-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
The latest Orioles lineup tonight, in a game that concludes the series against the Reds, has Gunnar Henderson playing shortstop and Jordan Westburg at third base.
Westburg has three hits in his first two major league games.
Adam Frazier is starting at second base tonight.
Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías move to the bench.
Aaron Hicks is serving as the designated hitter. He batted .201 against right-handers with the Yankees in 2022 and 2023 but has posted a .276 average against them with the Orioles.
The noise created by Jordan Westburg’s major league debut, in the pouring rain at Camden Yards, drowned out everything else. However, a stat from another infielder shouldn’t go ignored.
Jorge Mateo walked twice.
Not a big deal?
Mateo has played in 330 major league games, accumulated 1,004 plate appearances, and never drawn more than one walk except for Monday night.
“I’ve been trying to work on not chasing, trying to focus on hitting pitches that are in the zone, and trying to find pitches that I can do harder contact with,” he said yesterday via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “So, it’s just a matter of continuing to work on those things and trying not to swing at pitches outside the zone.”
Tyler Wells wouldn’t let the Reds put the ball on the ground tonight until the sixth inning, with the Orioles defense recording its first assist on his 99th and final pitch.
Strikeouts, fly balls and popups were the items on his menu. He walked off the mound for the last time unsure whether he’d have to stomach a loss.
The Orioles followed their 10-run outburst last night by settling for a sacrifice fly in the second inning and wasting a quality start from Wells in a 3-1 loss to the Reds before an announced crowd of 14,057 at Camden Yards.
The teams made it through seven innings before another storm arrived. The third delay in two nights lasted one hour and 43 minutes.
Austin Hays took a called third strike from reliever Lucas Sims to strand two runners in the bottom of the seventh. It began to pour, and fans cleared the lower section.
Jordan Westburg follows last night’s major league debut with another start tonight at second base. He’s batting seventh again.
Ramón Urías is playing first base, Ryan McKenna is in right field, Aaron Hicks is in center and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Adley Rutschman’s two hits last night made him the first catcher since Jorge Posada in 2000 to record 75-plus hits and 50-plus walks in 75 games, according to STATS.
Austin Hays is batting leadoff again. He has a hit in 17 of 21 games this month, slashing .337/.364/.518 (28-for-83) with nine doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 14 runs scored. His .319 average leads the American League.
Cedric Mullins, who’s on the bench, had a 110.5 mph single last night in the seventh inning that was the hardest-hit ball of his career.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t set up a meeting today with Jordan Westburg after the young infielder arrived at Camden Yards, his major league debut against the Reds still hours away. The choices were simple. Give him advice or give him space.
Hyde chose space.
“I try to be as relaxed as I possibly can with him,” Hyde said this afternoon. “I don’t think that anything I say is going to help him or hurt him. Maybe hurt him. But no, this is something they’ve dreamed about their whole lives, and this is something that’s been a goal since they were 8 years old.
“First day’s always a whirlwind, and a lot of stuff thrown at them, and you just kind of want the game to start for them and let them play.”
Westburg couldn’t play for an extra 15 minutes because of the precipitation that pushed back the start. His first at-bat came with two outs in the second inning, at the exact same time that more rain began to fall, increasing in intensity with each pitch following a standing ovation from fans who didn’t rush for cover.
Gunnar Henderson sat slumped in a chair in front of his locker today, staring at his phone with a slight grin on his face. In his own little world, while media surrounded Jordan Westburg on the other side of the clubhouse.
Henderson had his scrum on Aug. 31 in Cleveland. Westburg received the home treatment this afternoon before making his major league debut.
“It feels like forever ago, but also it doesn’t feel like I remember too much leading up until the game,” said Henderson, who was baseball’s No. 1 prospect.
“I remember the night before I got like 45 minutes of sleep. It was a little bit different, but I’m sure he got a good night’s sleep. But it doesn’t seem like too long ago.”
Westburg is starting at second base against Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson. Henderson is on the bench, though left-handed hitters are 9-for-28 (.321) against Williamson.
Jordan Westburg is playing second base and batting seventh tonight in his major league debut at Camden Yards.
Gunnar Henderson is out of the lineup. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop, and Ramón Urías is at third base.
Austin Hays is leading off as the designated hitter, with Ryan McKenna in left field. Cedric Mullins is sixth in the order.
Anthony Santander is starting at first base, with Aaron Hicks in right field and batting fourth.
Santander has homered in five of the last six games. He’s the first Orioles player with homers in three straight games against the same opponent since Pat Valaika on Aug. 20-22, 2020.
Jordan Westburg is making his major league debut tonight, position and spot in batting order to be announced later.
The Orioles selected Westburg’s contract and optioned infielder Joey Ortiz to Triple-A Norfolk. Catcher José Godoy cleared outright waivers yesterday and accepted an assignment to Norfolk, which opened a spot on the 40-man roster.
Every move was anticipated and made official.
Ortiz appeared in only four games this month and needs regular at-bats, which he can find at Triple-A. Godoy didn’t make it into a game after the Orioles selected his contract June 18.
Westburg wasn’t summoned to sit. He’ll be in tonight’s lineup, especially against Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson.
The heat that Orioles reliever Mike Baumann brings with his fastball isn’t what he used to burn the Mariners on Saturday afternoon.
Baumann was put in the unenviable spot of inheriting an automatic runner at second base in the 10th inning. Throw the last warm-up pitch and step into a jam. Scoring position with no outs in a tie game. None of it your fault or the previous reliever’s.
One of baseball’s newer rules, intended to shorten extra innings and save pitching staffs, isn’t intended to favor the guys standing on the mound. But they deal with it.
Baumann reveled in it.
The big right-hander fielded J.P. Crawford’s comebacker and struck out Julio Rodríguez and Ty France, and Ryan McKenna hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th. Baumann settled for best supporting actor in a dramatic win.
Jordan Westburg wasn’t in Triple-A Norfolk’s lineup this afternoon.
He’s headed to Baltimore.
An industry source confirmed that the Orioles are selecting Westburg’s contract, in time for Monday night’s series opener against the Reds at Camden Yards.
MLB Pipeline ranks Westburg as the organization’s No. 3 prospect behind infielder Jackson Holliday and outfielder Colton Cowser, and 46th in baseball.
Westburg, 24, has been pounding on the door this year, batting .295/.372/.567 with 15 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 67 games with Norfolk. The Orioles answered before the calendar turned to July.
One day after Orioles reserve outfielder Ryan McKenna hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, backup catcher Anthony Bemboom broke a tie in less dramatic fashion.
With less pop and some help from the Mariners’ defense, but only the result mattered.
Bemboom popped up a fastball down the right field line in the fifth inning that fell for a hit. Mariners second baseman José Caballero booted it further toward the corner, and Jorge Mateo came around to score from first.
Kyle Bradish retired 13 of his last 14 batters to complete seven innings, matching his season high, and the Orioles won 3-2 before an announced crowd of 19,143 at Camden Yards.
The Orioles are 47-29 after claiming their 16th series. Closer Félix Bautista notched his 21st save after surrendering a game-tying home run yesterday to Mike Ford with two outs in the ninth.
Orioles reliever Mychal Givens returned to Baltimore due to some soreness in his right shoulder.
Givens left his injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, where he began pitching again after a shutdown period caused by inflammation in the shoulder. He appeared in Thursday’s game and allowed one run and two hits in two-thirds of an inning.
The rehab schedule had Givens pitching again today, but the Orioles’ medical staff is examining him.
“It’s a low level of concern,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “He just had a little bit of discomfort. … Hopefully, he’ll go right back to continue his rehab.”
Givens began the season on the injured list with left knee soreness. He appeared in six games, allowing five earned runs (six total) and four hits with six walks in four innings.
Anthony Bemboom is catching this afternoon and Adley Rutschman is on the bench for the series finale against the Mariners at sunny Camden Yards.
Gunnar Henderson is batting third and playing third base, followed by first baseman Ryan O’Hearn. Aaron Hicks is the designated hitter.
Cedric Mullins is in center field, where he was listed yesterday before switching to DH in his return from a strained groin muscle.
Kyle Bradish is making his 14th start. He’s registered a 3.88 ERA and 1.262 WHIP in 65 innings.
Bradish faced the Mariners on June 1, 2022 at Camden Yards and allowed two runs and six hits with six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. J.P. Crawford hit a solo home run.
The bar is lowered in the aftermath of a 13-1 loss. An at-bat or outing might be lauded only because it wasn’t part of the problem. Sift through the scraps and treat them like gold.
However, manager Brandon Hyde offered lots of legitimate praise for Cionel Pérez after the reliever’s two scoreless innings Friday night.
They were bigger than the game.
Pérez turned in his first clean inning since May 16, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts in the top of the sixth. The nine appearances that followed were marred by runs, hits, walks or a combination, pushing his ERA to 5.55 heading into the Mariners series.
Ty France led off the seventh with a single that concluded a nine-pitch at-bat. He fouled off four and grounded a single into left field.
Flush it.
The best advice that the Orioles could give themselves last night after a 12-run loss. Don’t dwell on the mistakes and the embarrassment. Move on as quickly as possible. Nothing good comes from wallowing in it.
"That's definitely one you need to let go right away and come back tomorrow,” manager Brandon Hyde said after Friday's game.
“It's one of those weird ones where a couple big innings kind of did us in,” said starter Kyle Gibson, “and you've got to be able to flush it and not let one loss turn into two.”
Or a deuce, as it were.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has announced his starters for the next two games.
Kyle Bradish is closing out the series against the Mariners on Sunday, and left-hander Cole Irvin faces the Reds on Monday.
The alignment keeps Bradish on normal rest. Irvin started June 16 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, allowing three solo home runs in the third, and tossed an inning in relief Wednesday afternoon against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Hyde mentioned after the game that the Orioles would give Irvin a start “at some point in the next few days.”
Five days, to be exact.
The Orioles reinstated center fielder Cedric Mullins from the injured list this afternoon. They also recalled left-hander Bruce Zimmermann and optioned reliever Logan Gillaspie and infielder Josh Lester to Triple-A Norfolk.
Mullins finished his rehab assignment with Norfolk after Thursday’s doubleheader and returned to Baltimore. He’s leading off today.
First baseman Ryan Mountcastle stayed with the Tides last night. He isn’t included to today’s transactions.
Lester tossed a scoreless ninth inning last night in his professional pitching debut and reached on an error in the bottom half.
Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base again and batting cleanup. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop. Aaron Hicks moves to right fielid.
While Triple-A Norfolk moves past its first-half title in the International League and keeps posting prospect-studded lineups, outfielder Kyle Stowers is in Sarasota rehabbing an injury to his right shoulder.
The Orioles optioned Stowers for a second time on May 15, after he was hitless in his last 21 at-bats. He’s 2-for-30 in 14 games, with three walks and 12 strikeouts.
Stowers’ last game with Norfolk was May 21. He hasn’t played in more than a month after being shut down with inflammation in his shoulder.
The second stop with the Tides lasted five games, with Stowers going 3-for-18. Work done with hitting coach Brink Ambler was put on hold, for much longer than the seven-day IL period.
“Part of it was he was just trying to get back to what he has done really well. Controlling the strike zone, making sure he’s able to take care of fastballs, things like that,” Ambler said.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde would need his bullpen earlier than he wanted. A 35-pitch second inning from Kyle Gibson wasn’t conducive to a lengthy start. A 34-pitch third finally brought the hook.
Gibson registered his shortest start with the Orioles tonight while allowing five runs, and they dropped the series opener to the Mariners 13-1 before an announced crowd of 16,234 at Camden Yards that waited through a one hour, 40 minute rain delay.
The Rays lead the Orioles by 5 ½ games after their win tonight. The Yankees and Blue Jays lost.
Anthony Santander homered off Logan Gilbert in the seventh inning to break up the shutout bid and give the Orioles their second hit. The Mariners answered with seven runs in the eighth, all charged to Keegan Akin, to make the blowout official.
The margin freed Hyde to send Josh Lester to the mound in the ninth for the infielder’s professional pitching debut. He didn’t allow a run after Tom Murphy’s leadoff double, striking out Jarred Kelenic looking at a 62.3 mph “slider.” A walk was mixed in with two popups.
Orioles reliever Mychal Givens will pitch Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk, the firmest update available today on rehabbing players in the organization.
Givens allowed a run and two hits with a walk in two-thirds of an inning yesterday in Game 1 of a doubleheader. He's recovering from right shoulder inflammation.
The club is performing daily evaluations on center fielder Cedric Mullins and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who remain on their injury rehab assignments with Norfolk. Mullins started both games of last night’s doubleheader, while Mountcastle appeared in the opener.
Mullins isn’t in Norfolk’s lineup tonight. Mountcastle is batting second and serving as the designated hitter.
“We’re still kind of taking it day-to-day with both guys, but we’re encouraged that they came out of both those games feeling good,” said manager Brandon Hyde.
