With the Orioles rallying to secure a four-game split with Toronto and complete an encouraging 10-game homestand, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. With one out in Saturday’s ninth inning, the Orioles trailed 5-1 and were on the verge of a third straight demoralizing loss that would have crushed any remaining momentum. Instead, the next eight batters reached, which led to a 6-5 win that ultimately preserved the 7-3 homestand they needed. Resilient.
2. Pete Alonso patiently waited at his locker to answer for his eighth-inning baserunning gaffe Thursday night, so it was fitting for him to finish off Saturday’s miracle comeback. His seven home runs and .277/.331/.509 slash line for May were much more in line with what Baltimore anticipated.
3. Colton Cowser wrapped a memorable homestand with a homer and four RBIs Sunday and owns a .364/.417/.758 slash line over his last 14 games. His development has been frustrating — something that can be said about many early 2021 draft picks — but he remains important to the current club.
4. The .860 OPS leads the club, and a .363/.407/.637 slash line since April 19 screams star potential for Samuel Basallo. There’s no reason not to be putting his name in the lineup on an everyday basis now. Not bad for someone who doesn’t turn 22 until mid-August.
5. The offense is seemingly moving in the right direction and the starting rotation has looked much improved of late, but all those spring concerns about the bullpen have returned, especially with Ryan Helsley being out over the last month. Rico Garcia can’t be the only trustworthy reliever in high leverage.
6. Brandon Young’s early-season ERA felt more like smoke and mirrors than something sustainable, but a career-high seven strikeouts capped an excellent start Saturday that built on a good one against Detroit. He’s done an admirable job stepping up in the wake of injuries to Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer.
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7. Over his last five starts covering 31 1/3 innings, Kyle Bradish has pitched to a 1.72 ERA. The strikeout-to-walk ratio and first-pitch strike percentage still aren’t where he’d like them to be, but this is much closer to the version of Bradish that can lead a rotation.
8. Craig Albernaz letting Trey Gibson throw a professional career-high 100 pitches, pulling an effective Chris Bassitt after 80 pitches, and then leaving Trevor Rogers in way too long Friday marked a puzzling three days of starter management. But it also reflects how inconsistent and taxed the bullpen has been.
9. The stuff is impressive for Anthony Nunez, which is why Baltimore keeps trying to deploy him in higher-leverage situations. But a 10.03 ERA and eight walks over 11 2/3 innings in May leave you wondering if the approach could prove too detrimental to his confidence — and efforts to win.
10. Though Coby Mayo has looked much better at the plate recently, Blaze Alexander produced a .365/.403/.508 slash line in May to go with superior fielding at third base. Defense needs to matter more for this club, so I’m inclined to mostly go with Alexander against right-handers for now.
11. Leody Taveras has been a very pleasant surprise and more valuable than anyone anticipated, but Mike Elias upgrading the center-field defense should be on the wish list if this team’s going to be a buyer later this summer. Taveras’ misplay Saturday led to two runs being charged to Young.
12. The Orioles strengthened their 2026 pulse entering June, but they still have a long way to go with obvious flaws. The next step is improving a 9-17 road record that’s among the AL’s worst. A good homestand is simply a good homestand without following it up with more consistent baseball.
