Lingering thoughts on Orioles' managerial move

The clubhouse was quiet and sparsely populated yesterday, which didn’t hint at a managerial change by the Orioles or other dramatic move. Most of the players were on the field, and confirmation came later with media access delayed by the firings of Brandon Hyde and major league field coordinator Tim Cossins and a meeting led by executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.

The price was paid for a free fall after the Orioles split the season-opening four-game series in Toronto. Elias said in a statement that the poor start was “ultimately my responsibility,” and he was tasked with making “difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future.”

The present was where the Orioles wanted to maintain focus as they prepared to play the penultimate game of their latest homestand before flying to Milwaukee and Boston for Tony Mansolino’s first road trip as manager.

The 10-6 loss to the Nationals looked and felt like so many others during his rough stretch. Their concentration was tested. Emotions had to be pushed down. The late rally was encouraging, but no one celebrated anything resembling a morale victory.

They need a lot more of the real ones.

Here are some lingering thoughts from yesterday before we move on with the Mansolino era:

* Players are taking the blame and carrying the guilt.

Every manager has his decisions examined and picked apart, and Hyde must have felt like the frog in biology class. But the team knows that he could only control so much. They had to produce at the plate, on the mound, in the field and on the basepaths, and they failed to do it.

“I would say the players are the ones that perform because we’re the ones with the bats and we’re the ones with the batting gloves there and with a mind to run the bases and the glove to field baseballs,” said outfielder Ramón Laureano. “And pitching’s pitching.”

That, too.

None of it was at an acceptable level and it cost Hyde and Cossins their jobs. That’s how sports work. A shakeup is needed and there’s only so much to be done to the roster.

“It’s kind of part of the business we’re in,” said pitcher Zach Eflin. “Changes can be made kind of all throughout. I’ve seen it happen before on previous teams in different roles. We respect those guys so much and it sucks as a result of us sucking, but we’re gonna continue to try to go out there every single day and fight, because the season’s not over. The season’s not lost.

“We’re gonna go out there with our hair on fire and do everything we can to win baseball games.”

Catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, infielder Ramón Urías and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn were asked whether the players let down Hyde.

“I can't speak for everyone on the team,” Rutschman replied. “We know we haven't been playing our best ball and we know we're capable of a lot more and I think, for everyone on the team, the fact that we haven't played our best ball is definitely disappointing because we know we can play better and we haven't.”

“We obviously haven’t played to the standards that we have shown,” Henderson said. “Doesn’t sit well with us, but we’ve just got to go out there and continue to play ball. Still a lot of season left, so just got to go out there and continue to play.”

“Obviously, it hurts,” Urías said. “I feel like we let him down.”

That’s getting to the point.

“Yeah, I think so, I think so,” O’Hearn said. “He’s not in the box or on the mound. He’s trying to lead us and be the same guy every day and give us the best opportunity to go out and win and we didn’t make that happen.”

* The team knew changes could be coming but weren’t necessarily ready for them.

“We’ve been stringing together some good stuff recently, but it’s just reality of baseball,” Henderson said. “I mean, it sucks in time. You never want to see somebody like that. Myself speaking, he’s been the only manager I’ve had. He’s put me in a lot of great positions to succeed and I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done. I hate it for him and his family.”

“When things are not going right, something’s got to change, you know?” Urías said. “Obviously, we couldn’t figure out things with Hyder so far. So that’s baseball. That’s how it goes.”

“It’s hard to kind of speculate,” Eflin said. “I didn’t necessarily really have any thoughts about that. I’m more focused on showing up every day trying to be the best teammate I can, trying to do everything we can to win every single day. It’s kind of part of the business we’re in. Changes can be made kind of all throughout. I’ve seen it happen before on previous teams in different roles.”

“It's not how I necessarily expected to hear any news on it but, yeah, I think I was very surprised,” said outfielder Cedric Mullins. “It’s a tough scenario. I feel like I failed him in a way, just not being able to perform continuously and help get some wins across the board. It's what it's about but it's the business.

“This one hurts just from a relationship standpoint. It’s not what I expected to go down this year, but with all that's happened this year there's a lot of good memories as well over the past year. So, I wish him nothing but the best.”

* Hyde didn’t lose the clubhouse, but the team lost too many games.

No one quit on Hyde. I’ve seen it happen to past managers. That wasn’t the case here.

“No, he didn’t lose the clubhouse,” O’Hearn said. “Without a doubt, guys respect Hyde and enjoy playing for him.”

“He loves his guys fearlessly,” Eflin said. “It’s just one of those things where you hate seeing good guys know as a result of us not playing well. So he’s gonna be missed. He did a lot of really tremendous things here. He brought the team up from the depths of whatever they were in here five or six years ago, so great man, great dude, great leader. He’s gonna be missed”.

“Super positive communicator,” Laureano said. “All the great things, all the factors that you want in a manager.”

“It’s really tough,” Urías said. “He’s the only manager I have played for in the big leagues so far, and obviously, I’m so grateful for the opportunity that he gave me. We’re going to miss him as a person.”

* Mansolino is liked and respected, which makes him a good choice in the interim ... and maybe beyond.

“Manso’s got great relationships with everybody in here,” O’Hearn said. “Another guy I’ve got a ton of respect for. Enjoyed getting to be around Manso, and if there’s a silver lining, we’re gonna move forward with Manso as manager.

“He’s smart, cares about the guys, obviously. He’s got great energy and we’re gonna get after it every day.”

“I think he’s going to do all right,” Mullins said. “Yeah, he's going to be fine. He has a good rapport with the guys. I know he's been able to watch and observe what Hyder has done over the years. If he feels like there's some tweaks that could be made, that's up to him. But we have his back as a team moving forward through and through.”

“I’ve enjoyed my time watching Tony work and talking to him,” said pitcher Kyle Gibson, who received the news with his teammates and had to make the start. “He’s an awesome person and just knows the game really, really well. Comes from a baseball family. Even watching him work with his kids, it was fun to see his boys out there and how he approaches every day, how he approaches the game and always available to work with guys, always available and sacrificing time to see if he can make each one of us better.

“I think he’s gonna do awesome, I think he’s gonna be fun to play for. I know it’s a tough situation for him and I can only imagine the relationship he had with Hyde and Coss, so it’s not exactly how anybody wants to be thrown into the fire like that. But I think he’s gonna be a lot of fun to play for.”

* No one can predict how the team will react to the change in managers.

Let’s toss out yesterday and start again.

A different voice could provide a sudden lift. Poor play costing two men their jobs could bring a greater sense of urgency to be better. Or this season is just destined to be a dud.

It isn’t like the 2010 Orioles soared after Juan Samuel replaced Dave Trembley on June 4, 2010. Trembley had replaced Sam Perlozzo on June 18, 2007.

“I’ve never been through it, so that’s a hard thing to ask me,” Mansolino said. “You can probably ask the players, and they’ll probably have a similar answer. But I promise you, there’s been plenty of jolts here within the walls of that clubhouse the last few weeks.”

Also let go during the season were Hank Bauer (1968), Joe Altobelli (1985), Cal Ripken Sr. (1988), and Lee Mazzilli (2005).

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson also another victim of an in-season firing on May 23, 1991, with Johnny Oates replacing him. Robinson was named Manager of the Year two seasons earlier with the “Why Not?” Orioles. Hyde was The Sporting News and BBWAA Manager of the Year two seasons ago.

They were both May dismissals.

I’m extremely confident that Hyde won’t have any trouble landing another job in baseball because of his broad resume. It would be dumb to judge him too harshly as a manager considering how he led the Orioles through the rebuild, making them believe that winning mattered while other voices minimized or dismissed its importance. How he squeezed 83 wins out of the 2022 team that remained sellers at the deadline, and guided the Orioles to 101 wins and the division title in 2023 and 91 wins and top Wild Card seeding last year despite a myriad of impactful injuries.

He was a popular hire in December 2018, absolutely the right man for the rebuild, and will be again.

“His want to win and his care for his players is something that sticks out pretty heavily,” Mullins said. “I think he cared about everyone on this team, not just from a baseball standpoint, just making sure guys are OK outside of that as well. Just cared a lot.”