Tomoyuki Sugano didn’t allow a run today while he was on the mound and the Orioles kept manufacturing them.
They were able to control everything except the weather.
Sugano shut out the Mariners over 5 1/3 innings before a series of storms forced a stoppage that lasted 2 hours and 18 minutes in the Orioles’ 5-3 victory before an announced crowd of 14,083 at Camden Yards.
The Orioles are 55-66 overall and 7-14 in rubber games. They went 5-1 against the Mariners and are 13-5 since the beginning of 2023.
The 5-0 lead in the fifth inning represented the most runs scored since Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. They came on a wild pitch, double steal, single, double and sacrifice fly.
Joe Orsulak wasn’t the biggest name on the Orioles. He wasn’t flashy and he didn’t put up gaudy numbers. But he could hit and throw and was comfortable flying under the radar.
Now comes his chance to soar with his selection to the Orioles Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will be held tonight at Camden Yards, where Orsulak joins center fielder Adam Jones and broadcaster Tom Davis.
“It feels great,” he said yesterday. “Like one of my friends was telling me, you’re in the same Hall of Fame with that. It doesn’t matter if you’re the top dog or the bottom dog. You’re still in the Orioles Hall of Fame. We’re in the Hall of Fame. And that’s an honor for me.”
Orsulak led the Orioles in batting average in 1988, 1989 and 1992 and was second behind Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991, but he’s probably remembered more for his defense. Orsulak led the majors and set the franchise record with 22 outfield assists in 1991 and committed only one error in 132 games.
Trades and injuries have torn apart the Orioles’ outfield, leading to a different kind of rebuild.
Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn departed at the deadline. Colton Cowser went on the seven-day concussion list today, retroactive to yesterday, and Tyler O’Neill went on the 10-day IL with right wrist inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday.
In response, the Orioles signed Greg Allen to a one-year major league contract and he’s starting in center field tonight against the Athletics at Camden Yards. Ryan Noda is in right field and Dylan Carlson is in left.
Noda is making his third major league start in right. Carlson has much more experience but he’s in 0-for-28 and 2-for-35 slumps.
“We’ll figure it out as we go,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “We’ll play the hot hand. We’ll see what we’ve got. There will be a little platooning. We’re doing it today with Noda in right field.
The Orioles are making another series of roster moves.
They agreed to terms today with outfielder Greg Allen on a one-year major league contract. He’s wearing No. 25.
Allen, 32, is a switch-hitter who batted .270/.355/.440 with 14 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 32 RBIs in 61 games with Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs organization. He was released on Aug. 4.
Allen has a locker at Camden Yards.
Infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján is gone. The Braves claimed him on waivers today.
CHICAGO – For seven and two-thirds innings, things looked bleak for the Orioles' offense.
Yesterday, the Birds were blanked in nine innings. Trevor Rogers' eight-inning complete game, allowing just one run, was for naught.
This afternoon, it looked as if the Orioles would squander another solid pitching performance. Baltimore had allowed just three earned runs in seven innings, and the offense was, once again, shut out.
For over sixteen innings, the O's offense was lifeless.
A three-run home run from Gunnar Henderson in the eighth inning changed everything, and the Orioles walked away victorious, 4-3.
The Orioles filled the last opening on their 26-man roster this morning by activating left-hander Dietrich Enns. He’s in the bullpen for this afternoon’s game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Enns is wearing No. 71.
Today’s lineup has the same nine players but the order and positions are altered.
Jeremiah Jackson, who collected his first major league hit yesterday, is the right fielder instead of designated hitter, a role filled today by Tyler O’Neill. Mayo is batting sixth instead of seventh.
Dylan Carlson remains in center field, with Colton Cowser in left.
The trade deadline is 6 p.m. Thursday and I’m told that MASN is a seller only when it comes to me. Make them an offer.
A reporter-to-be-named later or cash considerations should get it done.
A straight-up for Chad Bradford is being discussed, according to an industry source with direct knowledge. He actually was at the ballpark over the weekend to sign autographs. At least, that's their story. I'm still suspicious.
Players wonder how much the roster is going to change in the next few days. They try to block it out, but how is that possible? Relievers Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto already left and others are going to follow. They know it.
“Definitely a new experience for me, because the past two years, we’ve obviously won a lot more games,” said shortstop Gunnar Henderson. “Definitely a new experience. It’s a weird one, because obviously, don’t know who, when or if. It’s just kind of a crappy situation.
Sugano turns in quality start, O'Neill homers again, and Orioles claim series with 5-1 win (updated)
Tomoyuki Sugano made his 20th major league start today, unsure whether No. 21 will come with the Orioles.
Sugano is a trade possibility with the deadline four days away. He didn’t treat this afternoon’s game as an audition for scouts. He wanted to give the Orioles a chance to win the series, the job he’s paid to perform. What happens next will reveal itself later.
Dylan Carlson moved the Orioles ahead in the second inning with a two-run single, Tyler O’Neill homered for the third day in a row, and Sugano tied his major league high with eight strikeouts in a 5-1 victory over the Rockies before an announced crowd of 16,407 at Camden Yards.
Sugano held the Rockies to one run and four hits in six innings for his eighth quality start, and the Orioles are 47-58 with the first-place Blue Jays coming to town.
O’Neill’s two-run shot off Austin Gomber in the third traveled 433 feet to left field. His home run total has grown to six, with good health allowing him to get extra work in the cage and fix his swing.
CLEVELAND – The Guardians were knocking on the door all night.
The home team in red had every opportunity to break the door down in their eventual 10-5 victory over the Orioles. Inning after inning, Cleveland just couldn't deliver with runners in scoring position. That was, at least, until a breakout seventh inning.
Things did start out well for the visitors, though.
Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson thought that their 1-2-3 placement in the lineup referred to how many singles they should count to start the game. Holliday made one, Westburg made two, and Henderson made three.
Henderson made both three and one, actually. Three singles, one run, 1-0 Baltimore.
What started as an innocent car ride home became a deep dive into the Orioles’ roster.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino needed a lift last Thursday with family in town, and new special advisor John Mabry provided taxi service. Mansolino used the one-on-one time with a respected former major league player and coach to discuss the team and everything happening around it.
“What do you think about all this?” Mansolino asked.
And then came his answer –without pause and aimed at the one player who usually gets lost in the crowd.
“Right away, it’s Jordan Westburg,” Mansolino recalled. “He’s like, ‘That’s the guy that nobody talks about. That’s the piece.’”
A day that began with the Orioles making a seller move concluded with a doubleheader sweep that could get more people buying into the idea that the 2025 season is salvageable.
Jordan Westburg hit a two-run homer off Mets left-hander Brandon Waddell in the second inning, Colton Cowser broke a tie in the fifth with an RBI single and the Orioles didn’t let up in a 7-3 victory over the Mets before an announced Game 2 crowd of 17,961 at Camden Yards.
Tomoyuki Sugano was down 2-0 in the first inning and lost a lead in the fourth, but he earned his first win since June 27 and first quality start since June 3, also the last time he got through the sixth. Fans stood to cheer as he walked back to the dugout after 99 pitches.
A bullpen that lost Bryan Baker to this morning’s trade with the Rays tossed three scoreless innings in a combined effort from Andrew Kittredge, Gregory Soto and Seranthony Domínguez. Domínguez allowed the only two baserunners.
Duel victories improved the Orioles to 42-50, their first time being eight games below .500 since May 6. Their last doubleheader sweep was June 25, 2016 against the Rays. Kevin Gausman and Oliver Drake combined on a shutout in Game 1 and T.J. McFarland recorded the win in Game 2 after relieving Chris Tillman.
The Orioles and Mets won’t play tonight due to inclement weather. The result is a split-admission doubleheader Thursday with Game 1 scheduled for 12:05 p.m. and Game 2 at 5:05 p.m.
This is the sixth postponement for the Orioles, who are 10 games below .500 and 7 ½ back for the last Wild Card.
Charlie Morton will start the first game and Tomoyuki Sugano will start the second. Both teams can call up a 27th man.
Gates for Game 1 will open at 11 a.m., and gates for Game 2 will open at 4 p.m. Tickets for tonight will be valid for Game 2. Original ticket buyers for tonight who can’t attend on Thursday should visit Orioles.com/Weather for options.
The first 10,000 fans attending the first game will receive the Yacht Rock Cap.
The Orioles remain 7 ½ games behind in pursuit of the last Wild Card spot after last night’s 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Mets. Thirteen games separate them from the first-place Blue Jays.
There’s still a chance, but it’s barely a flicker.
Tomoyuki Sugano is trying to get back to the form that produced a 3.04 ERA through 12 starts. He’s registered an 8.87 ERA and 2.149 WHIP in his last five outings to leave his overall numbers at 4.44 and 1.307 in 93 1/3 innings.
Sugano has allowed seven home runs in his last four starts over 18 innings.
Jackson Holliday is the designated hitter tonight. Holliday has recorded an RBI in three straight games (five RBIs total) after collecting one in the previous nine games.
The mailbag didn’t make it any further than the first leg of the road trip. Given the rash of injuries, just be glad that it didn’t strain a muscle. Or get a rash.
The Orioles are playing the Braves in Atlanta and I’m sorting through the latest round of questions. You ask, I try to answer, and we have another sequel to the beloved 2008 original.
I don’t care about clarity, length, style or brevity, but I do care about Beavers, and young Dylan gets some attention today.
Also, my mailbag is an All-Star and your mailbag has its insurance coverage dropped by Allstate.
What happened to Emmanuel Rivera?
Rivera cleared outright waivers again and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. Again. Wash, rinse ... you know the drill.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles made another series of roster moves today and celebrated Ryan O’Hearn’s election to the All-Star Game. They addressed their latest injury and dodged a more serious one. And they hoped that, at some point in the 2025 season, they might jump off the wave that lifts and dumps them.
They had another splashdown tonight at Globe Life Field.
Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer off Tomoyuki Sugano in the third inning, and the lead grew, along with the right-hander’s slump, in a 6-0 loss to the Rangers.
Ezequiel Duran’s two-run single in the fourth and Corey Seager’s leadoff homer in the fifth pushed Sugano further into the deep end, and the Orioles couldn’t rescue him. They need to find some answers.
The impressive beginning to Sugano’s major league career has given way to a stretch of 22 earned runs (23 total) and 40 hits allowed over 22 1/3 innings in five outings. His ERA is 4.44.
The good news came early for the Orioles tonight, as if they were owned a few breaks. The temperature dipped into the mid-70s to provide some relief from the scorching heat. CB Bucknor wouldn’t work the plate in the series, confined instead to the bases for three games. Tomoyuki Sugano struck out the first two batters he faced and retired the Rays in order. Jordan Westburg doubled in the bottom of the first on a 106.6 mph liner that deflected off third baseman Junior Caminero.
And then, the bad times rolled. Westburg dived into the bag and reinjured his index finger, which led to his removal an inning later. The Rays homered three times off Sugano in the second, including Brandon Lowe’s three-run shot.
The cliché about two teams heading in opposite directions unfolded and then paused, with the Orioles playing the opposite role in a big blown lead versus the Rays. They did the rallying this time, along with some major venting, in a preposterous 22-8 victory before an announced crowd of 20,047 at misty Camden Yards.
Gary Sánchez had four RBIs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth, Coby Mayo hit his first major league homer - off a shortstop - and also drove in four runs, and the Orioles (35-46) won for the second time in six games. The Rays (46-36) lost for only the fourth time in 14 games.
"You know over the course of 162 there's going to be a lot of ups and downs. There's going to be a lot of highs and lows, and we've had our lows. Tonight was a high," said interim manager Tony Mansolino.
Coby Mayo is batting ninth tonight as the Orioles designated hitter, facing Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot to begin the three-game series at Camden Yards.
Jordan Westburg is starting at third base and batting second. Ramón Laureano is in right field, Cedric Mullins in center and Colton Cowser in left.
Gary Sánchez is catching.
Tomoyuki Sugano has allowed four runs or fewer in each of his first 15 career starts, tied for the third-longest opening streak in franchise history behind Jim Hardin (19 games in 1967-68) and Tyler Wells (18 games in 2022).
Gunnar Henderson is a career .339/.405/.619 (40-for-118) hitter with five doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 15 RBIs in 30 games against Tampa Bay.
The Orioles went back to five starters and eight relievers today by optioning Brandon Young and recalling Kade Strowd from Triple-A Norfolk.
Young was sent down yesterday after facing the Rangers on Wednesday and allowing four runs in four-plus innings in his third major league start.
Strowd also made his major league debut this season and allowed one run and two hits in one inning May 18 against the Nationals. He’s registered a 5.02 ERA and 1.465 WHIP in 24 appearances with Norfolk.
Strowd is averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and has surrendered only two home runs.
Tomoyuki Sugano is on the mound tonight as the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Rays at Camden Yards. Sugano hasn’t completed five innings in his last three starts.
NEW YORK – The Orioles escaped the oppressive heat in Tampa, knowing that temperatures would rise in the Bronx for afternoon and late-morning starts this weekend and possibly touch triple digits Tuesday in Baltimore. A stretch of consecutive games in a row will reach 16 before Thursday’s off-day, and interim manager Tony Mansolino talked about scraping guys off the grass.
He had to scratch Adley Rutschman, who was bothered by left side discomfort. And the Orioles had to face Yankees left-hander Max Fried, who brought nine wins and a 1.89 ERA into the series opener.
Adversity keeps stacking up for a team trying to claw its way out of a deep hole. It can be weather, health, exhaustion, opponent or something else, but the Orioles won’t always let it stall the momentum that might be building.
The Orioles jumped Fried early and lost their legs, but Coby Mayo delivered a game-tying single in the sixth inning and Ramón Urías led off the eighth with an opposite-field home run off Luke Weaver in a 5-3 victory over the Yankees before an announced sellout crowd of 47,034.
Urías fell behind 0-2 and worked the count full, and his 337-foot fly ball landed inside the right field foul pole. Gunnar Henderson extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a pinch-hit RBI single, and the Orioles (33-42) moved within nine games of .500 for the first time since May 11.
NEW YORK – The Orioles are going with their right-handed lineup tonight to open their series against the Yankees, which puts Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Ryan O’Hearn and Cedric Mullins on the bench.
Jordan Westburg is leading off and playing second base. Ramón Urías is the third baseman and cleanup hitter. Luis Vázquez is the shortstop.
Coby Mayo gets back into the lineup at first base. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.
Henderson has a 13-game hitting streak, one short of his career high. He’s batting .396 with seven RBIs and nine runs scored during the streak.
Rutschman has registered a .317 career batting average against the Yankees, the third highest among active players after José Ramírez’s .332 and Jose Iglesias’ .329 in a minimum 150 plate appearances.