Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles offense is having a weird weekend in Cleveland. The were no-hit through eight innings on Thursday, but rallied late and got the tying run on base before dropping the opener. On Friday, they would be shutout for seven innings before erupting for six runs in the eighth, which would prove enough to win the game 6-4 and even up the series.
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Jeremiah Jackson came through with yet another clutch home run, a three-run shot. He now leads the team with 17 RBI on the season. Who had that on their 2026 Orioles bingo card? Probably a few more people than those that expected *checks notes*…Weston Wilson and Jonathan Rodríguez (?) to contribute to any wins at all.
At 10-10, these Orioles aren’t going to be confused for some sort of juggernaut. And if they are going to turn into a true contender, there are plenty of improvements to be made. But considering the context of their current performance, I’m actually encouraged.
The offense is currently surviving on the backs of Jackson and Leody Taveras. At some point, Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso are going to find some consistency. Taylor Ward will eventually homer, probably a bunch. Samuel Basallo is too talented to keep hitting .148. Adley Rutschman is going to get healthy. Maybe those things don’t all happen at once, but they will happen, and when they do the offense is going to be tougher to handle.
So what does success look like for the Orioles right now? Having a .500 record feels fine to me. Keep their head above water and buy time for those positive regressions to come. This was never a 100-win roster anyway. It’s an 85-ish win roster with upside, especially if they add at the trade deadline. Staying close to that pacing while you are missing several key pieces is a win.
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The vibes are good for this squad. Wins like last night only add to that and inch them ever closer to healthier and better days for the roster.
Links
Holliday set to begin new rehab assignment, Adley making progress toward return | MLB.com
It sounds like Rutschman will be back within the week, although he may need a brief minor league rehab. Jackson Holliday is back on his rehab this weekend. The future is less clear for Tyler O’Neill, who is still dealing with concussion symptoms.
Each glove tells a story: Vignettes from the Orioles clubhouse | The Baltimore Banner
This is a fun one! Blaze Alexander rocks a glove with the initials of someone else’s wife and kids on it because it’s literally not his glove. Amazing. Also, this article should have been called “A Glove Story.”
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More questions attached to Orioles | Roch Kubatko
Lots of roster questions. They are valid! But also, they feel like questions for another day. How do the Orioles make space for X player when they return? That answer is going to change depending on who is healthy at the time. Holliday could be fit right when another infielder picks up a nick. The Oriole would probably prefer to just get everyone healthy. That is probably an unrealistic hope.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
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Pete Stanicek turns 63 today. A player so nice, the Orioles drafted him twice; in the 13th round in 1984 and then (after he didn’t sign the first time) in the ninth round in ‘85. He would end up spending little time at second base, third base, and left field with the big league squad between 1987 and ‘88.
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Rich Bordi is 67 years old. A reliever for nearly a decade in the bigs, Bordi played for five different teams. That included the 1986 season in Baltimore, where he had a 4.46 ERA over 107 innings.
This day in O’s history
2013 – The Orioles win their first extra-inning game of the year, beating the Rays 10-6 on a walk-off grand slam from Matt Wieters. Dating back to the previous season, the O’s have now won 17 consecutive extra-inning games.
