HOUSTON – On Friday, August 1, the Orioles roster looked drastically different for an afternoon contest at Wrigley Field.
Gone were four members of the lineup, a starting pitcher, and four key pieces of the bullpen, including a new resident of Chicago, Andrew Kittredge.
Orioles hitters saw their former teammate right away, as Kittredge entered that game in the top of the 7th inning, blanking the O’s en route to a Cubs victory.
Kittredge, while impressive in an Orioles uniform, didn’t have much time to leave a lasting impression. After missing a large chunk of the season, the right-hander appeared in just 31 games for Baltimore, pitching to a 3.45 ERA.
So, the feeling evoked upon seeing Kittredge trot through the outfield glass in Chicago’s colors was, more than likely, relatively subdued.
Seeing Ramón Urías in an Astros uniform tonight, though, as Baltimore starts a three-game weekend series in Houston, might feel a bit different.
The utility infielder spent parts of six seasons in an Orioles uniform, accumulating over 10 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. A waiver claim back in 2020, Urías carved out a nice role for himself with the Orioles, highlighted by an excellent 2022 season in which he brought home a Gold Glove for his work at the hot corner.
Tonight, he’ll see his former team for the first time.
“Facing that uniform is something I’ve never experienced in my life,” Urías said of tonight’s game. “It’s probably going to feel pretty different.”
“Love Ramón,” Tony Mansolino said. “My first year here was Ramón’s first year, 2021.
Ramón was probably days away, a couple of times, in ‘21 from getting DFA’d. Just a guy that kind of got kicked out of professional baseball, went to Mexico for six years, fought for his life to get back, gets claimed prior to playing in the big leagues by the Orioles, comes up, doesn’t do very good, goes up and down, rights the train a little bit, and then, his work ethic and the way he kind of lived his daily life in baseball completely changed. And he became a really good player.”
The infielder could do it all for Baltimore. Though his role evolved into that of a bench piece with additions like Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday, Urías didn’t miss a beat, posting 1.5 bWAR or better seasons every year since 2021. He saw time at all four positions in the infield dirt, and did whatever the O’s needed of him.
“Ramón’s a really good player,” Mansolino added. “To me, Ramón’s an everyday player on some teams, on some winning teams. Ramón is a guy that plays a really good third base, Gold Glove, he plays a really good second base. He can stand at short, no doubt, for me, though you haven’t seen him play for us there in a few years, and he can play first base. He can stand at first. So, in terms of a utility player, yeah, Ramón’s kind of the prototype.”
Urías’ name wasn’t among the group that was expected to be moved at the deadline. While many anticipated Baltimore to move on from players with expiring contracts, the infielder won’t hit free agency until 2027.
“I was actually in shock when Mike called me,” Urías said. “I wasn’t expecting to get traded. Honestly, I think it worked out well for me, getting to play a little bit here … and I’m happy for that. I think it was a good moment in my career.”
He’s making the most of this new opportunity in Houston, learning from World Series winners like Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, something that Urías called a “God-given opportunity.” But he’s got a habit of winning in Baltimore to draw from, too.
“Especially being on a winning team, like we were the last two years, helped me control those emotions when the games are on the line,” Urías said. “We are playing every night here with that type of emotion, and I’m just grateful that I have had that opportunity to be on that kind of team the last couple years …
I was there for some part of the rebuild, and being there from that side to the winning side, it was special.”
The Orioles will have more dates like this coming up. Namely September 1, when the O’s will travel to San Diego to face Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano and the Padres. Such is the life of a deadline seller.
But tonight, batting sixth for the Astros, they’ll see second baseman Ramón Urías.
Breadcrumbs from the Skipper
There aren’t any updates on closer Félix Bautista just yet.
“We’re still kind of working through what that’s going to look like, kind of the post-visit plan,” Mansolino said. “I’ve got a feeling we’ll have a really good idea of what his timeline’s gonna be and what the next steps are for him probably within the last seven days or so.”
But there was a positive update on Colton Cowser.
“I think we’ll see him soon,” Mansolino said. “I’m hoping Sunday. We’ll see where it goes, but I’m hoping Sunday.”
This weekend’s series against the Astros kicks off a stretch of facing Houston seven times in the next nine games. In between, the Orioles head to Boston. Both teams are currently in playoff positions.
“I am excited to watch that core group of players have to carry the load and have the pressure of having to do it,” Mansolino said. “I think that’s exactly what they need.”