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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.
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.
Anthony Santander didn’t save the Orioles season.
So why does it feel that way?
They were on the verge of falling 2 ½ games behind the first-place Yankees, with zero momentum or offensive thrust. The bullpen was a mess, whether middle, late or closing. Teams in the wild card chase were gaining ground.
I don't recommend panicking but I would have understood.
The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning Friday night on a couple of singles and a brain cramp from Astros reliever Bryan Abreu, who fielded a comebacker and bypassed the force at second base or easy out at first. Up stepped Santander, who whipped a crowd of almost 40,000 into an absolute, playoff-feel frenzy with his fourth career grand slam to erase a 5-2 deficit.
The bond between outfielder Nick Markakis and hitting coach Terry Crowley really began to develop early in the 2006 season.
The former Orioles first-round draft pick was struggling as a rookie. Talk of sending him back to the minors grew louder. Few, if any, signs existed that he’d eventually receive votes for Rookie of the Year.
“The first month and a half I did not feel solidified. That’s when I started working with Crow,” Markakis said yesterday after the Orioles Hall of Fame luncheon.
“We basically started from the bottom. Get a good foundation, get the basics out of the way.”
Crowley had a knack for making a player feel relaxed, to keep the instruction and advice from becoming too complicated or cumbersome.
The Orioles were six outs away from losing more ground in the American League East.
Anthony Santander made it shake at Camden Yards.
Santander hit a grand slam off Astros reliever Bryan Abreu in the eighth inning to give the Orioles a thrilling 7-5 win before an announced Gunnar Henderson bobblehead crowd of 39,578.
Santander’s 38th home run followed singles by Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman and a comebacker from Henderson that enticed Abreu to try for the out at third base.
Cowser was safe, the crowd stayed on its feet and Santander sent it into a frenzy with his fourth career slam and second this year.
Oriole first baseman Ryan Mountcastle could play later tonight depending on how he reacts to treatments on his sore wrist.
Mountcastle was removed from last night’s game in the top of the ninth inning. Ryan O’Hearn switched from right field to first base and Austin Slater batted in Mountcastle’s spot in the bottom of the ninth.
Manager Brandon Hyde said afterward that the wrist gradually became more sore after Mountcastle’s slide into second base on a double in the second inning – one of only three hits for the Orioles.
“He’s better today, it’s a little better,” Hyde said. “He’s getting treatment right now. He’s going to get treatment up until game time, so we’ll see if he’s available or not. It got pretty sore as the game went on last night but it’s a little bit better today.”
The offense needs a boost. Mountcastle hasn’t homered since July 29 and he’s batting .225/.257/.310 this month in 19 games but he has hits in 11 of his last 17, including three on Aug. 10 and two on the 13th, 16th and 19th.
Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup tonight after leaving last night’s game in the ninth inning with wrist soreness.
Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter and batting second.
The Orioles began the day 1 ½ games behind the Yankees in the division race and they’re counting on rookie Cade Povich, making his 10th major league start, to give them length before turning to the bullpen.
Povich lowered his ERA to 5.77 by holding the Red Sox to two runs over a career-high 6 1/3 innings in his last start. He was optioned later that night but returned with Zach Eflin on the injured list.
Left-hander Keegan Akin was reinstated from the paternity list and the Orioles optioned lefty Nick Vespi, who tossed a scoreless inning last night.
Orioles' manager Brandon Hyde wasn’t ready to commit to a six-man rotation when asked about it earlier this week. Too many balls in the air to grab hold of an exact plan.
Actions could be pointing the team in that direction.
By keeping Cole Irvin and also needing a starter for Sunday night against the Astros, the Orioles could commit to the six-man alignment at least for the moment. And it provides extra rest for the entire crew.
There’s no other reason to keep Irvin unless he’s starting or the Orioles don’t want to run him through waivers again and risk a claim, which didn’t happen the first time.
Irvin isn’t any use to the bullpen this weekend after throwing 83 pitches Wednesday at Citi Field. The Orioles added two fresh relievers yesterday in Nick Vespi and Matt Bowman and sent down Colin Selby, who tossed three scoreless innings in two appearances.
Corbin Burnes shortened his hair and lengthened his start, but what happened tonight wasn’t pretty.
Burnes allowed four runs in the sixth inning and the offense ran cold again in the Orioles’ 6-0 loss to the Astros before an announced crowd of 22,212 at Camden Yards.
The Yankees lead the division by 1 ½ games, the Orioles’ largest deficit since being two back on June 25.
After surrendering a career-high eight runs and 10 hits last week, Burnes was poised to produce his 20th quality start. However, the Astros sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth, broke open the game and forced manager Brandon Hyde to dig into his bullpen after 5 2/3.
Burnes allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits. Damage came heavy with two outs in the sixth, when Ben Gamel singled at only 77.8 mph off the bat to drive in a run, Burnes fielded Jake Meyers’ bunt and threw the ball past first base, and Shay Whitcomb delivered a two-run single.
The lack of fresh relievers impacted starter Trevor Rogers.
The Orioles optioned Rogers early this afternoon within a bevy of roster moves that included calling up left-hander Nick Vespi and selecting right-hander Matt Bowman’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.
Rogers’ next turn in the rotation was Sunday but the spot became listed as TBA.
“Just kind of where we are bullpen-wise,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We feel like we needed to get some help in the bullpen, get some guys that are able to pitch tonight. Cade (Povich) is gonna throw tomorrow, so we want Trevor to stay ready. We’ll see what happens here. We just want him to stay ready and we’ll see how things shake out the next couple weeks.”
The Orioles sent outfielder Kyle Stowers and second baseman Connor Norby to the Marlins for Rogers at the trade deadline. He’s posted a 7.11 ERA and 1.842 WHIP in four starts and hasn’t gone more than five innings.
Cedric Mullins is in center field tonight after being absent from the lineups in Queens.
Colton Cowser is playing left field and Ryan O’Hearn is in right. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Adley Rutschman is batting fifth. Jackson Holliday is seventh.
Gunnar Henderson is slugging .717 in 28 games against the American League West this season.
The Orioles have homered in 16 consecutive games, tied for the third-longest streak by any team this season behind the Twins (28) and Orioles (22 straight in June) per STATS.
The Orioles were short one reliever yesterday at Citi Field and apparently are making a move to correct it.
Left-hander Nick Vespi is joining the Orioles today, per sources. And there could be more roster changes coming after yesterday’s waiver claim of infielder Emmanuel Rivera.
Vespi made the Opening Day roster with Jacob Webb on the paternity list. He was optioned two days later, recalled May 22 as the 27th man in St. Louis and immediately returned to Triple-A Norfolk, recalled May 24 when Dean Kremer went on the injured list with a triceps strain, optioned three days later, recalled June 3 and optioned three days later when the Orioles selected Cade Povich’s contract, was recalled June 15 when Kyle Bradish went on the IL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, and was optioned again July 3 when Kremer was reinstated.
Teams can’t option a player more than five times in a season without going through the waiver process. Sending him down after the 27th-man designation doesn’t count against the total.
Vespi has appeared in 10 games and allowed four runs and 10 hits in 11 1/3 innings. Three runs were surrendered over 1 1/3 innings in his last major league outing on June 30 against the Rangers.
NEW YORK – Players changed into their home white uniforms last week at Camden Yards and filed out of the clubhouse and onto the outfield grass for the annual team photo. Closer Félix Bautista was there despite the elbow surgery that cost him the entire season. Danny Coulombe joked with Jordan Westburg, wondering if they’d be asked to leave.
An agreement was reached.
“If you’re going, then I’m going.”
You’ve gotta laugh to keep your pennant hopes from dying.
The roster has undergone so many dramatic changes that some players might be hard to identify without a scorecard or elite facial recognition skills.
NEW YORK – What to do with the rotation is a major issue for the Orioles that yielded for a spell this afternoon to a slightly bigger concern.
Would they get a hit?
Would they put a runner on base?
Mets starter Sean Manaea retired the first 17 batters before nailing Jackson Holliday with a 94.7 mph fastball. Manaea tried a first-pitch sinker to Austin Slater, who homered to right field to tie the game.
The worrying spun back to another area, a bullpen that’s unsettled and can’t earn complete trust. Peaceful stretches aren’t permissible in 2024. Stress lurks around every corner.
NEW YORK – The Orioles selected the contract of left-hander Cole Irvin’s from Triple-A Norfolk so that he can start today’s game against the Mets, his first appearance in the majors since Game 2 of a June 29 doubleheader. His last start was June 30.
Irvin is 6-5 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.405 WHIP in 21 games (14 starts). He made two starts with Norfolk and allowed three earned runs and four total in 6 2/3 innings, and had six walks and five strikeouts.
Irvin is working on six days’ rest. He’s faced the Mets four times in his career, including one start, and allowed seven earned runs (nine total) and 13 hits in 7 2/3 innings. His entire Citi Field experience is one scoreless relief inning.
Catcher Luis Torrens is 6-for-9 against Irvin.
Right-handed batters are slugging .701 against Irvin’s fastball this season, and left-handers are slugging .292.
NEW YORK – Only in 2024 can a day like this one seem eerily routine to the Orioles.
They lose a reliever to the paternity list, which is a simple swap by calling up another arm for temporary service. They lose a starter to the injured list, which is much harder to overcome and keeps happening to them. This team could field an impressive rotation out of shelved pitchers.
The level of adversity threatens to rise above their heads, but they suit up again, jog onto the field and take care of their business.
A night after enduring Francisco Alvarez’s walk-off home run and animated celebration, the Orioles jumped out to an early lead against the Mets and evened the series with a 9-5 victory before an announced crowd of 34,225 at Citi Field.
Knock down this team and it pops back up.
NEW YORK – While the Orioles were determining that starter Zach Eflin needed to go on the injured list after he tried throwing yesterday, Coby Mayo went through his pregame routine at Harbor Park in Norfolk and readied for his first appearance in the minors since Aug. 1.
Mayo was optioned on Thursday after spending two weeks with the Orioles. He received 20 plate appearances and was 1-for-17 with three walks and 10 strikeouts.
Playing time began to dwindle in that short period. Mayo appeared in the first five games, including four starts, between Aug. 2-7. He didn’t get back in the lineup until Aug. 11 at Tropicana Field and last Wednesday at Camden Yards.
The fade didn’t tip off Mayo about the organization’s plans for him.
“I would say I was a little shocked, but not really,” he said yesterday in a phone interview. “I knew that if I wasn’t helping the team win, I wasn’t going to play. But at the same time, I feel like I was getting better, I was getting a lot of work done.”
NEW YORK – The number of pitchers on the Orioles injured list has grown to eight, including five starters.
Health issues are prevalent throughout baseball, and the Orioles are maintaining their status as shining and painful examples of it. Seemingly at every turn.
Zach Eflin is experiencing some inflammation in his right shoulder that landed him on the 15-day injured list this afternoon. He was supposed to take the ball for Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Mets.
The move is retroactive to Saturday.
“Hopefully it’s just short term,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “After his start his shoulder was a little bit sore. It had been getting better the last few days, and so we were kind of hopeful, but also a little bit concerned about it. He had to make the start tomorrow and had him come out and throw a little bit today. We just feel like the right thing to do right now is to give him a little bit extra time with the shoulder.
NEW YORK – Another injury is forcing the Orioles to change their rotation and curse their luck.
Zach Eflin, with four quality starts and wins in his four appearances with the Orioles, went on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Cade Povich was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.
Eflin felt some soreness after his last outing and it didn’t improve to the point where he could stay on the roster. The starter for Wednesday is TBD, with manager Brandon Hyde saying Corbin Burnes wouldn’t get the assignment on normal rest.
Povich started Saturday, allowed two runs in a career-high 6 1/3 innings and was optioned. He’s eligible to return because he’s replacing an injured player.
The Orioles also placed left-hander Keegan Akin on the paternity list today and he’s left the team to be with his wife for the birth of their second baby.
