It was a week of AL East rivals, and the Orioles did not back down.
Instead, they rose to the occasion and completed a 5-2 week (they did play the final of a four-game series with the Rays on Monday).
With home runs pacing the way and some outstanding pitching, the Birds improved to 16-0-6 in series against the AL East since last season. They also are 16-6 against their division, the second best divisional record in baseball.
With all the fun of this past week, let’s take a look at who our standouts were and who would like to forget the week even happened.
The Great: Adley Rutschman
Arguably the best catcher in baseball right now, Rutschman is putting the team on his back to start this stretch of games and is currently first on the team in average (.306), hits (70) and RBIs (49).
This last week, Rutschman slashed .323/.364/.613/.977, as he collected 10 hits, including three home runs, while driving in 11, including a career-high six RBIs on Sunday. He also scored five runs on the week.
For the season, Rutschman is slashing .306/.344/.490/.834 with 13 home runs, 49 RBIs and 78 total hits.
Defensively, Rutschman has caught 41 games, committing one error and allowing zero passed balls, and has thrown out 25% of would-be base stealers, helping guide the starting staff to the third best ERA in the majors.
The Good: Grayson Rodriguez
Corbin Burnes might be the front-line, defacto number one starter on the staff, but it is Rodriguez who is pitching like an ace, something the Orioles have envisioned for a few years now.
Rodriguez had a masterful week, winning both his starts and pitching to a 2.19 ERA. He even took a perfect game into the sixth inning against Tampa Bay.
For the week, the fireballer pitched 12.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits while striking out 10 batters. Across the two games, opponents hit just .193 against the right-hander, as he threw 193 pitches, with 70% of his pitches going for strikes (136).
For the season, Rodriguez is now 7-2 (leads the team in victories) with a 3.27 ERA across 63.1 innings. He has struck out 71 batters while holding opponents to a .232 average.
The Ugly: Cedric Mullins
Mullins’ season of dismay continues, as he makes our ugly segment for the third straight week.
Mullins had two hits in 14 at-bats (.143 avg) this past week, and those hits account for his only two for the month of June. Manager Brandon Hyde has tried multiple days of rest, back-to-back days playing and extra batting practice to try and get Mullins going.
Unfortunately, all the practice, rest and work is just not working, and Mullins is becoming an albatross in a lineup that is pretty strong from top to bottom.
Mullins’ defense is still at an elite level, but the offensive woes continue to make it hard to watch him in the batter’s box, as he is now slashing just .174/.222/.310/.532 with six home runs (last one hit April 17), 22 RBIs (May 27 was his last RBI) and has a career-worst .202 batting average of balls in play.
This stretch of games could determine the fate of Mullins’ season and future with the team, along with the approach GM Mike Elias might need to take going into the trade deadline.
The Orioles will take on two NL East powerhouses in the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies after wrapping up their series with the Rays on Monday.
Will Mullins get on track, or will he continue his struggles? Who will shine brightest this week? Tune in next week and find out.
Who stood out to you for the O’s this week? Do you agree with our selections? 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!
Like Stephen’s content? Follow him on X – @SRJHeckman, and listen to the official podcast of The Baltimore Battery, The Final Strike, anywhere you get your podcasts!
The Baltimore Battery 
Leave a comment