Question: Why did the O’s give up on Evan Phillips? It seems strange that our leadership decided that he was not good enough for the Orioles but he was/is apparently good enough for the Dodgers, usually thought to be a better organization. From: Rev. Robert P Hall, OSL
Answer: Reverend Hall, I got the same question about another Dodger, Jack Flaherty, from Tom Capuano from Proctor, Vermont.
Let’s look at Phillips first. He had a 7.36 ERA from 2018-2020 with the Orioles and was released by the team in August 2021 after a 5.04 ERA at Triple-A Norfolk. He was immediately picked up by Tampa Bay, and 12 days later, the Dodgers claimed him off waivers.
It’s a mystery why some players do better with different organizations, but there are players on the Orioles — Danny Coulombe, Ryan O’Hearn, Cionel Pérez and Albert Suárez, for example — who performed far better for the Orioles than for their previous team.
Flaherty wasn’t with the Orioles very long, just over two months last season before he signed with Detroit, which dealt him to Los Angeles at the trade deadline.
Sometimes, it’s teaching a player a new pitch, changing how they throw a pitch, modifying their delivery or giving them a new way of looking a things. There’s nothing definitive, but it happens often.
Question: I have felt the horrendous June schedule against top teams drained the Orioles. You could sense the lack of excitement in the dugout. They just appeared to be exhausted. I know the injuries were a large issue but there was enough talent to succeed. Hitting is contagious and they had the wrong kind of fever. What do you think? From: Julius Silvestri
Answer: Julius, I know the June schedule was hard, but even with a five-game losing streak late in the month, they still went 17-12.
Injuries in June to pitchers Kyle Bradish and Danny Coulombe hurt the team, and I think that while they floundered in July, they struggled badly after infielder Jordan Westburg broke his right hand. I think his absence hurt the lineup, and the offense had a rough August and didn’t start turning around until he returned for the last week of the regular season.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.