Good morning, Camden Chatters.<\/p>\n
After a breather yesterday, the Orioles now face a stretch of 13 straight games before their next scheduled off day, starting a six-game homestand tonight before going on the road for seven. By the time the O\u2019s next get a break, we\u2019ll know a lot more about this team and what direction they\u2019re potentially headed this year. Will they stabilize and play the kind of baseball that we hope they\u2019re capable of, or will their deficiencies short-circuit their chances of taking a step forward?<\/p>\n
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One unit that could use some improvement is the offense. The high-profile offseason additions of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, and the promise of a full season of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers, teased the possibility of a high-octane O\u2019s lineup that could outlast opponents in slugfests. It hasn\u2019t quite turned out that way. The Orioles currently rank in the bottom third of the league in runs scored, and they\u2019ve scored two or fewer in exactly half of their games this season. Too often they\u2019ve gone silent seemingly for days at a time.<\/p>\n
Not all O\u2019s hitters are struggling. Ward has been a doubles machine atop the lineup, Adley Rutschman has been solid, and Gunnar Henderson began heating up against the White Sox. Alonso is ice cold, and not in the good Polar Bear way, but his track record suggests he\u2019ll turn things around.<\/p>\n
The obvious problem is that some of the young, homegrown players that the O\u2019s were counting on as contributors simply aren\u2019t delivering. Colton Cowser (.497 OPS) is now in the second year of his extended funk, and unlike last season he can\u2019t blame injuries. He remains frustratingly unable to hit anything but a fastball, and pitchers aren\u2019t going to change their tactics against him until he does. Samuel Basallo, expected to be a cornerstone of the offense for the next eight years, is struggling to hit the ball hard or even make contact, batting .167\/.265\/.267 with 13 strikeouts in 34 PAs.<\/p>\n
But to me the biggest disappointment so far is Coby Mayo. I was convinced after his September surge last season \u2014 and his scalding spring training this year \u2014 that 2026 would be a breakout offensive season for Mayo. I suppose it could still be, but he\u2019s got a big hole to dig out of. Mayo (.133\/.278\/.167) looks lost at the plate through his first 10 games, nothing like the top-notch hitting prospect who tore up the minor leagues. As much as I didn\u2019t like the idea of installing him as the regular third baseman because of his shoddy defensive reputation, I at least looked forward to seeing his bat in the lineup every day. And yet now you could make the argument that his bat has been worse than his glove. It\u2019s been a big ol\u2019 mess for Mayo, who is biffing his big opportunity.<\/p>\n
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How will the Orioles deal with their holes in the lineup? There\u2019s no easy answer. In a perfect world, they could send guys like Mayo, Basallo, and maybe even Cowser to the minor leagues to try to straighten themselves out. But these are players in which the O\u2019s have invested a lot of development time \u2014 and salary, in Basallo\u2019s case \u2014 and it\u2019s unlikely the club would pull the plug on them so early in the season. They\u2019ll get more time to try to turn things around, especially since the Orioles don\u2019t exactly have a stable of productive, MLB-ready hitters to replace them (aside from the rehabbing Jackson Holliday, who isn\u2019t exactly tearing up Triple-A with a .466 OPS in nine games). For now, that trio might see their playing time wane \u2014 particularly Cowser, in favor of Beavers or Leody Taveras \u2014 but the more drastic decisions might have to wait.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s remember: it\u2019s still early. Just because some of these guys are struggling now doesn\u2019t mean their seasons are over, much less their careers. But I\u2019d feel a lot better if they\u2019re start hitting soon.<\/p>\n
Links<\/p>\n
Some observations through 12 games of Orioles\u2019 season \u2013 School of Roch<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n One tidbit from Roch Kubatko\u2019s latest: Shane Baz\u2019s ERA increased overnight when an error in his last start was retroactively changed to a hit. It was Baz\u2019s own error, so I feel like he should\u2019ve gotten the choice to keep it that way.<\/p>\n Rico Garcia on his time with the Orioles, WBC, success with bases loaded \u2013 BaltimoreBaseball.com<\/a><\/p>\n Rico Garcia is fast becoming one of my favorite Orioles. Of course, now that I say that, he\u2019ll get torched in his next five outings and DFA\u2019d.<\/p>\n Re-Re-Reexamining Trevor Rogers on the Cusp of Acehood \u2013 FanGraphs<\/a><\/p>\n Orioles fans are mad at FanGraphs\u2019 Michael Baumann for saying that Trevor Rogers isn\u2019t quite an ace. Here he does his best to explain himself.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n