3 things to anticipate before entering O’s “Hell Month”

Written by:

Zachary Bucklew

The Orioles are about to enter the craziest month of baseball during the 2024 season.

After their game against Boston on May 29, the Orioles will play 17 straight games to start the month of June before their next off-day on the 17th. That date is the only day the O’s will have off during the entirety of June.

Before we enter this insane month, we have put together three things all Oriole fans should know to prepare themselves for the craziness of what will be “Hell Month.”

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Expect Crazy Lineups and Weird Positionings

We’ve seen it all season. Brandon Hyde can put out some lineups that make us scratch our heads.

Believe it or not, it feels like every time we scratch our heads at a lineup, the offense just balls out. However, expect the lineups to get even weirder.

There are two small points about why we say this. Gunnar Henderson has yet to miss a game this season, and while it helps the team, it could take a toll on him during this long stretch of games. It wouldn’t be surprising if some Sunday games we don’t see Henderson start, which throws a wrench into the lineup with not having him in the leadoff spot.

You also have where Adley Rutschman needs an off-day from catching, as Hyde has already shown how careful he is being with the O’s All-Star backstop.

The second point goes back to the heading tying into the crazy positions. With the recent struggles to Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins, Hyde might start to play it safe with lineups and start the players that have been hotter at the plate.

Don’t be shocked if we see different things like Jorge Mateo in center field or Ryan O’Hearn back in the outfield. Another crazy positioning thing is the possibility of seeing Anthony Santander at first base or maybe even James McCann.

2. Longer Leashes for Starters

So far this season, the Orioles have used eight different starters, and they have accumulated 305 of the Orioles’ 498 innings of baseball this season. That is 61.24% of innings that starters have pitched this season.

Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez might not need them, but guys like Cole Irvin and Albert Suárez are going to be given longer leashes to save the O’s bullpen arms.

You might also see some relievers pitch multiple innings. Guys like Cionel Perez, Dillon Tate and Jacob Webb might have longer leashes and have games pitched that are closer together than usual because they have the ability to do so.

3. Roster Movement

With June being such a crazy month for the Orioles, there’s a chance we see a ton of roster movement.

This mostly corresponds with the reasoning of players with minor league options and using those options to move things around to help expand the bullpen.

For example, Keegan Akin and Dillon Tate have options that can be used to send them down to Triple-A Norfolk, and the team could then bring up fresh arms like Nick Vespi or Bryan Baker, who are on the 40-man roster.

Conclusion

We obviously don’t know how the month of June is going to go. The entire month consists of games against division rivals, NL East powerhouses and the surprisingly dominant Cleveland Guardians. It’s baseball, and any crazy thing can happen on the diamond.

The reason why this month is so different is because of playing baseball on 29 of the 30 days of June. It’s something we typically don’t see during a season.

Is there a chance that none of this happens? Of course. We’re not in that Orioles front office. But behind a lot of research, we can predict and give a small understanding of why certain things might happen that impact the team during this one month.

How do you see the month of June playing out for the Orioles? 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!

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!