The Baltimore Orioles have had a season that has brought fans back to happiness.
Even though the Orioles have a 35-42 record heading into July, what they did in the month of June was something special and something Oriole fans have been waiting for – a month with a winning record.
Before June 1, the Orioles had a 21-30 record, and Oriole fans were starting to quickly hit the panic button. Between Adley having a little bit of a struggling time on the offense and the rotation not looking as solid as we would like without John Means, the Orioles were starting to look like the Orioles we have seen in the last four years. But the month of June changed all that one game at a time.
Top Bird-Formers:
Before we go into how the team did as a whole, let’s start with naming a few players that shined throughout the month of June, or as I like to call them, the Top Bird-Formers.
Austin Hays:
We all have a very loving relationship with our star studded outfielder, Austin Hays. And why wouldn’t we?
The 26-year-old has been giving us things to be excited for since the O’s drafted him in 2016. But his month of June was like no other at the plate and in the field.
Hays did not miss a single game in June and slashed a line of .250/.284/.510. He also had a team-high 23 RBIs, and along with his 26 hits this month, 14 of them were for extra bases, including six home runs.
But the most important thing for Hays was what he did June 22, against the Nationals. He would have a 4-for-4 day, which included him hitting for the cycle. He would also walk away with three RBIs.
But his biggest factor has to be what he can do with his glove. Between multiple diving plays and gunning players at the plate, Hays has been able to bring his DRS (defensive runs saved) up to a three and bring his ARM (outfield arm runs above average) up to a 6.6, meaning that he has saved 6.6 runs from scoring based off his arm alone.
Ryan Mountcastle:
Ryan Mountcastle, or “Mounty” for short, had an excellent month that I believe was not talked about enough. Mountcastle, just like Hays, did not miss a single game in the month of June and was able to slash .297/.345/.614.
He also would have a bat powerful enough to lead the team in home runs with seven bombs. Mountcastle would not only be tied for most hits on the team, but he would also lead the team in extra base hits, as 18 of his 30 hits this month went for extra bases.
Cedric Mullins:
Ah, our 30-30 2021 All-Star had an amazing month. Cedric Mullins has been trying to comeback to that 2021 season form, and his month of June helped a ton.
He did end up missing one game but still slashed .303/.352/.424 throughout the month. But not only did he tie with Mountcastle in leading the team in hits, he also did unthinkable things with his glove.
Cedric would have an insane month of diving catches and catching baseballs that even announcers were surprised he caught.
Félix Bautista:
I could honestly pinpoint this as the entire bullpen, but I don’t think anyone in the O’s bullpen had a better June than Félix Bautista.
Big Félix would appear in 12 games, 10 innings, in which he would not give up a single run. His 0.00 ERA and WHIP of 0.80 would be phenomenal. Oh, he also held batters to a .143 average against.
Jorge López:
Once again, with the O’s bullpen being so pinpoint this past month, I could name many pitchers. But Jorge López had, dare I say, a 2016 Zack Britton type of month.
López would appear in 11 games in the month of June and would cover 13.2 innings, while having a 0.00 ERA, a WHIP of 0.37, an opponent’s average against at .087 and would finish 7/7 in save opportunities.
Team Breakdown:
To completely close out this month, we need to discuss the team as a whole.
The Orioles in the month of June would finish with a 14-12 record. Of that 14-12 record, they would have a record of 6-5 at Oriole Park and an 8-7 record on the road. They would also score 124 runs and give up 107 runs, which would give them a run differential of +14.
The Orioles had a month like no other in June 2022, and I personally hope that this continues into the month of July, as we continue to make noise in the Wild Card standings.
What do you think of the O’s month of June? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter! And make sure to use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content to show your Birdland swag!
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