The Orioles avoided a third consecutive series sweep yesterday. They didn’t fold after losing leads in the ninth and 10th innings. Félix Bautista allowed a run in his fourth consecutive appearance, but hey, at least he was cleared to pitch on back-to-back days.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino could enjoy the flight to Boston. The losing streak ended at eight. The Orioles improved to 1-27 when trailing after the seventh.
Can’t make up all the ground in one game. Yesterday was a start.
Let’s tackle a few questions this morning. This time, I’ll do the asking.
* Did the Orioles make the right choice with the rotation?
As a follow, will the results really provide an answer?
The Orioles announced Cade Povich, Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer as the starters for the four-game series in Boston. Kyle Gibson is gone and they optioned Chayce McDermott, who’s posted a 8.22 ERA in two appearances.
Morton seemed like the strongest possibility and deserving of another shot. He allowed one run and two hits in three innings against the Twins and one run and two hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Nationals, with a combined 10 strikeouts. The bullpen is working for him, and an argument could be made to resist fixing what isn’t broken. It’s an important role. But the Orioles are paying Morton $15 million, they had a spot available in the rotation, and perhaps this reset, if that’s the right description, is working.
The alternative would have been to keep running McDermott out there and accept the results, but the Orioles sent him down after Tuesday night’s game. The club is in last place, 16 games below .500. Maybe a little too soon to think about 2026, with Mansolino, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and the players insisting they can turn the season around, but it’s easier to exhibit patience with a young pitcher.
McDermott turns 27 in August, so “young” might be a stretch, but he qualifies in experience with only three major league appearances. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 4 prospect in the organization and the top pitcher. The Orioles have decisions to make for the present and future, and he’s one of them. Consideration must be given at some point to handing him the ball every fifth or sixth day, providing him with valuable innings and doing a full evaluation.
The process would be easier if McDermott threw more strikes.
Five walks Tuesday night raised his total to eight in 7 2/3 innings. He averages 5.3 per nine innings in the minors. Only 37 of 75 pitches were strikes against the Brewers and he was 11-for-23 on first-pitch strikes.
“You can’t throw under 50 percent strikes at any level of baseball, let alone the big leagues,” he told the media.
The command issues could be worsened by the lat injury that kept him from] pitching in spring training. We saw how much Gibson struggled after signing in late March, and he’s a veteran.
McDermott must stay down a minimum 15 days unless replacing an injured player. He came up sooner for Tuesday’s game because he was the 27th man in a doubleheader and returned to Norfolk instead of being optioned.
* Is the real Jackson Holliday stepping up?
Holliday isn’t laying down bunts with the frequency expected after it became such a focal point in camp, but he’s embracing the opposite-field approach and as if he’s developing a love affair with left.
Holliday came within a foot or so Tuesday of a game-tying home run the seventh inning, settling for an RBI triple after the ball struck the top of the left field fence. The hitting streak was extended to eight games yesterday with a tie-breaking single in the 11th, and he's collected 12 hits during it.
The top of the lineup is occupied more often by Holliday, who has a hit in 20 of his last 25 games. He’s getting on base and he isn’t sacrificing power with his line drive mentality, homering in back-to-back games last weekend and belting two on May 4.
A Holliday fact from STATS: He was slugging .476 against breaking balls heading into yesterday, more than .200 points higher than his .265 mark in 2024. The young man really is maturing as a hitter, and any bust talk as he broke into the majors at age 20 was foolish.
He’s also played a terrific second base, the throwing error Tuesday notwithstanding. He showed impressive range getting to the ball. As expected, he’s become much more comfortable.
* Is this team getting healthier?
Dare we say it?
The injured list is down to nine players after reliever Andrew Kittredge’s reinstatement yesterday morning. He pitched for the Orioles only once, in an exhibition game, before appearing yesterday and retiring the side in order in the seventh.
There’s more good news with Colton Cowser beginning his rehab assignment at High-A Aberdeen. He’s eligible to return from the 60-day injured list on May 30.
The Orioles really caught a break with outfielder Ramón Laureano, their hottest hitter who exited Tuesday night’s game with left ankle discomfort. It looked a lot worse as Laureano’s leg bent awkwardly as he tried to catch a fly ball.
The knee could have been torn up. The ankle could have been busted. Expect the worst when it comes to this team’s health luck. Being day-to-day is the best possible outcome.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino described the injury as “very mild and minor at the moment.” That’s a major sigh of relief.
Tyler Wells had his fifth bullpen session on Monday. Kyle Bradish also is throwing side sessions. Grayson Rodriguez should begin throwing soon, but he’s still a long way from joining the rotation. Jordan Westburg should be reinstated by early June.
There hasn’t been anything new reported with Albert Suárez or Gary Sánchez. They’re in Baltimore instead of Sarasota. Sánchez was shooting pool recently with his left hand while wearing a brace on the right.
His prolonged shutdown brings me to this …
* Are the Orioles content with their catching situation?
This isn’t about Adley Rutschman’s struggles, which aren’t gripping quite as tightly. He doubled and hit a three-run homer yesterday at 110.1 mph, his first since April 20, to give him eight hits in his last six games with an at-bat. His last homer off a left-hander was July 6, 2024.
Also, a heck of a backhand pick on Bautista’s spiked splitter in the ninth before the blown save.
Maverick Handley remains the backup with Sánchez out and he’s gone 1-for-17. The catch-and-throw part is usually more important in that role, but Sánchez was signed to provide right-handed pop. He’s 3-for-30 with 12 strikeouts and 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts against left-handers.
The issues on this club are much bigger than backup catcher, but I’m curious whether the Oriole stick with the arrangement if Sánchez isn’t close to a return. It’s probably too soon for Samuel Basallo. Triple-A Norfolk’s roster also includes catchers Chadwick Tromp and Connor Pavolony. David Bañuelos is on the taxi squad.
The Orioles could view Handley as their best in-house option.
They could reconsider bringing in a veteran. Tromp is the closest they’ve got with 61 major league games in parts of six seasons. They didn’t try to re-sign James McCann, who was hitting .313/.352/.494 yesterday with six doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs in 23 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.
The Basallo watch will be one of the summer’s more interesting activities, and a nice distraction.