“July will be the end of Baltimore! July will really show how good Baltimore is! Can Baltimore survive their July schedule?”
Every game that Baltimore played in the month of July was against a team that was .500 or greater. The Orioles went 17-9 during the month, which was an MLB best. But what completely helped the Orioles succeed? The answer: The pitching staff.
The Orioles carried a 3.61 ERA through 231.2 innings of work for the month. The pitching staff gave up 197 hits, 93 earned runs, 24 home runs, walked 84 batters and struck out 219. They also grabbed 12 holds and had a K/9 of 8.28. The impressive part is that they held batters to a second place league best .229 batting average and a WHIP of 1.21.
The O’s offense was not completely groundbreaking, but they did put up good numbers. The bats slashed .241/.304/.412 with a .716 OPS in 877 at-bats, collecting 211 hits, 56 doubles, five triples, 28 home runs and 123 RBIs. They also had 74 walks and stole 11 bases in the month.
While the whole team worked together to get to this point, a first place standing in the American League East, four players really stood out this month. Let’s go over who impressed during the month of “Joo-ly,” as Ben Mcdonald likes to say.
RYAN O’HEARN – 1B/OF
How often is it that a random trade in the offseason just absolutely pops off in the regular season? Meet Ryan O’Hearn.
While his season has been incredible, his month of July was flat out amazing. O’Hearn played in 25 games and slashed .324/.366/.527 with a .893 OPS and collected 24 total hits, six doubles, three home runs and a team-leading 15 RBIs. O’Hearn also had five walks and even stole a base.
O’Hearn now has a season average of .306 and has nine home runs on the season, creeping up to his career-high of 14 that he hit in 2019. The O’Hearn breakout season is here, and we are glad that it’s with the Orioles.
GUNNAR HENDERSON – INF
This kid is incredible. Henderson’s season started out super rocky, and fans started to say that the spotlight was too bright for him. Well, now the spotlight couldn’t be any brighter for the kid.
Henderson played in 25 games and slashed .245/.324/.500 with a .824 OPS. He tallied 24 total hits, three doubles, two triples, a team-high six home runs and a team-high 15 RBIs. He also had 11 walks and stole a base.
Henderson now has a .810 OPS on the season and has 18 home runs. Combine that with his 14 doubles and five triples, and he looks like one of the most pure young hitters in baseball. Time was all this kid needed to turn his season around.
KYLE BRADISH – RHP
Kyle Bradish taught us something in the month of July. Wins for a pitcher are 100% a team stat and not just on the guy on the mound.
Bradish had a 2-3 record in the month of July but had a 2.25 ERA, which puts him as the seventh lowest ERA by a qualified pitcher for the month. Nonetheless, Bradish pitched 32 innings and gave up 26 hits, eight earned runs, three home runs, walked seven batters and struck out 28. He also had a 1.03 WHIP and held batters to a .218 batting average.
Bradish now has a 3.29 ERA on the season with a 6-6 record. He has surpassed 100 innings on the year and has struck out 102 on the season. Bradish made his debut just last year, and despite still being green, he looks like he could be a future ace for the Orioles.
FÉLIX BAUTISTA – RHP
Can we even call Félix Bautista by his name anymore? The Mountain was named AL Reliever of the Month after his monstrous performance in July.
Bautista pitched in 11 games, and while he did go 3-0, the big man did not give up a single run in the month. He pitched 14 innings, which was 2/3 short of his career-high in a month. Bautista gave up just three hits, walked four batters and struck out 25, going 8-for-8 on save opportunities.
Bautista has surpassed 100 strikeouts this season, which means that he has struck out more batters than 12 qualified starters in the MLB. He also has 29 saves on the year and has held batters to a .131 batting average. He owns an ERA of 0.87 and a WHIP of 0.85 on the season.
This month, we only had one MLB debut, and it was outfielder Colton Cowser, who has not had the hottest start in MLB thus far. But his defense in the outfield has been huge since losing both Cedric Mullins and Aaron Hicks.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
- July 5: Colton Cowser makes his big league debut and collects his first hit and RBI against the Yankees
- July 9: In the final day before the All-Star Break, the Orioles score 15 runs, and Adley Rutschman hits the longest home run of his career (461 ft.)
- July 10: Adley puts on a show in the Home Run Derby, despite being first-rounded
- July 11: The Orioles have four representatives play in the All-Star Game (Adley Rutschman, Austin Hays, Yennier Canó and Félix Bautista)
- July 14: Adam Frazier has a multi-home-run game to help the Orioles win the first game back after the All-Star Break
- July 19: Orioles take sole possession of first place in the AL East
- July 24: Jordan Westburg hits his first career home run against the Phillies
- July 28: Anthony Santander walks off the Yankees with a solo home run in the ninth
- July 30: Orioles have first Sunday Night Baseball game at Camden Yards in five years and steal the show with a seven-run first inning and 9-3 win
This month was nothing less of incredible for this club and really showed how good the Orioles are. The Birds enter the month of August 1.5 games ahead of the Rays in the AL East.
What stood out to you this month? 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!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Zack’s content? Follow him on X – @Zackattack8211 and @OsMilbUpdates for all the latest news and updates on the O’s farm system!
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment