There was a positive news update about the one-time Orioles ace getting back towards real pitching.
Hello, friends.
The Orioles are not good again. No one can be surprised by this. They had four fun innings last night as they attempted to take a series against the Cardinals, then Cade Povich fell apart in the fifth and the lead was blown for good. There is a not-small contingent of Povich believers out there who believe good results will be coming eventually. They just aren’t there yet, and he’s got a 5.23 career ERA through 26 MLB starts.
Let’s not leave out the blame for the offense from that 6-4 loss to the Cardinals. It was yet another game where the Orioles largely could not cash in on scoring opportunities. I’m talking a 3-17 with RISP batting number for the game.
It’s not new for things to go that way. It’s bad! It’s good that Jackson Holliday had three hits as the leadoff hitter, including two doubles, but it’s bad that he scored zero runs. Perhaps eventually it will occur to 2025 Orioles decisionmakers that Adley Rutschman is not an ideal top-of-the-lineup hitter. Ryan Mountcastle had two hits, including a double, and he also scored zero runs.
The good news is there’s something happier to think about today. Yesterday brought an encouraging update from Kyle Bradish, the 2023 Orioles ace who has been recovering from Tommy John surgery for most of the last year. Bradish told Orioles reporters that he had another successful bullpen session on Monday and that means if everything stays on the current track, he could be activated from the injured list some time in August.
With the team at a 19-36 record, hopes for anything good happening with the season’s record have been kaput for a while. The collapse in May against what was supposed to be a favorable schedule has ended any delusions about that. We are going to have to cling to everything that’s an encouraging sign for 2026 as it comes along. Holliday’s emergence as a leadoff batter is one such thing.
Hopefully there will be more before Bradish is back. It would be kind of depressing if there’s not. Seeing six good Bradish starts would certainly be another hopeful 2026 sign. More would be welcome, especially from starting pitchers who are likely to be in next year’s mix. Povich, last night’s goat, is part of that. So is Dean Kremer, who will be starting next on Saturday.
Who knows, maybe eventually we’ll even see Grayson Rodriguez, who also threw on Monday. And maybe when we see him, he’ll be better than he’s been in his big league career to date.
Orioles things you might have missed
Bradish encouraged by bullpen sessions, Sánchez performing full baseball activities (School of Roch)
Bradish staying on track for live bullpen sessions early in July would be a big positive for the team trying to salvage some momentum next year.
Buck Showalter is not the answer for the Orioles – but his ideas might be (The Baltimore Banner)
“I’m not one of those guys who tells the pilot how to land the plane,” Buck said. And although the headline promises some ideas, there’s not really anything specific beyond that he thinks one problem is a young group of hitters who are running into adversity for the first time.
Bright spot O’Hearn putting up All Star-worthy numbers for Orioles (Orioles.com)
Nobody’s going to get voted in by the fans when the Orioles suck this much, so it’ll all come down to how things get handed out for the one player per team rule.
Charlie Morton finds success slowing down mechanics: ‘I hear it’ (The Baltimore Sun)
On Monday, the Orioles finally won a game in which Morton pitched. It’s going to take a few more outings like that for him to get out of the negative value territory for the season.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
There are several former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021-22 infielder Tyler Nevin, 1998-2004 infielder Jerry Hairston, 1997-98 outfielder Eric Davis, 1976-77 pitcher Fred Holdsworth, and 1975-77 pitcher Dyar Miller. Today is Miller’s 79th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: author G. K. Chesterton (1874), author T. H. White (1906), 35th president John F. Kennedy (1917), film composer Danny Elfman (1953), actress Laverne Cox (1972), Spice Girl Mel B (1975), and Baltimore-raised basketballer Carmelo Anthony (1984).
On this day in history…
In 1453, the city of Constantinople was captured by the Ottoman Empire, led by the sultan, Mehmed II. This capture, following a 53-day siege, brought an end to the Byzantine Empire and with it, any state’s lineage to the Roman Empire. Following the capture, the city was renamed to Istanbul.
In 1660, the monarchy of England was restored following an 11-year interruption. (This was also the 30th birthday of returning monarch Charles II.)
In 1867, the separate monarchies of Austria and Hungary were brought together into one Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In 1953, explorers Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the first people known to have ever done so.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on May 29. Have a safe Thursday.