During the Orioles’ rebuild, “John Means Day” got here to be in recognition of the one video games the place followers truly felt Baltimore might win. Tuesday night time, the primary such celebration in nearly 17 months, as an alternative provided an event to acknowledge how a lot has modified in that point.
In his first begin since April 13, 2022, Means — the 30-year-old left-hander who was comfortably the Orioles’ prime starter throughout their lean seasons — allowed three runs over 5 innings in his long-awaited return from Tommy John elbow reconstruction. Although the efficiency got here in a series-tying loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, such outcomes have turn out to be unusual for Baltimore, relatively than anticipated.
“I don’t really believe in moral victories, to be honest with you,” Means mentioned after his outing. “I wanted to get the win today. … But it is fun to play for a winning club and be in this clubhouse and be a part of this team.”
Last season, having made his second straight opening day begin for Baltimore, Means unexpectedly exited his subsequent outing after 4 innings in opposition to the Milwaukee Brewers. That eventual loss in that night time’s sport made the Orioles 132-258 because the begin of 2019, the season that Means, in his view, was the final participant to crack their opening-day roster, solely to finish up as an All-Star and the runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year.
At the time, shedding Means appeared to doom Baltimore to a different season as certainly one of baseball’s worst groups. Instead, his absence made what the membership achieved all of the extra spectacular.
He left behind what supervisor Brandon Hyde referred to as “a team that had never won before.” But in some way, it received with out him. Between the beginning Means left with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and Tuesday’s comeback, the Orioles went 173-126, a 94-win tempo. They ended final season as the perfect American League group to overlook the playoffs. They’re days from probably changing into the primary AL group to clinch a spot in 2023.
“We really truly do believe that we’re going to win every game when we show up to the park,” mentioned left fielder Austin Hays, certainly one of three gamers in Tuesday’s lineup who endured the rebuild with Means. “No matter what the last week’s looked like, what the last game looked like, when we walk through the doors, we really think we’re going to win every game.”
The identical feeling, Hays mentioned, emanated on the times Means began, even because the Orioles had been outmatched most different nights.
“He was the leader, the guy that you knew was going to give you the best chance every fifth day,” Hays mentioned.
Means’ harm meant he didn’t get to be a proper a part of the turnaround, although he commonly made appearances within the Orioles’ clubhouse all through his rehab. When across the group, he usually spoke of his need to contribute to what’s come with out him.
He is amongst a handful of Orioles whose Baltimore profession has spanned the group’s rebuild. The roster now could be affected by the younger gamers acquired from it. Adley Rutschman, 2019′s No. 1 general draft decide who made his debut lower than a month after Means’ surgical procedure, wasn’t behind the plate to catch him Tuesday, however he’s sure to be sooner or later. Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, Baltimore’s second alternatives within the respective 2019 and 2020 drafts, manned the left facet of the infield behind Means. Even with out All-Star nearer Félix Bautista — maybe himself heading towards Tommy John surgical procedure — the relievers backing Means are way more proficient than their predecessors; solely two members of Baltimore’s bullpen shared a roster with Means earlier than Tuesday, and certainly one of them, Jorge López, had stints with two different groups between Means’ exit and return.
“A lot has happened since he walked off the mound here in April of 2022,” govt vp and basic supervisor Mike Elias mentioned. “A lot’s happened for us. A lot has happened for him. I think it’s been tough for him to see the team turn the corner and be on the sidelines. I know he’s really itching to come help.”
The rotation Means returns to is way completely different than those he shepherded. From 2019 to 2021, Orioles starters apart from Means had a 6.10 ERA whereas permitting 1.96 dwelling runs per 9 innings, a metric wherein no different membership’s rotation exceeded 1.61. He joins a gaggle that entered Tuesday with a modest 4.41 ERA, carried by its youth in latest weeks.
Only right-hander Dean Kremer has beforehand shared a rotation with Means, getting battered early within the 2021 marketing campaign when Means was maybe at his most dominant, throwing a no-hitter in opposition to the Seattle Mariners amid posting a 1.79 ERA in his first 10 begins. Over the previous two seasons, Kremer has established himself as typically reliable, becoming a member of Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez to kind a trio of younger right-handers poised to steer the Orioles’ rotation come October.
Means, too, is a candidate for such standing, although Elias was clear Monday that the group acknowledges what it’s asking of him: to return from a serious surgical procedure as a beginning pitcher amid a pennant race. Hyde couldn’t consider one other pitcher who has executed what Means is doing, however teammates know what he can present.
“He’s always been a competitor,” mentioned heart fielder Cedric Mullins, who like Means was the All-Star consultant for a nasty Orioles group. “Day in, day trip, each time he begins, anticipating nice issues out of him. Now, it’s no completely different. I believe the expectation sort of stays the identical, and I believe he has increased expectations for himself.
“He always gives us a chance.”
During Means’ time as Baltimore’s ace, this a part of the season was largely irrelevant. Tuesday’s end result apart, he might show to be probably the most vital midseason addition for a group holding a three-game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays within the AL East. He mentioned he spent his absence mentally making ready for this time of 12 months.
“I’ve had a lot of time to try and work on that over the past couple seasons,” Means mentioned.
The veterans of Baltimore’s six-man rotation, Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty, have struggled to be constant, and that trait alone — one which largely outlined his pre-injury tenure — might be sufficient for Means to make sure himself a spot within the Orioles’ postseason rotation.
For now, he’s within the regular-season model. After nearly a 12 months and a half, that’s value celebrating.
Cardinals at Orioles
Wednesday, 6:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com