The Baltimore Orioles turned in another 3-3 week in their six games between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, a trend that is becoming a weekly pattern.
Unfortunately for the Birds, they ended the week 1-3 and fell out of first place in the AL East. Interestingly enough, the Orioles and the New York Yankees have been no more than two games apart since July 5.
The Birds’ homestand against the ChiSox (2-1) and Rays (1-2) leaves them with just one more homestand to end the season.
As they head out on the road for the week, let’s see who made The Great, The Good & The Ugly for this past week.
The Great: Gunnar Henderson
A key member to the success of the Orioles this season, Gunnar Henderson once again is stepping up when it matters most.
Over the past week, Henderson has been on a tear, going 10-for-24 across the two series. Those 10 hits included three home runs, which set the franchise record for homers in a season (35+), surpassing the previous record of 34 held by Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada.
Henderson added five RBIs, six runs scored and two stolen bases for the week as well.
The All-Star shortstop is now slashing .282/.367/.540/.907 with 36 home runs, 85 RBIs, 108 runs and 18 stolen bases for the year.
The Good: Cedric Mullins
One bat that has been picking up steam as of late is that of veteran center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Mullins’ bat is one that has struggled most of the year but is finding itself heating up at just the right time. The former All-Star has collected nine hits, including two home runs, over his last six games.
Mullins is hitting .450 over the last week, picking up six RBIs. He is now slashing .234/.304/.406/.710 with 15 home runs, 47 runs driven in, 59 runs scored and 26 stolen bases for the season.
The Ugly: The Scoring Offense
One thing that has been an issue most of the season has been the ability for the Birds to capitalize in scoring opportunities.
Headed into the stretch run of the season, this is only being exasperated more and more. Over the last week, the Orioles went a combined 12-for-56 (.214 avg.) with runners in scoring position.
To make matters worse, the Orioles scored four runs over their last four games after scoring 22 runs in the first two games to start the week.
With 18 games left, the offense needs to pull itself out of the doldrums and string together some strong offensive outputs. Once the postseason arrives, the missed opportunities and lack of scoring will be the focus.
The Orioles take to the road this week to finish their season series against AL East foe, the Boston Red Sox, then travel to Detroit to play the Tigers for the first time this season.
Will Henderson continue his torrid finish? Will Cedric Mullins continue to finish strong after struggling most of the season? Will the offense find its groove again and show why the Orioles were once World Series favorites?
Tune in next week for the latest edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
Who stood out to you the most this past 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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