-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
BOSTON – The Orioles didn’t bring their smoke machines and disco lights to Fenway Park. The ballpark is so old, the equipment might have blown out the fuses or started a fire. But you could hear players through the walls celebrating after Monday night’s win.
Voices were loud. Veteran pitcher Trevor Rogers made a speech praising 21-year-old rookie catcher Samuel Basallo on his first major league game behind the plate. Basallo didn’t understand every word but appreciated the kindness, smiling through most of his postgame interview at his locker.
The words coming from the stereo last night were understood and not suited for a post-game television broadcast. The music had to be turned down, but you couldn’t kill the party.
This group is having fun again.
Coping with adversity is a big part of it, including the latest round of physical setbacks.
BOSTON – One of their best hitters limped to his locker this afternoon and back to the trainers’ room, leaving behind a walking boot for his injured right ankle. The two-time All-Star catcher was scratched from the lineup with discomfort in his right side.
The interim manager had two healthy players on his bench, both rookies with a combined 16 games of major league experience, and no idea who would close in a save situation - if the Orioles were able to create it.
“I feel like we’ve got a chance to go play a good game,” said Tony Mansolino, armed with a healthy supply of optimism.
What’s lacking is experienced and reliable late-inning relief, but Mansolino worked around it in a 4-3 11-inning victory over the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 37,435 at Fenway Park.
Samuel Basallo registered his fifth RBI in three games with a swinging bunt against Garrett Whitlock in the top of the 11th that scored automatic runner Jeremiah Jackson. Corbin Martin was summoned, Connor Wong laid down a sacrifice bunt, but automatic runner Nate Eaton held on a medium-range fly ball to Colton Cowser in left-center. The throw home was way off the mark.
BOSTON - Interim manager Tony Mansolino sat down in the dugout this afternoon for his daily media scrum and said, “Whatever you guys have got, I’m ready to go.”
Orioles injuries tend to be the main topic. Notepads are recommended. Memories can't be trusted.
Infielder Jordan Westburg exited last night’s game in the first inning with discomfort in his right ankle and he’s out of tonight’s lineup. He’s avoided a second trip to the injured list and the Orioles will reevaluate his status after Wednesday’s break in the schedule.
“Came in sore today but not quite as sore as we thought he might be, which was a positive sign,” Mansolino said. “It’s hard to be overly optimistic until probably after the off-day, so I think we get to Thursday we’ll have a pretty good idea if we’re gonna kind of keep him day-to-day and keep him off the IL and what that kind of looks like. Doesn’t mean he’s gonna play Thursday, but if we’re able to just kind of suck it up four or five days and then play him.
“If Thursday he comes in and there’s not a lot of improvement, then we’re gonna have to consider the IL.”
BOSTON – Adley Rutschman was scratched from tonight’s Orioles lineup with right abdominal discomfort.
Rutschman didn’t play last night, with Samuel Basallo making his first start behind the plate. Alex Jackson is catching tonight.
The lineup shuffling has Jackson batting ninth and third baseman Luis Vázquez moving up from eighth to second.
Jordan Westburg was limping in the clubhouse earlier today and had a walking boot at his locker. He exited last night’s game in the first inning after twisting his right ankle.
So far, he's avoided the injured list. Interim manager Tony Mansolino will provide an update later.
BOSTON – Jordan Westburg is out of tonight’s Orioles lineup after injuring his right ankle last night in the first inning.
An update is coming later.
Samuel Basallo also is on the bench. Luis Vázquez is starting at third base. Dylan Beavers is in right field. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.
Coby Mayo is playing first base.
Tonight marks Tomoyuki Sugano’s 24th major league start. He’s posted a 4.13 ERA in 126 1/3 innings, and he’s only the 10th Japanese-born pitcher to win 10 games as a rookie.
BOSTON – Those moments during the season when it felt like the Orioles were scrambling to fill out their roster have disappeared like one of Samuel Basallo’s home run balls in the minors.
The crab cake analogy fits again – less filler makes for a better product.
Manager Tony Mansolino has a plan, devised by the group, and it’s going to get Basallo, Dylan Beavers and Coby Mayo in the lineup on most nights. Mayo and Adley Rutschman sat last night because Basallo needed to catch and Ryan Mountcastle needed to get some reps at first base. Players can rotate into the designated hitter role, with Jeremiah Jackson taking his turn against the Red Sox.
“It’s exciting,” Mansolino said. “It’s a good problem to have.”
Much better than those constant headaches.
BOSTON – One day after the Orioles scored a dozen runs in a shutout in Houston and celebrated the infusion of young prospect talent and energy on the roster, Jordan Westburg limped off the field and reminded everyone that the 2025 season is a cruel mistress.
Take the good, and there’s much more of it lately, but prepare to get hurt again. It’s a package deal.
Westburg came out of the game with right ankle discomfort, but the Orioles didn’t let it spoil their evening. Trevor Rogers produced another gem with one run in seven innings and the Orioles prevailed 6-3 over the Red Sox at Fenway Park for their fifth win in six games.
Rogers lowered his ERA to 1.41 and WHIP to 0.80 with his 10th quality start in 12 appearances. Gunnar Henderson hit his 15th home run in the third inning to create a three-way tie with Westburg and Jackson Holliday for the team lead, and he added a run-scoring triple in the seventh. Samuel Basallo collected his first major league extra-base hit and added a two-run single in the ninth. Dylan Beavers had his first RBI and reached base four times.
Ryan Mountcastle returned to first base, singled three times and flied to the center field wall at 404 feet and 107.2 mph.
BOSTON – Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill started baseball activities today at Fenway Park as he works toward a return from a right wrist injury.
O’Neill went on the injured list retroactive to Aug. 6 due to the inflammation.
“Threw the baseball for the first time today,” he said while standing at his locker in the visiting clubhouse. “So now it’s buildup and baseball progression, and hopefully it goes quick.”
Rosters expand on Sept. 1, but O’Neill might be able to return later this month.
“I haven’t had a specific date set in mind,” he said. “I could see that being reasonable. Hopefully, things progress quickly and I’m back before that, but you never know during the buildup. It might be a little longer. But what I know right now is I’m feeling good, I’m pretty much pain-free. It’s just getting back to baseball shape now.”
BOSTON – The Orioles have won four of their last five games and are sending out another lineup tonight ripe with top prospects.
Samuel Basallo is catching his first major league game, with Adley Rutschman on the bench. Dylan Beavers is in right field.
Coby Mayo also is on the bench. Ryan Mountcastle gets the start at first base. Jeremiah Jackson is the designated hitter.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers has a 1.43 ERA and 0.808 WHIP in 11 starts. And it all began with his start at Fenway Park in Game 2 of a May 24 doubleheader, when he allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Hoyt Wilhelm (1.25 in 1959) is the only Orioles pitcher with a lower ERA in the first 11 starts in a season. Jim Palmer is third at 1.68 in 1975.
Anyone else want to play the outfield?
The Orioles aren’t holding tryouts but there’s a little experimenting with Jeremiah Jackson, who started in right again yesterday. Dylan Beavers will get plenty of starts in the corners – right Saturday and left yesterday. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the organization’s No. 3 prospect isn’t here to sit.
Colton Cowser moves back to center field after being planted in left prior to his concussion. Greg Allen, Jordyn Adams, Daniel Johnson and Ryan Noda are gone. Tyler O’Neill is coming back, perhaps in early September.
(Adams had a triple and home run Friday night with Triple-A Norfolk and was ejected by the plate umpire after striking out. But we digress …)
Noda was listed as an infielder on the active roster, but he made three of his five career starts in right field with the Orioles.
HOUSTON – “For a lot of the year, for the first month and a half, there were a lot of nights when we probably looked like the worst team in major league baseball,” Tony Mansolino said after Friday night’s dominant win over the Astros.
“We were probably 30th of 30 how we played the first month and a half. Tonight, for nine innings, we looked like the best team in baseball in all facets of the game. On the mound, defensively, and then also at the plate.”
Today, the Orioles excelled in all facets once again in a dominant 12-0 victory.
"The Friday night game, the game today, we’ve played really well, and we’ve played well for a while now," the interim skipper said today.
After taking two of three against a playoff-caliber Mariners team, they took two of three against a playoff-caliber Astros team. Baltimore didn’t play favorites with who they want to win the American League West.
HOUSTON – All eyes are on the future of the Orioles. Calling up one of the best prospects in baseball only fuels that fire.
On Friday, Brandon Young came within four outs of a perfect game. Yesterday, Dylan Beavers made his long-anticipated debut.
And today, for the grand finale, Samuel Basallo, the No. 8 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, puts on an Orioles jersey for the very first time in the big leagues.
His dad was the one to call and tell him that he had made the Show.
“There’s no better feeling than getting that phone call from your family,” Basallo said this morning, via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “My dad is very special to me, he means a lot to me. To get that phone call from him and from my family, it means everything.”
The infusion of top prospects in the Orioles’ roster is reflected in today’s lineup for the series finale in Houston.
Samuel Basallo is making his debut at designated hitter. He’s batting sixth.
Basallo is the 62nd player to appear in a game, tying the franchise record set in 2021.
Dylan Beavers is in left field after collecting his first major league hit last night.
Colton Cowser returned from the concussion injured list this morning and he’s in center field, one spot ahead of Basallo.
One day after the Orioles selected outfielder Dylan Beavers’ contract from Triple-A Norfolk, introducing one of the organization’s top prospects to the majors, they did the same with catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo.
The top guy is here.
Basallo wasn’t in Norfolk’s lineup last night and he joined the team in Houston for this afternoon’s series finale. MLB Pipeline ranked Basallo eighth in its Top 100 and Baseball America has him seventh.
Basallo, who just turned 21, is batting .270/.377/.589 with 17 doubles, 23 home runs and 67 RBIs in 76 games. The contact is loud and violent. He sends baseballs sailing over scoreboards and stands.
“He’s grown a lot this year,” Norfolk manager Tim Federowicz said yesterday. “Obviously, he has a ton of power. He’s hitting the ball hard. Not sure on the timetable on that (promotion), but I’m sure it’s gonna happen at some point.”
Tim Federowicz is more than halfway through his first season replacing Buck Britton as manager of the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. He inherited a team and a specific responsibility.
Telling a player that he’s going to the majors.
And Friday night, informing one of the top prospects in the organization that he’s flying to Houston to join the Orioles. That it’s finally happening.
“Um, real quick,” Federowicz said in the visiting clubhouse at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville. “Got a lot of questions about this the last couple weeks, so I’m just gonna answer in front of everybody. Dylan Beavers, you’re going to The Show.”
The Orioles posted the video on social media, which showed Beavers stand up, tip his cap, walk through the celebratory gantlet of back slaps and embrace Federowicz.
HOUSTON – The August schedule isn't an easy one for Baltimore.
With inexperience everywhere, the O's have had to face the two crown jewels of the American League West, the Mariners and Astros, in two consecutive series.
Baltimore took two of three against Seattle. And after taking game one in Houston, the Birds fought tooth and nail in Game 2.
In the end, though, it was Houston that came away with a 5-4 victory in 12 innings.
And, of course, it was Ramón Urías. Last night, the former Oriole broke up Brandon Young's perfect game bid. Tonight, he walked it off. Another slow dribbler to third, and another heartbreaker.
HOUSTON – The second half of the Orioles’ 2025 season won’t go the way that many had expected.
Baltimore won’t be competing for an American League East crown, nor will O’s fans be keeping an eye on wild card playoff spots. Instead, the excitement will come from memorable moments, encouraging signs for the future, and individual accomplishments.
Last night, Brandon Young provided the excitement. The rookie tossed 7 ⅔ innings of perfect baseball before surrendering his first hit with one out to go in the eighth. He did so in front of family and friends, who made the short trip from Lumberton, TX to watch Young deliver the best start of his young career.
Today, it’s Dylan Beavers who provides the excitement, making his MLB debut as one of the O’s most anticipated prospect promotions.
“It’s super exciting,” Beavers said this afternoon. “It’s what I’ve kind of been working for my entire life. But there’s nerves, too, kind of uncertainty in not knowing when it’s going to happen. A little bit of a mixed bag of emotions, but yeah, exciting.”
Dylan Beavers is making his major league debut tonight, starting in right field and batting sixth in Houston. He’s the 61st player used by the Orioles this season, one short of the franchise record set in 2021.
Daniel Johnson is in center field and Dylan Carlson is in left.
Coby Mayo stays at first base, with Ryan Mountcastle serving as designated hitter. Get used to it.
One night after rookie Brandon Young tossed a perfect game for 7 2/3 innings, the Orioles are using Rico Garcia as an opener.
What a weird season.
One wait is over.
The Orioles are selecting outfielder Dylan Beavers’ contract from Triple-A Norfolk, one day after the date to retain his rookie eligibility for 2026.
Outfielder Greg Allen was designated for assignment to create room. Beavers will wear No. 12 and he could be in tonight’s lineup against Astros right-hander Jason Alexander.
Beavers could have bloodied his knuckles from the hard knocks on the major league door.
The 33rd-overall draft pick in 2022 is batting .304/.420/.515 with 14 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 51 RBIs, 68 walks, 74 strikeouts and 23 stolen bases in 94 games in his fourth professional season. He was the designated hitter last night in Jacksonville.
No pitcher in the history of the Baltimore Orioles has thrown a perfect game.
No one could have anticipated that a rookie carrying a 6.70 ERA in his first 10 major league starts would get within four outs.
Brandon Young is a big fan of classic rock. His outing last was an instant classic, and boy, did he rock. He retired 23 batters in a row before former Oriole Ramón Urías reached on an infield single in the eighth inning in the Orioles’ 7-0 victory over the Astros at Daikin Park.
Urías sent a chopper to the left side and Young made a barehand grab. He threw off his back foot and the ball sailed past first baseman Coby Mayo for a hit and error.
Young probably had time to plant and throw but understandably was in a rush.
