Mayo debuts, Pache is claimed, and a lot of moving pieces.
Good Morning, Birdland,
Well, it seems the Cleveland Guardians have the Orioles’ number. The O’s lost 8-4 on Friday night, an ugly evening that was only saved by the debut of Coby Mayo and a nice showing from Jackson Holliday (2-for-3, walk, run scored). In five attempts this year, the Orioles have lost four times to the Guardians.
There’s no shame in that fact. The Guardians are really good. Record-wise, they are the best team in Major League Baseball! But these are the teams that the Orioles will need to compete with in order to earn the ultimate prize. The fact that they have struggled so much against the Guardians is concerning.
And it’s not as if the Orioles have played well in these losses. The defense has been bad, the pitching spotty, and the offense often lacking punch. That has been true of the O’s for the last month and a half. Hopefully there are brighter days ahead.
One thing that is worth noting is that the starting pitchers the Orioles have used in these matchups with Cleveland have been: Cade Povich, Cole Irvin, Grayson Rodriguez, Trevor Rogers (making his team debut), Dean Kremer. Wanna take a wild guess at which game the Orioles actually won?
Over the next two games in Cleveland, the O’s will send Zach Eflin and Corbin Burnes to the bump. If they get blown out here, there will be no such excuses.
Links
Marlins Claim Cristian Pache | MLB Trade Rumors
The Pache era of Orioles baseball lasted just a week. At least it was positive. He went 1-for-1 and made no defensive miscues. Great work! Now the Miami outfield has two former Orioles patrolling the grass in Pache and Kyle Stowers.
More on Mayo’s arrival in the majors | Roch Kubatko
The Orioles are realizing the dream of an entirely homegrown infield. In fact, nearly the entire lineup last night was homegrown, save for Ryan O’Hearn. Anthony Santander isn’t technically home grown. He spent five years in Cleveland’s system, but the Orioles groomed him after making him a Rule 5 pick in 2016, so it’s close.
Orioles’ Coby Mayo knew in first grade he wanted to reach MLB. Now it’s a ‘dream come true.’ | The Baltimore Sun
I recall that when Mayo was drafted (and subsequently signed) he spoke about how many of the best players sign out of high school and then get to the big leagues while younger than college draftees. Clearly, that was goal of his, and at 22 years old he pretty much nailed it. I’ll take a two-walk debut. The strikeouts are going to stack up for him, but it’s all part of the process.
Jon Meoli: 5 thoughts on a week that could define the Orioles’ season — and future | The Baltimore Banner
It is unique for a first-place team to make so many in-season roster changes. The Orioles have overturned half of the team in the last few weeks, whether through trades or promotions/demotions. It’s head-spinning. It will be interesting to see how Mayo and Holliday deal with learning on the job at the same time. Holliday seems to have figured things out a bit this time around. Mayo will be catching up. Hopefully there is enough time for everything to get sorted before the playoffs roll around. Of course, the Orioles need to get there first, and that will require better play than we have seen the last six weeks.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Jonathan Araúz turns 26 today. He played nine games on the infield for the ORioles in 2022.
- Mark Reynolds is 41. The slugger spent just two seasons in Baltimore, from 2011 to 2012, but was an important part of the team that brought winning baseball back to town. He also made his mark on the internet as part of not one, but two memes (or at least meme-adjacent)! In 2011 he appeared indifferent to David Ortiz hitting a home run, and then in 2012 he rejected Buck Showalter’s attempt at a high five.
- The late Dick Hyde (b. 1928, d. 2020) was born on this day. He pitched in 15 games with the O’s in 1961.
This day in O’s history
1970 – For the 23rd straight time, the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals. It is a major league record of head-to-head dominance.