ANAHEIM – It hasn’t been the start to the season that the Orioles’ offense was expected to have. 

The Birds have scored five runs or more just a dozen times in the 38 games they've played so far in 2025. They’re 10-2 in those games, an almost maddening statistic considering the fact that five runs isn’t an incredibly high bar to reach. Baltimore has just struggled to get there. 

“Unfortunately, the start of the season had been more down than up,” hitting coach Cody Asche said today. “There’s no hiding behind that.” 

Entering this afternoon’s Mother’s Day rubber match against the Angels, the Orioles rank 27th in baseball in hits, 28th in walks, 26th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage and 20th in OPS. 

None of those numbers are incredibly encouraging, especially considering the talent in this lineup that has produced much better numbers in the past.

The Orioles are facing a left-hander today, the Angels’ Tyler Anderson, which again puts them at a statistical disadvantage.

The team is hitting .178/.257/.245 against lefties this season.

Manager Brandon Hyde lowered Cedric Mullins to eighth and is batting Gunnar Henderson leadoff.

Mullins moved down to sixth in the order last night and went 0-for-4 to increase his slump to one hit in his last 34 at-bats. He’s 0-for-19.

Mullins still needs one RBI for 300 in his career. Henderson needs one for 200.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated RHP Zach Eflin (right lat strain) from the 15-day Injured List. He will start today’s game.
• Optioned RHP Colin Selby to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Returned LHP Trevor Rogers (right knee subluxation) from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 15-day Injured List, and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

While other players string together hits or prevent runs from scoring in consecutive games, Orioles infielder Emmanuel Rivera might become known more for his stubborn streak.

Rivera is a waiver claim in August, dumped by the lowly Marlins, and bats .313 with a .948 OPS in 27 games with the Orioles. Eight of his 20 hits went for extra bases, including four home runs.

The Orioles avoid a possible arbitration hearing by signing Rivera to a $1 million contract on Nov. 22 and designate him for assignment on Jan. 31. He clears waivers, accepts an outright assignment on Feb. 10 and injures his left shoulder in camp.

Any chance to make the team, however slim, is ruined. But Rivera can’t be deterred and the Orioles are rewarded again for having him in the organization. His contract is selected on April 28 with Jordan Westburg going on the injured list, and he just keeps on hitting.

Rivera went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Friday night’s series opener in Anaheim to make him 8-for-19 in six games, and he started again last night, going 1-for-4. The Orioles also like his play at third base. “The Octopus” brings a lot to the table.

The Orioles snapped a five-game losing streak last night with a 4-1 victory in Anaheim and will try tonight to win back-to-back for only the third time.

Jackson Holliday moves atop the order for the second time in his career. Cedric Mullins is lowered to sixth.

Mullins went 0-for-5 last night and is in a 1-for-30 slump. He’s hitless in his last 15 at-bats.

Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter and Jorge Mateo is at shortstop. Emmanuel Rivera had two hits and an RBI last night and he’s at third base again tonight.

Kyle Gibson makes his third Orioles start tonight after allowing 12 runs and 16 hits with six homers in 7 2/3 innings. He’s registered a 5.83 ERA and 1.452 WHIP in 15 career starts against the Angels, and he owns a 7.27 ERA and 1.587 WHIP in seven starts in Anaheim.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill was reinstated from the injured list yesterday and Zach Eflin should follow on Sunday to start the final game of the road trip. Reliever Andrew Kittredge made his second rehab appearance on Thursday. Infielder Ramón Urías is trending toward a return perhaps by Tuesday or Wednesday after the latest break in the schedule.

Unable to get on a roll that moves them out of last place, the Orioles are implementing a new tactic this month - subtracting from the IL instead of adding to it.

Can’t hurt to try it.

Fifteen different Orioles have gone on the IL this season, only two fewer than in 2024. That’s the most in the American League and second in the majors to the Dodgers’ 17.

The White Sox and Reds have 15 different players, and the Marlins and Mets have 14.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Entering tonight’s game against the Angels, the Orioles had gone 16 consecutive games without scoring a first-inning run. 

That changed on a 1-0 count to Gunnar Henderson. 

Kyle Hendricks, better known for his days with the Cubs, threw a changeup that caught too much of the plate, and Henderson drove it 400 feet to right field. An early lead became a 4-1 victory, and behind a stellar start from Tomoyuki Sugano, the Orioles got back in the win column.

“He’s got the art of pitching down,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “The way he changes speeds and moves the ball around, super unpredictable, keeps hitters off balance. And we played really good defense behind him tonight. When we needed it, Tomo stepped up for us.”

Thanks to Henderson, Sugano entered the bottom of the first frame with a lead, a luxury they haven’t had often in 2025. The MLB newcomer went 1-2-3, and the O’s were off and running. 

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Zach Eflin’s return to the big league mound has been grabbing most headlines. For a rotation in search of stability, the veteran right-hander provides just that. 

The rotation, however, hasn’t been the main culprit of the Orioles’ recent woes. That has been Baltimore’s lineup, which has plated more than three runs in just one of their past six games. 

A healthy Tyler O’Neill, and his career OPS just shy of .800, could be the shot in the arm that Baltimore needs. 

The outfielder, activated to the active roster today after missing time with a neck injury, wasn't hitting like himself to begin the 2025 season. O’Neill hit just .215 with a .385 slugging percentage and .668 OPS, all some of the worst numbers of his career. 

That neck injury, as it turns out, had been an issue for O’Neill throughout much of the season and had a big impact on what he was able to do at the plate. 

The Orioles have made the following roster moves: 

• Reinstated OF Tyler O’Neill (neck inflammation) from the 10-day Injured List.
• Optioned INF Coby Mayo to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
• LHP Walter Pennington cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill has returned to the Orioles after two games with Triple-A Norfolk on his injury rehab assignment.

O’Neill was reinstated from the IL this afternoon, but the corresponding move didn’t involve another outfielder. The Orioles optioned corner infielder Coby Mayo to Norfolk after yesterday’s game in Minnesota.

The transactions was made official today after O’Neill went 2-for-6 with the Tides. He hasn’t played for the Orioles since April 23 in D.C. because of neck inflammation and is batting .215/.284/.385 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 RBIs in 18 games.

Mayo was recalled on May 3 with infielder Ramón Urías going on the IL due to a right hamstring strain. He singled yesterday but went 1-for-12 with six strikeouts during his most recent stretch with the Orioles, and he’s 5-for-53 with five walks and 28 strikeouts in the majors.

Mayo did some early infield drills yesterday at third base, fielding ground balls and working on the accuracy of his throws to first. He will keep getting starts at the corners with Norfolk, where he slashed .255/.353/.539 with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs and 21 RBIs in 28 games.

MINNEAPOLIS – Dean Kremer deserved much better and wasn’t asking for it. Baseball can be a fickle and frustrating game. He knows it. Just keep going after hitters and accept the outcome.

Kremer completed seven innings again today and held the Twins to two runs, exiting with the score tied and the Orioles having left runners on base in each of the first six frames. He retired 10 of the last 12 and 18 of 21, and hoped that the worst part of the day would be a no-decision.

He couldn’t enjoy a team victory. He had to dress and eat inside another quiet clubhouse.

Brooks Lee drove in two runs with a two-out double off Gregory Soto in the bottom of the eighth inning and he scored on Ty France’s single to give the Twins a 5-2 win and complete the sweep at Target Field.

The Orioles had 10 hits for the second day in a row and stranded nine runners, their failings with men in scoring position littering the scoresheet. Trevor Larnach finally made them pay with a game-tying home run off Kremer in the sixth inning. The slightest of margins was erased with one swing, and Kremer spun around to wait for a new ball without watching the old on land.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles have designated Matt Bowman for assignment this morning and recalled Colin Selby from Triple-A Norfolk to put a fresher arm in the bullpen.

Bowman tossed a scoreless inning last night but allowed runs in five of his last eight appearances. His ERA grew from 1.98 to 5.19 since April 27.

The Orioles outrighted Bowman on Opening Day but selected his contract after Albert Suárez went on the injured list March 30. He can reject another outright assignment and become a free agent.

The 40-man roster holds 39 players.

Selby has allowed two runs and three hits with four strikeouts in two innings with the Orioles this season. He has a 6.14 ERA in seven games with Norfolk, striking out 11 batters in 7 1/3 innings.

MINNEAPOLIS – The first two Twins batters struck out tonight and six of seven were retired. Charlie Morton appeared to be launching his redemption tour at Target Field.

Byron Buxton had to ruin it in the third inning by launching a curveball into the second deck for a three-run homer.

Morton was removed after the fourth with his pitch count at 70, Harrison Bader provided some cushion with a two-run shot off Keegan Akin in the seventh, and the Orioles lost again, 5-2, to fall nine games below .500 for the first time since July 2, 2022.

The Orioles have dropped four in a row and 11 of 15. Their last four-game skid came within a stretch of five straight defeats from July 9-13, 2024.

Ramón Laureano led off the top of the third inning with a 425-foot shot to center field off Simeon Woods Richardson for his fourth home run of the season. The Orioles had an early lead, but it didn’t last long.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher LUIS F. CASTILLO from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. He has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Castillo, 30, has a 7.71 ERA (6 ER/7.0 IP) with 12 hits, seven total runs, and seven walks with five strikeouts in two major league starts for the Mariners this season. He’s also made four starts for Triple-A Tacoma, going 0-1 with a 5.02 ERA (8 ER/14.1 IP). Castillo opened the year in Triple-A before having his contract selected on April 4. He was optioned back to Tacoma on April 10, and was designated for assignment yesterday.

Castillo made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2022, working 3.2 scoreless innings in three games. He spent the last two seasons in Japan, pitching for the Orix Buffaloes in 2024 and Chiba Lotte Marines in 2023. In two years in Nippon Professional Baseball, Castillo went 6-8 with a 3.01 ERA (48 ER/143.1 IP) with 21 walks and 108 strikeouts in 27 games (24 starts). He also made 10 appearances (nine starts) for the farm teams. He originally signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent on February 16, 2012, out of Fantino, Dominican Republic.

To make room on the 40-man roster, left-handed pitcher WALTER PENNINGTON has been designated for assignment. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

MINNEAPOLIS – An off-day didn’t provide a reset for the Orioles. Facing a right-handed starting pitcher wasn’t a reprieve.

Striking out 11 times against the Twins’ Pablo López in five innings and 17 overall wasn’t going to bring them back from an early deficit.

Cade Povich allowed five runs in the third, including Carlos Correa’s 458-foot shot into the second deck in left field. López had hitters barreling air, and the Orioles lost their third consecutive game 9-1 before an announced crowd of 19,779 at Target Field.

It seemed like the appropriate venue for target practice.

Povich retired six of the first seven batters, with Correa reaching on an infield hit leading off the second, but Trevor Larnach and Willi Castro singled with one out in the third and Byron Buxton put the Twins ahead with a 109.7 mph double off the left field fence. Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run single into right field with the infield in.

MINNEAPOLIS – Zach Eflin accompanied the Orioles to Minneapolis and will throw a bullpen session tomorrow afternoon at Target Field as a follow-up to Sunday’s rehab start with High-A Aberdeen.

Eflin will make his return this weekend against the Angels in Anaheim. He’d be on normal rest Friday night if that’s the chosen date.

“I’m feeling great, obviously, here traveling with the team,” he said. “As close as I can be to being ready and kind of just waiting to get back out there.”

Eflin made three starts with the Orioles, completing six innings in each appearance and posting a 3.00 ERA. He went on the injured list with a right lat strain after holding the Diamondbacks to one run on April 7 in Arizona, vowing to make it a short stay and doing everything possible to get back quickly.

“I’d like to say so, but at the same time I have to listen to the training staff,” he said. “It’s an amazing training staff and if it was my way, I would have liked maybe a day or two extra and then not even go on the IL, but I understand there was something there in my lat and I had to listen to the trainers, I had to listen to my body. Nothing that you ever want to do, go on the IL. You just don’t feel like you’re a part of the team. You want to be out there kind of in the trenches with the guys every day, so it’s hard to kind of have that reality, but at the end of the day, I think it’s what my body needed to be able to go out and make every start for the rest of the season and the playoffs.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles begin their three-game road series against the Twins with Coby Mayo at third base and Dylan Carlson in left field.

Heston Kjerstad is in right. Jackson Holliday is the second baseman.

Left-hander Cade Povich has a 5.16 ERA and 1.652 WHIP in six starts. He faced the Twins, the team that traded him at the 2022 deadline, on Sept. 27 at Target Field and tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with two hits.

Povich owns a career 2.08 ERA in eight starts against the American League Central, the lowest for any Orioles starter in a minimum five starts. Kyle Bradish is next at 2.51, per STATS.

Also from STATS: Povich has gone at least five innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer in four straight road starts. The only Orioles lefties with longer streaks this century are Erik Bedard (2004-2005), Bruce Chen (2005) and John Means (2021) with five apiece.

April wasn’t the Orioles’ month. 

After entering the season with lofty expectations, Baltimore has fallen flat to kick off the new campaign. The Birds won just 9 of their 25 contests in April, bringing more showers than flowers. Maybe that’s what May is for. 

The O’s went 17-9 in May of 2024, and they would love a repeat performance in 2025 to turn their season around. 

Here, let’s break down five factors that could propel them in the right direction. 

Zach Eflin 

Orioles reliever Yennier Cano stood with his hands on his hips. He did it once, twice, as if in a state of disbelief.

He had no other reaction. The season hadn’t prepared him for it.

Cano surrendered his first earned runs in 13 appearances and his first homers, with the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino going back-to-back to break a tie in the seventh in an 11-6 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 31,956 at Camden Yards.

Kansas City began the series ranked last in the majors with 15 homers, but they set the club record with seven today and have 10 over the past two games. The Orioles hit four, including a pair from Jackson Holliday, and fell way short, lowering their record to 13-20 as they ready for their next road trip following an off-day.

Every homer today was a solo on Star Wars Weekend until Michael Massey’s two-run shot off Matt Bowman in the ninth. The jokes write themselves.

The Orioles close out their series against the Royals today at rainy Camden Yards with Coby Mayo at third base and Maverick Handley catching.

This is Handley’s first major league start. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field. Heston Kjerstad is in left.

Kyle Gibson makes his second start after signing with the Orioles and going through a buildup. He surrendered five home runs to the Yankees before the end of the second inning and allowed nine runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3.

Gibson is 11-6 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.300 WHIP in 28 career games (26 starts) versus the Royals.