With the Orioles winning two out of three from San Francisco to move over .500 and into a first-place tie in the AL East by the end of the weekend, I\u2019ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:<\/p>\n
1. Losing as many players to injury as games played over the weekend was a potential nightmare eased by regrouping to take two out of three. Baltimore isn\u2019t firing on all cylinders and probably won\u2019t be for a while, but winning five of six is still an encouraging stretch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bassitt: “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 OK 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”\u2014 Andy Kostka (@afkostka) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n 2. Even before Zach Eflin\u2019s injury, the rotation was always going to need depth arms to contribute over 162 games. Cade Povich tossed 6 2\/3 innings of one-run ball to remind how competitive he can be with better command. His 17 swinging strikes were one shy of his career high.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. It\u2019s a shame a strong start by Adley Rutschman was halted by the ankle injury, but Craig Albernaz said Sunday\u2019s MRI brought \u201creally encouraging news\u201d suggesting the catcher won\u2019t be sidelined for very long. Dating back to last June, Rutschman has now had three injured list stints.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Rutschman\u2019s absence puts a brighter spotlight on Samuel Basallo for the time being. Off to a slow start at the plate, the 21-year-old\u2019s rocket into the Orioles bullpen Sunday reminds what kind of power upside he has. Veteran teammates<\/a> and coaches are big believers in his talents.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Sammy Basallo is going to be in this game a long time and put up really, really big numbers. Once Sammy settles in and takes a breath, you’ll see the best of Sammy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 5. The first to acknowledge his ugly start, Pete Alonso overcame a 1-2 count to work a walk before Basallo\u2019s homer and delivered a pivotal two-run double on an 0-2 pitch Sunday. It\u2019ll be a long five years if you\u2019re already worrying about someone with his track record after 15 games.<\/p>\n 6. If there were any lingering doubts about Gunnar Henderson\u2019s power returning after a challenging 2025 campaign, the star shortstop homering in four of five games entering Sunday takes care of that. Offense is down across baseball thus far, but you wouldn\u2019t know it watching Henderson at the plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n 7. As someone who had major concerns about the bullpen even before the injuries to Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin, I\u2019ve really liked what I\u2019ve seen from Rico Garcia and Anthony Nunez bridging the gap to closer Ryan Helsley. It\u2019s still early, of course, but the relief has been solid. \u00a0<\/p>\n 8. Jeremiah Jackson\u2019s home run in Saturday\u2019s win was the first by an Orioles hitter not named Henderson in 10 days. A .661 OPS isn\u2019t anything special, but you\u2019d gladly take Jackson\u2019s production over what several other regulars have done \u2014 or haven\u2019t done \u2014 thus far.\u00a0<\/p>\n 9. You hope the sharp single off a changeup Saturday<\/a> is a sign of better things to come for Colton Cowser. As for Coby Mayo, it\u2019s going to be tough to continue to play him regularly over the more defensive-minded Blaze Alexander if his bat doesn\u2019t pick up quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n 10. The Orioles couldn\u2019t afford to have Chris Bassitt resemble Charlie Morton at the start of last season, so the improvement he showed Saturday was certainly a step in the right direction. Bassitt couldn\u2019t quite get through five, but the command was much better from his first two starts.\u00a0<\/p>\n 11. Between the odd sequence of events leading to Tyler O\u2019Neill going on on the concussion list and the freakish foot fracture for Ryan Mountcastle, it was a terrible weekend for two players who just can\u2019t stay healthy. With Rutschman sidelined, both would have figured to see more DH at-bats.<\/p>\n This appears to be the Tyler O’Neill illness\/concussion timeline:<\/p>\n Early last week \u2014 Gets sick 12. Acknowledging my low opinion of City Connect uniforms in general, the new ones paying tribute to Camden Yards are fine. I\u2019d prefer a creative spin on throwback uniforms like Atlanta has done twice now. The classic 1966 uniforms with \u201cCharm City\u201d in script instead of \u201cOrioles\u201d would look pretty sharp.\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Thursday \u2014 Dehydrated, faints, hits head
Friday \u2014 Originally in lineup, gets scratched
Saturday \u2014 Works out pregame, gets dizzy, not in lineup
Sunday \u2014 Placed on IL with concussion https:\/\/t.co\/2lGAaaNkHL<\/a>\u2014 Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n