The Orioles took two of three from the Oakland Athletics in a series they were outscored by seven runs before being swept by the Chicago Cubs.
Here are five things we learned from the week that took the Orioles into their final series before the All-Star break.
Rodriguez’s blowups are proving to be isolated incidents
After finishing the month of June on a sour note turning in one of his worst outings of the season, Grayson Rodriguez has responded by turning in three straight quality starts. In his three outings since the Houston Astros torched him for seven runs June 26, Rodriguez has allowed five runs in 19 1/3 innings (2.33 ERA) with four times as many strikeouts (20) as walks (five).
The right-hander has twice this year allowed seven runs in a start, but he has not let poor games spiral into poor weeks. Outside of those two outings, Rodriguez owns a 2.43 ERA and 1.08 WHIP — numbers that would put him among the frontrunners for the American League Cy Young Award. Of course, those two starts can’t be ignored. They happened and the Orioles lost both games.
Yet Rodriguez has shown that he’s capable of flushing those performances, a promising development for a player who’s still only 24 years old. The Orioles need him to be a frontline starter alongside Corbin Burnes for their World Series aspirations, especially with Kyle Bradish and John Means out for the season.
While not an All-Star, Rodriguez’s overall body of work should still inspire plenty of confidence.
MLB righted its wrongs with additions of worthy All-Stars Westburg, Santander
Speaking of All-Stars, the Orioles gained two more this week thanks to dropouts from around the AL. Neither Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers nor Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker will be participating in this year’s Midsummer Classic, paving the way for Jordan Westburg and Anthony Santander to each get their first career selections.
Westburg was a no-brainer to replace Devers. He has been among the most productive infielders in the AL this season, ranking among the top three of all AL third basemen in home runs, batting average, RBIs, slugging percentage and FanGraphs’ wins above replacement metric at the time of his selection Tuesday. Though it’s likely he’ll have many chances to go to All-Star Games in his career, the future is never assured and Westburg is getting much-deserved credit for the season he’s had so far.
Santander’s case was rooted in his power production. The Orioles’ veteran outfielder entered tied for the fifth most homers in baseball. While advanced metrics such as WAR might suggest other outfielders have been more valuable this season, Santander has been among the league’s most underrated players for years and he likely should have already been an All-Star before this year’s campaign. The 2016 Rule 5 draft pick is finally being recognized, even if it’s a bit overdue.
Pressure to call up Mayo is mounting amid struggles of Mateo, Urías
There’s not much more Coby Mayo can prove at the plate in Triple-A. The Orioles’ infield prospect has been among the most productive hitters in the minor leagues this season, ranking among the league leaders in home runs (19) and OPS (.992) heading into Thursday. He suffered a fractured rib in May but has picked up right where he left off in the three-plus weeks since his return.
While Mayo’s bat is ready, the Orioles have shown patience in calling up the 22-year-old. One factor could be his defense, which manager Brandon Hyde said this week is “improving” but is still the biggest area of concern in his overall impressive profile. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound infielder is still trying to stick at third base, though he’s made 12 starts at first as well.
Perhaps the bigger obstacle for Mayo is the lack of roster space. The Orioles employ a group of six infielders that includes two All-Stars and a pair of first basemen in Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn who were finalists in the fan vote. Their other two infielders, however, have both struggled of late. Jorge Mateo is hitting .194 since he returned from a concussion June 11 and Ramón Urías, a Gold Glove Award winner long touted for his defense, has graded below league average at third base with minus-4 outs above average. His offensive numbers have slipped as well with his .672 OPS sitting 54 points down from his career average.
To call up Mayo, the Orioles would have to either designate Mateo or Urías for assignment or carry one fewer outfielder by demoting one of Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins or Heston Kjerstad. With only three games left before the All-Star break, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias may opt to wait until the second half to make the call. But a tough decision might have to be made in the near future.
Orioles aren’t themselves when they play the NL Central
The Orioles have completed their regular season slate against National League Central opponents and they couldn’t be happier to put those games behind them. After being swept by the Cubs this week, the Orioles finished with a 5-10 record against the division. Not only is that their worst record against a division this season, it’s the only one against which they have a losing record.
The only NL Central team the Orioles won a series against this season was the Cincinnati Reds, whom they swept in early May. The Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are two of only three teams to sweep Baltimore in the last two calendar years, each doing so over the past two months despite both being under .500 when they faced the Orioles.
Baltimore certainly didn’t look right this week against the Cubs, getting shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since June 2021. The Orioles, who have scored the second most runs in MLB this season, ended the series riding a streak of 24 consecutive innings without scoring a run. Luckily for the Orioles, they won’t have to face an NL Central team again until next year — that is, unless they meet one in the World Series.
Tate was the first bullpen domino to fall with Orioles’ bullpen scuffling
Aside from shuttling Nick Vespi back and forth from Triple-A Norfolk and giving Matt Krook a look while Burnes was on paternity leave, the Orioles have largely relied on the same eight relievers to fill out their bullpen since Danny Coulombe landed on the injured list with an elbow injury June 11. Since that date, the Orioles’ bullpen owns a 5.11 ERA that’s fourth worst in the majors over that span.
The Orioles’ front office made the call to shake up its relief corps Thursday by optioning Dillon Tate to Triple-A and selecting the contract of Burch Smith, who signed with the Orioles last month after being released by the Miami Marlins. Tate, a reliable set-up man for Baltimore in 2022, has struggled to regain his form after missing all of last season with several arm injuries.
Without Coloumbe, the Orioles have used a combination of Yennier Cano (4.91 ERA since June 11), Jacob Webb (4.76), Keegan Akin (4.11) and Cionel Pérez (3.48) in high-leverage spots ahead of closer Craig Kimbrel. Tate and Bryan Baker have not inspired confidence in front of them, giving Hyde no choice but to continue turning to the aforementioned quartet in the middle-to-late innings.
The trade deadline is looming, leaving only a few weeks left with which to evaluate the relievers they have within the organization already before deciding how many arms they might have to acquire. Smith is the first to get a chance to make the most of an extended opportunity.