Ryan McKenna is playing center field tonight in the latest Orioles right-handed heavy lineup in Anaheim.
Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter and left fielder. Jordan Westburg is starting at second base. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.
Aaron Hicks is in right field, with Anthony Santander serving as designated hitter.
Adley Rutchman is back in the leadoff spot and catching.
Gunnar Henderson is too good to sit in any lineup. He’s the third baseman.
Outfielder Anthony Santander began last night’s series in Anaheim leading the Orioles with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs. He’s trying to finish first in both categories for the second year in a row, becoming the first Oriole since Chris Davis in 2012-13.
He’s doing a lot of other things, like how he’s pushing harder through the crowd for Most Valuable Oriole.
Don’t be too quick to concede the award to catcher Adley Rutschman, rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson, starter Kyle Bradish, closer Félix Bautista – whose value becomes more evident if the Orioles collapse from his elbow injury – or anybody else in contention.
Santander’s 33 doubles also ranked first on the club before Austin Hays tied him last night with an RBI double. And Santander was first with 60 extra-base hits, 239 total bases, a .489 slugging percentage and .818 OPS.
In case you missed it earlier, Santander is the first Orioles switch-hitter with at least 25 home runs in consecutive seasons since Hall of Famer Eddie Murray in 1987-88.
The Orioles begin their series in Anaheim tonight with Adley Rutschman out of the lineup for the second time in six games.
The Angels are starting three left-handers, and Austin Hays moves into the leadoff spot tonight. Gunnar Henderson is playing third base and batting cleanup.
Jordan Westburg is playing second base and batting fifth. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.
Aaron Hicks is in right field, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Rookie Grayson Rodriguez has allowed 11 runs in his last seven starts over 42 2/3 innings. He faced the Angels on May 15, before his reset, and allowed eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. Shohei Ohtani and Chad Wallach homered in the fourth.
After the final out is recorded in the World Series, and before the start of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, important business is conducted that can be downplayed or ignored in some circles.
The four Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards in November. A much bigger deal for the Orioles after they regained their contender status and inflated the level of talent on the roster.
I remember when I could skip the MLB Network programs, which run longer than the Oscars, because the Orioles didn’t have anyone in the discussion. My work was done. Let the other beat writers craft their stories while I tuned into "Jeopardy" or whatever was streaming on Netflix. Those poor fools.
Those days are over.
Gunnar Henderson has become the leading contender for Rookie of the Year in the American League. I won’t say he’s a runaway winner, but the kid sits in the driver’s seat - looking young enough to carry a learner’s permit.
The Orioles are trying today to claim their 28th series as they conclude their visit to Arizona.
Ryan Mountcastle has returned to the lineup after missing the past few games due to an illness. He’s batting cleanup and playing first base.
Anthony Santander was hit on the right hand last night in the ninth inning, left the game and underwent testing, and is serving today as designated hitter.
Two positive developments before the first pitch is thrown.
Aaron Hicks, reinstated from the injured list today, is in left field. Ryan O’Hearn is the right fielder. Austin Hays is on the bench.
The Orioles’ roster has changed again.
Get used to it.
Jorge López was activated this morning after the Orioles claimed him on waivers yesterday from the Marlins. Aaron Hicks was reinstated from the injured list.
To make room, outfielder Colton Cowser was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and reliever Austin Voth was designated for assignment.
López enters a bullpen that includes Yennier Cano. They were involved in the 2022 deadline trade with the Twins.
On the same day that the Orioles claimed their former closer, Jorge López, on waivers from the Marlins, manager Brandon Hyde told the assembled media at Chase Field that former Rule 5 closer Tyler Wells has arm fatigue.
I’m tired from trying to project this month’s bullpen. I’m not getting any closer.
My take from the East Coast is that López is insurance, a depth move with Félix Bautista on the 15-day injured list and Wells perhaps delayed in his return to the Orioles. The timing might be coincidental, but we honestly don’t know if that’s the case.
The trade deadline passed and the only way to acquire players is via claims and minor league deals. López isn’t eligible to make the postseason roster because he arrived in the organization after Aug. 31, but he can assist in the quest to win the division title.
Then again, is he equipped to do so?
Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup again tonight in Arizona. He was scratched last night due to an illness.
Gunnar Henderson, who went 2-for-4 last night with two runs scored, stays at shortstop. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.
Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman and Ramón Urías is playing third base. Adam Frazier is the second baseman.
Henderson is batting .330 or better when he’s ahead or even in the count, but .172 when behind.
Anthony Santander is slugging .809 against fastballs since the start of August after slugging .276 against them in July.
Another day has passed without an update on Orioles closer Félix Bautista beyond the injury to his ulnar collateral ligament. He walked off the field Aug. 25 with two outs in the ninth inning and two strikes on his last batter, and he underwent further testing to determine the severity of the injury and whether surgery was necessary.
Bautista earned his first hold of the season. Everyone else remains on hold.
The Orioles went 3-2 heading into last night’s game in Arizona after placing Bautista on the 15-day injured list. The last three margins were nine, six and five runs, making Bautista’s absence less noticeable.
Yennier Cano earned a save the night after Bautista’s removal from the bullpen, but he would have been the designated closer anyway. Bautista had appeared in three of the past four games and gone back-to-back. Manager Brandon Hyde wasn’t put in a bind.
The Orioles lost 4-3 to conclude the Rockies series. An unearned run scored off Cano in the top of the ninth inning. No save situation.
The Orioles are in Arizona tonight to begin another three-city road trip, and their final excursion to the West Coast. They also travel to Anaheim and Boston.
The day began with the Orioles holding a 1 ½ game lead over the Rays, winners of four in a row. Tampa Bay is in Cleveland tonight.
The Orioles' 83-50 record through 133 games is their best mark since going 85-48 in 1997. They are the seventh team in major league history with back-to-back winning records following a 100-loss season, per STATS. The 1986-87 Giants were the most recent.
Outfielder Colton Cowser and reliever Joey Krehbiel were added to the expanded roster, as reported yesterday. Cowser isn’t in tonight’s lineup.
Anthony Santander is in right field and Austin Hays is in left. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.
Because my mailbag hates dry heat and cross-country flights, I’m answering more questions today from home and waiting to join the Orioles in Boston.
I go where it goes.
You understand how this works after 15 years. How it’s a sequel to the beloved 2008 original.
You want heavy editing? Go to a movie. I don’t tamper here. We’re crazy with clarity, sinful with style, bold with brevity, loony with length, ga-ga over grammar.
Also, my mailbag expands like a September roster and yours splits like the back of Ye’s jacket.
The Orioles won’t allow their roster to stop evolving. They are adding players for Friday’s expansion and figure to keep shuffling through the month of September.
The first two moves are decided, with outfielder Colton Cowser and reliever Joey Krehbiel joining the club in Arizona, according to a source. The club hasn’t made an announcement.
These are initial reinforcements who don’t close business.
Cowser made his major league debut on July 5 in New York and appeared in 26 games before the Orioles optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. He went 7-for-61 with two doubles, four RBIs, 13 walks and 22 strikeouts.
Over 69 games with the Tides, Cowser batted .314/.440/.524 with 15 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 45 RBIs in 315 plate appearances.
The Orioles are off today, flying into Arizona after yesterday’s loss to spend more time enjoying the dry heat. Think of it as a pizza oven except there’s no melted mozzarella.
Their roster expands by a pitcher and a position player on Friday. They’d do it anyway, but teams don’t have the option of staying at 26.
The dog days of August are gone. We’ve moved onto September baseball as a contender, and it’s the home stretch no matter where the schedule takes you.
“This is definitely an exciting time right now for our club,” manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday. “Going back to the West Coast. I feel like we were just there. It’s an important road trip, every game matters right now, every game’s important. And it’s a lot of fun playing in games that matter.”
Can’t flip the pages of the calendar without finding more questions, which isn’t as enjoyable.
A third fly ball landed on the other side of the fence today and an angry fan sitting near the Camden Yards press box couldn’t contain his emotions. Didn’t want to try.
“It’s the White Sox!” he yelled, the exit velocity of his words immeasurable.
A team that didn’t bring much energy to the series, lost the first two games by a combined 18-3 score and fired two senior members of the front office last week.
A team that fell behind by four runs this afternoon in the bottom of the first inning.
Kyle Gibson surrendered four in the top of the second and three more in the third, and the Orioles lost 10-5 before an announced crowd of 17,723 to deny them the sweep.
Teams can expand their rosters by two players on Friday and the Orioles are meeting to review the options. Time is running out.
“We better be pretty close,” manager Brandon Hyde said this morning.
“We’re going to see how the roster looks after today. Things can change quickly. But we’re talking about it right now.”
The Orioles can find reinforcements on the injured list and in the minors. The task is more complicated than just choosing a couple names.
“There’s a lot of moving pieces right now,” Hyde said. “We’re kind of seeing how everything fits. The off-day tomorrow is a little bit helpful in figuring that out. We’re having those discussions now, every type of scenario that we feel like is going to help our club in September.”
The Orioles can exceed last year’s win total of 83 with a victory today over the White Sox, in a game that concludes their homestand. They also can register their ninth sweep.
Adley Rutschman is on the bench this afternoon. Gunnar Henderson is leading off and playing third base.
Adam Frazier is in left field, with Austin Hays also working in a reserve role. Jordan Westburg is the second baseman.
Kyle Gibson is seeking his team-leading 14th win, which also would be a career high. He has 14 quality starts, and he worked eight innings against the Blue Jays in his last outing.
Yoán Moncada is 8-for-22 with three doubles against Gibson. Tim Anderson is 7-for-22 with a double and home run.
The Orioles are finishing their homestand this afternoon, taking a day off and embarking on a three-city road trip that begins in Arizona.
The move into a new month, the last full one before the playoffs, brings another set of important roster decisions.
Expansion to 28 is permitted on Friday, an extra pitcher and position player. A task that’s trickier with the choices coming from the minors and injured list.
This isn’t as routine as attaching two names. A few others will need to go.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks is hoping to be reinstated while the Orioles are in Anaheim for a series that starts Monday. He’s taking batting practice at “high velocity,” as he described it, and will be on the charter to the West Coast.
Dean Kremer did his job. One sinker that hung in the middle of the plate was his only real sin. Easily forgivable under any circumstances, and especially if he had more than a modicum of offensive support.
Kremer worked into the seventh inning, registered his fourth quality start in a row, and waited to find out whether the Orioles would be stuck on one run.
Danny Coulombe replaced Kremer with two runners on base and no outs, and he stranded them. Little did he know that he’d become the pitcher of record. Or that the Orioles would torch the White Sox’s bullpen and turn a tie into a blowout.
Then again, comeback wins have become routine with this team. The 41st was approaching.
The first two Orioles were retired in the bottom of the seventh, a single and pair of walks loaded the bases, and Anthony Santander slapped a ground ball down the right field line to clear them in a 9-3 victory before an announced crowd of 14,903 at Camden Yards.
Reliever Jacob Webb witnessed two teammates get hit in the head by line drives to the mound. He’s been struck twice, on the back of his upper leg and his ribs, and he’s caught one ball before it could leave a mark.
Webb was able to react last night to Luis Robert Jr.’s 110.3 mph liner, turning his body and putting up a hand to protect his face. It deflected off his left upper back, leaving a red mark, but he faced two more batters.
"He got hit right below the shoulder blade there, so it got a lot of meat and not so much bone," manager Brandon Hyde said later. "He got lucky."
Webb said he’s “feeling great” today.
“Nothing major. It skimmed me a little bit and a little bit of a scare, but we’re good,” he said.
Ryan O’Hearn is in right field again tonight, as the Orioles continue their series against the White Sox.
Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop and Adam Frazier is playing second base. Jordan Westburg stays on the bench.
Austin Hays returns to left field.
Anthony Santander, serving as designated hitter, is the first Orioles switch-hitter with at least 25 home runs in consecutive seasons since Eddie Murray in 1987-88.
Henderson is one stolen base shy of becoming the first rookie in team history and 20th in major league history with at least 20 doubles, five triples, 20 homers and 10 steals in a season.
