The Baltimore Orioles survived a brutal August and started the stretch run out strong.
Playing three games each, against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies, the Birds would go 3-3 on their West Coast road trip.
The Dodgers were just a bit too much for the Orioles to handle. Though the Orioles got two decent starts in L.A., it wasn’t enough to take down the mighty Dodgers.
Things went a little better against the Rockies, though by the time the series ended, the Birds had lost Ramón Urías to the IL and Dean Kremer is listed as day-to-day with a wrist contusion after being hit with a comebacker.
Though Hyde is hopeful Kremer will avoid the IL, he says he doesn’t see him pitching in 4-5 days.
Let’s take a look at who made this week’s edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
The Great: Ramón Urías
The Ramón Empire strikes again. Unfortunately, he would end the week on the 15-day IL due to a sprained ankle.
Over the last five games, Urías would collect five hits in 15 at-bats (.333) as his strong August continued for the O’s.
Urías has stepped up in a big way with Jorge Mateo and Jordan Westburg being out for an extended period time.
In August, Urías slashed .260/.337/.521/.858 with five home runs, 17 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Impressively, eight of Urías’ 19 hits went for extra bases (two doubles, one triple, five home runs).
The Good: Zach Eflin
Interestingly enough, the Orioles lose Dean Kremer for at least one start but get Eflin back to close the series with the Rockies.
Elfin stepped up in a big way, as he became only the second Orioles pitcher to win his first five appearances with the team and set a season-high in strikeouts.
Elfin struck out six of the first 12 batters he faced en route to picking up his fifth straight quality start.
Over seven innings (fifth straight game going six or more innings), the veteran right-hander allowed four hits and one run on 85 pitches (63 strikes).
Elfin improves to 10-7 on the season with a 3.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He has pitched 142.1 innings across 24 games (all starts), striking out 121 versus 16 walks.
Of his 11 quality starts, five have come with the Orioles, and he is one of three active Oriole starters with an ERA under four.
The Ugly: Gunnar Henderson
Ironically, the man who makes our ugly list this week is also our BATTERY ❌-FACTOR going into the series with the ChiSox.
Mired in a slump that has seen a stagnant showing at the plate, Henderson has four hits in his last 24 at-bats (.167 avg).
To make matters worse, Henderson’s last extra-base hit was August 22, and his last home run was August 18. He has only hit five home runs since July 18 after hitting 28 prior to that.
After ending August slashing .234/.303/.405/.708, September offers the chance for the young All-Star to turn it around for the stretch.
Henderson is slashing .276/.363/.527/.890 with 33 home runs and 80 RBIs while adding 16 stolen bases on the year. A strong September can help erase a bad August and push the Birds towards their goal.
The Orioles will come home to play the Chicago White Sox for three, and after a day off Thursday, will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town for three.
Who will step up when Ramón Urías is out? What will Zach Eflin do for an encore? Will Gunnar Henderson erase August and erupt in September?
Tune in next week for our next edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
Who stood out to you this week for the O’s? 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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