Mullins on his offense and Rutschman on Gibson on mound and as leader

For Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins, after a solid start to his year batting against left-handed pitching, he sees it as actually a good thing that the Orioles face three left-handers to start their series against Oakland.

Mullins got his season off to a great start, going 5-for-13 with two homers and seven RBIs in the first series at Boston. But he is 2-for-24 in the six games since that series. However, he is also 4-for-11 with a homer and six RBIs versus lefties this year after struggling against southpaws in 2022.

So bring on the lefties as the Oakland series begins.

“Yeah, I’d say so (nice to see lefties),” he said this afternoon in the Baltimore clubhouse. “You know, I feel like I’ve had pretty strong at-bats and just a matter of putting them altogether. I know it’s still early in that aspect, but feel confident where I am.

“Kind of in the middle (right now). I had a really strong start out in Boston. In terms of strikeouts, I feel like those have been manageable. Had a few walks as well, so feel like I am controlling the zone really well. Just a mater of finding the grass and keep focusing on hitting the ball hard.”

And at this early point - nine games into the season - Mullins has improved his strikeout rate (14.6, down from 18.8) from what it was last year, and his walk rate (9.8 up from 7.0) as well.

He sees vast potential in the Orioles offense, one that scored 41 runs in the season’s first seven games but scored just four in the last two games versus New York.

“I know we haven’t tapped into it yet, so that is a good sign for us,” he said. “We’re in games every single day, we have a chance to win, and when we put it all together we are going to be very dangerous.”

Rutschman on Gibson: Adley Rutschman, after serving as the designated hitter yesterday and going 4-for-4 against the Yankees, is back behind the plate tonight, catching right-hander Kyle Gibson (2-0, 4.50 ERA) in the series opener.

It’s pretty clear that Gibson, at 35 the oldest Oriole, has fit in beautifully on the team and already has emerged as clubhouse leader. The Orioles have won both of his starts and he pitched seven innings on Tuesday at Texas, allowing just two runs. That was the longest outing by an O’s starter on the year.

“He’s a phenomenal leader,” Rutschman said of Gibson. “He knows what he wants to do. He knows what a winning clubhouse looks like and how that process goes. So, everyone is very attentive to what he says and everyone is very confident in the way he goes about his business on the mound. And his pregame routine, so, you know as a catcher I’m here to support that, help out and communicate. I just love working with him.”

Gibson has said he enjoys pitching the first game of a series because he can be a tone-setter for the pitching staff for that series.

“I think that just speaks to his mindset,” said Rutschman. “And you know the way he handles himself. Everyone loves being around him. Great leader, great teammate. Very fortunate to have him in this clubhouse.”

Gibson is 5-3 with a 4.05 ERA in 10 career starts against Oakland. With the Phillies in 2022, he earned the win in his last start against Oakland, on April 9, 2022, allowing two hits with 10 strikeouts in seven shutout innings at Citizens Bank Park. 

Today, Rutschman kept talking in such glowing terms about his new teammate.

“I think you judge people based on the accumulation of their actions, the way they handle themselves on a day-to-day basis, because everyone has their ups and downs," Rutschman said. "For me, he is just one of those guys that is ultra-consistent the way he does stuff. To me, that is something very admirable and something to look up to."