Given the weekend’s injuries to Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle and Tyler O”Neill to add to Zach Eflin’s Tommy John surgery last week, not much is ideal for rookie manager Craig Albernaz and the Baltimore Orioles just three weeks into a chaotic season of attrition. But, after taking two of three from the San Francisco Giants at Camden Yards, Luke Jones and Nestor are more than satisfied with the over .500 run in a mediocre-so-far division.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Attend and participate in the GBMC “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” event on Friday at 4:00 p.m. at South Chapman in Towson, including walking the one-mile course and being present to greet attendees.
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Appear at the Maryland Crab Cake Tour stop at Costas in Timonium on Thursday as part of the tour coverage.
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Appear at the Maryland Crab Cake Tour stop at Pizza John’s in Essex on May 1 as part of the tour coverage.

Orioles’ Weekend Recap and Injuries

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the Orioles’ recent games against the Giants, highlighting the team’s injuries and mixed performance.
• Luke Jones expresses cautious optimism about the team’s potential despite the injuries and mediocre play.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of key players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, noting their contributions and injuries.
• Luke mentions the encouraging news about Rutschman’s ankle injury and the team’s resilience in winning the last two games of the series.

Pitching Performance and Rotation Issues

• Luke Jones praises the performances of Brandon Young and K Povich, noting their significant contributions to the team’s wins.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the challenges of maintaining a stable pitching rotation with multiple injuries and inexperienced starters.
• Luke highlights the importance of depth in the rotation and the potential impact of upcoming returns from injured players.
• Nestor expresses concern about the team’s ability to sustain success without key players like Rutschman and Holt.

Defensive and Offensive Challenges

• Nestor and Luke discuss the team’s defensive struggles, particularly in critical moments, and the impact on game outcomes.
• Luke notes that the team’s defense was not as bad as it seemed over the weekend but acknowledges the need for improvement.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the importance of reducing errors and improving infield play to prevent costly mistakes.
• Nestor mentions the team’s offensive struggles, particularly with players like Pete Alonso and Koby Mayo, and the need for better performance from these key hitters.

Player Performance and Leadership

• Nestor and Luke discuss the leadership roles of players like Gunnar Henderson and the impact of his performance on the team.
• Luke highlights Henderson’s MVP-caliber play and the importance of his contributions to the team’s success.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the challenges faced by players like Koby Mayo and the need for them to step up and perform consistently.
• Luke mentions the potential for Blaze Alexander to see more playing time if Mayo continues to struggle offensively.

Injury Management and Depth

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of injury management and the team’s depth in handling multiple injuries.
• Luke notes the potential return of key players like Dean Kremer and Jackson Holt and the impact on the team’s performance.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the challenges of balancing the need for depth with the pressure to perform at a high level.
• Luke highlights the importance of having a strong bullpen and the contributions of players like Rico Garcia, Anthony Nunez, and Ryan Helsley.

Future Outlook and Team Dynamics

• Nestor and Luke discuss the team’s future outlook, including the potential impact of upcoming draft picks and rebranding efforts.
• Luke mentions the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and focusing on the team’s strengths despite the challenges.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the need for continued development and improvement from young players like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman.
• Luke highlights the importance of team chemistry and the role of leadership in driving success on the field.

Community Engagement and Support

• Nestor Aparicio promotes upcoming community events, including the Maryland Crab Cake Tour and a walk to support GBMC.
• Nestor encourages listeners to participate in the walk and support important causes like sexual assault and violence prevention.
• Nestor thanks sponsors and partners for their support, including GBMC, the Maryland Lottery, and Farnham and Dermer.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of community engagement and the role of local businesses in supporting the team and its initiatives.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Orioles injuries, wins against Giants, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, bullpen performance, Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Dean Kremer, Jackson Holt, Koby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, Brandon Young, K Povich, Baltimore baseball.

SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T AM, 1570 tacit Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive, positively. Get you started on a week of home baseball and then road baseball, and we inch closer to, of course, the Ravens dropping their new brand and their uniform kits as well as draft picks next week. So we’re up on it. We are in the midst of a real nice run of the Maryland crab cake Tour, where I have four, count them, four different Maryland treasures. We have horses, we have beaches, we have crabs and herons and bridges and boardwalks and stuff. All are brought to you by the mayor in the lottery. We had a really good time down at fayettely’s on Friday. Steve Miles is with us, Luke and I talked to uniform Shana Hernandez stopped by, talked about the markets and all the markets in Baltimore. I’m wearing my Koco’s gear because I stopped by there on the way back from fadley’s, and I brought home some ribs and some coleslaw, and it was delicious, and a Greek salad. Then I went to Costas to watch the last end of the Masters, which was relatively anticlimactic, but I was home all weekend. I want to give a shout out to GBMC, because on Friday, I’m going to be walking a mile in their shoes. I want to invite everyone out 4pm on Friday at the south Chapman, right here in Towson. It’s free. It’s easy. Come out, donate, bring some sneakers. It’s only a mile. It’ll be over with quick. I’ll walk with you. Come see me four o’clock. Also our friends at Farnham and Dermer, who do all of our sports coverage. And Luke’s about to get, like, more amped up here. We had a weekend, a ballpark, more injuries. They won some games, some good fortune, some bad fortune, some mediocrity, kind of all the way around, the way they kick the ball around, which always makes like on the 50th anniversary of the bad news bears coming out the other day and Jackie Earl Haley showing up on every other tweet in my timeline. You know, it wasn’t a bad weekend. And again, I mean them treading water with all the injuries and all the rushmen now and the mount Castle gets tripped up on by himself. I’m running around first base. I mean, Gunner Henderson, something though, isn’t he?

Luke Jones  02:15

I’m a little more encouraged than you are, from what we saw over the weekend, when you have three injuries equaling the number of games you played, that has the potential to be absolutely disastrous, from not just an injury standpoint, which not saying is great, obviously, and we’ll get into those a little bit more, but I think it has the potential to be very deflating, and they lose the first game of the series, and bassett’s going on Saturday night after how horrible he had looked his first couple outings. And Kate Povich is going Sunday. I mean, Saturday morning. You’re wondering, or even say, Saturday at what, seven o’clock when rushman was put on the i l, you’re thinking the worst right there that. I mean, are they going to get swept? I mean, they’re facing low, they’re facing Webb on Saturday night, and lo and behold, they rally, and they win the last two, and they take the series, and they finish the weekend tide for first place. Look, they’re not firing on all cylinders. They’re not even close to firing on all cylinders. And frankly, I’m not sure that’s going to be happening anytime soon, given

Nestor Aparicio  03:17

the stage where I am on this. I mean, I’m on like, if they’re 25 and 25 they’re probably doing okay, given what’s gone wrong for them, right? I’m not down on them at all. I’ve actually thought the Povich thing. I’m starting to get a little bit more confidence in him, right?

Luke Jones  03:33

I mean, I he pitched well, and we’ve seen him pitch well in the past. I mean, the difference is he didn’t walk anyone on Sunday, when he has decent command. I’ve said this to you before probably a half dozen times when we’ve seen him pitch. Well, deep down, I think there’s a decent pitcher in there, but he’s got to let that guy out a little more often in terms of not walking people and not nibbling to a maddening degree. But that was good to see, and it was on the heels of what Brandon Young did for them on the road trip, long before Zach Eflin got hurt and had Tommy John surgery this past week, we said it you’re not going to get through a season with five starters. I mean, you’re just not right. I mean, we can romanticize the 1971 Orioles and 420 game winners. All we want baseball isn’t like that anymore for even the best pitching teams. So you have to have a crop, a collection of stable that can give you some contributions. And that’s not to say that every single one’s going to be great, but they’ve already now been able to bank a really good start from Brandon young and a really good start from K Povich. Now I’m not sure those guys. You’re even going to want them to pitch a whole lot more the rest of the year, but we’re going to see them at some point, most likely, and you’re hoping they can do that again. They’re probably not going to do that exactly every single time out, but every time they do, it gives you a chance to win. It’s one more win that you don’t need. Need come the third week or fourth week of September, where I don’t know wherever they are, wild card division, whatever it is. So from that standpoint, I was encouraged now to be realistic about it and to look at it pragmatically and the big picture. Yeah, it was a rough weekend. The only saving grace is the MRI for Adley rutsman’s ankle. Craig Albernaz said very encouraging news. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to be out very long. I think this was way more a case of air on the side of caution. I mean, in fact, it was weird. He we saw him in the clubhouse after the game Friday night. There was no indication of anything wrong with him. He apparently tweaked the ankle in his first at bat Friday night, which was his best game of the season, at two doubles, three hits. He’s off to a good start overall.

Nestor Aparicio  05:51

And woke up sore, right? He felt it.

Luke Jones  05:53

He woke up a little bit sore, but even then, not bad. But he went through some pregame stuff on Saturday, which is why he was originally in the lineup. It started swelling up on them. So they said, Hey, let’s, let’s pump the brakes here. We’re going to be extra, extra cautious. They put them on the aisle, which, you know, it’s kind of strange. I mean, you and I’ve talked a lot the last couple years. At times they played short handed, waiting guys out and trying to avoid put them on, putting them on,

Nestor Aparicio  06:17

well, he’s the one guy for me that this gives bisayo a chance to this play for a week. So, fine, great. You know, I mean that they, they can sustain this, that, that that’s not so bad to me. I mean, I’m still waiting on the holidays in the westbergs, and I guess Kramer’s going to be here. And, you know, the bad news, obviously, we talked about this on Friday. We got together in Fave these, which is just the efflin, you know, the respect for him, the surgery, just the really harsh news on him gives them a reset here this week and and in a good way, with young and Povich pitching well, and they even have to go to Suarez. And, you know, the names that were brought up and Kramer hasn’t appeared yet. I don’t know they’re they’re doing fine. I mean, you know, I don’t, I’m not down on them at all. I just they’ve had some bad fortune, though, and they do kick the ball around a lot, which just kind of gives me the skeevy.

Luke Jones  07:08

So although over the I didn’t think the defense was was that bad over the weekend. I mean, they’re not going to be great defensively. They’re just not but their defense wasn’t horrific, like, they

Nestor Aparicio  07:18

just got to figure out what it cost them. That’s all when it cost them the seventh or eighth inning, when they’re in a pinch or a jam and a four, three game becomes a five, four game or something weird.

Luke Jones  07:27

I mean that, and you’re but you’re going to have, I mean, the Dodgers, who are better than anyone. They kicked a game away on Sunday. Now, they had won the first two against the Rangers, but I just happened to see it. It was on MLB Network as I was getting home from the ballpark.

Nestor Aparicio  07:39

You don’t want to kick games around, that’s all,

Luke Jones  07:41

yeah, and they were kind of talking about the fact that the Dodgers had kind of given

Nestor Aparicio  07:44

one away just fourth out. Once you get into the bullpen with guys, it’s hard, man,

Luke Jones  07:49

sure, sure, but to go back to rushman for a moment, I mean, you’re right about besayo, but, but no, because he handles the staff so well, he’s far superior defensively than what Samuel besayo is right now, and I get it. Adley rutsman, doesn’t, you know his arms not great, or at least hasn’t shown off a great arm of here over the last season or two, but there’s still a lot of intangibles there that you miss. But the good news is it does not, genuinely does not sound like he’s going to be out very long, whereas mount Castle fourth metatarsal in his foot. I mean, he’s going to go on the Il. I mean, who knows that he could be on the 60 day IL? I mean, that’s unfortunate for him, especially, they’re finally going to face a left handed starter on Wednesday. I mean, Eduardo Rodriguez is going to be the first left handed starter they’ve played this season, which is crazy when you consider we’re 15 plus games into this. So that’s unfortunate. And then Tyler O’Neill, with a really weird sequence of events where he lands on the concussion list, he was under the weather last week. Greg Albernaz said on Thursday, the off day, he was apparently really dehydrated and fainted. They think he kind of bumped his head, like, not nothing, like catastrophic, but then he started feeling a little dizzy over the weekend. So, like, weird. I’m not sure the smell test adds up on that one, but the end result is Tyler O’Neill on the on an injured list once again. So couple guys who haven’t been able to stay healthy, including Richmond, going back to

Nestor Aparicio  09:21

last year, talk about the deal that brought Ward here. It’s kind of saving them the first couple of weeks, right? He’s been their best player, if not gunner Henderson, the last couple of days. But I mean, in a general sense, I don’t say you and I slept on him to some degree, but he’s everything that Tyler O’Neill sort of promised that didn’t, hasn’t happened in that way.

Luke Jones  09:42

Yeah, and, oh, by the way, Grayson Rodriguez still not pitching for the angels, so there’s also that part of the of the deal, but,

Nestor Aparicio  09:48

and you get to bring that up six and a half days a week, because Ward plays every day, yeah?

Luke Jones  09:53

Well, at least this year. Now, again, my issue with that trade was much more. It was only one year of Taylor Ward compared. Do, I mean Grayson’s under pub control, and look, we’ll have time to talk about they’re gonna be a better team with Taylor

Nestor Aparicio  10:04

Ward this year than they would have been with Grayson.

Luke Jones  10:07

Rodriguez, sure, that’s fair. That’s fair. I mean, you don’t want to judge trades just on one year, but yeah, I mean, Taylor Ward’s been great for them. I mean, he hasn’t hit a home run, which is kind of crazy when you think about it, but I mean, he’s been an absolute double, just like if

Nestor Aparicio  10:19

he starts hitting him, though he’s gonna hit several. Yeah, well, he’s got that kind of power, right?

Luke Jones  10:23

I forget who said it. I think it was a one of the members of the coaching staff, or maybe it was someone with the angels media or something like that. The quip is always that Taylor Ward’s actually at his best when he’s hitting doubles and when he starts hitting home runs, that generally leads to like he’ll he’ll go through a funk then after that. But either way, he’s been really good for them. Gunner Henderson’s been fantastic. He’s been the aircraft carrier. Their offense is down or across baseball. I tried to acknowledge that with some of the guys that are off to a slow start for the Orioles, but you wouldn’t know it seeing gunner at the plate. So look, they’ve done enough. They’re eight and seven, which, by the way, after the Yankees had a not so great weekend, they’re tied for first place. So you look at the Al East right now, I mean, Tampa Bay’s played decent baseball, and I think we were all kind of expecting the rays to be last place. But also, with the caveat of, it’s the rays. You never truly count them out. So they’re playing competitive baseball. The Yankees have come back to earth a little bit as after they kind of sort of were looking like they might run, run away from everyone for at least a little while here in the Al east, Toronto’s dealing with their injuries the Red Sox. They want a couple over the weekend, but they’ve gotten off to a lousy start. You’ll take eight and seven, it’s not anything to write up to throw a parade over or it doesn’t mean we’re not cognizant and concerned about some of the injury situations, which, on the flip side, they should have some guys coming back here in the very near future. Dean Kramer was at the ballpark Sunday after everyone had cleared out. You know, the kids ran the bases after the game, and the media was still in the press box. Dean Kramer was working out down the right field line. So whether that means starting the opener or at some point in the series, he’s obviously coming back. So which I think we expected. But I mean, it’s just I liked what I saw from the club as a whole over Saturday and Sunday, when you consider losing someone like rutsman and then mount Castle has just a freakish injury. I mean, you saw that. I know Craig Albernaz, even after his press conference, was kind of just bewildered by what had happened to mount castle, and felt

Nestor Aparicio  12:39

he lost his balance in it.

Luke Jones  12:42

Yeah, it was very freakish. I mean, normally you see something like that, you’ll see someone turn an ankle, and it’s, like, really grotesque. You could see he turned his foot a little bit. But it wasn’t anything like outrageous. So for that to happen, but

Nestor Aparicio  12:56

when it grabs, it grabs, man, sure, sure.

Luke Jones  12:59

I mean, it’s, you know, it’s, it’s sports, right? I mean, you know to not be flippant about it, but guys get hurt, and it’s unfortunate for him. We know it’s been a really difficult couple years for him in terms of performance and with health situations, but I was encouraged just from a an under the hood standpoint of how the weekend was going through Friday night, and a disappointing effort there, and Alonso

Nestor Aparicio  13:26

struggling in that point. Oh yeah.

Luke Jones  13:28

I mean, Pete Alonso was the first guy. I mean, he wait the media asked to talk to him Friday night after the game, and it was, it was quite a while after, and he owned it to the point where I would even say, like, if I were just talking to him privately, not from a media standpoint or anything like that, I would almost be like, Pete, it’s been two weeks, like it’s, you’re fine. I mean, in all honesty, this isn’t New York, and just because we talk about the New York media and the New York reaction to things doesn’t mean that that’s rational many times, right? So, so there’s the flip side to it, but on Sunday, has a really good at bat. He’s down one two, forces the walk, before bisayo hits the missile into the Orioles bullpen to give them the Oriole lead. And then on an o2 pitch hits a two run double to open up the lead on Sunday. I mean, that was really the pivotal moment in that game offensively for the Orioles. So it was good to see. Look, I’ve been telling people all weekend because I’ve had some people, I’ve had some people either text me that are just, you know, friends of mine, or people on social media. I said, look, it’s going to be a really long five years if we’re already legitimately worried about Pete Alonso, he’s off to a bad start. I’m not going to sit here and sugar coat it. He’s the first to admit that. But, man, I’m way more of the mind of is Kobe Mayo going to start hitting? Is Colton cows are ever going to get back to where he was as Rookie of the Year runner up? Where’s Jackson holiday right now? Like guys that have unproven track you know, track records.

Nestor Aparicio  15:00

Alone, Tyler O’Neill and rushman, who were, I mean, it’s not like we sat around here in spring training. We talked a lot about rushman, but I never made it. It has to be for him, for the team to win. It’d be nice if he got on track in some way, but, but you need

Luke Jones  15:16

him on the field, though. I mean, well, I mean,

Nestor Aparicio  15:18

in reality, dude, forget the weekend and how they played, and your gut check and you’re feeling good about them, or me feeling mediocre about them, they’re gonna play without male cast. They’re gonna play without, you know, like they’re playing without holiday, they’re gonna play without westburg. I mean, they’re gonna play without efflin. So, you know, if we go back and take my 92 wins, and I’ll bet the over and I was bullish on them, and how I felt about all of them, I don’t know, dude, if we have to go back and it’s March 24 all over again, and we’re talking about the team as assembled for this series right here, right now. Povich in the rotation, Kramer in the rotation, Bassett, a box of chocolates at best. Even Bradish hasn’t been sharp. Bradish now, Rogers, different thing. That’s fine. But you know the body of work, and I’m always going to mention that they kicked the ball around, because, like, I feel like any, and we talked about this for a minute last week in the beginning, like, feels like the least Sure thing of all of it. I feel like cows will hit for a week. At some point, he’ll strike out for a week. At some point, they’ll strike out 17 times at some point this week, because it’s their profile, it’s who they are. But I think Alonso have a game. We’ll hit three home runs before the month’s over. You know? I mean, I just do one one night this month, he lit two or three.

Luke Jones  16:41

Yeah. I mean, it’s Pete Alonso again. It’s gonna be a really long five years if we’re already doing this. He’s off to a bad start. He’s the first to admit that, I mean, to the to the point where he very much was, was talking about how bad he’s

Nestor Aparicio  16:55

been, but he might hit 13 home runs in June, like, because he’s got that potential. He could, I don’t know that Kobe mayo or Colton? Yeah, that’s

Luke Jones  17:03

where I am. I mean, I look at this thing and say, If, truly, if Pete Alonso is Chris Davis part two in terms of that contract, then the Orioles have way better, way bigger concerns than anything we’re talking about right now. So that’s where I’m still,

Nestor Aparicio  17:19

I think is the word, yeah, that’s what

Luke Jones  17:21

I’m inclined to say. It’s 15 games. Anyone’s going to have a bad 15 games at some point over the season, even Aaron

Nestor Aparicio  17:26

judge, and by the way, they haven’t had a bad 15 games in a general sense as a team. Given where they could be, they’re doing fine. They’re doing fine.

Luke Jones  17:35

Yeah, they were swept in Pittsburgh. That was a bad weekend, and they’ve won five of six since then. So I’m fine with where they are right now, when considering, especially when considering the injuries. Now, by

Nestor Aparicio  17:47

the way, which team they are. They’re both. They’re both. They’re capable of getting swept this weekend by the Indians, and them winning five or six and going to Yankee state. I mean, like, you know, that’s the way this works.

Luke Jones  17:57

I mean, as simplistic and kind of no duh, as it sounds, they feel like an eight and seven team right now, right? I mean, they, they haven’t. I want to read you the quote that Chris Bassett authored on Saturday night when he was just talking about the club. I thought this was such a good assessment, even before Sunday’s win and a series win and feeling, you know, moving into a tie for first place. But he said, we’ve been treading water for the last two weeks. Essentially, I think we’ve been playing pretty bad at times. I think we’ve been playing okay at times, but we, for sure, have not been playing well. But good teams find a way to tread water when they’re not playing well. I think that whether the Orioles ultimately, are a good team, and all that we don’t know right season is going to play out pass its way, saying,

Nestor Aparicio  18:45

I’ve sucked, and we’re still a 500 team.

Luke Jones  18:48

But he was also talking about the team collectively. He wasn’t wrong. You know, he’s 37 year old who’s been around right guy, who was in the one out away from winning the World Series last October, so I think he he’s a pretty authoritative voice

Nestor Aparicio  19:02

perspective on this. Yeah, so,

Luke Jones  19:04

but I thought that was a perfect quote. I mean, they’ve I’ve never even this weekend when I say encourage, it’s not like they played phenomenal baseball on Saturday and Sunday, but I did. I am starting to see some signs of things that I like. I mean, one thing we haven’t mentioned that I’ve really liked is I actually think the bullpen is doing a pretty solid job, especially still no Kittredge, still no Keegan Aiken.

19:29

You look at they’re not losing games because

Luke Jones  19:31

of the bullpen. Their seventh, eighth and ninth inning right now has kind of sort of a murder Rico Garcia in the seventh. Anthony Nunez, who look good. I mean, he misses bats. He’s got pitches to go that will give him a great chance against left handed and right handed hitters. He’s young, he’s a rookie. I get all that, but the stuff looks legitimate. And then you get to Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning. I mean, not that that has, not that that can be. The formula every single night, because, as I mentioned, you need some other guys to step up. But if you get

Nestor Aparicio  20:04

a five three lead or a six four lead, you know, you can hang in there if they’re not going to give up a, you know, walk two guys to start the inning and play the role of arsonist. And to your point, they’re giving the ball to guys. And this is a bullpen thing. You throw strikes I bring in the game. If you don’t, you move to some other place where I, you know, there’s less there’s less leverage, that’s all, yeah.

Luke Jones  20:27

So I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen now, in the same way that we talk about it being early for Pete Alonso, it’s still early for the bullpen, so that that applies for either right? And they won’t have bad nights.

Nestor Aparicio  20:39

They’re not going to be perfect, sure,

Luke Jones  20:41

but, but that applies when we use it’s early. We tend to use that when it’s something that’s negative, that this is where I’m saying, hey, it’s still early. But I like what I’ve seen from the bullpen. It’s been better than what my concern level was, especially knowing kittridge was out to start, and he should be back soon, the way it I mean, he’s, he’s logged several appearances at Norfolk now, so you would think it’s really close for him. Aiken, it sounds like is getting closer to going out on a rehab assignment. You know, he’s in Sarasota, getting his work in.

Nestor Aparicio  21:12

But, and that would shake things up a little

Luke Jones  21:15

bit as to who gets what role. I mean, that’s, that’s where you start talking as, as you’ve heard me say in recent years, like, you need four or five legitimate guys in your bullpen at a minimum that can pitch in most situations, right? It can’t just be the same same seventh inning guy, same eighth inning guy and then your closer, because you know that if that happens a couple nights in a row, those guys are going to be down, and you’re going to need others to step up. So, you know, Cano has been, I think, better, you know, at least better than last year. I think the stuffs look crisper for him. So that’s been good to see. So he’s

Nestor Aparicio  21:50

come in and made me nervous that it’s like, oh, God, this guy’s a disaster waiting to happen. That’s been more like the starting pitching to some degree with Bassett and you’re right. I mean, better, yeah, yeah. I mean and the starters. I mean, what can you complain about in a week where they’re winning games with Brandon young and and Kate Povich? I mean, it’s they’re doing okay. I mean, back to the original statement. They’re doing okay for being a team that’s very injured, kicking the ball around star scuffling. Half the rotation injured, the other half, neophyte and the other half, you know, the $19 million guy’s not doing it right now, so, but they’re getting it done. They’re getting it done because they’ve got a superstar aircraft carrier, whatever unsignable free agent, potentially one point, but nonetheless, he’s, he’s healthy, right? I mean, that’s part of the issue. Last year he did, he had warning track power because he was hurt, yeah. I mean, we

Luke Jones  22:52

said, and, I mean, look, you still go back and look at that year he had last year. I mean, it was still a very valuable year. It just wasn’t MVP caliber gunner Henderson. We’re seeing MVP caliber gunner Henderson so far this year. I mean, when you look at the fact that until Jeremiah Jackson hit the home run on in Saturday night’s game, no Oriole other than gunner Henderson, at homered in 10 days. I mean, that shows you where the rest of the lineup has been, but it also shows you where he’s been from a power standpoint. I mean, it’s why I said, I mean, even, even with Pete Alonso, I mean gunners, the dude on this team, you know, gunner is the is the guy that makes everything go in terms of just being the centerpiece, right? It’s not to say that other guys don’t need to be better. Of course they do. But we’ve seen a version of gunner Henderson that’s reminding me more of the version of gunner we saw in the first half of 2024 when, other than Aaron judge, he’s probably American League MVP in the first half two years ago. So we’re seeing that guy again. We’re seeing the power. And you know, the other thing that I kind of like that we’ve seen from gunner, they keep seeing a little more emotion from him, in in the sense of, I mean, remember, he hit the big home run, and he’s

Nestor Aparicio  24:04

not 21 anymore either. I mean, those guys that come up before they can even drink, all of them holiday. I mean, all of them come up with a even with his dad and his wealth, and like all of that, they all come up and, you know, stars are big, and it’s very hard to excel at that point. And he’s the guy that’s excelled from not jump, but quicker than some of the other guys. And rushman made that, you know, that jump quickly and then regressed. But I mean, Henderson’s the real deal that we’re waiting on all of these one twos and one ones and one fours, and we took that guy in the first round. He’s the is, and that’s the benchmark for all. You have to have one of these guys be that guy. He’s that guy, thankfully, because we’re still waiting on the pack of the rest of them, right?

Luke Jones  24:59

No, it’s. Very fair. I mean, gunner was the guy you know, he was the high school kid they took in the second round, right? I mean, we’ve said it for a couple years now, and boy, it becomes even more gospel as time goes on. Just imagine if they hadn’t drafted gunner Henderson. When you look at the context of Adley rushman over Bobby Witt and look, I will defend the Orioles to the point that rutsman was overwhelmingly the consensus there, right? But just seeing how it’s played out and where Adley rutchman has gone over the last two calendar years compared to where he had been and where about what Bobby Witt has become, that that reality is eased by the fact that you drafted gunner Henderson with that in that second round, right? And, okay, Bobby Witt edges out gunner Henderson, fine, right? I’m okay with with anyone making that argument, but that gunner Henderson’s a heck of a player. I mean, a

Nestor Aparicio  25:55

special player. Well, as we sit here and talk about the Ravens drafting next week, instead of having Max Crosby, you wonder what that pick is and what that represents for you, and in this particular case, that you know you win some you lose some in the draft, but the top guys have to at least make it to post, and I think that’s the hardest part of right this Minute. No Westberg, no holiday No, no rushman. They’re not literally, they’re the aorta of this 92 win team that I feel like we had, and they’re not a part of this. And you think about where they be if they didn’t have a gun or Henderson, they wouldn’t be very good team.

Luke Jones  26:35

They really wouldn’t be No. I mean, it’s He’s that kind of player. I mean, we’re talking about, go back and look at what he did two years ago. And, you know, I’m going to use war just because it’s, you know, it’s a modern step, Mickey

Nestor Aparicio  26:48

Mantle, kind of year, dude. I mean,

Luke Jones  26:51

what he did, he steals 30 bases two years ago, and that was even, remember, his second half of 24 wasn’t as good as the first half, just like the whole team, right? But he was 8.8 wins above replacement. I mean, that’s early career Cal Ripken, like, right there. I mean, ripton

Nestor Aparicio  27:08

didn’t run like that well,

Luke Jones  27:10

and Cal didn’t do that his entire career, right? It was very early. And then he had the 1991

Nestor Aparicio  27:16

season, yeah. And he was a 256 hitter the rest of the

Luke Jones  27:20

time, which Yeah, which was still a Hall of Famer. Like, I’m not being disparaging the Cal Ripken. It just speaks to how hard it is to be that kind of player. So yeah, gunner has been fantastic, and in a big picture sense, yeah, you’re looking around at the rest of this core, rutsman included, even, even though it’s a different story. Because keep in mind, Adley was a college player, covid and the Orioles being lousy at the beginning of his professional run delayed his his entry into major league baseball a little bit.

Nestor Aparicio  27:48

Anderson comes up as this kid from Alabama that, you know, he didn’t go play for the Crimson Tide and play football in every state even I mean this, you know, this was big for him, and he swallowed it whole, and, to your point, sat in the corner as the country 20 year old kid, 21 year old kid. He’s not going to be the guy out lighting fires two years ago in the playoffs, when he’s surrounded by, like, grown ass men, you know, right? I mean, like, it’s a whole different gig, being 2021, 22 years old, I think, and falling into it when you weren’t the one, one playing in the college world suit, you know, like he didn’t, he didn’t have the pedigree for it the way, maybe holidays grown up into it a little bit

Luke Jones  28:35

well, I mean, you kind of look at it across the board. I mean, he wasn’t one of these first round picks. I mean, look how many guys they’ve drafted in the top five, and you’re still waiting. I mean, rutsman initially looked like that, hasn’t the last season and a half holiday took a step forward last year. But still, I’m not ready to look at that. Look at him and say, Man, that was a great one, one pick by any stretch of the imagination. Now, he’s still young. He’s 22 right? I’m not it’s just to be determined, but Henderson going

Nestor Aparicio  29:05

off playing for team USA for a minute.

Luke Jones  29:07

I think that’s helpful. I think

Nestor Aparicio  29:08

that’s very helpful. I don’t know much about it, but I would say like him going, getting benched, whatever it was, but being part of it, yeah, being part of a different team is not something he’s done much other than Little League dude. I mean, come on, he’s still with 2425 right? I mean, yeah. I mean, like, this is all he knows. All he knows is the minor league busses and this and Legion ball or whatever he I mean, like, literally, it is a different kind of gig for him. Then it’s his ride has been different in regard to how the leadership comes on to him, because he doesn’t have Reggie Jackson’s personality, right? I mean, and rushman took up a lot of oxygen in that early part, and more than that, the respect for the manager the Austin Hayes. And the Cedric Mullins and the guys that have been a ring, he looks at Mount castle as an old man, right? Because he’s been there sort of like a rock in the beginning of all of this. So I just think his perception of all this would be different, and how he would step into leadership and sort of his natural, his natural gait that we’ve watched him grow up in front of us for five

Luke Jones  30:21

years now. Sure, sure. And just to correct myself a little bit, he’ll be 25 in June, so not 24 then, but, yeah, so. But you look at the WBC, which, regardless, you know the mark de Rosa not playing all that, I don’t care about that. In the big picture, I don’t care about that. What I do care about is he had a chance to be around Aaron judge for a couple weeks, and he had a chance to be around Bryce Hart. Bryce Harper for a couple weeks, and even Clayton Kershaw for a couple of weeks. I mean, you’re talking about future Hall of Fame players right there, that he had a chance to be teammates pub elbows, yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  30:53

and hang out and it fun goes like they were trying to win there and they were flying around on planes. I mean, so

Luke Jones  30:59

yeah, and now you have him, and now you have him playing with Pete Alonso, and Pete Alonso bringing the leadership in which, you know, the situation he was in in New York, and the crucible of New York, and handling that, not that Baltimore is going to be like that, but it’s still the, let

Nestor Aparicio  31:17

me in the locker room. How can that be?

Luke Jones  31:19

But it’s still the pressure of expectation, right? I mean, Gunner Henderson now knows when he steps on, steps, foot on the field, everyone is expecting him to do something great. I mean, even, even Sunday, you know, after he had homered in the previous two games, like you’re waiting for him to hit a long ball, he didn’t, and it was fine. They won anyway. He can’t do it every single night, but he’s that kind of guy, right? I mean, again, I’ve used the term because it’s a term that’s used in baseball when you’re talking about that kind of special player. You know, that franchise player? They call him an aircraft carrier. I mean, Gunner Henderson is that for this franchise right now. So even though Adley rutschman was perceived to be that a couple years ago, or Jackson holiday has been heralded as being that right where, where in either case. I mean, it’s either doesn’t look like it, or, to be determined, gunner is that guy. So you know where they stand right now. To bring it back to the present, being eight and seven, being tied for first place despite having an injured list as long as it was last year. And you know that part of it is still discouraging, because you’ve heard me ask about strength and conditioning. I mean, like, what’s going on? I mean, some of this stuff’s freakish, but some of it continues to be like, are you guys doing everything you need to be doing? On that front is something missing, but at the same time, you’re going to have injuries, you’re going to have some guys missing over the course of 162 so you better have depth, and you better have guys that can step up and fill the void. And you know, we’re, we’re seeing that challenge right now as it pertains to second and third base, right? I mean, Jeremiah Jackson hit a home run the other night, and you know he’s had his moments. I mean, his overall production hasn’t been spectacular by any means, but he’s gotten an opportunity to play Blaze. Alexander hasn’t done a whole lot with the bat, but I like what I’ve seen with him with the glove and Kobe Mayo right now, defense has probably been a little bit better than I thought it might be, but he’s done nothing offensively, right? So, and I kind of look at that and say, Man, if Mayo doesn’t start picking it up big time here, I almost feel like you need to turn to blaze Alexander more and just say, Well, if you’re not going to hit, we’re going to play the guy that has the better glove, right? And I think that’s something that bears observing here in the coming days. Not Not that I’m gonna necessarily bury Kobe mayo, but at the same time, like, dude, the whole, the only way this works, as far as you be in the third baseman, is if you’re gonna hit, if you don’t hit, and your defense is barely passable, that’s not, that’s not gonna play, you know, at that point, then I’m going to go with Blaze Alexander, you know,

Nestor Aparicio  34:01

I’m here, like writing a little side piece, a little dear Pete Alonso note in regard to, we’re not in New York, and having seen Chris Davis, and having seen the pressure of all of this, and I think back to, I mean, I dude, I’m I’m old, this is where, like, it either matters that I know who Jim Fuller and Ken Gerhart are, or, you know, any number of might bes and that weren’t, you know, Paul Carey. I mean, I, you know, I just go to all of these guys that sort of half make it, or make it for a short period of time or whatever. I don’t know how many opportunities you get when the good fortune is these injuries have happened around you to give you an opportunity you may or may not even have earned. It’s not like you go to spring training and hit 364 and feel the third base and say you’ve earned that job. He backed into all of this. Several times over several seasons, and there just comes a point where, like, you need to go beat Brad comments somewhere else, I don’t know. And he’s the perception of him as a top flight prospect. I don’t know, he felt more prospective than Stowers did as an example, and it feels like we’re waiting a long time. And how many opportunities you get to get a glove and get four or five at bats a night, and have no one looking over your shoulder other than Blaze Alexander, right? Like if you can’t do it, this is going to be the time. If we’re still we’re here Preakness weekend talking about this, we probably won’t be anymore.

Luke Jones  35:42

Yeah. I mean, look, I’ll be the first to say, I mean, he has 384 career plate appearances. I mean, it’s not as he hasn’t even truly played a full season in terms of opportunity. But you don’t want to be Heston kerstad. I mean, keep in mind, early last year, Heston kerstad had a runway to play and play for a while, and he did nothing with it, right? I mean, he absolutely did nothing with it, to the point where, and obviously his second half was a different story.

Nestor Aparicio  36:09

I mean, but what is that? Runway? Is it 60 at bats? 100 at bats doesn’t mean money games, you know, or westburg were to come back or holiday and they get a job, right?

Luke Jones  36:19

I mean, Westberg is not coming back to at the earliest. I mean, he’s on the 60 day So, and that’s if he weren’t

Nestor Aparicio  36:24

around Mayo would be banging around Norfolk right now, right? Sure. I mean, that

Luke Jones  36:28

was the percept, that was the expectation from the moment they got Peter Lonzo. He was either going to be back in the miners or they’re going to trade them, right? I mean, but because it didn’t really make sense if he was just going to be a bench player for you, I mean, that that’s that, that middle ground for him, certainly you weren’t ready to just, you know, type, you know, miscast him into that, knowing that there’s potential there, but at some point you got to start doing it. And that’s, that’s what’s a little unnerving about that situation. But I would say on the flip side, like, what’s the alternative? As I said, Okay, Blaze Alexander, and maybe if holiday, which holiday should be coming back here soon. I mean, his rehab assignments going to expire here in the next few days. So I know he hasn’t really hit at Norfolk, which it was interesting, if you recall, at the beginning of spring training, there were two other guys who had handmade bone injuries, Corbin Carroll for Arizona and Francisco Lindor for the Mets. Corbin Carroll swung the bat. Well, Lindor has not. So there you go. In terms of you can be healthy enough to play, but the ham eight bone injury is something that you know, it can still bother. You can still linger. And I think the Orioles are been trying to thread the needle to kind of like

Nestor Aparicio  37:41

they rushed him back a little bit in the general

Luke Jones  37:43

holiday No, no, I would say the opposite. I would say they’re not rushing him back. Those other two guys played were on the opening day roster, and they all had their handmade bone injury right around the same time. They’re slow playing him,

Nestor Aparicio  37:55

but they’re big leagues. But to get him back to baseball activity, to me, it feels like this happened quickly. I wasn’t counting on him when the injury happened to be near opening day, right? If he would come back last week, it would have been pretty near opening day. I felt like I was kind of shocked he was playing in Norfolk from jump. To be honest with you, I thought it was going to be more like he’d be getting a glove about now. So I feel like, in to me, it felt like it happened quickly that we he was in the conversation to only miss two weeks of the big leagues.

Luke Jones  38:28

That’s all okay. I mean, I I’m the total opposite, because, I mean Corbin Carroll and Francisco Lindor were ready for opening day.

Nestor Aparicio  38:36

I mean, I just think it’s, I’m with you. It’s a tough injury

Luke Jones  38:40

hour for mobility, and that’s really, and that’s really where it is. I mean, it’s, it’s threading the needle of being healthy enough to play, giving him some semblance of a spring training that he did not get. But and also, here’s the difference of him, and even though Corbin Carroll is still a very young player, but has established himself as a legitimate, really good Major Leaguer, whereas holiday still in that develop, you know, developing stage Lindor is a multi time all star. So you have three different players at three different stages of their career, I will say, In Defense of holiday. And this is where I think it makes sense that the Oreo slow played him a little more than those other guys. It is his throwing hand as well. So I think that, I don’t know, I wouldn’t say complicated things, but it just made it a little bit of a slower recovery for him. But I think they’re just trying to thread the needle in terms of all right, it’s one thing to say you’re healthy enough to go out there and play baseball. It’s another thing to go out there and thrive. And like I said Lindor is off to a bad start for the Mets, right? How much of that is his hand? I don’t, I don’t know for sure. I think it’s tough to definitively quantify it.

Nestor Aparicio  39:48

But well, the oils clearly feel like holiday can’t help them right this minute yet, because if they if he could, I think they’d have

Luke Jones  39:55

him up, yeah. I mean, I think, and he, he was even quoted, I think it was David Hall. Who covers the tides down in Norfolk. I think he was even quoted as saying that he’s still feeling it a little bit. And that’s not uncommon, right? It doesn’t mean he’s injured. It doesn’t mean something bad happened with the recovery, but he’s still feeling it in the same way that when we talk about players in football coming back from an ACL or an Achilles or, you know, those are the extreme

Nestor Aparicio  40:18

examples, I think it’s tough on your wrist with the bat, and like, just all of it, sure, and throwing as well. Once you’re throwing, I just feel like you do a lot with with your hands in your arms, and it’s it’s you need to practice, and you just all of it would lend itself to me being more patient than more thinking like we’re accelerating the timeline

Luke Jones  40:40

that’s all, well, I’m just telling you the timeline that he’s following has actually been a little bit longer than some, than other guys, and they’re the

Nestor Aparicio  40:48

doctors, so yeah, I hear you, yeah.

Luke Jones  40:50

So you know, we’ll see how it plays out. But once he’s back, and I assume it’s going to be pretty soon here unless, I mean, I guess their, their alternative would be that, I guess he has options. You could hypothetically option him if he wanted to give him an even longer ramp up, because you only have, what, 20 days for a position player. You have 30 for a pitcher coming off the IL for a rehab assignment. So we’ll see. But you kind of look at that second and third base picture they need. They need more from from whoever is going to be playing there. They need more. That’s why Mayo has been a disappointment to this point. You know what they’ve gotten from second base? It’s been okay. Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson combined have been fine. They haven’t provided the upside that you hope a healthy Jackson holiday will bring come June and July and August and September. But, you know, for right now, they’re kind of sorting that out. But it’s like I said. I mean, this has been a pretty, pretty big whiff for Kobe mayo in terms of the opportunity so far. I mean, he’s kind of put himself in a position that he could be the guy sent back to Norfolk if holiday’s ready, you know, because you kind of look at it and say, well, Blaze Alexander can play three different spots. He’s not going anywhere. And Jeremiah Jackson swung the bat better than those guys. So you know, we’re it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. But before we get to that point, it’s nice just to be saying, hey, some guys are going to be coming back. Because, man, they’ve, they’ve continued to lose guys. And for on that front, 2026 has felt a lot like 25 and that is not something you wanted to duplicate. That’s for sure.

Nestor Aparicio  42:26

Well, it’s like whack a mole at this point for Craig Albernaz, Luke Jones is here. All of our coverage, brought to you by friends at Farnan and durmer. He’s wearing the sweatshirt I was wearing mine on Friday at Fayette leagues. We get the Maryland crab cake tour back out on the road. I have the treasures of all four tickets here. You can pick your favorite ones. I’ve allowed folks to do that. Allowed Shane Hernandez to do that. On Thursday, we’re going to be at Costas in Timonium. I’m looking forward to that. I’m wearing my Koco’s gear here. I gave Marcella a hug the other day, took some ribs home, as well as a Greek salad from Koco’s Pub. We’re going to be there next Thursday. That’s the 23rd that is NFL Draft Day. And then on May 1, we’re going to be at Pizza John’s in Essex. That’s a Friday. All of it brought to you by the Maryland lottery. Our partners at GBMC and I’ll be walking a mile in their shoes on Friday at 4pm I would invite, encourage all of you, they get the old the old weather app at here and give me the real weather forecast, because when I had Laura Clary on last week, I said 72 and sunny. It’s good. It’s gonna exceed 72 and sunny. It’s gonna be 80 and mostly sunny on Friday, because I need a cloud or two once it gets above 78 for my Venezuelan skin. So there you go, 80 degrees on Friday afternoon over at South Chapman. I’m going to be bragging about the weather all week. Come meet us over GBMC for the safe unit there, and for sexual assault and violence against children, against women, against men, against boys. We don’t talk about it enough around here. We need to support these folks at GBMC on Friday, also our friends at Farnham Derma. They’re the comfort guys. Kept me more comfortable when I had some plumbing issues about a week and a half ago, got my wife off to Italy. So thank you very much to Zach and the folks at the foreign who got a free plug from Steve Miles too on Friday, said they’ve been my people forever as well. Even Mr. Stadium said the same thing when I had him on a couple weeks ago. He is Luke. I am Nestor. We’re going to argue about fashion and fashion tweets and throwbacks and throw ups and city connects and rebranding of the Ravens. And we’re gonna talk some ravens as well as Lamar was in last week, and the new head coach is blowing the whistle out in Owings Mills. We’re picking draft picks next week, and we got rebranding this week. We will do some football as well as some baseball, and we get the Diamondbacks out of town. He’s Luke on Nestor, stay with us. We are W N st AM, 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive.