The O’s took three of four from the Yankees, marking their 16th consecutive non-losing series against an AL East team.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
If the Orioles’ four-game series against the Yankees was their toughest test of the young season, it’s safe to say they passed with flying colors.
The Birds secured a series win by taking yesterday’s finale, 7-2, in a game that featured Kyle Bradish’s successful return and three more Orioles dingers. Check out my game recap for all the delightful details.
With the win, the Orioles overtook the Yankees for sole possession of first place in the AL East. And they also continued their recent dominance over their division opponents.
The Orioles are now 12-0-4 their past 16 AL East series, longest run in team history without losing one.
They have now won or tied 4 straight series vs. NYY for first time since Sept. 2015 – June of 2016.
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) May 2, 2024
You can’t win a pennant without handling your business against your division foes, and the Orioles have been doing so with ease. They’re 6-1 against the Yankees and Red Sox this year, and their first matchups against the Blue Jays and Rays will come later this month.
But first, the O’s take a break from AL East play — and from AL play, for that matter — with three consecutive interleague series, setting out on a five-game road trip to Cincinnati and Washington before returning home next weekend against the defending NL champion Diamondbacks. The NL has given the Orioles some surprising trouble this season, as they’ve lost both their previous interleague series (to the Pirates and Brewers). But coming off a big series win and with Kyle Bradish back in the fold, the Orioles seem like they’re in a good place right now. Let’s keep the momentum rolling.
Links
Same as it ever was: Bradish’s ’24 debut evokes ’23 dominance – MLB.com
In his first major league start of the year yesterday, Kyle Bradish’s velocity and command looked exactly as sharp as they did in his breakout 2023 season. What, you expected him to be rusty?
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ pitching this week shows that depth ultimately comes down to quality – The Baltimore Banner
When a guy who was recently your staff ace (John Means) is now, like, fifth or sixth on the rotation depth chart, it’s a pretty good sign that your pitching staff has improved significantly.
Orioles make a statement in series win over the Yankees – The Athletic
Britt Ghiroli begins her piece by cautioning that it’s tough to make early judgments, but ends it by declaring the Orioles are clearly the team to beat in the AL East. That’s one early judgment that I’ll certainly allow.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day, all right-handed pitchers: Bob McCrory (42), Gabe Molina (49), and Tony Arnold (65).
On this day in 1963, O’s reliever Buster Narum hit a two-run homer in Detroit during an 8-5 win over the Tigers. It was his first and last at-bat with the Orioles, making him the only player in O’s history to homer in his lone plate appearance with the team.
In 1992, Gregg Olson closed out an 8-6 win over the Mariners at Camden Yards to notch his 100th career save. At that time he became the youngest pitcher in MLB history (25) to hit the century mark in saves, a record that is now held by Roberto Osuna.
On this date in 1999, the Orioles hosted the Cuban national team at Camden Yards, taking an uncompetitive 12-6 loss in a game that most O’s players clearly didn’t want to play in the middle of a season. The Orioles’ effort was characterized by various sources as “embarrassing” and “farcical” and a “debacle,” with other MLB players such as Mariano Rivera saying the Orioles “weren’t interested.” Other than that, it was a great day.
And on this day in 2017, a simmering season-long feud between the Orioles and Red Sox led to a pair of bizarre ejections at Fenway Park, with umpire Sam Holbrook throwing out O’s starter Kevin Gausman after just one inning for hitting Xander Bogaerts in the hip with a curveball. This came after Red Sox pitchers had drilled Orioles hitters on multiple occasions earlier that year following a Manny Machado slide that injured Dustin Pedroia. With Gausman’s unexpectedly early exit — along with that of Adam Jones, who was also ejected by Holbrook later in the game — the O’s lost to the Red Sox, 4-2. Current Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel notched the save for Boston.