It’s an early season, and though the Birds have encountered their first three-game losing streak, they still are only two games below .500.
The O’s lineup is having more ups and downs than your favorite roller coaster. There is a big imbalance between the offense and the pitching staff.
To make matters worse, the Birds are in the midst of a nine-game stretch with a taxed bullpen, the loss of Colton Cowser for a couple months and Albert Suárez for an undisclosed amount of time.
Of course, in Birdland, we always keep the beer cold, so let’s head to the fridge and open a new edition of Battery-Six Pack.
Basallo banged up
If you’re a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, you know the name Samuel Basallo.
The Birds’ top prospect has been on a steady rise through the minors since signing a record $1.3 million signing bonus out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 16.
His stature grew during spring training this year, and the 20-year-old was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk to begin the 2025 season.
Basallo has been regulated to DH duties to start the campaign due to right elbow inflammation. Headed into last night’s game, he was hitting .211 with two home runs in six games.
After a 1-for-1 showing with a run scored, Basallo was lifted with hamstring soreness. At this time, there is no further information on the severity of the injury, but a day-to-day designation seems to be the likely scenario.
Birdland and most of baseball’s front offices will be monitoring this situation closely, as Basallo was expected to make his MLB debut potentially this season. As more information comes to light, we will pass the updates along.
G-Rod’s progression
One of the glaring holes in the Orioles’ rotation has been the absence of Grayson Rodriguez.
The young flamethrower was shut down in spring training after feeling some discomfort in his throwing elbow and losing velocity.
As Birdland let out a collective sigh of relief when it was not a ligament issue, Rodriguez received a cortisone shot and was shut down from throwing for 7-10 days.
Rodriguez threw his second bullpen session on Wednesday, and there have been no setbacks reported. He has still yet to face live hitters, and after that, he will need a minor league rehab assignment before returning to the rotation.
Based on his progression, the earliest to expect Rodriguez back would be the end of April.
C-an-L becoming the name for Pérez
In 2022, Cionel Pérez was one of the best relievers for the Orioles. A lock down lefty with no fear and a high-powered fastball, Pérez was full of emotion and fire.
It’s been a roller coaster of a ride since, as Pérez and the Orioles keep waiting for the fire to return. Pérez has battled inconsistency, injuries and a lack of discipline on the mound. Has the time come to worry about him, or is this just some bad luck?
The lefty’s struggles are frustrating, to say the least. Though he only held 11 games last year and blew a save, he had a 4.53 ERA and allowed no home runs while holding opponents to a .232 average.
This season, it has been a lot worse through his first four appearances. Opponents are hitting .389, and Pérez has allowed six walks to only two strikeouts while posting a 3.55 WHIP.
His pitches per inning have steadily risen the last three seasons, while his walks per nine innings continue to rise as well.
While the team is struggling as a whole to start the year, Pérez could be on a shorter leash this year. With one year left of arbitration before hitting free agency, this could be a make-or-break season for the 29-year-old.
Hyde warming his seat?
Ask Birdland where the Orioles’ woes start, and many will point to manager Brandon Hyde. While he’s not the one playing the games, the preparation, decisions and way each game is managed is all on his shoulders.
The second half of last season saw a potent offense go cold and defense grow sloppy. The start of the 2025 season appears to be a carryover from last year, and that’s with a retooled lineup, rotation and possibly one of the top pens in baseball.
Watching the Birds’ loss to Kansas City last night, many are starting to wonder if Hyde’s seat is beginning to warm.
Defensive blunders, allowing pitchers to stay in too long and putting the wrong arms in the wrong situations, and the icing on the cake may have been Tyler O’Niell being thrown out at home.
On a sharp hit by Heston Kjerstad, O’Niell, from second base, was rounding third long after Jonathan India fielded the ball. To make matters worse, the throw was off the mark, and O’Niell failed to slide and was tagged out easily.
For some reason, Hyde decided to challenge the play at home plate, while just about everyone knew it was a lost cause. Fans in Birdland have grown frustrated by these kinds of managerial decisions that seem to put the Birds in position to fail.
While Hyde does deserve credit for his work with the players, there are times the eight-year manager looks like the first-year manager trying to learn on the fly.
While back-to-back early postseason exits have already put expectations on what needs to happen this season, Hydes’ early decisions might start the talk of the hot seat sooner rather than later.
Locked and loaded now?
Friday evening marked the return of shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Starting the season on the IL, the Orioles’ superstar was a big welcome to a lineup that had been inconsistent to begin the year.
While his return wasn’t enough to spark the team to victory, his presence could be what the Orioles’ offense needs to find some consistency.
Henderson was 1-for-4 with a strikeout and an error in his return. Though the game was sloppy and in wet conditions, Henderson’s return still was a big boost for the Birds.
We will see going forward how much Henderson means to the team.
The Orioles’ secret weapon
The Orioles have a slew of exciting prospects who have graduated to the bigs and more on the way. Along the way, though, the O’s have found a player no one expected to become as important to the team as he has become.
Ramón Urías has paved a path that has kept him on the O’s for over five years. He has played the quiet role over the years, winning a Gold Glove, filling in for injured players and providing the offense with a good bat with sneaky pop.
With the return of Henderson, Urías will quietly return to his reserve role but has proven that he should garner more opportunities with his start to the season.
Hitting .429 and tied for the team-lead in hits, Urías keeps proving that the Orioles are holding on to a guy who could be playing every day for another team.
Urías is a career .264 hitter with a .740 OPS but has proven in his opportunities that he can be counted on to fill in across the infield, provide a difficult out off the bench and can be one of the best fielders on the team.
While some teams in the bigs will call about his services or even be fortunate enough to snatch him away in free agency, Urías remains one the least talked about players outside of Birdland.
The Orioles will continue their weekend playing the Kansas City Royals before heading to Arizona for a three-game set against the Diamondbacks.
We will be bringing another six-pack of news and notes to the party next weekend. Be sure to provide the ice to keep that beer cold and be ready to open the next edition that comes your way.
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