After two days off, one scheduled and the first postponement of the season, the Orioles will play the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at 4:05 p.m.
Tomoyuki Sugano (1-1, 2,89) faces Bowden Francis (1-1, 3.18).
Friday’s rainout will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on July 29th. The first game will begin at 12:35 p.m. The second game will start at 6:35 p.m.
The Orioles are 5-8, and through their first two disappointing weeks, let’s look at some interesting statistics:
O’s are one of the youngest teams in baseball, and one of the oldest
The Orioles’ position players average 27.8 years. That’s the 21st-youngest group in Major League Baseball. The oldest position player is 32-year-old Gary Sánchez, and the youngest is 21-year-old Jackson Holliday.
Last season’s World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, average 31.3 years.
On the other hand, Oriole pitchers average 31.6 years, the third oldest in baseball. Two free-agent signings, 41-year-old Charlie Morton and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, are the oldest pitchers. Left-handed starter Cade Povich, who turns 25 on Saturday, is the youngest.
They’re at league average in runs
Entering Friday’s games, the Orioles have scored 55 runs, which is exactly league average, yet they are three games below .500.
They’ve averaged 8.4 runs per win and 1.75 runs per loss.
Their 102 hits were above league average on Friday.
They’re not running or bunting much
Despite manager Brandon Hyde’s vow to be more aggressive on the basepaths, the Orioles have attempted just 10 steals and succeeded on eight (80 percent). MLB teams have a 78.7 percent success rate this year.
Jorge Mateo has stolen three bases without being thrown out. Gunnar Henderson has two successful steals. Cedric Mullins has stolen twice and been thrown out once. Jackson Holliday, whom Hyde pinpointed along with Colton Cowser as a stolen-base threat, has stolen once and been thrown out once. Cowser did not attempt a steal before his ill-advised head-first slide in Toronto’s in the season’s fourth game. Cowser came away with a broken thumb.
In 15 games, the Chicago Cubs have stolen 25 bases in 27 attempts.
The Orioles are one of nine teams without a sacrifice bunt, though Mullins bunted for a base hit on Monday that keyed a rally in a 5-1 over the Diamondbacks.
They’re among the league leaders in RISP
Last season, Orioles’ fans bemoaned their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. They finished 17th with a .251 average. So far, this year, they’ve increased their average to .261, eighth in the majors.
Orioles’ ERA is high
Not surprisingly, the Orioles’ ERA of 4.54 is the sixth worst in the majors, but they’re not giving up the long ball. Batters have hit an average of one home run per game—13 against Oriole pitchers, which is league average.
They’re walking just over three batters a game, 40 in 13 games, and striking out 99, 7.6 per game, eighth worst in baseball.
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Each of the four Orioles’ affiliates had their games rained out. Triple-A Norfolk’s game with Gwinnett, Double-A Chesapeake’s game with Erie, High-A Aberdeen’s game at Jersey Shore and Single-A Delmarva’s game with Fayetteville will each be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday.
Chesapeake outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., who left Thursday’s game with left hamstring discomfort, was placed on the injured list.
Infielder Luis Valdez was reinstated from the development list and transferred to Aberdeen. IronBirds outfielder Thomas Sosa was placed on the injured list. Right-handed pitcher Alejandro Mendez was transferred from Delmarva to Aberdeen.
Norfolk right-hander Brandon Young is scheduled to pitch on Sunday, which could put him in line to make his major league debut on April 19th for the Orioles. The Orioles haven’t announced their plans to replace Zach Eflin, who has a right lat strain, in the rotation.
Note: The Orioles announced their gift of one playoff share to Baltimore’s Harlem Park Elementary Middle School had gone to renovate an outdoor classroom. The Orioles said the gift was matched by the team’s Charitable Foundation.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles’ question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com