The Orioles keep giving games away, and the margins are starting to look brutal. Baltimore has plenty of talent, but it has too often played like a team that’s working against itself, and the record in one-run games says plenty: 6-13. Even with the American League staying soft enough to keep the Orioles within five games of a playoff spot, the clock is ticking on any real push, especially with the third wild card still in play and Mike Elias facing a decision point.
If Baltimore wants a second-half surge, the fixes have to start now. That means some roster choices, some lineup shuffling, and at least one uncomfortable adjustment in the infield.
The easiest move is probably the catcher situation. Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo are both legitimate bats in the middle of the order, which is a luxury most clubs would love to have once, let alone twice.
But the Orioles are carrying Chadwick Tromp as an extra catcher, and that roster spot could be doing more work elsewhere. Baltimore brought Tromp back with Rutschman on the 7-day IL and chose him over Sam Huff, but with Basallo able to catch on Rutschman’s off days, the Orioles could free up that space for Jeremiah Jackson, who was recently optioned, or another position player.
Third base is messier. Jordan Westburg isn’t coming back right now, and Baltimore is left sorting through Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander at the hot corner.
Alexander’s late error on Monday night drew boos, and his -4.2 UZR/150 at third this season underscores the problem. Mayo’s bat gives the Orioles a reason to live with shaky defense, but only against left-handed pitching.
He’s hit .295/.368/.721 against lefties this year, but just .148/.215/.235 against right-handers. That split is hard to ignore.
If Baltimore insists on keeping Mayo in the lineup, it needs to stop running him out there against righties.
There’s also a bigger infield reshuffle staring the Orioles in the face. Gunnar Henderson doesn’t want to move to third, and the club probably has doubts about Jackson Holliday’s defense at shortstop, but staying put may be the worse choice.
Sliding those two to the right would open second base for Alexander and a recalled Jackson to share time. And if Baltimore is serious about buying, the front office could still go get help at third base or shortstop from the right side.
It doesn’t have to be a splashy move, and it doesn’t have to wait until the end of July.
On the pitching side, the Orioles need to tighten the rotation and stick with a five-man group. Trey Gibson has reached the point where the team no longer has the luxury of letting him learn on the fly.
He’s pitched like a rookie finding his way, which is understandable, but Craig Albernaz clearly doesn’t trust him to face a lineup a third time through. The Orioles have used up their cushion there.
Gibson can use the innings, and Kyle Bradish could probably benefit from an extra day here and there, but Baltimore needs its best five starters taking the ball every five days.
Dean Kremer is expected back from the injured list this week, and that should push Gibson back to Norfolk’s starting rotation.
In Other News...
Orioles Reach Another Embarrassing Low As Camden Yards Turns On Them
Camden Yards has been a place where Orioles fans usually show up expecting baseball with some edge, but lately the mood has shifted from restless to openly sour. Baltimores latest skid has only deepened the frustration, and the on-field mistakes have made it harder to separate the noise from the baseball. Craig Albernaz said the fans have every right to boo, a blunt acknowledgment that the people paying to watch are reacting to what they see, not to any larger theory about patience or process.
Mike Elias is still talking like a club that can be fixed in season, saying the Orioles intend to add to the roster before the trade deadline and still believe they are right there. But belief is getting harder to sell when the losses keep piling up and the atmosphere at home keeps turning colder. For a team that expected to be in the race, the challenge now is not just finding help, but convincing its own ballpark that there is still something worth sticking around for. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Are Running Out Of Patience With Mike Elias
The Orioles biggest problem has been easy to spot for a while now, and it is the same one that keeps hanging over every conversation about the roster: pitching. Baltimore has built enough around its young core to stay in the playoff picture, but the staff has not been fixed well enough to match the rest of the organizations progress, and that leaves President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias under the microscope as the season moves into its most important stretch.
The frustration is only sharpened by what happened elsewhere in the division of baseballs front-office patience. The Nationals moved on from Mike Rizzo midseason last year and have looked better since, a reminder that a reset can sometimes come before the deadline or draft rather than after it. For Orioles fans, the question is no longer whether Elias has had time to solve the pitching issues over his long run, but whether the club can afford to keep waiting any longer if it wants a real shot at building a contender. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Finally Get A Key Arm Back But The Cost Is Real
The Orioles got a much-needed rotation piece back when Dean Kremer was reinstated from the injured list, a move that brought some stability to a staff that has spent plenty of time juggling arms. To make room, Baltimore sent Trey Gibson to Triple-A Norfolk, designated catcher Dom Keegan for assignment, optioned left-hander Josh Walker and recalled Cameron Weston, a flurry of roster shuffling that shows how one return can ripple through several spots at once.
For Gibson, the demotion comes after a rough recent stretch, and Weston is back in the majors after a brief earlier look. The bullpen and catching depth were always going to feel the squeeze once Kremer was ready, and the Orioles have now paid that price in more than one area, with the next question being how long this alignment holds once the staff settles back in. [Read more 🡒]