The Orioles have reached the point in their season where a quality start from a veteran on a one-year contract raises hopes and also the chances of another trade.
Charlie Morton remains on an upward trajectory after a disastrous beginning with his new club, holding the Mets to one run in six innings this afternoon in the Orioles’ 3-1 victory over the Mets before an announced Game 1 crowd of 25,262 at Camden Yards.
Gunnar Henderson’s first-career pinch-hit homer, a two-run shot off reliever Ryne Stanek in the eighth, made the difference and improved the Orioles to 41-50. A sweep would get them eight games below .500 for the first time since May 6.
"It’s good, especially with what happened the other night," said interim manager Tony Mansolino, referencing Tuesday's blown 6-2 lead in the eighth. "I think I probably had a pretty bad attitude there after the first four or five innings, just kind of watching how our offense was performing there for a little bit. And I think (Cody) Asche did too. We kind of all had bad attitudes, the coaches there for a few innings and probably so did the whole dugout as a whole, jokingly of course.
"But it’s nice to struggle for a little bit in the game, and Gunnar comes off the bench and pinch-hits a homer, and just to feel the energy and eruption in the dugout and change some of our unfortunate bad attitudes there for a few innings."
The Orioles have traded reliever Bryan Baker to the Rays this morning for Tampa Bay's No. 37 pick, in the competitive balance round. FanSided's Robert Murray was first with the Baker trade.
Baker said he felt "shock" after receiving the news, perhaps in part because he's under team control through the 2028 season. He was preoccupied with the "logistics," getting to Boston and "doing my job there."
"I'm sure more thoughts will come to me as the day goes on," he said.
Baker leaves with a 3.52 ERA and 1.096 WHIP, emerging as one of the club's top relievers.
Unfortunately for Baker, his last outing with Orioles on Tuesday resulted in a pair of two-run homers in the eighth inning that erased a 6-2 lead against the Mets.
Colin Selby threw two scoreless relief innings last night in Tampa and he’s headed back to Triple-A Norfolk.
Another swap of arms has brought left-hander Grant Wolfram to the Orioles. They recalled Wolfram today and optioned Selby.
Wolfram has appeared in two games with the Orioles and allowed two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings. He pitched in back-to-back games in Detroit on April 26-27.
Wolfram has a 4.87 ERA and 1.426 WHIP in 18 appearances with Norfolk. His stay with the Orioles could be as brief as Selby’s, since they need a starter for Wednesday night.
Dean Kremer has allowed nine runs and 13 hits this month in 12 1/3 innings and he gets the ball tonight. He was used in bulk relief in his last outing, covering seven innings and allowing four runs in the fourth.
DETROIT – Tyler O’Neill tried to play through the neck soreness and had to succumb.
The Orioles put O’Neill on the 10-day injured list yesterday. He’s hoping to be back when eligible to return.
“That’s obviously the goal,” he said last night. “Just, unfortunately, dealing with some pain and immobility for the better part of a week. It’s just better to get it dealt with now and not have it lingering around over the course of the season.
“Hopefully, we can knock it out and be back out there as soon as possible.”
The issue began on the last homestand, leading to O’Neill’s 15th career trip to the injured list but the first involving his neck.
The Orioles won't have pitcher Albert Suárez for much longer than anticipated.
Suárez was moved to the 60-day injured list today with a right subscapularis strain to create room on the 40-man roster for left-hander Grant Wolfram, acquired from the Brewers in exchange for Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Daz Cameron and cash considerations.
The subscapularis is the largest and strongest muscle of the rotator cuff and is essential in shoulder movement and in helping maintain glenohumeral joint stability.
The Orioles broke camp with Suárez in their bullpen and he allowed an earned run and two total with five hits in 2 2/3 innings in a March 28 appearance in Toronto. His fastball velocity was down about two mph from its 2024 average speed, and he went on the 15-day IL March 30 with right shoulder inflammation.
Left-hander Cade Povich beat out Suárez for the fifth spot in the rotation. Suárez is out of options and capable of going multiple innings in relief, which made a return to the bullpen a logical move for the Orioles.