DJ Layton was the day’s top performer for the Keys, and he did it in loud fashion: 5-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base. That effort earned him ORIOLES HANGOUT MiLB Player of the Day honors.
At Norfolk, the Tides fell 11-7 to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in AAA action, dropping to 52-82. Jeremiah Jackson and Sam Huff each left the yard for Norfolk. Jackson finished 1-for-4 with a homer, one run scored and two RBI, while Huff went 2-for-4 with a homer, one run scored and three RBI.
Cade Povich took the loss after allowing eight runs on seven hits, including two home runs, over 5.0 innings. He walked four and struck out five, and his record moved to 2-5.
Wehiwa Aloy also homered for Norfolk, going 1-for-4 with a stolen base, one run scored and one RBI. Frederick Bencosme added a 1-for-4 night with a double and two RBI.
Patrick Reilly turned in the sharper outing on the mound, giving up two runs on four hits, including a homer, while walking one and striking out eight across 7.0 innings.
In the other box score, Jaiden Lo Re went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI, while Enddy Azocar was 1-for-4 with a double, one run scored, one RBI and a walk. Christian Rodriguez started that game and allowed three runs on four hits, including two home runs, over 4.2 innings. He walked three and struck out three.
In Other News...
Orioles Late-Season Injury Picture Just Got More Complicated
The Orioles spent part of their series against the Guardians sorting through a late-season injury picture that keeps shifting around the edges. Keegan Akin and Ryan Mountcastle are both with the club, giving Baltimore at least a couple of familiar faces back in the mix, while the team also laid out where several others stand in their recoveries as the calendar keeps moving toward the finish.
Mountcastle will not play again this season because of an oblique injury, a reminder of how much attrition has worn on the roster, and the rehab updates do not bring a simple wave of reinforcements just yet. Luis Robert Jr. and Christian Franklin are working in Sarasota, Flix Bautista is at Triple-A Norfolk on assignment, and Kyle Bradish is being handled carefully after Tommy John surgery, with his workload watched closely as the Orioles keep managing one of the more complicated health charts on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face Two Big Questions As Wild Card Push Gets Tighter
The Wild Card race has tightened enough that every little update matters, and Craig Albernaz had a familiar opponent in mind when he talked about the Orioles place in it. The Baltimore manager, who spent time on the Guardians coaching staff, knows how closely these two clubs are watching each other as the standings compress and the margin for error shrinks. For the Orioles, the late-season picture is being shaped not just by the schedule, but by the health of a roster that has had to juggle a few key moving parts.
Ryan Helsley, Tyler ONeill, Flix Bautista, Ryan Mountcastle, Keegan Akin, Luis Robert Jr. and Christian Franklin all figure into that evolving injury picture, and Baltimores recent stretch has made each of those updates feel more important. The club has been trying to keep pace while sorting through those absences and tracking its recent results, but with the Guardians right there in the mix, the bigger questions are starting to come into focus. How quickly those players can return, and how much they can help once they do, may decide just how long the Orioles stay in the hunt. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Just Got Another Brutal Reminder About This Rebuild
A rough week for the Orioles in Boston did not end with much comfort for anyone still tracking where this rebuild stands. The Red Sox completed a four-game sweep, and in the same stretch of bad news for Baltimore, former Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was already making noise in his new home with Boston by leaving the yard against Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, another familiar name to Baltimore fans.
Rodriguez, once a first-round pick the Orioles hoped would help anchor the next wave, is now with the Angels after being dealt last winter for outfielder Taylor Ward. His Baltimore exit followed a frustrating run of injuries and uneven performance, which only adds to the sting when ex-Orioles keep popping up in meaningful moments elsewhere. Baltimore did at least stop the bleeding with a win the same day, ending a six-game skid, but the bigger picture for fans remains hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]