Rutschman debuts, O’s give up all of the homers, and Hyde has a contract for 2022
Good morning, Birdland!
There is the Jordan Lyles we were all expecting. The righty had largely avoided the homer bug through three starts, but that luck caught back up with him on Tuesday night. He served up three homers en route to a 12-8 O’s loss. It shouldn’t come as a huge shock considering Lyles led the league in home runs allowed a season ago (38). So far this year he only leads the league in hits allowed (25). I think that is somewhat preferable. So, progress?
But it was not all bad news. The Orioles offense was extremely efficient. They scored eight times on eight hits and four walks, went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and both Anthony Santander and Austin Hays went deep.
One of only two O’s without a hit was catcher Robinson Chirinos, who now owns a .623 OPS on the season. To be fair to him, he has been perfectly fine at the plate, especially for a backstop. But clearly, there is room to improve for the team.
Meanwhile, über prospect Adley Rutschman was lacing line drives over in Aberdeen as he made his season debut. He looked healthy, he reported that he felt good. Let’s get him up, yeah?
In reality, it will probably be a couple of weeks before Rutschman is in Baltimore. The Orioles aren’t going to rush anything at this point. But at least it is something to look forward to, and it is quite possible that a Rutschman promotion opens the flood gates for other promotions.
We can only hope.
Links
Rutschman returns to action, doubles in 2022 debut | MLB.com
Mark Feinsand, who wrote this blog, was also tweeting about how impressive Coby Mayo looked in this game as the big infielder homered twice. Dare I say, the hype train for Mayo may eclipse what we saw with Gunnar Henderson a season ago. That would be pretty neat.
Under contract beyond 2022, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde to get chance to manage prospect-laden club | The Baltimore Sun
Well, this is news. Brandon Hyde’s contract status has never been officially revealed. The speculation was that he had a team option for 2023, but this makes it sound like that year is guaranteed. Of course, he could still be fired and not actually serve that year. Anyway, I don’t hate the idea of giving Hyde an actual roster to work with. But that doesn’t change my thought that ultimately he will be replaced when the team decides it’s go time.
Behind the scenes with Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown | Baltimore Baseball
Kevin Brown is the best, and I will hear no different. Announcer preference is all about what you want out of a game-watching experience. Personally, I like that Brown gets a little wacky sometimes, pokes fun at his color commentator, and doesn’t take the job too seriously. Some on Twitter do not feel similarly.
About yesterday and last night | Roch Kubatko
Less than three weeks into the season, the Orioles rotation is a mess. This was a predictably outcome. It’s why the team signed….Matt Harvey just before the season commenced. It would have been appreciated if they signed one more actual big league arm. It also doesn’t help that everyone is getting hurt.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
Aaron Brooks is the only former Oriole born on this day. The right-handed pitcher appeared in 14 games for the 2019 squad, serving mostly as a starter. His numbers were ugly: 6.18 ERA over 59.2 innings. After two solid seasons in the KBO, the righty is now working out of the Cardinals bullpen.
This day in O’s history
1968 – Orioles pitcher Tom Phoebus no-hits the Red Sox in a 6-0 win for the Birds. Brooks Robinson has himself a day with three RBI and a web gem at third base.
2015 – A scheduled game between the Orioles and White Sox at Camden Yards is postponed due to ongoing protests against police brutality throughout the city.