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Because the Orioles’ roster can’t sit still, much like a fussy toddler except with grown men, changes are coming again to a rotation that posted the second-highest ERA in the American League before today.
Cade Povich is trying to stay in it. He’s pitching to win and also keep his job, and he isn’t alone. The club is allowing for a developmental period after falling out of the playoff race, but there’s a limit to the number of starters and length of the patience displayed.
Povich registered his first quality start since April 24, holding the Athletics to one run over six innings, but Willie MacIver's two-run double off Keegan Akin in the ninth gave them a 3-2 win over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 23,183 at Camden Yards.
Akin was trying for his third save in his new role, but a leadoff walk to Darell Hernaiz and one-out single by Gio Urshela preceded MacIver's double. Pinch-runner Lawrence Butler ran through the stop sign and would have been an easy out if catcher Alex Jackson had held onto the ball. Or maybe if Gunnar Henderson's relay wasn't so far up the line.
"He didn’t mean to throw it there," said interim manager Tony Mansolino. "Things are speeding up right there. He’s got his back to the play. He’s catching the ball and he just kind of threw a sinker to the plate, just kind of getting on top of it, straighten the thing out, making a better throw.”
Leads are much harder to protect with four veterans traded and Félix Bautista on the injured list. The Orioles know there will be days like this one.
"Anytime you walk the leadoff guy who isn’t necessarily a huge power threat, it’s not really what you want, so I think he’d love to have that one back right there," Mansolino said. "Urshela hits the ball past (Jordan Westburg). It’s a scenario if Westy is standing two steps over towards the hole, maybe he’s in front of the ball. The backup-catcher-gets-us-again-type scenario. Just, unfortunately, how it played out.“
Westburg broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run in the fifth, but Brent Rooker led off the sixth with a double and scored on Colby Thomas’ sharp ground ball past Henderson, who was playing on the edge of the infield grass.
Coby Mayo batted for Jordyn Adams in the seventh after Jackson’s leadoff gift double, on a popup that bounced off first baseman Nick Kurtz’s mitt, and he lined a Justin Sterner cutter 104.2 mph into left-center field with one out. Mayo was 0-for-8 as a pinch-hitter in his brief career before today.
The Orioles had 12 hits in the series and went 1-2. Their overall record is 53-65.
Povich allowed four hits, walked three and struck out five, and he came out after 94 pitches. Yennier Cano tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Dietrich Enns struck out both batters he faced in the eighth. The game crumbled in the ninth, but Povich's outing was more important in the big picture.
"Plenty of chances to be able to continue to grow, try maybe some different things, learn some different things about myself, about pitching, about pitching in the big leagues," Povich said. "Trying to figure out what works and kind of help me get to that next level."
The Orioles wanted Povich to “pitch with an edge, pitch with an edge in his mentality, because he’s gonna need to in the big leagues,” Mansolino said earlier today.
Mansolino added that the best outings come when Povich returns from a minor league option or injury and “just fights for his life on those days.” Today marked his second start since his reinstatement from the injured list.
Fastball command was another area where the Orioles needed to see improvement. The ability to locate a pitch that’s typically 90-93 mph to both sides of the plate, which lets the rest of the repertoire play up.
"I thought he threw the ball good," Mansolino said. "To me, it’s probably the best I’ve seen him throw the fastball arm-side. We talked about it earlier today, to a lot of those right-handed hitters. I feel like a lot of times I’ve seen him pitch it’s been more glove-side fastballs, and today the catcher’s kind of setting up on the outer third a little bit and let the ball run to the corner. I thought it was really good."
Said Povich: "It’s kind of been something, you know, I think my better outings is when I’ve been able to command the fastball really well. That was kind of a priority during rehab, before I started throwing games, just in bullpens it was kind of a priority to command certain parts of the zone with the fastball that maybe I don’t do as well. I think these last two games, the command and being able to locate it to different parts has been a lot better and has led to a lot better results."
Povich explained the mentality in commanding the heater.
"Maybe putting a little more emphasis on it in bullpens," he said, "whether that be middle of the week or pregame."
Povich stranded a runner in each of the first three innings. Hernaiz drew a one-out walk in the fourth and was thrown out trying to steal while JJ Bleday struck out.
A one-out walk in the fifth didn’t hurt, but Rooker’s double led to the tying run.
The innings could be going away for some starters with Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells nearing returns from 2024 elbow-reconstructive surgery. Bradish made his fourth rehab start Friday and Wells made his third today. Albert Suárez will begin an injury rehab assignment in a few days now that his right rotator cuff has healed.
Brandon Young lasted only three innings last night, allowed six runs and scolded himself at his locker for letting down the team after its Hall of Fame ceremony.
“Pretty disappointed,” he said after his ERA rose to 6.70 with a 1.737 WHIP in 10 major league starts. “I’ve just got to be better. That’s on me.”
The Orioles can keep running him out there as long as there’s room to do it.
“He’s got a great opportunity right now,” Mansolino said. “I don’t think it’s always going to be super linear. I think there’s gonna be some ups and downs with him. We’ve seen a couple good outings. Last night was kind of a clunker by his standard. And there’s some runway for him.
“As we get healthier here, some of these Tommy John guys, you’ll see those guys come back and some pieces will move around. And when I say pieces move around, there obviously will be some guys who probably end up in Norfolk, and there’s a lot of equal standing right now for guys. So it’s guys who pitch good and are consistent, they’ll probably get more opportunity here. Guys who don’t, then they’ll probably get a little bit of a reset just by the virtue of Tyler Wells, Suárez, Bradish. They’re not that far off.”
The Orioles had three hits Friday night and four last night, splitting the first two games of the series. Luis Morales made his second major league appearance today and first start as the opener, and he didn’t surrender a hit in 2 2/3 innings. He walked five batters to raise his pitch count to 57 with only 25 strikes.
Five runners were stranded through the third, nine overall, and the Orioles went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They left the bases loaded in the first when Jeremiah Jackson struck out on a 97.6 mph fastball.
"The A’s have good stuff," Mansolino said. "It’s not the A’s from a couple years ago. There’s some good stuff.
"You’ve got to tip your cap to those guys a little bit. But certainly in order to stay competitive, we’re going to have to create some more traffic on the bases.”
Jackson collected his first major league triple leading off the fifth. Greg Allen laid down a bunt, and MacIver made a lunging tag of Jackson.
Westburg’s homer came against left-hander Ben Bowden, his 14th this season.
Jackson’s double gave him 10 hits with the Orioles, all for extra bases. He flied out to end the eighth and strand two runners, leaving Akin with the slimmest of margins.
* Wells tossed four scoreless innings today at Triple-A Norfolk, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out five. He threw 52 pitches, 41 for strikes. He’s pitched three times and totaled 8 1/3 scoreless innings.
Samuel Basallo had a three-run double in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the sixth.
Brandon Butterworth hit his second home run with Double-A Chesapeake. Juaron Watts-Brown allowed two runs and one hit and struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings.
