We are officially in the homestretch of the season, as the month of August has finished.
The Orioles wrapped up August with a 13-15 record and are 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place. The Birds are four games ahead in the AL Wild Card race.
The Oriole offense was a major letdown this month and is the primary reason for how the team performed as they did. The Birds slashed .231/.299/.393 with a .692 OPS and had 217 hits, 40 doubles, five triples and 34 home runs while knocking in 119 RBIs.
On the pitching side of things, it, unfortunately, doesn’t get much better. A 4.68 ERA in 242.1 innings of work, 219 strikeouts, a 1.32 WHIP and an opponent batting average of a .256 are not numbers you want to see from a team trying to compete. The Birds also had three blown saves, going 8-for-11, collected 18 holds from and had a SO/9 of 8.13.
While both the hitting and pitching didn’t work well collectively, four players really showed out this past month. Let’s begin with the surprise player of the month.
RAMÓN URÍAS
Arguably, the best part of the month was watching just how hot at the plate Ramón Urías was.
In 27 games, Urías slashed .260/.337/.521 with a .858 OPS. He tallied 19 hits, two doubles, one triple and five home runs while knocking in 17 RBIs. He also had seven walks, struck out 19 times and stole a base in one attempt.
Urías is having a solid season offensively that we haven’t seen since 2022. In 92 games, his slash line is .252/.327/.427 with a .754 OPS. He has 62 hits, nine doubles, two triples and 10 home runs with 35 RBIs.
Urías has really stepped up this season, especially with the injury to Jordan Westburg. Although he just went down with a sprained ankle, Urías is a big part of why the O’s are still in run for the division.
ZACH EFLIN
Zach Eflin, in three starts for the month, went 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings of work. He gave up 14 hits, three earned runs, walked two batters and struck out 18. He also compiled a 0.83 WHIP and .194 average against.
Eflin has been the best trade deadline acquisition for the orange and black this season. He carries a 2.13 ERA as an Oriole, winning all four of his starts with the team. He also has walked just two batters during his time while striking out 25.
Eflin is looking like a big part of the postseason run down the homestretch and is a reliable pitcher to have every fifth day moving forward.
ELOY JIMÉNEZ
Speaking of trade deadline acquisitions that worked out, Eloy Jiménez was seen as a salary dump, and he isn’t playing like one whatsoever.
In 22 games in August, Jiménez slashed .296/.315/.408 with a .723 OPS, collecting 21 hits, including five doubles, and knocked in seven while hitting a home run.
Since coming over to the Orioles, Jiménez has been a force for this offense. The fact that he is already almost halfway to the amount of hits he had with the Chicago White Sox in just 42 more games shows that he just needed a change of scenery.
SERANTHONY DOMÍNGUEZ
Seranthony Domínguez had a 3.75 ERA and gave up five home runs during the month, but he only gave up eight hits in 12 innings, held batters to a .186 average and went a perfect 7-for-7 in saves.
Domínguez is carrying a 3.00 ERA in 16 games with the Orioles and claimed the closer role from Craig Kimbrel. He’s been one of the more trustworthy arms in the O’s bullpen since coming over from the Philadelphia Phillies.
It’s scary to look at recently, but outside of the five home runs that were poorly timed, he hasn’t been as bad as it may look on paper.
Below is a list of special events that happened this month:
- 8/1: Trevor Rodgers, Austin Slater and Eloy Jiménez make their Oriole debuts after being dealt at the deadline
- 8/2: Gregory Soto makes his Oriole debut after being dealt at the deadline
- 8/7: Anthony Santander has two home-run game to help O’s beat Blue Jays
- 8/14: Top prospect Coby Mayo gets his first big league hit
- 8/16: Jackson Holliday has first career four-hit game
- 8/23: Anthony Santander hits a grand slam to take the lead over the Astros
Another month in the books, and now we enter the final full month of regular season baseball. The Orioles need to go on a stretch, as they have an easier schedule for the month of September.
Will the Birds win the AL East, or will they continue their struggles and settle for a Wild Card spot? 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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