Division race not getting easier, but Orioles have much to like from Seattle series win

The Orioles won a three-game series against a first-place team and lost ground to the New York Yankees in the American League East over the weekend. 

Yes, New York keeps winning and is now 13-2 since dropping three out of four at Camden Yards to start May, but it’s not as though Baltimore is slumping with a 9-4 record over that same stretch. For perspective, Brandon Hyde’s club was in worse position after 44 games last year, trailing Tampa Bay by 3 1/2 games despite a 28-16 start — one game worse than this year’s mark — to the 2023 season.  

It’s a long season with twists and turns ahead — for both the Yankees and Orioles. 

A two-game deficit and a tie in the loss column entering Monday’s action won’t make anyone lose any sleep, and the Orioles are better served focusing on their own business anyway, which is what they did for the most part in taking two of three games from Seattle. Aside from some bullpen hiccups, there was plenty to like over the weekend, especially pertaining to a handful of individuals going through recent challenges. 

Grayson Rodriguez returned from the injured list to toss six shutout innings on Saturday night. The 24-year-old right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed only one hit while striking out seven. Most importantly, there were no visible signs of the shoulder inflammation that landed him on the IL as his fastball velocity was excellent and he induced 13 swinging strikes. 

Colton Cowser had batted just .157 over the last three weeks before going 5-for-8 with two doubles, four walks, and three runs batted in against the Mariners. He also made a sensational diving catch in right-center to begin the eighth inning of a then-two-run game on Sunday afternoon. The 24-year-old is streaky and owns the highest strikeout rate on the team, but he is also walking in a club-leading 12.9% of his plate appearances, making one wonder if he’ll eventually end up in the leadoff spot since 12 of Gunnar Henderson’s league-leading 15 home runs have come with the bases empty this season. 

After temporarily being moved out of the closer role, Craig Kimbrel seems to have righted himself as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his ninth save on Sunday. Though facing the bottom third of the Seattle order with a 6-3 lead, the 35-year-old still struck out two and was able to better command his curveball, something he’d lost in recent weeks. Kimbrel has allowed only one batter to reach over his last four appearances. 

And though you don’t want to make too much out of a bunt single on Saturday and a two-hit, two-RBI day on Sunday in the wake of an 8-for-69 drought, Cedric Mullins took some of his best swings since mid-April with a pair of hard line drives in the series finale. The Orioles hope it’s the start of Mullins waking up from a monthlong nightmare at the plate because this lineup becomes that much more dangerous with the speedy center fielder being a factor with the bat. 

The weekend wasn’t perfect as the Yankees enjoyed beating up on the worst team in baseball and Saturday’s bullpen struggles cost the Orioles a possible sweep, but Baltimore remains among the very best teams in baseball. That’s all anyone needs to worry about right now. 

Mateo stepping up 

The disappointment of top prospect Jackson Holliday being sent back to the minors in late April was one thing, but the demotion posed the question of who would step up at second base in the meantime.

With the offense of Ramon Urias falling off a cliff this season, the platoon initially deployed by Hyde has all but disappeared in favor of giving Jorge Mateo everyday playing time at second base. That’s allowed the Orioles to keep Jordan Westburg at third base, which has probably benefitted a young player whose offense has taken off in his second major league season. 

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Mateo’s consistency has helped make that possible as he’s not only played very good defense transitioning from shortstop to second, but he’s rebounded from an extremely difficult 2023 at the plate that left many asking why he was still on the roster last summer. In 89 plate appearances this season, the 28-year-old is batting a respectable .259 with 11 extra-base hits, seven stolen bases, and a .756 on-base plus slugging percentage. And while most of that production continues to come against left-handed pitching, a .211 average against right-handed arms and his strong defense have kept Mateo playable on an everyday basis. 

His speed has always been a weapon as shown in Sunday’s second inning when Mateo singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by Mariners catcher Seby Zavala, and scored on James McCann’s double. But his ability to play both middle infield spots at a high level as well as some outfield in a pinch should only help him stick as a valuable utility player even after Holliday returns to the majors. 

Baumann designated for assignment 

The decision to designate right-handed reliever Mike Baumann for assignment was the latest example reminding how much has changed for the Orioles over the last few years. 

Once considered a top pitching prospect in the organization, the 28-year-old Baumann has a good arm, and there was hope at this time last year that he would emerge as a high-impact contributor transitioning to a relief role. But he rarely missed bats with his fastball — even in shorter outings — and too often struggled when pressed into more meaningful situations, trends that continued into 2024. 

With so few of their relievers having minor-league options, the contending Orioles decided they couldn’t afford to continue carrying Baumann if he couldn’t be trusted to pitch in tight games. A 3.44 ERA — that helps mask his less impressive 1.47 WHIP — makes it very likely that another club will scoop up Baumann, who had been pitching better of late. He’s the kind of talent the Orioles would have eagerly acquired a few years ago, but a club with World Series aspirations seemingly ran out of patience over his lack of consistency.