The Orioles have made the following roster moves:
The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.
The Orioles made a move today aimed at their outfield depth, claiming Forrest Wall on waivers from the Marlins and optioning him to Triple-A Norfolk.
The 40-man roster was full, necessitating a corresponding move that led the Orioles to designate reliever Dillon Tate for assignment.
Wall, 28, is a left-handed hitter who appeared in 13 games with the Braves this season and three with the Marlins, going a combined 8-for-32. He debuted in the majors with Atlanta last summer and was 6-for-13 with two doubles and a home run, and he had one plate appearance in the National League Division Series.
Wall is a career .272/.354/.401 hitter in 10 minor league seasons. The Rockies made him the 35th-overall pick in the 2014 draft, and he was traded to the Blue Jays four years later in a deal that also involved reliever Bryan Baker.
Heston Kjerstad remains on the concussion injured list and Wall, who has two minor options remaining, gives Norfolk a left-handed hitter.
The Orioles today announced plans for Fan Appreciation Weekend, which will be held from Friday, September 20, through Sunday, September 22, when the Orioles host the Detroit Tigers for the final home series of the 2024 regular season. The weekend will feature exclusive giveaways and opportunities for fans to enjoy unforgettable experiences at Oriole Park. Fans can purchase tickets for the weekend series at Orioles.com/FanAppreciation.
On Friday evening, fans will be able to enjoy pregame music by DJ Chris Styles on the Legends Park Stage with a special appearance by the Camden Franks of the Berks Live Hot Dog Race, as part of a Hot Dog Disco. O’s alumni will be on Eutaw Street, near the New Era cap store, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. to sign autographs for fans, free of cost. All fans can stay to enjoy postgame fireworks, presented by SeatGeek.
As a thank you to the best fans in baseball, the Orioles added a GUNNAR HENDERSON t-shirt giveaway on Saturday for the first 20,000 fans, 15 and over. Gates will open to fans two hours prior to the first pitch, as part of the year-long Early Bird Saturdays, presented by Coors Light. KleptoRadio, a local favorite party band, will perform for fans in Legends Park from 2-3:45 p.m. Fans can also enjoy special happy hour deals at Legends Park from 2-4 p.m., extended an additional hour for Fan Appreciation Weekend. Deals include select $5 16 oz. domestic beers as well as $2.50 soft pretzels and popcorn. Beginning when gates open and continuing through the end of the sixth inning, fans are invited to Legends Park to write notes to their favorite O’s players and coaches wishing them good luck as they make their push for the Postseason.
The Orioles will wrap up their regular season home season on Sunday when the first 20,000 fans, 15 and over, will receive an Orioles crewneck sweatshirt. DJ Maybach will be on stage at Legends Park playing kid-friendly music beginning when gates open. In the Bullpen Picnic Area, kids can enjoy activities including coloring and friendship bracelet making, and even make posters to cheer on their favorite Orioles. Mascots from the Orioles Minor League Affiliates will also be taking photos with fans between the second and fourth, free of cost. Following the game, kids ages 4 to 14 will have the opportunity to run the bases as part of Kids Run the Bases, presented by Weis Markets.
All weekend long, randomly selected fans will be invited to participate in pregame ceremonies, including delivering the game ball and throwing a ceremonial first pitch. The weekend will also feature the Berks Live Hot Dog Race during each game, and there will be various opportunities for fans to receive prizes and giveaways and celebrate Orioles baseball throughout the ballpark and on the Orioles social media accounts.
LOS ANGELES – In front of a sellout crowd on the road, with a chance to gain a game on the Yankees, against a hot team with the best record in baseball, the Orioles pitching made three runs stand up.
The Orioles bullpen – the much-maligned O’s bullpen – stood tall.
They had repeated chances to give up the big hit, the soul-crushing hit, the hit to blow the game. But they did not.
The same bullpen that had struggled so badly in recent weeks? Yes, that bullpen.
In what had to qualify as one of the O’s best and most impressive wins of the year, they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Tuesday to open a big three-game series.
LOS ANGELES – Beginning a series against the team with the best record in Major League Baseball on the road was going to be a real challenge for the Orioles.
They had just completed a 2-2 series with the Astros but had lost three of five and six of their last 10. Now they faced Shoehei Ohtani and the Dodgers at a time when they had won six of seven and 15 of their last 21. They were 43-23 this year at home and 9-3 against American League East teams.
A sellout crowd of 52,382 came to see two of baseball’s best match up.
On a night when they got another big home run from Ramón Urías and some heavy lifting from their beleaguered bullpen, the Orioles won the series opener 3-2 to move to within a game of the Yankees, who lost earlier in Washington.
The Orioles (77-56) have gone 3-2 against two hot clubs in the Astros and Dodgers.
LOS ANGELES – It's the Orioles' first trip to Dodger Stadium since 2016 as they begin a six-game road trip tonight versus the Dodgers.
Los Angeles (78-53) took two of three over the weekend from Tampa Bay and has won six of seven, 12 of 16 and 15 of the last 21 games.
But the Dodgers' lead in the National League West is just three games over the Diamondbacks and four games over the Padres.
The Dodgers have won their division every year since 2013, except in 2021 when 106 wins only got them second place. They won 100 last year but lost three straight to the D-backs in the NL Division Series.
Chasing back-to-back American League East titles for the first time since 1973 and 1974, the Orioles (76-56) are coming off a four-game split with the Astros. They began play today two games behind the Yankees in the division. But with the Nationals 4-2 win over the Yankees, the O's would move to 1 game back with a win tonight.
LOS ANGELES – The Orioles are slowly getting healthier and manager Brandon Hyde would say “knock on wood” when you mention that. His team currently has 12 players on the injured list.
Righty reliever Jacob Webb is reporting to Triple-A Norfolk to soon throw for the Tides. Perhaps as soon as early next week, the O’s could get a key piece in their bullpen back. Meanwhile, starter Zach Eflin is eligible to return from the injured list on Sunday and Hyde today confirmed what Eflin earlier told reporters – he will not need a rehab assignment. Perhaps he gets that Sunday start in Colorado.
Eflin and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (on the IL with right lat discomfort) both did some light tossing pregame today in the Dodger Stadium outfield.
As for Webb, he last pitched on Aug. 2 and went on the IL a few days later due to right shoulder inflammation.
“He’s going to throw here in the next few days,” Hyde said of Webb, who has a 3.08 ERA and .188 batting average against over 53 games. “If all goes well, could be anytime. Sometime beginning of September. Which would be huge.”
LOS ANGELES – Center fielder Cedric Mullins is back in the Orioles lineup tonight as they begin their road trip against the Dodgers.
Mullins left Friday's game early with left quad tightness and missed the last two games of the Houston series. He took batting practice before Sunday's game and will make the start tonight.
Ryan O'Hearn, who has not homered since July 20, gets the start at first base after Ryan Mountcastle went on the injured list Monday with a left wrist sprain.
With 30 games left in their regular season, the Orioles have three road trips remaining, the first beginning with their series-opener tonight at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers (78-53) have the best record in the major leagues and are 12-4 in their past 16 games.
The Orioles can’t keep playing with a short bench. They can’t keep waiting for Ryan Mountcastle’s status to shift from day-to-day.
They also can't maintain a healthy stretch in 2024.
Mountcastle was placed on the 10-day injured list this afternoon, retroactive to Friday, with a left wrist sprain. Infielder Livan Soto was recalled again from Triple-A Norfolk.
The injury occurred Thursday night against the Astros after Mountcastle slid head-first into second base with a double in the second inning. He was removed in the top of the ninth and didn’t play in the next three games.
The earliest that Mountcastle can return is Sept. 2, a day after rosters expand to 28 players.
The Orioles have made the following roster moves:
Since he burst onto top 100 prospects lists during the 2023 season, O’s catching prospect Samuel Basallo became a marked man. Everyone knew his name and opponent pitchers worked hard to make their mark by getting him out.
He likes that actually.
“I embrace it. It’s a challenge and I like to compete. Guys fighting to get me out, I take that as a challenge. I look forward to the competition,” said Basallo, who we found out yesterday, is being promoted by the Orioles from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. This was from an interview in July, right before he played in the All-Star Futures Game representing the Orioles and Bowie Baysox.
Now, 12 days after he turned 20, Basallo will become the youngest player in Triple-A when he takes the field tomorrow with Norfolk at Jacksonville. He has 24 games left to show his stuff at the minor’s highest level.
Basallo’s first two pro seasons, in 2021 and 2022, were in short-season ball. He began last year at Low-A Delmarva and after 83 games there he moved to High-A Aberdeen. After just 27 games with the IronBirds, he ended last season with four games at Bowie.
A team has only so many dramatic comebacks in the bank. Expecting three in a row seems a bit unreasonable, a tall order that can’t always be scaled. Maybe spread them out a little.
Make a baseball life a little easier while fighting to get back into first place.
Dean Kremer ran into two-out trouble in the fourth inning tonight, surrendering three runs and receiving no offensive support except for a walk. No hits or rallies. Nothing unusual for this team.
Ramón Urías tied the game in the fifth inning with a three-run homer, the uprising a tad earlier than usual, but Alex Bregman and Yanier Diaz went back-to-back on consecutive Burch Smith pitches in the seventh in the Astros’ 6-3 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 21,654 at Camden Yards that split the series.
The heroics ran out for the Orioles, who were held to a season-low two hits and are 76-56.
The Orioles last three-game win streak came over 30 games ago. They won three straight July 14-20, wrapping around the All-Star break with a win to end the first half and two to start the second half.
They have not won three straight over a three-day period since taking four in a row from June 26-29. With two wins in the first three games versus Houston, the Orioles tonight look for their first home series win over the Astros since May 25-27, 2015. And a win would give them another three-game win streak.
The Orioles ended Houston's nine-game road winning streak 7-5 Friday night and won again yesterday 3-2.
Earlier today the Yankees beat Colorado 10-3 to improve to 77-54. They lead the Orioles (76-55) by one game pending the O's result tonight. Aaron Judge hit two homers today for New York, hitting No. 50 and No. 51.
Jackson Holliday's three-run, pinch-hit double in the sixth inning Saturday afternoon provided all the O's runs in their 3-2 win. It was Holliday's first pinch-hit appearance in MLB.
Samuel Basallo on up to Triple-A. The Orioles' top 100 catching prospect is being promoted to Norfolk after homering for Bowie today in his final game with the Double-A Baysox.
Basallo is ranked as the No. 11 prospect in baseball per MLBPipeline.com and No. 17 by Baseball America. He’s had a very solid year at Double-A that included an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game in July in Arington, Tex.
Now, in just his second year of full-season minor league ball, he is moving up again. He began last year at Low-A Delmarva, moved to High-A Aberdeen and ended 2023 with Bowie, hitting 20 homers with an OPS of .953 for those clubs. This year he takes the step from Double-A to Triple-A having turned 20 just 12 days ago.
In 106 Bowie games, Basallo has hit .289/.355/.465/.820 with 22 doubles, 16 homers and 55 RBIs. Basallo began this season as a DH-only with the Orioles in big league camp after suffering a stress fracture in his right elbow over the winter. He’s been catching since early this season. He has made 45 starts this season catching with a 27 percent caught stealing percentage, 27 starts at first base and 29 as DH.
He became the 14th Baysox player selected to play in the Futures Game, where he batted fourth for the American League team, going 0-for-1 with a walk.
Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Daniel Johnson is on the Orioles’ 24-hour taxi squad while center fielder Cedric Mullins is reevaluated for left quadriceps tightness.
Mullins exited Friday's game due to discomfort and so far he's avoided the injured list. Johnson was removed from Norfolk’s game after two at-bats that night, and he’s got a locker at Camden Yards in case Mullins’ quad doesn’t improve enough to let him play.
Johnson, also a left-handed bat, is hitting .267/.333/.479 with 17 doubles, a triple, 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in 98 games with Norfolk. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2021 with Cleveland.
The Orioles would need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to accommodate him.
“A lot of at-bats,” Johnson said when asked to explain his success with the Tides. “Get a lot of at-bats, you can do a lot every single day. So just the ABs. It’s an opportunity.”
The Orioles designated left-hander Nick Vespi for assignment this afternoon after optioning him for a fifth time, and they claimed right-hander Brooks Kriske on waivers from the Reds.
Kriske was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to leave the active roster untouched. The 40-man remains full.
Vespi couldn’t be optioned again without passing through waivers. He tossed a scoreless inning Thursday against the Astros.
Kriske provides more flexibility, and he’s back in the organization after appearing in four games with the Orioles in 2021 and allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023 with the Royals, spending the next two years in Japan.
The Reds signed Kriske as a free agent in December. He had a 3.10 ERA in 42 games with Triple-A Louisville and struck out 72 batters in 49 1/3 innings.
The Orioles have made the following roster moves:
The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.
The Orioles' last two wins were not just comeback wins over an American League division leader, but they were impressive because of the team and pitchers they beat.
Consider that:
* After beating the Orioles 6-0 Thursday, Houston was 4-0 this year over the Orioles by a combined 33-13 score. They were 9-3 their past 12 against the Orioles.
* On Friday the Orioles won a game started by right-hander Hunter Brown, who had a 1.96 ERA in August, a 2.36 ERA since July 12 and the AL’s best ERA since June 1 at 2.33. On Saturday they won a game started by left-hander Framber Valdez, a pitcher in the top 11 for the AL Cy Young Award three times in his career. Houston had won 10 Valdez starts in a row since they lost to the White Sox, of all teams, June 18. Valdez was 8-0 with a 2.39 ERA those past 10 starts. The O’s didn’t exactly light up either pitcher but they won those games against a hot team starting its hottest starters.
* Through Thursday’s win, Houston was 12-3 over the previous 15 games and 14-6 their last 20. They had won nine in a row on the road and were 19-9 the previous 28 away from Houston.
