Gunnar returns, the O’s lack of extensions, and torpedo bats.
Good Morning Birdland!
Gunnar Henderson’s return to the Orioles lineup was supposed to be a joyous occasion. It was just the thing this team needed to get back to their winning ways, right?
Eh, not so much. At least, not yet. As Stacey explained in last night’s recap of the 8-2 loss, it was an ugly night all around. The hitting stunk, the defense stunk, and Cionel Pérez stunk. Gunnar went 1-for-4 with a single, a strikeout, and an error in the field.
At least Dean Kremer was decent on the mound. He gave up some hits and only struck out one, but he kept the Orioles in the game. That is the goal for the team’s starters. This offense SHOULD be scoring 5+ runs most nights. A start like Kremer’s last night would be acceptable in that instance.
The trouble is that the Orioles offense has not scored 5+ runs since Monday, and unsurprisingly, they have lost all three games that they have played since then. In two of those games they have allowed eight runs. That is a bad combination!
To be fair to the Orioles, they have yet to be at “full strength” this season. Henderson got into his first game yesterday, and he is the singular player that makes this offense go. He will eventually get up to speed and start producing. But even when he does, the team will be still be missing Colton Cowser for at least another month.
They will need to roll with the punches though. There is no room for error in this year’s edition of the AL East. All five teams should be competitive, and some even better than that. The O’s cannot afford to fall too far behind the teams at the top and expect to be in the mix for the division title at year’s end.
Hopefully they can start that turnaround this evening in Kansas City. Tomoyuki Sugano will toe the rubber against Michael Wacha at 4:10.
Links
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Included is some appreciation for Ramón Urîas, the Orioles’ secret weapon that honestly deserves a full-time role somewhere in Major League Baseball.
Despite O’s loss, Henderson ‘felt good’ in first game back | Orioles.com
Quotes from Henderson and Brandon Hyde on how the MVP candidate felt and looked in his first game of the season. It all sounds positive, and he looked fine in general. So, that’s good!
MLB agents discuss extensions for young stars — and why the Orioles have yet to sign one | The Baltimore Banner
This is a really interesting look into what the Orioles are—or aren’t—doing regarding player extensions. The Jackson Merrill deal with the Padres is the dream. He’s a good player that wanted to be extended early, and the team made it happen. It’s unclear if the Orioles have any of those players, or if the Orioles are interested in making that happen with any of their guys. It would be nice!
O’s pitchers react to new torpedo bats: ‘If they’re legal, fine by me’ | The Baltimore Sun
Let’s be honest. This is probably only a big deal because the Yankees were doing it, and they hit a bunch of home runs in one weekend. But it sounds like other clubs have had access for a while now. The bats do probably help, but not as much as the hype makes it seem.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Steve Clevenger turns 39. The Baltimore-born backstop spent parts of three seasons as a reserve catcher with his hometown team from 2013-15 and was then dealt to the Mariners for a deal that landed Mark Trumbo with the O’s.
- Winston Abreu is 48. He pitched in seven games for the 2006 Orioles.
- Ron Hansen celebrates his 87th. From 1958-62, he was an infielder with the O’s, peaking in 1960 with a 3.9 bWAR season that included an all-star appearance.
- The late Roger Marquis (b. 1937, d. 2004) was born on this day. He has just one MLB plate appearance, which came with the Orioles in 1955.
- It’s a posthumous birthday for Fred Besana (b. 1930, d. 2015). He tossed 17.2 innings for the Orioles in 1956, his only MLB experience.
This day in history
1966 – The Orioles release Don Larsen. He was the last active major leaguer that had played for the St. Louis Browns.
1979 – Orioles manager Earl Weaver wins his 1,000th game.
2013 – Chris Davis homers in the fourth straight game to begin his season, becoming just the fourth player to accomplish that feat. He also drives in five total runs in the Orioles 9-5 win over the Twins to give him 16 total RBI on the young season. That is a new MLB record for the first four games of the season.