What They’re Doing Isn’t Working - Baltimore Sports Today

When will reality set in at the warehouse? Interim Manager Tony Mansolino said, “right now we’re trying to win every game” post-game. This comment was made in reference to a question about why there wasn’t a thought of letting starter Brandon Young (0-5) work out of a fifth inning jam and was alluded to when asked about more playing time for Coby Mayo. If this is trying, it is not working!

For the second night in a row, the Baltimore Orioles lost to the Cleveland Guardians (50-50) by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday. Everyone but Mansolino and the warehouse apparently, do not see that the path forward has disappeared as the Orioles remain 8.5 games back in the Wild Card race and show no real signs of being able to get to a .500 record.

Young, who took the loss, allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 3 and struck out 3 over 4.1 innings. He left the game with runners at second and third and one out after allowing a double to Cleveland’s Angel Martinez; Young issued a walk to open the frame. Young also surrendered a first inning homerun to Jose Ramirez; it was J-Ram’s second homerun in as many days.

Mayo, getting a rare start at first base, went 1 for 1 with a run scored and 3 walks. Despite a night when Mansolino was “Just proud of him…it was a good night, made the plays at first base. That was super positive. Definitely a small step in the right direction, no doubt” his playing time will increase “at some point…and he’ll get an opportunity.”

Down 2-0 in the fifth, Baltimore loaded the bases with no outs but only scored once with the run crossing the plate on a Jacob Stallings GIDP.

In the sixth, Ramon Laureano matched Ramirez when he hit a homerun to left-field, his second in as many games.

Baltimore scored just one run again in the seventh on Jackson Holliday‘s bases-loaded single. The Orioles left seven men on base and went 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position. The team is simply not doing enough to win games.

Ramon Urias had 2 hits and scored a run. Colton Cowser had a single and Ryan O’Hearn singled as a pinch-hitter for Stallings in the seventh.

Once again the bullpen was not exactly up to snuff. Mansolino said, “we have not gotten our bullpen kind of going to the same extent we probably had it going when we were playing our best ball a few weeks ago.” Andrew Kittredge finished off the fifth, allowing one of the two runners he inherited from Young to score, intentionally walking Ramirez and striking out one.

Gregory Soto pitched a rough sixth, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts.

Yennier Cano gave up 1 hit and 1 walk in the seventh and allowed a run to score on a sacrifice bunt; Cano fielded the bunt by Brayan Rocchio and only had a play at first.

Down 6-3, Seranthony Dominguez pitched a clean eighth but it was simply too little, too late.

Taking a page out of the NFL Head Coaches manual, Mansolino was rather coy when he .announced that the reason that Dylan Carlson was recalled from Norfolk was because Tyler O’Neill was suffering from “general soreness”. Even though he said it wasn’t going to require a trip to the IL, the team “needed another outfielder, just in case”. O’Hearn has played the outfield and would have been available, right? Reading between the lines it seems that there is something we are not being told.

There are nine games over eight days before the July 31st MLB Trade Deadline. Now ids the time to come to grips with reality and do something different.

BOX SCORE

2025 Record: 44-56

Next Game: Wed. 7/23 @ 6:40 pm vs. Guardians in Cleveland