In a week that saw the Baltimore Orioles take over first place in the AL East, record the best record in baseball and win six of their seven games, there was a lot to look at, delve into and size up.
With excitement buzzing around Birdland, the league is seeing just how strong the Orioles are becoming. The scary part is that most of these players are in their first three years of their career and only getting better.
So, let’s dive right in and see who makes the great, the good and the ugly this week.
The Great: Adley Rutschman
If you had any doubt about who the best catcher in baseball is, then you haven’t been watching the Orioles this season.
Adley Rutschman was already having a strong season heading into this past week, and he was the big catalyst that propelled the Birds offensively.
Rutschman would slash .345/.367/.552/.919 this past week. Of his 10 hits, he collected a home run and five doubles while driving in five runs and scoring three more. Rutsch is now slashing .324/.362/.475/.837 for the year, and in 33 games has collected 45 hits, including five home runs while driving in 22.
Defensively, Rutschman has yet to commit an error this season or allow a passed ball in 180.1 innings of work. Currently, he has thrown out 27% of would-be base stealers for the year.
The Good: The Starting Rotation
You would be hard pressed to argue against the Orioles’ starting rotation as one of the best in the league.
Over the last seven games, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer (two games), Cole Irvin, Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish and John Means have allowed no more than two earned runs, as the O’s are the first team to do so since the 2022 New York Mets, who went eight straight games.
Over the series against the New York Yankees, the O’s starters allowed six runs across 23.1 innings (2.33 ERA), allowing 17 hits while walking 10 and striking out 18 against the hottest hitting team in baseball. Against the Cincinnati Reds, they got even better, allowing no runs across 19.1 innings of work. The staff gave up a total of six hits in the three games, allowing one walk and striking out 18 batters.
For the week, the starting staff combined to pitch 42.2 innings total, allowing six runs (1.26 ERA) on 23 hits. They struck out 24 while walking 11 batters and going 5-0 in the seven starts.
The Ugly: Gunnar Henderson
A surprising addition to this week’s list is the worldly star, Gunnar Henderson. Usually a catalyst of the offense, Henderson has hit a small rough patch this week, coming off his April AL Player of the Month honor.
Henderson has started the month of May going just 3-for-18 (.167 avg), collecting just five hits in his last 24 at-bats.
This last week saw Henderson slash .208/.367/.333/.700 while striking out nine times. The Silver Slugger does have a home run and two RBIs in his last five hits but has only scored three runs and has walked five times in his last seven games.
Gunnar is still having a strong season, as he is slashing .274/.351/.563/.914 through 34 games. He has scored 26 times and has 37 total hits, including 10 home runs, three doubles and three triples. He has driven in 24 and has stolen six bases as well.
The Orioles went 6-1 over their last seven games and are 7-3 over their last 10, maintaining a one-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.
This week, the Birds have a two-game series against the Nationals in D.C. and then return home for a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Who will lead the team this week? Find out next Monday when we bring you the next edition of The Great, The Good and The Ugly.
What are your thoughts on our selections this week? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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