For essentially the most half, the low factors the Orioles skilled Wednesday towards the Seattle Mariners had been rare in June. Those lopsided losses — the type which have been all too acquainted all through 4 years of a rebuild — abruptly gave solution to extra wins.
Baltimore clinched its first profitable month since August 2017 on Monday evening, sealing the 14-12 June with a series-opening win towards the Mariners. Getting that win out of the best way was crucial, given it was their solely victory within the final 4 video games.
That places a damper on an in any other case robust month, with a 9-3 defeat Wednesday in Seattle closing the stretch. But from a wider angle, ending a month with a profitable report is an achievement — an indication, nonetheless small, of progress in a rebuild. In supervisor Brandon Hyde’s 4 seasons in Baltimore, the Orioles (35-42) haven’t performed in addition to they did in June.
How Baltimore builds off it is going to be much more telling. Here are 4 takeaways from the Orioles’ collection in Seattle:
The arms
The look of the Orioles’ beginning rotation at this level is way off what may’ve been anticipated getting into the season. Left-hander John Means required season-ending Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure, and prospects Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall have but to reach. Rodriguez is recovering from a lat muscle pressure whereas Hall works in Triple-A.
And but, the contributions from right-handers Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer have carried the Orioles by June, with extra standout shows in Seattle. Wells carried an ideal sport into the fifth inning and Kremer compiled seven scoreless innings, permitting 4 hits and two walks with 5 strikeouts.
That outing brings Kremer’s scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings throughout three begins. Before Kremer, Kevin Gausman, Fernando Valenzuela and Jim Palmer had been the one three Orioles pitchers with at the least 18 2/3 scoreless innings within the span of three begins. Kremer’s three straight scoreless begins of at the least 5 innings can also be tied for the longest stretch in Orioles historical past.
Mounting momentum
With an opposite-field double in Wednesday’s loss, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle notched his MLB-leading 18th extra-base hit of June. He entered the month with a .692 OPS. He left it with a .797 OPS.
Mountcastle hit seven homers and 11 doubles in June, greater than doubling his totals in each classes in April and May mixed.
A profitable homecoming
The first MLB stadium Adley Rutschman ever stepped inside was Safeco Field in Seattle, then an 8-year-old collaborating within the regional Pitch, Hit and Run Competition. The Sherwood, Oregon, native gained the occasion.
On his subsequent go to to the now-named T-Mobile Park, Rutschman made a splash as soon as extra, this time as a 24-year-old phenom for the Orioles towards the workforce that had initially drafted him. Rutschman plated one run with a hard-hit infield single earlier than blasting a solo homer along with his grandfather, his dad and mom and lots of different supporters within the stands.
Rutschman completed the weekend and not using a hit within the remaining two video games, however his first evening made his Pacific Northwest return particular.
Stellar outfield protection
Cedric Mullins had already taken his eyes off the ball, as an alternative turning his head towards the wall that was quickly approaching. But the ball nonetheless landed in his glove within the third inning Wednesday, creating one other highlight-reel play from the Orioles middle fielder throughout a weekend filled with such shows.
Baltimore’s outfield protection in Seattle was exemplary, together with one other help for Austin Hays — his seventh — and a number of other different diving performs from Mullins.
In the eighth inning of Monday’s sport, Mullins’ cost and dive stole a base hit, and an analogous play coming in on a ball in Tuesday’s sport stranded a Mariners runner on second. Later in Tuesday’s sport, Hays’ leaping catch on the wall helped protect Kremer’s scoreless outing.
The numbers present that the Orioles have two of the very best outfielders within the sport. Hays is tied for second in outfield assists, and Mullins’ 5 aren’t far behind. Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw leads middle fielders with defensive runs saved with eight, per Sports Info Solutions, however Mullins is second with seven. Hays has 4 defensive runs saved.
Those two placed on a clinic in Seattle, as they’ve steadily this season.
On the farm
Connor Norby tries to not be the “annoying little brother,” but it surely’s exhausting to quell the questions that come speeding out of him when he’s round Orioles prospects barely forward of him within the pipeline. Be it Triple-A outfielder Kyle Stowers or infielder Gunnar Henderson, the newly promoted Double-A Bowie infielder tries to study as a lot as he can about hitting.
“How they think, that’s the biggest thing,” Norby told reporters Wednesday in Bowie. “You want to pick apart the guys who are having success, so you can have success as well. They’re a huge part in us growing up and coming through. We’re just following in their steps.”
Norby, outfielder Colton Cowser and third baseman Coby Mayo are enjoying for the Baysox this week, having all acquired promotions Monday from High-A Aberdeen. The rise for these three prospects continues the surge in younger expertise transferring larger in Baltimore’s farm system — with Rutschman already within the majors.
With these promotions, 10 of the highest 11 Orioles prospects on Baseball America’s rankings are within the higher minors or majors.
“We got a great org right now, with what everybody’s doing, with what they’re preaching,” Cowser instructed reporters. “You can tell it’s transcending up through the levels, and it’s very, very exciting.”
Mayo, who ranks No. 5 in Baltimore’s system, entered Wednesday with 13 residence runs. Cowser, at No. 6, marked his Double-A debut Tuesday with three hits, together with one lengthy ball. And Norby (No. 11) is hitting .237 on prime of his versatile protection.
The three of them had been a part of Aberdeen’s first half championship. Cowser and Norby had been chosen within the first and second rounds of the 2021 draft, respectively. Mayo was taken within the fourth spherical in 2020, however they’ve adopted a path collectively — resulting in the Baysox.
“We all got called into the office together, we all got told together, we all moved together,” Norby mentioned. “It’s been a real fun journey.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com