BALTIMORE- What happened? Zach Eflin hasn’t had any trouble adjusting to life with the Orioles. He’s won his first four appearances as a starter, the first pitcher in team history to do that.
On Thursday, Eflin held the Boston Red Sox to a run on five hits in the Orioles’ 5-1 win. The Orioles and New York Yankees are tied for the lead in the American League East.
In four starts with the Orioles, Eflin has a 2.13 ERA. He’s struck out 25 and walked two.
“You’re kind of forced to be comfortable this late in the season, especially in the middle of a pennant chase,” Eflin said. “I’ve told you guys, baseball never stops, so you’ve got to come in ready to go. I haven’t really changed that mentality, but like I’ve told you guys, everybody’s been so welcoming and so great, and it’s a really fun team to be a part of, so that’s definitely helped a lot.”
Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run home run, his 31st and Cedric Mullins hit his 13th.
Why has Eflin been so good? Eflin was acquired on July 26th, and he’s shown excellent control.
“Won all four games he’s pitched,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s pitched outstanding in every single one of them. Just one solo homer tonight on a pretty good breaking ball, actually. But really good stuff again. He’s got such good command and confidence in all his pitches and he keeps the ball down. He gets ground balls. He just does a great job of mixing. Same thing he did against us last year.
“He’s just such a pro and he’s pitched in World Series games, and so he’s been in high-pressure situations before. He’s got a real easy way about him and he’s really likeable. Doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of stress out there. He’s very, very comfortable on the mound and he’s comfortable pitching. He just really knows what he’s doing.”
Mullins has been impressed by Eflin.
“He’s always been a competitor out there, even when he was with Tampa,” he said. “He’s given us trouble in the past. It’s awesome to have him with us, doing his thing.”
Eflin hasn’t focused on making a good first impression.
“Sure, but it’s not necessarily something I’m thinking about,” he said. “ I’m trying to go out and do my job every fifth day, stay in the game as long as I can, give the bullpen a rest, just do my job. Those are things I’m focused on. I’m not necessarily focused on getting approval of everybody. Just go out, play hard, be competitive and see where it takes me.”
Can Mullins be a force again? Mullins has had an erratic season, suffering through a horrible May where he hit just .136. Things turned up in June and July, but in August, he’s hitting .194, and his stolen base was the first of the month and the 20th of the season.
“Swung the bat really confidently tonight,” Hyde said. “When Ced’s feeling good and swinging the bat aggressively and taking his walks … He got hit tonight, stole a base. He’s always a power threat. He just changes the game for us cause it’s premier, premier defense in center field to go with it. He’s playing with some confidence right now and it’s fun to watch.”
The Orioles need Mullins to have a strong final six weeks in their playoff push.
“It’s been awesome to make those adjustments and see them incorporate themselves out on the field, staying on that path, staying to the grind, so I can be productive for the team,” he said.
Is the team playing better? For the second straight night, the Orioles played a clean game. They have four straight errorless games and on Friday will attempt for their first three-game winning streak since July 14th-20th.
“This is what we did a lot last year, honestly,” Hyde said. “We played clean for the most part defensively…We’re going to hit, we’re going to score some runs, we’re going to hit homers, but pitching and defense is how we’re going to win games. And that’s what we did last year and for the first two months of this year, our pitching numbers were really, really good and we played great defense. We got back to that the last couple games.”
Mullins knows these are critical games.
“We’re in the dog days of the season,” Mullins said. “Those moments are going to happen. We could still have tough games and come out with the win. I think that’s the most important part of having those struggles. Today was a clean game for us, looking to go into tomorrow the same way.”
Can I plan for spring training 2025? The Orioles’ Grapefruit League schedule begins with a game against Pittsburgh on February 22nd at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. They’ll play 15 games at home, three against the Pirates, two against Atlanta, Detroit, Toronto, Minnesota, and one against Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.
They’ll have off days on March 4th and 19th. Their final home game is against the Tigers on March 20th.
“Spring Breakout” will return in 2025, and on March 15th, the Orioles’ prospects play the New York Yankees at Sarasota.
Transaction: The Orioles signed right-handed pitcher Matt Bowman to a minor league contract. Bowman, a native of Chevy Chase, is 5-13 with a 4.10 ERA and two saves in 156 major league games in six seasons with St. Louis, Arizona, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Seattle and the New York Yankees.
Ravens conflict: The Ravens play a preseason game on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium against Atlanta at noon, and fans attending the Orioles’ game on Saturday night against Boston that begins at 7:05 p.m. are advised not to come before the parking lots open at 4 p.m. or when the gates open at 5.
What does it mean? A second straight strong all-around game from the Orioles was key. If Corbin Burnes can lead the Orioles to a third straight win, that would be welcome.
What’s the word? “It’s a different environment, coming up in the middle of a divisional race, making a push for the playoffs. No matter how much people say it’s the same game, it’s not.”-Colton Cowser on the obstacles Coby Mayo faced in his first major league stint.
What’s the stat of the day? 12. Eflin’s 12 starts without allowing a walk are the most in the majors this season.
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Justin Armbruester (3-8) allowed nine runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings in Triple-A Norfolk’s 15-1 loss to Gwinnett.
For the second straight game, Nick Maton homered and then pitched in the blowout.
The newly signed Bowman pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings in his first game.
Carlos Tavera allowed two hits in five scoreless innings in Double-A Bowie’s 4-2 loss to Altoona. Cameron Weston (5-7) allowed four runs, three earned on four hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Designated hitter Samuel Basallo returned to the lineup a day after he was hit in the left forearm with a pitch and had an RBI single.
Rightfielder Jake Cunningham had three hits in High-A Aberdeen’s 2-1 loss to Greenville. Four IronBirds pitchers gave up just four hits to the Drive.
Braxton Bragg (4-5) allowed seven hits in six scoreless innings in Single-A Delmarva’s 8-0 win over Carolina. Shortstop Maikol Hernández drove in two runs.
What’s next? Corbin Burnes (12-4, 2.71) will start for the Orioles in the second game of their four-game series. Boston is likely to start Cooper Criswell (4-4, 4.02). Game time is 7:05 p.m.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com