, the last three on Aaron Hicks’ first homer since July 9, and two more in the fourth. They hit five home runs. They picked up their teammate, who was done after 3 1/3 innings. They wobbled but found their legs again.
BOSTON – Aaron Hicks is in center field this afternoon against the Red Sox and James McCann is catching. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.
Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter. Jordan Westburg is at second base and Gunnar Henderson is at third.
Jack Flaherty has posted a 6.66 ERA and 1.521 WHIP in five starts with the Orioles. He struck out seven batters in 4 2/3 innings in Arizona but gave up four runs and six hits.
Flaherty has never faced the Red Sox.
The Orioles have won six games in a row and 12 of 15 and are 89-51 overall, 47-25 on the road. They’ve scored 34 runs this season in four games at Fenway Park.
BOSTON - Kyle Bradish must want to keep his ERA at 3.03. Must like the whiff of a palindrome.
Bradish allowed two runs in six innings last night for the third start in a row and fourth out of five. He registered his 16th quality start of the season and raised the Orioles’ total to 61. They lead the majors with 44 since June 1.
Are they getting close to the club’s single-season record?
Not at all.
Starters don’t work as deep into games and must complete at least six innings with three runs or fewer allowed to meet the criteria.
BOSTON – Kyle Bradish wouldn’t set the bullpen into motion tonight until two outs in the sixth inning. Ryan O’Hearn had to do it.
Orioles relievers raised their arms and jumped in the air as O’Hearn’s fly ball sailed into the right field seats leading off the top of the fourth. They couldn’t catch it. May as well celebrate it.
O’Hearn’s 12th homer of the season, Gunnar Henderson's latest Rookie of the Year push and Bradish’s latest quality start propelled the Orioles past the Red Sox 11-2 before an announced crowd of 33,852 at Fenway Park.
The Rays defeated the Mariners 7-4 to leave the Orioles with a four-game division lead.
Adley Rutschman curled a fly ball around the right field foul pole in the eighth for his 18th home run, and the Orioles won their sixth game in a row and improved to 89-51 overall, 47-25 on the road and 31-15 in series openers. They will go 85 series of multiple games in a row without being swept.
BOSTON – Orioles closer Félix Bautista played catch again today, increasing the distance on flat ground during his second session after a brief pause.
The club is downplaying the significance of it.
Bautista also threw in Anaheim while on the injured list with discomfort in his right elbow, described only as a “right UCL injury.”
“We’re going to see how he feels,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re just kind of monitoring it day-to-day. It was just kind of a see how he feels, play a little catch today.”
Asked if Bautista throwing is a good sign, Hyde said, “I wouldn’t put any emphasis positive or negative about it. He was playing a little bit of catch, kind of seeing how he feels today.
BOSTON – The Orioles are a season-high 37 games above .500 and four games ahead of the Rays in the American League East as they reach the final stage of their road trip at Fenway Park.
They’ve won five in a row, seven of nine, 11 of 14, 14 of 18 and 25 of 35. On the line this weekend is a streak of 84 consecutive multi-game series without being swept.
Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop tonight against the Red Sox. Ryan O’Hearn is batting cleanup as the designated hitter, followed by first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.
Austin Hays is in left field. In 18 games since Aug. 15, Hays is batting .338/.413/.646/1.059 with eight doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs.
Adam Frazier is playing second base and Ramón Urías is at third.
The Orioles are in Boston for the final series of their penultimate road trip in 2023. Three games at Fenway Park, seven at Camden Yards – including four against the Rays that could influence the division race – followed by visits to Houston and Cleveland.
The latest quirk to the schedule has the Orioles engaged in a trio of four-game series this month, versus the Rays, Guardians and Red Sox. They’ve won six consecutive series while building an 88-51 record, including 34-16 in the second half, that’s the second best in baseball.
The organization’s hesitancy to look too far ahead is softening. Adjustments are being made to the rotation as if prepping it for the postseason. Back down to five starters, with the possibility of weaving in a sixth here and there. A clearer read on innings totals and how to proceed.
Making the playoffs is a formality. The goal now is winning the American League East, with a first-round bye and home field advantage.
They haven’t won 100 games since 1980 and are on pace to blow past it. Also blowing the minds of the oddsmakers who put them below .500.
The comeback that unfolded for the Orioles in the ninth inning Tuesday night, before the Angels rallied to tie and lost in the 10th, began with Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn producing clutch hits in reserve. Frazier doubles with one out and scores on O’Hearn’s line drive single. Depth again playing its role in defining the 2023 club.
The Orioles keep finding ways. Many times, they only have to look as far as their bench.
Manager Brandon Hyde has done a nice job rotating players to multiple positions and out of the lineup. Frazier made 90 starts at second base and seven in the outfield. O’Hearn made 44 starts at first base, 16 in the outfield and 10 as the designated hitter.
“We’ve got really talented hitters up and down the lineup, and depth like that helps,” O’Hearn told reporters.
“We care a lot. We want to win. We want to win the division. We love each other. We play for each other. We trust each other. It’s not just me down there practicing and trying to get ready for every inning. It’s every guy on the bench, all (five) guys on the bench down there are getting ready to hit to potentially impact the game.”
The Orioles will try for their ninth sweep of the season tonight with Adley Rutschman serving as the designated hitter, Ramón Urías playing second base, and Jordan Westburg moving back to the bench.
Aaron Hicks is in center field, putting Cedric Mullins in a reserve role.
Gunnar Henderson is slugging .727 against Angels' fastballs this season and .362 against other opponents’ fastballs, per STATS. He’s the third baseman tonight.
The Orioles registered their 44th comeback win last night, tied with the Reds for most in the majors. They’ve won four games in a row and 10 of 13 to improve their record to 87-51, and they maintain a 3 ½ game lead over the Rays.
Kyle Gibson makes his 29th start. He’s 13-8 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.340 WHIP in 162 2/3 innings. His 172 hits lead the American League.
The Orioles are down to their last 24 regular season games. The final West Coast trip wraps up tonight, followed by an off-day and weekend series in Boston.
An actual finish line is out of sight. The Orioles can’t break through the tape and veer toward the airport. That’s for non-playoff teams.
Where they stop, nobody knows.
At least one more roster move is pending, with John Means scheduled to make his last rehab start tonight at Triple-A Norfolk. Tyler Wells is expected to be recalled but first had to resume pitching. He was shut down with arm fatigue until last night.
Means is on the 60-day injured list, but there’s an opening on the 40-man roster. He can slide into it.
Ryan McKenna is playing center field tonight in the latest Orioles right-handed heavy lineup in Anaheim.
Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter and left fielder. Jordan Westburg is starting at second base. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.
Aaron Hicks is in right field, with Anthony Santander serving as designated hitter.
Adley Rutchman is back in the leadoff spot and catching.
Gunnar Henderson is too good to sit in any lineup. He’s the third baseman.
Outfielder Anthony Santander began last night’s series in Anaheim leading the Orioles with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs. He’s trying to finish first in both categories for the second year in a row, becoming the first Oriole since Chris Davis in 2012-13.
He’s doing a lot of other things, like how he’s pushing harder through the crowd for Most Valuable Oriole.
Don’t be too quick to concede the award to catcher Adley Rutschman, rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson, starter Kyle Bradish, closer Félix Bautista – whose value becomes more evident if the Orioles collapse from his elbow injury – or anybody else in contention.
Santander’s 33 doubles also ranked first on the club before Austin Hays tied him last night with an RBI double. And Santander was first with 60 extra-base hits, 239 total bases, a .489 slugging percentage and .818 OPS.
In case you missed it earlier, Santander is the first Orioles switch-hitter with at least 25 home runs in consecutive seasons since Hall of Famer Eddie Murray in 1987-88.
The Orioles begin their series in Anaheim tonight with Adley Rutschman out of the lineup for the second time in six games.
The Angels are starting three left-handers, and Austin Hays moves into the leadoff spot tonight. Gunnar Henderson is playing third base and batting cleanup.
Jordan Westburg is playing second base and batting fifth. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.
Aaron Hicks is in right field, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Rookie Grayson Rodriguez has allowed 11 runs in his last seven starts over 42 2/3 innings. He faced the Angels on May 15, before his reset, and allowed eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. Shohei Ohtani and Chad Wallach homered in the fourth.
After the final out is recorded in the World Series, and before the start of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, important business is conducted that can be downplayed or ignored in some circles.
The four Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards in November. A much bigger deal for the Orioles after they regained their contender status and inflated the level of talent on the roster.
I remember when I could skip the MLB Network programs, which run longer than the Oscars, because the Orioles didn’t have anyone in the discussion. My work was done. Let the other beat writers craft their stories while I tuned into "Jeopardy" or whatever was streaming on Netflix. Those poor fools.
Those days are over.
Gunnar Henderson has become the leading contender for Rookie of the Year in the American League. I won’t say he’s a runaway winner, but the kid sits in the driver’s seat - looking young enough to carry a learner’s permit.
The Orioles are trying today to claim their 28th series as they conclude their visit to Arizona.
Ryan Mountcastle has returned to the lineup after missing the past few games due to an illness. He’s batting cleanup and playing first base.
Anthony Santander was hit on the right hand last night in the ninth inning, left the game and underwent testing, and is serving today as designated hitter.
Two positive developments before the first pitch is thrown.
Aaron Hicks, reinstated from the injured list today, is in left field. Ryan O’Hearn is the right fielder. Austin Hays is on the bench.
The Orioles’ roster has changed again.
Get used to it.
Jorge López was activated this morning after the Orioles claimed him on waivers yesterday from the Marlins. Aaron Hicks was reinstated from the injured list.
To make room, outfielder Colton Cowser was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and reliever Austin Voth was designated for assignment.
López enters a bullpen that includes Yennier Cano. They were involved in the 2022 deadline trade with the Twins.
On the same day that the Orioles claimed their former closer, Jorge López, on waivers from the Marlins, manager Brandon Hyde told the assembled media at Chase Field that former Rule 5 closer Tyler Wells has arm fatigue.
I’m tired from trying to project this month’s bullpen. I’m not getting any closer.
My take from the East Coast is that López is insurance, a depth move with Félix Bautista on the 15-day injured list and Wells perhaps delayed in his return to the Orioles. The timing might be coincidental, but we honestly don’t know if that’s the case.
The trade deadline passed and the only way to acquire players is via claims and minor league deals. López isn’t eligible to make the postseason roster because he arrived in the organization after Aug. 31, but he can assist in the quest to win the division title.
Then again, is he equipped to do so?
Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup again tonight in Arizona. He was scratched last night due to an illness.
Gunnar Henderson, who went 2-for-4 last night with two runs scored, stays at shortstop. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.
Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman and Ramón Urías is playing third base. Adam Frazier is the second baseman.
Henderson is batting .330 or better when he’s ahead or even in the count, but .172 when behind.
Anthony Santander is slugging .809 against fastballs since the start of August after slugging .276 against them in July.
