-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
The second half of the 2023 season is here. The official passing of the midway point. Don’t let the number of games fool you.
The Orioles have played 89 and are 54-35, owners of the second-best record in the American League and third-best in baseball. You can count the number of people who predicted that as zero.
The club was supposed to show a little more improvement, though I heard the whispers from outside the organization that there could be some regression because contention arrived early in 2022. It was going to be a lot more interesting as prospects kept flowing onto the major league roster. I said it numerous times in interviews and conversations.
At the very least, the Orioles would be more fun for fans.
They are so much more.
One of the Orioles’ post-break decisions has been made and revealed.
It took less than 24 hours after the last out of the All-Star Game.
The rotation is set for the weekend series against the Marlins at Camden Yards, with some of the anticipated rearranging. Dean Kremer starts Friday night, followed by Kyle Gibson Saturday night and Kyle Bradish Sunday afternoon.
The Marlins are expected to start Sandy Alcantara and Braxton Garrett in the first two games, with Sunday TBA.
The break allowed manager Brandon Hyde to push back Tyler Wells, who is emerging as the staff ace but has thrown 104 2/3 innings, which is one more than his 2022 total.
The Orioles begin the 2024 season at home against the Los Angeles Angels, their first Opening Day in Baltimore in six years.
Major League Baseball released the schedules this afternoon
The Orioles roll out the orange carpet on March 28, followed by an off-day and two more games. The Royals are next in town for a three-game series before the Orioles embark on their first road trip with stops in Pittsburgh and Boston.
The final homestand is Sept. 17-22 against the Giants and Tigers. The regular season concludes with road series against the Yankees Sept. 24-26 and Twins 27-29.
The home portion of the schedule includes five games played on holidays: Easter Sunday (March 31 vs. the Angels), Mother’s Day (May 12 vs. the Diamondbacks), Memorial Day (May 27 vs. the Red Sox), Father’s Day (June 16 vs. the Phillies), and Labor Day (Sept. 2 vs. the White Sox).
Orioles CEO and Chairman John Angelos and Gov. Wes Moore issued a joint statement this morning saying that progress is being made on their vision to “expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.”
The timing of the statement comes as the All-Star break nears its conclusion, which probably isn't a coincidence.
Angelos told the media in February, during a visit to the spring training complex in Sarasota, that he hoped a new stadium lease would be finalized by the break as a “gift for everybody, really, in the community.” However, a deal with the Maryland Stadium Authority hasn’t been struck.
Today’s statement didn’t provide details on negotiations or a timeline, but it read:
“The last four months have been exciting on and off the field. Baltimore City and the State of Maryland all have Orioles fever. We’ve laid the groundwork for success, and progress is also being made on our vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.
The 2023 baseball draft started Sunday night with the Orioles picking Vanderbilt center fielder Enrique Bradfield at No. 17 overall and concluded this afternoon with their selection of North Greenville (S.C.) University shortstop Jalen Vasquez in the 20th round.
The next steps are getting as many signatures on contracts as possible, figuring out minor league assignments, and making cuts to create room.
Twenty-two players were drafted, only two out of high school. The first 16 were college players.
The Orioles selected 13 college pitchers, five outfielders, one shortstop and one catcher. They also picked a high school outfielder and shortstop.
"In terms of what we're looking to accomplish, I think a lot of our resources are dedicated toward the college crop," said director of draft operations Brad Ciolek. "However, we did extensive work on a lot of high school players, a lot of junior college players. ... But yeah, we do focus a majority on the college crop because that's a lot of the data that we do get and allows us to do a deep dive on those players."
The All-Star Game is over, marking another year with a repeat city since the last time that the Orioles hosted in 1993.
Mike Mussina is still warming in the bullpen. Someone please tap him on the shoulder.
I don’t know when Baltimore will be chosen again. Maybe after Las Vegas.
(Don’t say Nashville, don’t say Nashville).
Perhaps there are other questions that I’m more equipped to handle. Otherwise, this mailbag is reduced to being a poor excuse for filling space during the break.
The Orioles apparently had a need for speed in the first round of the draft.
They used the No. 17 overall selection on Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., 21, a left-handed hitter who Baseball America grades an 80 runner and fielder.
Bradfield stole 130 bases at a 90.9 percent success rate in 191 games. He batted .311/.426/.447 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 15 home runs and 108 RBIs.
Also appealing to the Orioles is the 14.7 percent walk rate, compared to a 13.5 percent strikeout rate. He made contact at an 87 percent rate this season.
The power is lacking, with Bradfield given a 30 grade as more of a line drive hitter.
The media scrums at designated tables and the red carpet fashion show were over. The four Orioles All-Stars could just play baseball tonight. Hoping to do it in the same way that got them to Seattle.
Some succeeded, but it wasn’t a clean sweep.
Austin Hays went 1-for-2 as the starting center fielder for the American League, making him a career .500 hitter in the Midsummer Classic.
The top of the sixth belonged to Yennier Cano, who struck out two batters and stranded two. Adley Rutschman entered at the same time, caught the last four innings and went 0-for-1.
Félix Bautista worked the eighth, a familiar masked face setting the target, and he surrendered a go-ahead, two-run homer to Rockies catcher Elias Díaz.
Orioles closer Zack Britton earned the save in the American League’s 4-2 win in the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego, with teammate Matt Wieters catching him in the ninth inning.
Could Félix Bautista be next tonight, with Adley Rutschman setting the target for him?
Bautista became the full-time closer last summer after Jorge López was traded to the Twins, but he already had two saves in a May series in St. Louis. López was on the bereavement list.
The series is referenced a lot when the subject turns to the moment that the Orioles knew they could be a winning team, though they went to Detroit and were swept. The May 12 game was special because the bench was depleted due to injuries, Bryan Baker started in a bullpen game, and the conditions were miserable.
Bautista got the four-out save in a 3-2 win. Jorge Mateo ran down a popup with his back to the infield, spun and doubled off Tyler O’Neill at first base to end the game. Anthony Bemboom received a rare start against a left-hander, Steven Matz – the Cardinals were slow to reveal their starter - and he hit a rare home run in the seventh inning.
Adley Rutschman homered from both sides of the plate in the same All-Star Home Run Derby.
He had it and flaunted it.
With father Randy throwing him batting practice, Rutschman launched 21 left-handed during the three-minute regulation and six more right-handed in the 30-second bonus portion.
The Orioles’ catcher was seeded eighth but may have performed a first with that switch.
Unfortunately for Rutschman and Orioles fans, No. 1 seed Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox ousted him by hitting 27 in regulation and one more in the bonus round to advance at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
As the MLB Draft resumed today the Orioles selected University of Washington right-handed pitcher Kiefer Lord in the third round at No. 86 overall. He is the second pitcher the Orioles have taken among their first four picks to start this draft.
The O’s have nine picks today in rounds three through 10. Their No. 100 overall pick is a compensation pick for not signing a third-round pick last year in pitcher Nolan McLean from Oklahoma State. He was today selected No. 91 overall by the Mets.
Last night the Orioles selected Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. with their No. 17 overall pick. They added North Carolina third baseman/outfielder Mac Horvath in round two with pick No. 53. They drafted Florida State pitcher Jackson Baumeister with a competitive balance pick that was No. 63 overall. He becomes the highest-drafted pitcher by overall selection in the now five drafts under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.
Click here for more on the Day One picks.
Here are the O’s picks for today with listed slot amount for each.
The amateur draft resumes this afternoon with the third through 10th rounds. The Orioles have nine selections, including a Round 3 compensation pick, the 100th overall, for failing to sign Oklahoma State pitcher Nolan McLean last summer.
The Orioles are choosing 86th overall, 100th, 118th, 154th, 181st, 211th, 241st, 271st and 301st.
They are thrilled with the results at Nos. 17, 53 and 63.
Picking later than ever under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, the Orioles grabbed Vanderbilt center fielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., North Carolina outfielder Mac Horvath and Florida State strikeout machine Jackson Baumeister – a good nickname when you’re a pitcher.
“Ecstatic,” director of draft operations Brad Ciolek said on a video call.
MINNEAPOLIS – He is less than a year removed from being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Orioles in the 2022 Major League Draft. And today, as a new draft arrives tonight, shortstop Jackson Holliday is headed to Double-A.
MASNSports.com has learned via a team source that Holliday, who played in the All-Star Futures Game Saturday, going 0-for-1, will play his next game for the Double-A Bowie Baysox moving up from High-A Aberdeen.
Holliday, 19, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the sport by MLBPipeline.com and No. 2 via Baseball America. He had set a goal to get to Bowie this season and now he has achieved that.
This move comes with other promotion news as infielder Coby Mayo will move up from Double-A to Triple-A Norfolk and right-hander pitcher Chayce McDermott is also moving from Bowie to Norfolk.
Holliday began this year with Low Single-A Delmarva, but after 14 games there moved to High-A Aberdeen. In 71 games between those clubs, he batted .331/.466/.523/.989 with 17 doubles, six triples, seven homers and 51 RBIs. He controlled the strike zone very well with 64 walks to 67 strikeouts and scored 67 runs with 20 stolen bases.
MINNEAPOLIS – A day that started out with the Orioles striking out often, ended with them pounding the Minnesota Twins 15-2 today behind a barrage of six homers, a few blasted well over 400 feet.
It was a nice way to say goodbye to the first half by saying goodbye to a few baseballs against the pitching staff that began today with the second-best ERA in the majors at 3.56 to Atlanta at 3.55.
The Orioles hit the break at 54-35 with a five-game win streak and they tie a season-high at moving to 19 games above the .500 mark.
The Orioles' .607 win percentage at the break is the eighth-best in team history at this point of the year.
The Orioles scored seven runs in the fifth inning to lead 8-1 and six in the sixth to make it a 14-1 blowout. The six homers are a season-high, doubling up any game this year save for one when they hit a previous season-high four on June 13 versus Toronto.
MINNEAPOLIS - It had to be troubling, concerning and maybe a bit scary at times as O’s first baseman Ryan Mountcastle dealt with the impact of vertigo and has not played in the majors since June 8. But he returned to the Orioles active roster today.
While he is not in the lineup, he’s ready to go, feels his swing is in fine shape and is excited to hopefully have this all over with. He said he didn’t have vertigo before this year but believes they got it under control so he can return today to the team.
“This feels like the longest I’ve ever gone without playing (in the majors),” said Mountcastle whose 20-day minor league rehab assignment had one day yet to go. “It wasn’t fun at all. Just happy to be back and feel like a normal human again.
“It was my first time. It hit me in waves. Took longer than I thought, but just happy to be back. Probably like a week or so ago, I felt good. They just wanted to take their time. Came up today and hopefully, I can come off the bench and get an at-bat or two. Feel good, ready to go.”
Mountcastle said this first became something significant for him when the Orioles played in Milwaukee June 6-8.
The Orioles announced a roster move this morning, reinstating first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list and optioning left-hander Bruce Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk.
Mountcastle was set to complete his 20-day rehab assignment with Norfolk after going on the IL with vertigo. He hasn’t played for the Orioles since June 8 in Milwaukee and was in a 4-for-30 slump.
Mountcastle told the media in Minnesota that he hadn’t felt the effects of vertigo in the past. He isn’t in the lineup.
Today’s transaction leaves the Orioles with 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Manager Brandon Hyde used only two relievers yesterday, Bryan Baker and Danny Coulombe, behind starter Tyler Wells in a 6-2 win.
The Orioles play their final game of the season’s first half this afternoon. They’re two behind the first-place Rays in the division, and both teams have 35 losses.
The first two rounds of the draft air tonight beginning at 7 p.m. on ESPN and MLB Network. Pick your prospect poison.
The Orioles have the 17th, 53rd and 63rd selections tonight, the latter in Competitive Balance Round B. This is the latest that they’ve gone since taking Georgia high school left-hander DL Hall 21st in 2017.
Hall remains in Sarasota on a program to build strength and velocity before reentering Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation. That’s the last we’ve heard about him.
I saw that the Tides placed outfielder Heston Kjerstad on the temporary inactive list yesterday, had a brief panic attack and remembered that he played in last night’s All-Star Futures Game in Seattle.
Kjerstad started in right field and went 1-for-2. Jackson Holliday came off the bench, because being the No. 1 prospect in baseball doesn't guarantee you a spot in the lineup, and struck out in his only at-bat.
MINNEAPOLIS – It was unexpected but very welcome. The Orioles got a big inning early in the game against the club with the best team ERA in Major League Baseball. A club they had scored six runs off in four games over the last two weekends.
But their 6-2 victory today over the American League Central-leading Twins was keyed by a huge six-run six-hit top of the second inning. They batted 10 players and five different Orioles drove in runs.
The uprising came against right-hander Sonny Gray, a pitcher who threw six scoreless on two hits against Baltimore batters last Sunday at Oriole Park. A pitcher who entered with a 2.50 ERA that ranked second-best in the AL and third in the majors. A pitcher who had given up three runs or less in 17 of 17 starts this year.
So the big inning was indeed unexpected.
But it lift the Orioles' record to 53-35 and they have won four in a row after losing six of seven. They have the best AL road record, which is now 27-17 and have a winning road trip at 4-2 with one game to go.
MINNEAPOLIS - Colton Cowser has been with the Orioles for four days now and today the rookie will make his fourth start, batting seventh in right field. He has made a strong early impression on manager Brandon Hyde.
"I think he's been amazing," Hyde said pregame today. "Love his at-bats. Looks like he's been doing that for a while up here. Even that at-bat against (Jhoan) Duran last night, you know the call at first base. Just, he hadn't seen 103 mph sinkers before. Spit on some stuff down. Just relaxed throughout that big spot. Been really, really impressed with the way he's handled himself in the dugout. Defense has been really, really solid. I like his energy and he's fun to be around."
Cowser is 2-for-10 to start his big league career with three walks and no strikeouts.
Hyde said the team is discussing now how to set up its rotation out of the All-Star break, but added "we are not going to announce anything any time soon."
Ryan Mountcastle is batting .222 with an OPS of .572 on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. The assignment will end during the All-Star break. Is there a chance the O's add Mountcastle to start the second half?
All-Star Austin Hays has returned to the Orioles lineup this afternoon for the first time since bruising his left hip Sunday against the Twins.
Hays is in left field and batting fifth.
Colton Cowser is in right field today, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Aaron Hicks returns to the lineup in center field after pinch-hitting last night in the 10th inning and delivering a sacrifice fly in a 3-1 win. Cedric Mullins is on the bench.
Jordan Westburg also is out of the lineup, with Adam Frazier playing second base and Ramón Urías moving to third. Westburg’s .314 average is the highest for any Orioles infielder through 10 career games, according to STATS.
