The O's stolen base success rate could make a difference this season

If a team wants to chase a division title and maybe chase 100 wins in the process, it needs to find a lot of different ways to win games through the long season.

While the Orioles have gotten a lot of attention for their power display so far this year, the team is not without speed. And the Orioles run the bases well. They often gain an extra 90 feet on their opponent with a runner going from first to third.

Or a runner stealing second base. They do that well and with a very high percentage success rate.

Through Tuesday’s games, the Orioles ranked sixth in the American League with 24 steals, and they ranked second in the AL and MLB with a 88.9 success rate, stealing 24-of-27. That percentage at one time was up at about 95 percent, but they’ve had a couple of caught stealing's recently.

“It’s more individual. We have guys that can run,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re going to be aggressive when we feel like it’s necessary and we feel like it’s appropriate to run. We ran a little bit on the road trip (to K.C. and Anaheim) just because it was kind of given to us. So, we were able to, you know kind of identify certain guys we were able to run on more than others. The score dictates it, a lot of things dictate that.”

The Orioles have stolen 11 bases in the last 10 games going into last night.

“We do want to be aggressive when we can,” said Hyde. “Feel great about our team speed. We’ve got some guys that are above average runners, so we definitely want to push the envelope when we feel like it’s necessary and the right thing to do.”

Four Orioles have combined to produce 20 of their steals with Gunnar Henderson going 6-for-6, Cedric Mullins 6-for-8, Jorge Mateo 4-for-4 and Jordan Westburg 4-for-5. Also, Colton Cowser has three steals in three tries and Ryan Mountcastle is one-for-one.

Will the O’s be running more as the year goes on?

“I’m not going to run just because I think it’s fun to run," said Hyde. "I’m going to run because I feel like there is a good chance to be safe. We have some guys that have good speed, so when it’s the right combination, pitcher-catcher, time of the game, score of the game, all those things add up, we’re going to take chances. I think we’ll continue to be aggressive over the course of the year.

“I think our percentage is really high right now. There are a lot of guys that are going to have a lot of stolen bases at the end of the year.” 

Mullins, who stole 30 bases in 2021, 34 the next season and 19 last year, said coach Anthony Sanders is the go-to coach for the base stealers on the club.

“Every day, with the guys that can steal bases, Sanders shows us video, shows us tendencies for the starter,” said Mullins. “Gives us an idea if he is a guy we can take advantage of in some form or fashion. So, its information based. Same thing with relievers. With get a quick rundown before he takes the mound and if we get on base, use that information to our advantage.”

O's and Yankees play series finale today: After the Orioles won Monday night by 2-0 and Tuesday by 4-2, the Yankees posted a 2-0 win last night. The clubs are once again tied for first place with the O's technically percentage points ahead at 19-11 (.633) to New York's 20-12 (.625).

Right-hander Luis Gil held the Orioles to two singles last night over 6 1/3 innings and they were held to three singles on the night. 

The Orioles have scored just six runs going 16-for-91 (.176) at-bat this series while New York has scored just four runs and gone 16-for-93 (.172). The Yankees have out-homered the Orioles 3-1.

When this series began the O's and New York ranked first and second in the majors in homers with the Orioles first in the league in team OPS at .773 and New York ranking second at .751. But this series has not featured much offense and the Yankees are actually 0-for-12 this series batting with runners in scoring position. 

Last night the Birds were shutout for just the first time in 2024 and they are now 5-1 versus AL East teams. 

As of last night the O's had not announced their starter for today with Kyle Bradish and Cole Irvin among the possibles. Lefty Carlos Rodon (2-1, 2.48 ERA) is going for the Yankees.

On the farm last night, Triple-A Norfolk's Cade Povich got the win as the Tides beat Nashville 7-3 for their fifth straight victory. Povich is now 3-1 with a 1.11 ERA after allowing one run over six innings. He has allowed one or zero runs in all six of his 2024 starts.