The O’s won two games in a row for the first time this season with a well-played victory over the Guardians in the rubber match.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Two wins in a row! Will wonders never cease?
It took a while, but the O’s secured their first (modest) winning streak and their first series win of 2025 by beating the Guardians in the rubber game last night. The Orioles found the perfect combination of pitching — with Tomoyuki Sugano working seven strong innings and the bullpen tossing two scoreless — and hitting, led by three timely dingers. Check out Stacey’s recap for all the glorious details.
It sure is nice when the Orioles play good baseball, isn’t it? They had been one of just four major league teams that hadn’t won two games in a row this year; they can now cross that off their list. They’ve also got a series win in the bag after starting the year with three series losses and two splits. They’ve even moved out of the AL East cellar, inching half a game ahead of the 8-11 Rays.
The Orioles still have their issues. They continue to do some dumb things even in their wins, such as last night, when two runners were picked off. Nearly every O’s hitter has a sub-.700 OPS, including the majority of their young core. So, yes, there’s still room for improvement. But these last two nights they’ve found ways to win against a pretty good opponent in the Guardians, getting some much-needed competent pitching performances. For now, at least, the Orioles are looking more like the team we hoped they’d be.
The 8-10 O’s can secure a winning homestand if they’re able to win this weekend series against the Reds. They can even pull their season record above .500 if they sweep the three games, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Focus on playing one good game at a time and go from there. It’s starting to feel like the Orioles maybe, just maybe, are on the right track.
Links
Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn help Orioles earn first series win of 2025 – MLB.com
Tomoyuki Sugano: Orioles ace? He certainly pitched like it last night, and there’s not exactly a lot of competition for that title.
Rodriguez shut down with shoulder soreness – School of Roch
Welp. It wouldn’t the 2025 Orioles season without a daily unfortunate injury update. It’s starting to feel like we’ll be lucky to see Grayson Rodriguez pitch this year at all.
How are Orioles’ lineups constructed? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff expects that if the Orioles’ righty bench bats don’t improve against lefties, we might see some roster changes. I’m up for anything that spares us from watching Jorge Mateo in center field again.
Orioles’ Autism Acceptance Night: Jim Palmer and Rob Long share their stories – The Baltimore Banner
A must-read from Andy Kostka. If this story doesn’t put a smile on your face, nothing will.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles have April 18 birthdays: utility guy Pete Stanicek (62) and right-hander Rich Bordi (66).
On this date in 2013, the Orioles beat the Rays in 10 innings, 10-6, on Matt Wieters’s walkoff grand slam. It was one of four grand slams in Wieters’s career. Nolan Reimold and Steve Pearce also homered in the back-and-forth affair. The victory extended the Orioles’ streak of extra-inning wins to 17 in a row, dating back to the previous season.
Random Orioles game of the day
On April 18, 1958, the Orioles played their first road game of the year and lost, 3-1, at Yankee Stadium. The teams traded a run each in the first inning and the score remained that way until the sixth, when the Yanks rallied for two against O’s starter Billy Loes. The Orioles offense had no answer for Hall of Fame lefty Whitey Ford, who threw a complete game for the Yankees in his season debut, allowing just five hits. The Birds’ loss was their first of the young season, dropping them to 2-1.