Ryan O’Hearn had to think about it. Frozen for a brief moment while working through the riddle in his head.
The only at-bat this season against a left-hander?
“Did I get an at-bat against a lefty,” he asked.
We weren’t off to a promising start, but it suddenly came to him. One detail at a time until he had the full answer.
“Pittsburgh, sinker guy, in extra innings,” he said, reciting details as if playing Clue and choosing Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick.
Albert Suárez walked into a mostly empty Orioles clubhouse this morning with a smile on his face and a determination to work the room.
Suárez approached Dean Kremer, who stood up and hugged him. Yennier Cano and Ryan O’Hearn came over to embrace him. He moved on to Grayson Rodriguez and Craig Kimbrel, cut across to the other side and made a direct path toward Colton Cowser, who paused his conversation with a broadcaster.
That was everyone. Nothing left to do except go back to his own locker and prep for his first major league game in seven years.
These guys knew him from spring training but were unsure after he was reassigned in late March if they’d interact again except maybe a rehab assignment. They’d be coming to him. That was the likeliest scenario on April 17.
The Orioles selected Suárez’s contract, putting him on the 40-man roster, and watched him earn the right to stick around. He unpacked his bags and locked up the Twins, tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings and celebrating Cedric Mullins' first career walk-off home run in a 4-2 victory before an announced crowd of 15,860 at Camden Yards.
The season is 18 games old and Albert Suárez has already made it back to the majors.
A fast promotion after an absence dating back to 2017.
The Orioles chose Suárez over left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, selecting his contract this morning from Triple-A Norfolk. He’s starting against the Twins, with the Orioles trying for the sweep.
“We needed a starter today and he is in line and we feel like this gives us our best chance to win against pretty much a right-handed club with some lefties sprinkled in there,” said manager Brandon Hyde.
“Loved the way Albert threw the ball in spring training for us. Pitched all the way right 'til the end until we set the roster. He had an outstanding camp. Strike-throwing ability, sits in the mid-90s, showed really good secondary stuff pitching against a lot of A lineups in spring training.”
The Orioles selected the contract of right-hander Albert Suárez this afternoon and he’s starting the series finale against the Twins at Camden Yards. He’s working on normal rest after making Friday’s start with Triple-A Norfolk.
Catcher David Bañuelos was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Bañuelos flied out last night as a pinch-hitter in his major league debut.
Suárez, who’s wearing No. 49, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2017 with the Giants. His last start was Sept. 23, 2016 in San Diego.
The Orioles reassigned Suárez on March 22, the same day that they also cut Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Connor Norby. He’s made three appearances with Norfolk, including one start, and allowed 10 earned runs (11 total) and 19 hits in 15 1/3 innings. Suárez has walked one batter and struck out 17.
Suárez, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Orioles on Sept. 15 after he spent the past five years pitching in Japan and Korea. He walked two batters and struck out 19 in 15 2/3 innings in spring training.
The thought struck Danny Coulombe like a screaming line drive. At least it didn’t leave any bruises.
“Man, I got to play catch with a Hall of Famer.”
That’s the impact closer Craig Kimbrel makes on his new teammates.
Coulombe and Kimbrel worked out together before Monday night’s game at Camden Yards. Tossing a baseball back and forth no longer felt routine. There was something special about it for Coulombe.
“He’s obviously a Hall of Famer,” Coulombe said yesterday, anticipating the voting that awaits Kimbrel five years after his retirement, “but he is like the most down to earth guy you’ll ever meet.”
Kyle Bradish made his first injury rehab start this evening at Double-A Bowie and tossed three scoreless innings. John Means is scheduled to make his fourth start Wednesday with Triple-A Norfolk.
Meanwhile, the Orioles are trying to hold together a rotation that became more vulnerable tonight with Tyler Wells going on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Grayson Rodriguez was a soothing presence on the mound, a reminder that the club packs a powerful 1-2 punch at the top with ace Corbin Burnes.
With impeccable timing, Rodriguez held the Twins to two runs over six innings in an 11-3 victory before an announced crowd of 18,108 at Camden Yards. His ERA actually rose from 2.50 to 2.63 after his third quality start.
Gunnar Henderson took over the team lead with his fifth home run, which came one pitch after James McCann’s RBI double in the second, Jordan Westburg cleared the left field wall for a two-run shot in the third, and the Orioles (11-6) claimed the series with a chance to sweep Wednesday.
The Orioles have placed Tyler Wells on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation and selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk.
Bañuelos was on the taxi squad and a convenient move for the Orioles, who must find a starter for Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Twins at Camden Yards.
Infielder Liván Soto was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. He homered earlier today in Jacksonville.
Wells has made three starts and allowed 10 earned runs (11 total) and 18 hits in 15 1/3 innings. He’s walked three batters and struck out 13.
Wells faced the Brewers on Friday and surrendered four runs and six hits in four innings. He was in the clubhouse this afternoon during media availability.
One night after starting in left field against a Twins right-hander, Austin Hays returns to the bench while the Orioles try to claim another series.
Colton Cowser moves from right to left and Hays takes a seat on the bench while stuck on three hits in 39 at-bats.
“It’s baseball,” Hays said this afternoon. “Baseball’s tough, it can be really hard at times. You’ve got to stay focused on the right things, stay positive every day, continue to get lost in the work, make sure you’re doing the right things, you’re focusing on the right things.
“Right now, I feel good at the plate. I’m hitting the ball hard. I made some adjustments around that Boston series. I was able to drive the ball in the right-center field gap there. I’ve been hitting the ball hard since that series. You’ve just got to wait for them to find the hole. You’ve got to stay patient and stay focused and stay positive. It’s a long game, it’s a long season. We’re still in the first month. Just stay positive and get through it.”
Hays was reminded again about the odd nature of the sport - and it can feel cruel - that he gets a bloop single to snap an 0-for-26 streak but lined out last night at 104.8 mph off the bat. He barrels a ball and it’s aimed at the third baseman.
Ryan Mountcastle gets his turn to rest tonight, as the Orioles continue their series against the Twins.
Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.
James McCann gets another start behind the plate, but this time against a right-hander, Chris Paddack.
Colton Cowser is in left field.
Grayson Rodriguez makes his fourth start. He’s 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA and 1.167 WHIP in 18 innings and has struck out 21.
The Orioles are 16 games into the 2024 season, settling into second place and confident that their best baseball is ahead of them. The division battles are slow building, with the competition so far limited to the three-game sweep in Boston. They must wait until April 29 to begin a four-game set against the Yankees before traveling to Cincinnati and D.C., and hosting the Diamondbacks.
No one should wait for more observations and surprises, the stuff that might not have been safe bets during the winter or the early days in camp. The stuff that's getting noticed.
Colton Cowser is tied for the Orioles’ home run lead.
He had sole possession until Gunnar Henderson and Cedric Mullins caught up to him last night.
Cowser needed 37 games to hit his first major league home run. He belted two that night in Boston and four over four games, including Sunday’s 422-foot blast to right-center field in the eighth inning.
Cole Irvin had his back to home plate and a huge smile on his face. Both arms raised. Eyes wide. A combination of pure joy and utter disbelief.
Cedric Mullins saved him from allowing a run in the top of the first inning, and did it in remarkable fashion. Now it was Irvin’s duty to show his appreciation in the proper fashion.
Accept the lead that came quickly to him and don’t lose it. Care for it until handing it over to the bullpen.
Relievers became responsible for it by the fifth, sooner than manager Brandon Hyde desired but a group effort that got the series started on a winning note. And Mullins wasn’t done contributing.
Jordan Westburg delivered a two-run double in the first inning, Ryan O’Hearn led off the third with a homer, Mullins finished with a sacrifice fly and two-run homer, and the Orioles never trailed in a 7-4 victory over the Twins before an announced crowd of 14,611 at Camden Yards.
Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish begins his injury rehab assignment Tuesday night at Double-A Bowie. The Baysox are playing the Altoona Curve, a Pirates affiliate, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Bradish was supposed to debut last Thursday at High-A Aberdeen, but he threw live batting practice due to the inclement weather. He had a bullpen session Saturday at Camden Yards and keeps reporting positive progress.
The Bowie start will be Bradish’s first since Game 1 of the Division Series against the Rangers. He was diagnosed in January with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and received a platelet-rich plasma injection.
The Orioles want to get multiple innings out of Bradish.
“I think we’re hoping somewhere between two and three innings, in between 40-50 pitches would be ideal,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “See how he feels after every inning, but that would be best-case scenario.”
The Orioles avoided a sweep in the Brewers series with yesterday’s 6-4 win, running their streak in the regular season to 96. Jackson Holliday collected his first major league hit with a single in the seventh inning, and he’s batting ninth and playing second base tonight against the Twins at Camden Yards.
Holliday was 0-for-13 before his ground ball reached right field.
“Not so much difficult, just a lot, but it’s been fun,” he told the media at his locker. “It’s quite an experience. I don’t think I’d ever take it for granted, the experience that I’ve had and it’s a good learning experience. If you are 0-for three or four games, that’s going to happen in baseball. I’d prefer it not to happen at the beginning of my career, but it’s going to happen and I’m glad to hopefully learn from it.”
Anthony Santander gets a breather tonight, with Colton Cowser in right field and Austin Hays in left.
Cedric Mullins homered yesterday and has a six-game hitting streak.
The last mailbag felt emptied but actually had more to it. I need an umpire to stop by my house and check the bottom for sticky substances.
As everyone knows, there’s nothing worse than a sticky bottom. But I digress …
Let’s do a morning mashup, combining a mailbag with leftovers. Much safer than the two liquids you poured together in chemistry class.
Complaining about the clarity, lengthy, style, grammar or brevity will get you edited right out of here.
Also, my mailbag makes your mailbag use the homer hose for a good cleansing.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde just wanted Jackson Holliday to breathe.
What sounds simple and natural is a lot more challenging in a suffocating environment.
Holliday played in his first three major league games and didn’t get a hit in 11 at-bats. Seven of them ended with a strikeout.
Fans of opposing teams celebrated it on social media. They chanted “overrated” at Fenway Park. Nonsense in the baseball world remains in full supply, but that’s the nature of the business.
Take the pulse inside the Orioles clubhouse and the level of concern is undetectable.
It’s nothing personal.
DL Hall was a popular teammate inside the Orioles clubhouse. His friends hated to see him traded, though the return softened the blow. But he came back to Baltimore wearing a different uniform and with the intent to beat them.
Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg hit home runs in the first inning. The pleasantries were over.
Gunnar Henderson delivered an RBI single in the second at 112.8 mph off the bat and Adley Rutschman homered in the third to break a tie. Hall was taking a beating. But the Brewers can dole out their own punishment, and they went hard after Dean Kremer and the bullpen.
Nothing personal.
The Orioles have activated reliever Yohan Ramírez, acquired from the Mets this week for cash considerations, and optioned Jonathan Heasley to Triple-A Norfolk. These moves were anticipated last night.
Heasley allowed six runs in two innings in an 11-1 loss. Manager Brandon Hyde said during his afternoon media session that Ramírez would be arriving within the next few days.
He’s here.
Ramírez, who is wearing No. 48, has made five career relief appearances against Milwaukee and allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Also, infielder Tony Kemp cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than an outright assignment to Norfolk.
The question inevitably comes in casual conversations or radio and television interviews. And the phrase “pleasant problem” is the chaser.
The constant change in Orioles lineups, with players rotating in the field as if waiting for the music to stop and plopping down, is becoming a less familiar sight. We haven’t gone back to the ‘70s. They want wide margins of victory over wide lapels. But manager Brandon Hyde isn’t gonna fix what ain’t broken and he’s found an order that’s difficult to break up.
An infielder stocked with versatile players is beginning to solidify with Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Jackson Holliday at second base and Jordan Westburg at third. The first base options remain Ryan Mountcastle or Ryan O’Hearn, the latter serving as designated hitter in the past three games before last night and six overall.
They’ve only played 13.
Jorge Mateo might be in the tightest bind because he isn’t used at third base. It’s pretty much middle infield, which is tougher to crack than a bank safe, or maybe a token appearance in center.
There will be a day when Jackson Holliday walks into a clubhouse and goes to his locker, turns back around and is ignored. No recorders or cameras. No media forming the shape of a basketball three-point arc.
He will be a major league player arriving for work. Perhaps getting a bite to eat, since he dresses next to the entrance to the kitchen. Perhaps just relaxing before fulfilling the on-field obligations.
We aren’t there yet.
“Looking forward to it, but it’s awesome,” he said earlier today, flashing that boyish grin. “Obviously doing something right if you’ve got all this attention. But yeah, looking forward to that. Just excited to play.”
Holliday jogged onto the field about 15 minutes before first pitch and fans cheered him. Stretching out a hamstring could bring a standing ovation. The city is Holliday happy, and he’d love to give them more reasons beyond his arrival.
DL Hall went through the usual, almost clichéd, struggle this afternoon to find the visiting clubhouse at Camden Yards.
The strangeness never goes away for players changing teams and routines. The sense of direction is lost. Amusement follows in the retelling.
“Definitely a little weird for sure,” he said after greeting members of the Baltimore media with a smile and handshake. “I was walking in today, didn’t even know where to go. I was like, ‘I’ve been here but I don’t know how to get to the visiting side.’
“Definitely a weird feeling but awesome. Super excited, obviously.”
The Orioles made their big winter strike by trading Hall and elite-fielding shortstop Joey Ortiz to the Brewers on Feb. 1 for former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, a three-time All-Star and the bona fide ace that the front office hunted.
