The Orioles wrap up their series in St. Petersburg, Fla, and their road trip, with a game this afternoon against the Rays.

They’re off Thursday and host the Tigers this weekend to begin a 10-game homestand. Every single one feels important when a team falls a season-high seven below .500.

The return of a very popular Oriole grabbed headlines yesterday. But enough about Albert Suárez.

Let’s dip into the mailbag again before first pitch.

Will you let us know when it is time to panic?
I feel like everyone panics at their own pace. I don’t want to hold anyone back or push them before they’re ready. In other words, you’re on your own with that. I panic when someone beats me to the biceps machine.

Will the Orioles be buyers or sellers at the deadline?
Sorry, but we’ve got to get a heck of a lot closer to it before an intelligent answer is forthcoming. The deadline this year is Aug. 3. Today is May 20. Last night began with the Orioles 1 ½ games out of the Wild Card. Or is it “wild card?” Separate question.

My son lives in Salt Lake City and told me that he went to the SLC minor league game and Trey Mancini was playing and trying to make a comeback. What do you think his chances are?
I’m rooting for it, but Mancini hasn’t played in the majors since 2013 and he turned 34 in March. The odds don’t favor him, but I respect the effort. He’s a new dad and I’m sure it’s hard to be away from home, but he’s taking one more shot at it. I’ll assume that new Angels hitting coach Brady Anderson was instrumental in Mancini’s comeback attempt. Mancini didn’t play in 2024 and hit .308/.373/.522 with 16 doubles, 16 home runs and 62 RBIs in 74 games with Triple-A Reno in the Diamondbacks’ system last year. For whatever reason, that didn’t get him promoted. Going into yesterday, Mancini was slashing .248/.362/.898 with 11 doubles and two homers in 35 games with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate.

Do you think lowering the mound would simultaneously decrease pitching injuries and increase offense? If so, why don’t they just make it like women’s softball and do away with the mound altogether and have pitchers throw underhanded?
OK, we’ll just skip past the second part. I don’t think lowering the mound would raise the chances of keeping pitchers healthy, but it was done in 1969 in an attempt to decrease their advantage. Bob Gibson posted a 1.12 ERA, and we couldn’t have that! Seven starters posted ERAs below 2. Seven teams hit .230 or below. If we really want to keep pitchers healthy, maybe just have batters swing off a tee. Or discourage them from trying to throw 110 mph in middle school.

Have you ever played catch with an Oriole or taken batting practice, even in spring training?
No. But MASN filmed a commercial many years ago promoting School of Roch, back when I was a big deal to the network and they’d try to draw more readers to the website, and I stood next to the mound while Jeremy Guthrie threw. You can see me motioning to him, as if breaking down the movement on a pitch. Yeah, as if that would ever happen. Same with me sitting in the bullpen during another ad. Dave Trembley was featured, and I don’t think it ever ran because he was fired. I kept saying, “You might wanna air this thing soon.” Great guy, by the way. We still swap emails once in a while. He’s managing the State College Spikes in the MLB Draft League. But I digress …

What’s the update on Dean Kremer? Seems like he’s been gone a lot longer than anticipated.
Anticipated by whom? But yeah, this isn’t a short-term injury. Kremer went on the 15-day IL with a quad strain on April 23, retroactive to the 20th. He was a workhorse in 2025, appearing in 31 games and leading the club with 171 2/3 innings. He was due to get hurt and blend better with teammates. The Orioles don’t provide timelines, in case you hadn’t heard, and the only update yesterday was that he’s “continuing his rehabilitation and throwing program.”

Care to weigh in on the hard-contract controversy?
Usually not, but since you asked. I can’t speak for everyone, but I think the majority of people who are blasting media and everyone else over exit velos aren’t really suggesting that the Orioles should make softer contact and that barreling is bad. I think it’s more about wanting the club to focus on manufacturing runs and playing small ball when the offense is in a funk They don’t want to hear about a 113.5 mph lineout to shortstop when the Orioles are losing 15-5. The constant regurgitation of Statcast data wears thin during bad times. That’s how the game is watched and covered now, but it’s gonna irritate a certain segment of the fanbase – the loudest on social media.

Exit velocity gets a lot of focus. Wouldn’t techniques like hitting to the opposite field or working the count or bunting be something the team would focus on? Hitting the ball as hard as you while swinging out of your shoes seems counterproductive sometimes.
And here we are. Yes. And the lineup includes players like Taylor Ward, who get deep in counts, and who can go the other way with a pitch. Their 185 walks yesterday ranked fourth in the American League and ninth in the majors. They also work on bunting, the same drills as previous teams, and actually have a few more sacrifices than last season. But you won’t see many of them when they’re down by 10 runs.

When is Cy Povich off the IL and back with the MLB team?
IDK. Povich isn’t gonna be back anytime soon, considering that he was evaluated yesterday by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington and received a cortisone injection to address his elbow inflammation. He’s going to continue his rehabilitation. And the Orioles will consider retiring Meister’s scrubs in a pregame ceremony.

Weston Wilson generally has good ABs and works the count. Why does he play every seven games?
Wilson homered and tossed a scoreless eighth inning on Monday, the third Orioles player to go deep and also go to the mound. He was batting .290/.421/.419 in 38 plate appearances yesterday, which leads us back to your question. He’s usually part of the right-handed lineup against lefty starters, but Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson also need to play, and Jackson Hollidays’ return further complicates attempts to start Wilson. The fact that he’s been on the club since April 13 speaks to his value, as well as the slew of injuries. Jordan Westburg’s absence for the entire 2026 season improves Wilson’s chances of staying. We’ll see whether he infiltrates the lineup more regularly as the season moves along. He’s quietly done a nice job overall, though he’s unfortunately gotten more attention for a few misplays at third base and in left field.

When Mike Elias says things like, “We’re only a few games out of the Wild Card,” that seems to imply that he thinks the team is performing as expected. Doesn’t the front office understand that this team is performing far below expectations, notwithstanding some of the injuries?
That’s how you interpreted the Wild Card comment? This is not how anyone with the organization expected the Orioles to be playing. He was just stating a fact, and illustrating that the league is down and there’s plenty of time for the club to make a move. Elias was asked in D.C. about the team’s record and he said, “We’re disappointed with it.” So yes, the front office understands.

What players are the O’s in danger of losing in the Rule 5 draft at the end of this season?
I’ll share some players who are eligible to be chosen. Left-hander Luis De León, infielder/outfielder Aron Estrada, outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., right-handers Nestor German, Levi Wells and Juaron Watts-Brown, catcher/first baseman Creed Willems and outfielder Thomas Sosa are ranked among the organization’s top prospects and must be protected or they can be selected by another team. Pitchers Braxton Bragg and Patrick Reilly are ranked prospects recovering from Tommy John surgery.  

Is Mustard going to be shut out all year?
I’ll predict a late victory to keep the drama building. Right now, he seems afraid to cross the finish line first. We saw it happen again in D.C. when the hot dogs joined the Presidents Race. It’s like … he’s yellow.

When does the front office acknowledge that Taylor Ward’s doubles and walks aren’t why we signed him? It’s almost impossible to believe that he has just one home run after having hit 30-plus last year. What is the team doing, if anything, to help Ward reassert his power?
This question obviously came to me before Ward’s leadoff home run last night. Ask this question 28 more times and he’ll get to 30. It’s been a combination of Ward taking what pitchers are giving him, adjusting his approach to make more contact and get on base, and perhaps the pitch that slammed into his left hand on April 13. His swing percentage is down. The Orioles love his at-bats but also believe the home runs will come. Hitting coach Dustin Lind said, “The damage opportunities just haven’t really presented themselves yet. But he’s been really focused, and the work he’s done has been awesome. So, it’s really exciting to see that added to his skill set a little bit, with the understanding that there’s probably going to be a lot more power on the way as we get down the road.” That power showed itself on the road last night at Tropicana Field.

Why do the O’s keep batting Gunnar Henderson at the top? Because it would hurt his feelings to be knocked down to the seven spot? Move up Samuel Basallo. He has excellent ABs.
You’ve seen his abs?

At-bats.
Henderson’s feelings don’t play into it. The Orioles rightfully view him as one of their best hitters, no matter how he’s started the season. They’re putting a lot of trust in his track record. He had four hits Sunday and was 6-for-13 in a three-game span before going 0-for-4 Monday and 1-for-4 last night. But yes, I see the logic in lowering him until he gets hot and then returning him to the top or No. 2. It’s been done in the past with other hitters.  

Did you ever consider anchoring sports on local television?
I have not, which is good, since no one is asking.

Why does the ball splash when it hits the turf at Tropicana Field?
It used to be the rubber pellets. Now it’s the coconut husk backfill that replaced the pellets. Looks like water. If you really want it to splash, aim for the Ray Tank.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie pop?
Three, according to Mr. Owl. But would you believe that actual studies have been done? Some tests reportedly show an average of 144 to 252 licks. Mechanical tongues, machines designed to mimic human licking, range from 364 to 412. I ordered one and it still hasn’t arrived. And this seems like a good place to stop.