The Orioles didn’t just pick up a win in Detroit last night. They bought themselves a little more room to breathe in a deadline week that could go either way.
With less than a week left before Aug. 3, Baltimore’s next six games - three against the Tigers on the road and three at home against the Phillies - loom huge. The front office still has to decide whether this group is a buyer or a seller, and the answer could swing fast depending on what happens over the next few days.
For one night, the Orioles looked like a club intent on staying in the race. Even with Kyle Bradish turning in a rare rough outing, Baltimore blasted its way to an 8-5 win in the series opener, piling up 12 hits and three homers while getting a strong collective effort from four relievers. It was the kind of game that keeps a team alive in the wild card chase.
And the chase is crowded. Baltimore’s win pulled it back within two games of the rained-out Guardians for the final wild card spot, while also trimming the gap to the idle Twins to one game.
The Orioles also moved level with the Mariners, who lost yesterday, and were possibly a half-game ahead of the Astros before Houston erased a two-run deficit in the ninth to win. As the source put it: because the Angels are useless.
That’s the reality for the Orioles right now. One night can change the picture, but so can one bad stretch.
A couple more losses and Baltimore could just as easily be staring up at three or four teams again, four games back and in a messier spot than they are today. The margin is razor-thin, even with so many AL clubs failing to separate themselves.
Still, the Orioles have at least created some distance from Detroit. They’re now two games clear of the Tigers, and another win tonight would make the Tigers’ playoff hopes look even thinner. In fact, the source suggested Detroit might as well call it a season and trade Tarik Skubal today, just to avoid letting him face Baltimore in the finale tomorrow.
Dean Kremer gets the ball tonight for the Orioles after allowing six runs in Boston last week. Baltimore’s lineup will try to keep the pressure on Tigers starter Troy Melton after yesterday’s barrage.
Jackson Holliday led the offensive charge with four hits, Coby Mayo went deep against a right-hander, and Tyler O’Neill added a pinch-hit homer. For a night, some of the Orioles’ most criticized hitters delivered exactly what the team needed.
Ryan Mountcastle and Chris Bassitt are beginning rehab assignments, Rodríguez has been traded, and there are updates on draft signings. The idea that getting Mountcastle and Bassitt back is like making trade acquisitions may sound nice, but it’s not quite the same thing.
There’s also the question of Trevor Rogers and whether the Orioles would extend him. The source noted that it didn’t expect Baltimore to extend even one starting pitcher this year, let alone two or three.
Owner David Rubenstein also drew scrutiny for saying he was “very pleased” with his general manager despite the team’s disappointing season. Kyle Goon wondered how that could be the case, unless Rubenstein was being so dryly sarcastic that everyone missed it.
And at Comerica Park, a squirrel caused enough chaos to steal the spotlight. Craig Albernaz said, “The whole squirrel thing was nuts.”
July 28 has plenty of Orioles history attached to it, too. Three former Orioles were born on this day: Drew Jackson, who is 33, Chad Paronto, who is 51, and Bob Milacki, who is 62.
The date also carries a long list of memorable moments. In 1971, Brooks Robinson made three errors in one game for the first and only time in his 2,896-game career, but the Orioles still won when Frank Robinson hit a walkoff three-run homer against Rollie Fingers.
In 1978, Rich Dauer set a club record with his 10th straight multi-hit game and hit .583 over that stretch. In 1990, Cal Ripken’s MLB-record run of 95 consecutive errorless games at shortstop ended on a grounder from Jeff Schulz.
Baltimore has also used July 28 for trades that ranged from useful to forgettable. In 1995, the Orioles landed Bobby Bonilla from the Mets, and he hit .300 with an .877 OPS and 39 homers over parts of two seasons in Baltimore. He’s still getting paid by both clubs, with the Mets owing him $1.19 million annually through 2035 and the Orioles paying him $500,000 through 2028.
In 2000, the Orioles sent Mike Bordick to New York in a deal that brought back Melvin Mora, the only one of Syd Thrift’s fire-sale moves that really paid off. Mora became a steady on-base threat with power and eventually made the Orioles Hall of Fame after hitting .280/.355/.438 with 158 homers for the club.
Then there was 2017, when Baltimore dealt Hyun Soo Kim and Garrett Cleavinger to the Phillies for Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson posted a 6.97 ERA in 10 starts and openly said he disliked pitching at Camden Yards, while Cleavinger has gone on to become a solid left-handed reliever with the Rays.
In Other News...
Orioles Move On From Another Outfield Depth Piece
The Orioles latest outfield shuffle sent Johnathan Rodrguez to Pittsburgh for cash considerations, another small but telling move in a roster churn that has become familiar around Baltimore this time of year. Rodrguez had been designated for assignment a few days earlier, leaving the club to clear space and move on from a depth piece without much delay.
Pittsburgh made the corresponding roster changes by reinstating catcher Endy Rodrguez from the injured list and designating Shawn Ross for assignment, with Johnathan Rodrguez headed to Triple-A Indianapolis. For Baltimore, its another reminder that the back end of the roster remains fluid, especially for players trying to hang onto a spot while the club keeps sorting through its outfield depth. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Need To Rethink Coby Mayo After Surprising Deadline Shift
The deadline market keeps tilting toward right-handed bats, and the latest jolt came when Boston sent rookie starter Connelly Early to Washington for infielder Curtis Mead, a move few around the game saw coming. Mead has been having a strong season, and the swap only sharpened the sense that clubs are willing to pay for infield offense when the right profile is available.
For Baltimore, that kind of market matters because it puts a player like Coby Mayo back in sharper focus. Mayos bat against left-handed pitching is the sort of skill that can play in a deadline trade conversation, and his defensive fit at third base and first base gives him more than one path to value. The question is whether the Orioles want to keep treating him as part of their long-term plan, or whether the roster squeeze around him eventually pushes the front office toward a harder decision. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Have Reached Their Limit With Taylor Ward
Taylor Wards first few weeks in Baltimore have only sharpened the scrutiny around the trade that brought him in, especially with Grayson Rodriguez still dealing with the injury problems that helped define the other side of the deal. The Orioles expected more stability from the swap, but Ward has been part of a broader frustration for a team that has already had to rethink how it uses its roster and fills out its lineup.
What has made the situation harder to ignore is the way Baltimore keeps running Ward out near the top of the order despite the lack of payoff, a choice that has fed the sense that the club is being too patient for its own good. With other options in the organization and the deadline approaching, the question is no longer just whether Ward can settle in, but whether the Orioles should stop waiting for that to happen and make a move now. [Read more 🡒]