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ARLINGTON, Texas - Under any other circumstances, the Orioles’ decision yesterday to recall outfielder Yusniel Diaz from Triple-A Norfolk would have qualified as major news. A former top prospect, his career stalled by a variety of injuries, becoming the last piece of the 2018 Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers to reach the majors.
The timing of it, on the same day that the Orioles traded Trey Mancini to the Astros, drained every drop of interest in the story.
Diaz, 25, was batting .234/.338/.339 with four doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs in 35 games with the Tides. He missed more than a month with another hamstring injury to ruin a red-hot start to the season.
Manager Brandon Hyde didn’t have much to say about Diaz’s arrival yesterday. He was in the midst of processing the Mancini trade and the Cuban outfielder’s arrival in Texas.
Diaz could just be passing through while the Orioles reset their roster. We saw it happen with Rylan Bannon during his second stint with the club. Or Diaz might be getting a shot with Mancini gone. A right-handed bat for the occasion.
It got active in Birdland this afternoon with the news of Trey Mancini’s trade to the Houston Astros. But as nightfall arrives, there is a game to play and the Orioles are at Texas tonight to begin a three-game series as their road trip continues.
The Orioles (51-51) lost the last two games at Cincinnati after winning there 6-2 on Friday night. But on Saturday and Sunday their offense produced just four runs on 12 hits and just one extra-base hit. That was Anthony Santander’s homer in the eighth inning yesterday that briefly produced a 2-2 tie with the Reds. But when Brandon Drury homered in the last of the eighth, the Reds took a 3-2 lead, and three outs later had a win by that margin.
The Orioles fell to 22-31 on the road. They ended July going 16-9 with a plus-19 run differential. They fell to 7-8 in rubber-match games.
A win by the Orioles tonight and they would match the win total of last year’s club that went 52-110.
Even with back-to-back losses, the Orioles have won four of seven and 16 of their past 23 games. They have won 21 of 33 and 27 of 43.
He played in 701 games in his time in Birdland. That is a significant number, but Trey Mancini’s impact on the Orioles will go way beyond anything on a stat sheet.
The kid from Florida who was once overlooked by the big colleges in his home state, went to Notre Dame to play college ball. Then he was an eighth-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2013. Picks in round eight don’t often become middle-of-the-order hitters and team leaders, but Mancini did that.
He was loved by Birdland even before he kicked cancer’s butt. Even before he became close friends with Mo Gaba and Baltimore got to see from a distance that beautiful relationship. Even before the Orioles team he played on took on a completely new look and went from a club that made the 2016 playoffs to one that lost 115 games and had to rebuild from the ground up.
He carried himself so well and represented the Orioles so well, on and off the field.
Fans here can now hope this season will end with Mancini maybe playing in the World Series and getting a ring with his new team in Houston.
The Baltimore Orioles today announced that they have completed a three-team trade with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays in which the Orioles acquired right-handed pitcher SETH JOHNSON from the Rays and right-handed pitcher CHAYCE McDERMOTT from the Astros, the Astros acquired infielder/outfielder TREY MANCINI from the Orioles and right-handed pitcher JAYDEN MURRAY from the Rays, and the Rays acquired outfielder JOSÉ SIRI from the Astros. Johnson and McDermott have been assigned to High-A Aberdeen. Additionally, outfielder YUSNIEL DIAZ has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. His first appearance will be his Major League debut. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.
Johnson, 24, went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA (9 ER/27.0 IP) with 41 strikeouts against 11 walks in seven starts for High-A Bowling Green this season before he was placed on the seven-day Injured List on May 27. He struck out a career-high 11 batters over 5.0 innings on May 20 at Greensboro. Over 39 career games (32 starts), he has gone 7-8 with a 2.81 ERA (43 ER/137.2 IP) and 172 strikeouts. He is currently ranked as the No. 6 prospect in Tampa Bay’s system by MLB Pipeline and No. 9 by Baseball America. Johnson was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the CBA Round (No. 40 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. He attended Campbell University (NC).
McDermott, 23, went 6-1 with a 5.50 ERA (44 ER/72.0 IP) and 114 strikeouts compared to 43 walks in 19 appearances (10 starts) for High-A Asheville this season. He struck out a career-high 10 batters over 6.0 innings on June 7 at Greenville. Over 26 career games (14 starts), he has gone 6-1 with a 4.92 ERA (51 ER/93.1 IP) and 154 strikeouts. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in Houston’s system by MLB Pipeline and No. 6 by Baseball America. McDermott was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the fourth round (No. 132 overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He attended Ball State University (IN).
Mancini, 30, hit .268/.347/.404 (95-for-354) with 16 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 39 runs scored, and 41 RBI over 92 games with the Orioles this season. Over 701 career games with Baltimore, Mancini hit .270/.334/.463 (717-for-2,651) with 137 doubles, 11 triples, 117 home runs, 359 runs scored, and 350 RBI. On Saturday, he became the 41st player in franchise history (since 1954) to play in at least 700 games with the club. Last year, he was named the recipient of the 2021 American League Comeback Player of the Year Award and finished as the runner-up in the 36th MLB Home Run Derby behind Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. He was also the Orioles’ 2021 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. He became the fastest player in Orioles history, who began their career with Baltimore, to reach 100 career home runs, doing so in 531 games. Mancini was originally selected by the Orioles in the eighth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
The trade deadline is close enough to touch. The countdown is tracked in hours rather than weeks or months.
The Orioles aren’t expected to step back and watch other teams conduct their business. They have players that appeal to contenders. They can provide starting pitching, relievers, outfielders and infielders. They have veteran backup catchers, with Robinson Chirinos behind Adley Rutschman, Anthony Bemboom on the taxi squad and Jacob Nottingham at Triple-A Norfolk.
Make an offer.
The Orioles didn’t do much at last year’s deadline, trading minor league reliever Shawn Armstrong to the Rays and injured shortstop Freddy Galvis to the Phillies. The total return was minor league pitcher Tyler Burch and cash.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias wasn’t going to trade controllable relievers unless the return was strong, which kept Paul Fry and Tanner Scott in the organization. Anthony Santander was bothered most of the season by a hamstring injury, holding down his numbers and value. Trey Mancini, returning from Stage 3 colon cancer, wasn’t going anywhere.
CINCINNATI - Orioles outfielder Austin Hays said he is humbled by O’s fans support of him in his time with the team and now he wants to give back.
He has started “The Austin Hays Scholarship” and some youngsters currently in high school and college can get a $20,000 boost for their education.
It is for kids from low-income families and only for Maryland students. An essay is needed, and applicants can apply for the scholarship through August 28 at go.bold.org/AustinHays.
“I was talking to my agent and we just thought it was a really good time to try and give back to the Baltimore community that has given a lot to me and my family over the years,” Hays told me Sunday before the game in Cincinnati.
“Been around here now since 2016 so it feels like I have gotten so much out of the community and the organization, so I was able to talk to the team and get them to partner with me in donating to the scholarship and they would match it. We can help out an underprivileged kid in the community that is in high school or college and needs a little help trying to pay for school. Not everyone has the same opportunity. Just want to do my part to help the community.”
CINCINNATI – The Orioles rallied to pull out a close game in the late innings in the series opener on Friday night and for most of today, it looked like the team might need something similar in the series finale against Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park.
They were locked in a scoreless duel with Reds top pitching prospect lefty Nick Lodolo. And then they fell behind by two runs. They would get even but they would not get their win.
Brandon Drury's 20th homer of the year was a solo shot with two outs in the eighth off the O's Félix Bautista and that lifted the Reds to a 3-2 win in the series finale.
Drury hit a 1-2 splitter that just had enough to go out in left at 372 feet to snap the 2-2 tie and give the Reds the series win.
Bautista's 1.50 ERA was among the best for relievers as he took the mound today.
CINCINNATI – For the Orioles, pitching has told a lot of the story this weekend. The pitching kept the team in the game Friday night until the offense rescued the night with a four-run rally in the ninth. Last night, the pitching put the team in a hole and they could never quite dig out of it in an 8-2 loss.
The Orioles (51-50) and the Reds (39-61) play the rubber match game of this three-game series this afternoon at Great American Ball Park. A win gives the O’s another series victory as they head off to Texas to begin a series there on Monday night.
The Orioles are 14-13-4 in series play this season and 5-8-2 in road series.
Right-hander Austin Voth (1-1, 6.15 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles. After pitching to an ERA of 10.13 for the Washington Nationals, he has been much better with Baltimore. For the Orioles, he is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 games, six of those being starts.
Over 26 2/3 innings for the Birds, he has allowed 26 hits and three homers with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts. He has a 1.350 WHIP with a 3.4 walk rate and 8.4 strikeout rate. The Orioles are 5-1 in his six starts.
CINCINNATI – The Orioles have used Cedric Mullins as a leadoff hitter this year and also Austin Hays. And today, in the series finale in Cincinnati, Trey Mancini is atop the Orioles batting order for the first time since June 29, 2018.
“He’s not your typical leadoff hitter, but we’re trying to find a little bit of a spark,” manager Brandon Hyde said during his pregame interview session. “Trey is swinging the bat better the last few days. It’s mainly about getting Mancini, (Adley) Rutschman and (Anthony) Santander as many at-bats as possible. You know hopefully, dropping some guys down a little can help get them going. But the main thing is getting those 3 guys up as many times.”
He joked he doesn’t need Mancini to try and turn on any speed batting at the top.
“I told him that even you do have an inside-the-parker, you do not have the green light,” Hyde said.
Mancini has actually batted leadoff 53 times in his career, although it’s been a while so he does have some experience there.
Ryan Mountcastle returns to the Orioles’ lineup today for the series finale in Cincinnati, attempting to bust out of a 2-for-33 slump.
Trey Mancini is leading off for the 54th time in his career and the first since June 29, 2018 versus the Angels. Only Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays have led off this season.
Hays is batting fourth today and playing center field. Mullins isn’t in the lineup.
Mancini played in his 700th career game last night, the 41st player in club history to reach that mark. He’s in right field today, and 6-for-14 in his last four games.
Fifty-one of Mancin's 54 games atop the order came in 2018. He did it twice in 2017.
CINCINNATI – Orioles right-hander Jordan Lyles has personal experience with the MLB trade deadline. In 2019, in a late July deal, he was traded from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee and then helped the Brewers make a run to the NL wild card game.
That deal he said, kind of came out of the blue and he had not been among players rumored to be possibly moving at that time.
This year’s deadline is different for the Orioles.
Different in that, rather than be in full sell mode as a rebuilding team, they are a team currently in contention. There are some rumors out there but just not many involving the Orioles. Who knows what that means for next Tuesday, the day of the trade deadline.
For now Lyles believes the Orioles are doing fine with in dealing with any deadline stress, rumors and/or distractions.
The bullpen and defense are attracting the bulk of the credit for the Orioles’ turnaround in 2022. There’s also the timely hitting. The energy and confidence, which builds with each victory, that allows them to overcome deficit after deficit. Ingredients in a winning stew.
As the beat writers have learned, you can’t “write from the top” anymore after the Orioles fall behind early.
(They should have stuck to that strategy last night instead of scoring twice in the first inning. If it ain’t broke …)
The delete button is worn out. Paragraphs highlighted and blown out, statistics and records updated in the reverse.
To minimize Brandon Hyde’s impact as manager and leader would be the same kind of mistake.
The Orioles have signed RHP Zack Showalter (Rd. 11, No. 317 overall) from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have now signed 17 selections from the 2022 Draft.
CINCINNATI – Tonight, in the second game of this series, the Orioles look for their fifth win in six games, and to move three games over the .500 mark as they play at Cincinnati. The Orioles scored four runs in the ninth last night to break a 2-2 tie and beat the Reds 6-2 in the opener of a three-game series and six-game road trip.
Cedric Mullins’ two-run single to center gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead and Trey Mancini’s RBI single that bounced off the second-base bag made it 5-2. Struggling Ryan Mountcastle came through with a sac fly for the 6-2 margin. Jorge López then pitched a 1-2-3 last of the ninth to cap a night of four scoreless innings from the Baltimore bullpen.
The Orioles bullpen has allowed just one earned run in 22 2/3 innings over the past five games. Here are the best bullpen ERAs in the big leagues:
2.72 – Houston
2.89 – New York Yankees
2.99 – Orioles
3.02 – Detroit
The Orioles have had some nice late-inning comebacks and wins this season, and last night was the latest example. With the victory Friday, the Orioles are now at a zero run differential for the season. They have both allowed and scored 421 runs.
CINCINNATI – It was another night of good Orioles pitching, but the Birds eventually needed someone to come up with a clutch hit. Tied 2-2 in the ninth tonight, center fielder Cedric Mullins delivered the needed hit.
Mullins produced a two-run single to center to break a 2-2 tie and lift the Orioles to a road-trip opening 6-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the series opener in front of 23,658 at Great American Ball Park.
"I give a lot of credit to our guys throwing and keeping us in games," said Mullins. "You know we had a rough start and Tony came up big to tie the game and I was able to pick up a big hit late. I think it is a matter of staying focused and believing somone will come through."
The O’s were 0-for-9 on the night with runners in scoring position until Mullins drove in his 41st and 42nd RBIs. Righty Buck Farmer was on the mound for Cincinnati to start the ninth in the tie game and walked Ramón Urías. Ryan McKenna pinch ran and scampered to third on a double into the right-field corner by Rougned Odor.
Then after a shallow fly out by Jorge Mateo, Mullins, who was 0-for-4 on the night, singled on a first-pitch changeup. The O's then got some good fortune. Trey Mancini's grounder up the middle hit the second-base bag and went for an RBI single to make it a 5-2 lead.
CINCINNATI – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had seen this script before. His team’s pitching was pretty good from beginning to end. His team’s offense put together enough quality at-bats late to pull out a win.
This time the Orioles, tied 2-2, needed a four-run ninth inning to beat Cincinnati 6-2 in the opener of a three-game series and six-game road trip.
Now, a year after losing 110 games, the Orioles are 51-49 and at .500 or better at the 100-game mark for the first time since their last playoff season in 2016. And now, as they try to become a surprise playoff entrant for 2022, they are just two games behind Tampa Bay for the final AL playoff spot.
The pitching held up long enough for the offense to show up and the Orioles posted their 23rd comeback win after trailing 2-0 through five innings.
“Our bullpen, we’re down 2-0 and Kyle (Bradish) goes five and we put up zeroes the last four,” said Hyde. “They’ve allowed our offense (to come back), even on nights we’re struggling to be able to stay in the game. We’re dangerous offensively. I still think we can get better offensively. Our at-bats usually later in the game are very good and our bullpen, for me, is the reason. They’ve been great at keeping the score right there.”
The enormous improvements in the bullpen, with manager Brandon Hyde finally able to trust the unit in any situation, ranks No. 1 on the list of reasons why the Orioles are so much better in 2022. However, the tightened defense also has earned props.
The Orioles began last night’s game in Cincinnati ranked fourth in the majors with 45 defensive runs saved per Sports Info Solutions.
How does that compare to the recent past?
Hold onto your bucket hats.
They were 24th with -30 DRS in 2021, tied for 16th with one DRS in the shortened 2020 season, were 28th with -53 DRS in 2019, and were 28th with -42 DRS in 2018.
CINCINNATI – The Orioles begin a six-game road trip tonight that will take them through the trade deadline, which arrives next Tuesday. Tonight, they begin a weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park and then they move onto Texas for three games starting Monday night.
The Orioles (50-49) just took three of four from the Tampa Bay Rays winning 3-0 at home Thursday afternoon as right-hander Jordan Lyles and three relievers teamed on a four-hitter. Lyles improved to 7-8 with a 4.56 ERA, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless against Tampa Bay. It was his second scoreless outing of the year and he has allowed just one home run all season over 53 2/3 innings at Oriole Park.
Félix Bautista got the last four outs – three via strikeouts – to record his third save. Over his past eight games, Bautista has thrown 8 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings with one walk to 14 strikeouts. Opponent batters are 0-for-25 against him in this span.
Trey Mancini’s dramatic, two-run, inside-the-park homer gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead in the Baltimore eighth. It was his 10th homer of the season and first-ever inside-the-park homer. It was the first such homer by an Oriole since Austin Hays at Philadelphia Aug. 11, 2020. And it was the first inside-the-park homer at Oriole Park since Robert Andino did it versus Boston on Sept. 26, 2011.
The Orioles begin this trip having won three of four, four of six and 15 of their last 20 games. They have also won 20 of 30 and 26 of their past 40. The Orioles are 29-19 since June 1 and 43-35 since May 1. They improved to 29-20 at home where they are 12-3 in their past 15 games.
CINCINNATI – As the Orioles begin their latest road trip and look to move two games over the .500 mark tonight, they turn to right-hander Kyle Bradish to make his first big league start in over a month.
Bradish (1-4, 7.38 ERA) rejoins the rotation tonight, coming off the injured list after dealing with right shoulder inflammation. Tonight he makes his first start for the Orioles since allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings on June 18 versus Tampa Bay.
Bradish, who is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA in two interleague starts, made two rehab outings for Double-A Bowie on July 9 and 14 and pitched eight scoreless allowing just one hit. Last Sunday, in a rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk at Durham, he gave up two runs and four hits over 4 2/3 innings.
In those games Bradish threw 36, 66 and 80 pitches.
“Kyle had his last rehab start a few days ago," manager Brandon Hyde said today in the O's dugout. "He feels well, it went good. We have a need in our rotation right now and it allows us to push back Dean (Kremer) a day which I think is a positive. Hopefully Kyle can come back up here in the big leagues and work ahead in the count and throw strikes. We love his stuff and his stuff definitely plays up here. Now it’s about working ahead in the count.”
With the trade speculation engulfing Trey Mancini, the Orioles’ lineup for tonight’s series opener in Cincinnati includes him serving as the designated hitter.
Mancini is batting third behind catcher Adley Rutschman.
Rutschman has walked in six straight games, tied with Houston's Yordan Álvarez for the longest active streak in the majors.
Anthony Santander is batting cleanup and playing right field. Austin Hays is in left.
The infield includes Ramón Urías at third base and Rougned Odor at second.
