With the Orioles losing two out of three to Seattle to open a three-city West Coast trip, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Two baserunners after the first inning on Tuesday and shut out for the first time in 2026 in Thursday’s finale. Yes, the Mariners can pitch, but the Orioles left Seattle a series loser because of the performance — or lack thereof — of the offense in two winnable games.
2. Since an encouraging 10-4 stretch, Baltimore has now dropped three of the last four series and split the other to douse any semblance of momentum. Losing a series in which you allowed a total of nine runs is just the latest deflating development.
3. Shane Baz can’t unravel to the degree he did in Thursday’s first inning after Leody Taveras’ lackadaisical two-out error, but credit him for settling down to give his club a chance, especially when the second inning began with a jam as well. His 13 swinging strikes were a season high.
4. Not only did Kyle Bradish set career highs with 12 strikeouts and 18 swinging strikes in Wednesday’s win, but he threw a first-pitch strike a season-best 71.4% of the time. Both breaking balls were lethal, but getting ahead made him even more dominant. Baltimore needs more of that from Bradish.
5. You hope Adley Rutschman is OK after getting hit in the head by an errant throw to first in Thursday’s ninth inning. Craig Albernaz told reporters he was still being checked out after the game, but concussion symptoms aren’t always immediate, leaving his status uncertain for the time being.
6. Ryan Helsley couldn’t have had a weirder return Wednesday with Dominic Canzone and Cole Young ambushing first pitches for homers and Victor Robles attempting the same for a hard-hit groundout before the right-hander struck out the next two on six total pitches. It’s good to see the veteran closer back.
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7. I’m still a believer in Anthony Nunez, which is why I liked the decision to option him to Norfolk for a reset to make some adjustments. The talent is there to be a high-leverage reliever, and it’s important to remember the 24-year-old’s only been pitching professionally for a couple years.
8. Brandon Young wasn’t sharp, but it says plenty that he still gave his club a good chance to win over six-plus innings before the bullpen failed to pick him up Tuesday. The Orioles lost a Young start for just the second time all season and first since April 30.
9. Tuesday highlighted the need for a high-leverage lefty reliever as Grant Wolfram’s inability to put away J.P Crawford after getting ahead 1-2 preceded Cal Raleigh’s go-ahead two-run single. Keegan Akin has been better against lefties, but righties hit him to the point that he’s not an appealing option either.
10. Blaze Alexander entered Thursday as one of 11 hitters in the majors sporting a .300 average with a minimum of 170 plate appearances. He won’t sustain a .402 batting average on balls in play, but he continues to be a valuable player, especially in the wake of Jordan Westburg’s injury.
11. Dylan Beavers began a rehab assignment with Double-A Bowie Thursday night, and the start of Dean Kremer’s is considered imminent. Though fortunes can shift very quickly, this club is slowly returning to a state of solid health where injuries become a flimsier excuse for not playing more consistent baseball.
12. Having lost eight of 12 to fall back to six games under .500, the Orioles travel to Dodger Stadium to meet the defending World Series champions, who own baseball’s best record. No matter how mediocre the AL is, it’s tough to fight the feeling that this season is again teetering.
