It’s pretty crazy how we are two months down this season, and the Orioles are still one of the best teams in baseball this season.
While the month of May was not as good as the month of April, the Orioles still went 16-12 after being told that they were going to meet their match and show if they were contenders or pretenders. Spoiler alert: They are contenders.
The Orioles’ offense was not the greatest, as they slashed .248/.319/.416 with a .735 OPS, which put them around the middle of the pack in the league. They were, however, top 10 in the league in the following stats: 54 doubles (8th), seven triples (tied 1st), 131 RBIs (tied 8th) and 134 runs (tied 10th). The Orioles also had a +3 run differential this past month.
The pitching, though, was also around the middle of the pack for the month. The Orioles were 16th in the league in ERA at 4.25, as they gave up the fourth most hits (258), tied for the eighth most home runs (37), and batters had a .262 batting average against them.
While the team as a whole played above .500 baseball, four players really stood out this month.
AUSTIN HAYS – OF
It’s undoubtedly obvious that Austin Hays had a insane month of May. In 24 games, he slashed .310/.344/.471 with a .815 OPS. He had 27 total hits, 10 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 12 RBIs and five walks. Hays continues a season of having a .311 average and an OPS of .860.
DEAN KREMER – RHP
Dean Kremer’s May was maybe one of the best months of his career. In five starts, he went 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings pitched.
Kremer gave up 30 total hits, eight earned runs, two home runs, walked eight batters and struck out 23. He also had a 1.30 WHIP and did had batters hit .265 against him. Kremer’s month helped him bring his ERA down to under five and show that he can be a formidable middle of the rotation piece.
PITCHER OF THE MONTH: FÉLIX BAUTISTA – RHP
The month of May was set to Mountain Time. Bautista’s May included him completely dominating the league and gave him a chance for back-to-back Reliever of the Month honors if not for Alex Lange of the Detroit Tigers.
Bautista in 12 games went 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched and went 7-for-9 in save opportunities, gave up five total hits, two earned runs, one home run, 10 walks and 29 strikeouts. He also held batters to a .114 average and had a 1.13 WHIP. Bautista moves to 14 saves on the year and continues to be one of the best closers in baseball.
POSITION PLAYER OF THE MONTH: ANTHONY SANTANDER
What a month for Anthony Santander. He continues to be one of the most underrated outfielders in baseball and shows that he can be deadly at the plate when needed.
Santander slashed .337/.422/.634 with a 1.056 OPS in 27 games. He scored 18 runs and compiled 34 total hits, seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 22 RBIs and 13 walks with a stolen base. Santander now has a .277 batting average and nine home runs this season.
There were also some other impressive stats worth mentioning from the month:
- Adley Rutschman – 21 walks
- Cedric Mullins – eight doubles
- Gunnar Henderson – two triples
This month was also filled with so many fun and exciting moments. Here are some of the memorable moments by the Orioles in the month of May:
- Cedric Mullins hits for the cycle on May 12
- Battle of the future aces in Shohei Ohtani vs. Grayson Rodriguez on May 15
- Orioles have a seven-run inning vs. the Braves on May 5
- Tyler Wells tallies a career-high eight strikeouts vs. Pirates on May 13
- Adley Rutschman hits his first Eutaw Street home run on May 9 against Tampa Bay
- Cedric Mullins has a five-hit day on May 21 against the Blue Jays
- Orioles have an eight-run inning to come back and beat the Yankees
- Ryan McKenna pitches on May 26 against Texas
- Orioles debut their Nike City Connect uniforms on May 26 against Texas
The Orioles begin their month of June on the road vs. the San Francisco Giants. Let’s continue this winning month streak and continue to be one of the best teams in baseball.
What do you think about the O’s performance in month of May? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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