Battery Six-Pack is back, and we have a cooler full of tall boys. A 2-4 showing over the last two series called for long necks instead of cans.
The Birds may have hit the lowest of lows when on Easter Sunday, they lost a series and home game to the Cincinnati Reds with a 24-2 drubbing. It was so bad that Gary Sánchez and Jorge Mateo ended up pitching an inning each.
The Birds are struggling to find a rhythm to right the ship, and the players are starting to show a lack of enthusiasm through it all.
So, let’s crack open an ice cold one as we visit Battery Six-Pack (long neck bottles edition) and see what this past week brought us.
1. Injured list grows
Two new Orioles joined the growing injured list, and the minor league system isn’t fairing much better.
Right-hander Cody Poteet joined the IL after allowing five runs in 2.2 innings of work. His injury (shoulder inflammation) opened the door for rookie Brandon Young to return to the team.
Offseason free agent acquisition Tyler O’Neill has a history with injuries. Most of Birdland was wondering not if but when O’Neill would find his way to the IL. That happened before the first month of the season ended, as he hit the list with neck inflammation.
In the minors, O’s No. 9 prospect, right-hander Keeler Morfe, went on the seven-day IL with a finger sprain, while righty Justin Armbruester underwent surgery to repair his lat. Right-hander and spring training standout Zach Fruit recently joined the IL as well with a lat injury.
This is raising the question: What is happening with our pitchers that there are so many injuries?
2. Is there anyone to the rescue?
With the IL growing nearly by the game, it makes many wonder if anyone is coming back to save the day?
It was reported that Grayson Rodriguez has another lat strain. It is mild but definitely pushes his time frame to return from a triceps/elbow strain. He will be shut down until early May.
Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells both are moving forward in their rehab processes. Bradish threw off a mound on April 12, and Wells is expected to do so by the end of April. Both are expected closer to August for a return.
Another offseason acquisition, Andrew Kittredge, is ahead of schedule and appears to be close to facing live hitters. He could return by the end of May at the rate of his progress.
Albert Suárez is expected to return in June at the earliest. He needs to have another MRI before he can start a throwing program. The MRI will likely come sometime in May.
Trevor Rogers completed his first rehab start on April 23 with the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox, throwing 44 pitches over three innings of work and allowing two runs. O’s top pitching prospect, right-hander Chayce McDermott, is expected to make his first rehab start on April 27 with the Baysox.
Zach Eflin threw off a mound on April 25 and is expected to throw off a mound again next week, according to manager Brandon Hyde.
As for position players, Colton Cowser is expected to return in late May at the earliest. He continues to condition to help remain in baseball shape but has yet to start hitting.
3. The leader-less nest
One thing every team needs is a leader. The kind of player that gets vocal, holds players accountable and sets the tone for the team. It seems that the Orioles are missing that one player.
After witnessing the individualism, lack of support and zero enthusiasm live, a leader is definitely needed for this club.
Unfortunately, offseason free agent acquisition Tyler O’Neill tends to feel a little differently about leadership.
“I feel like every clubhouse is different in that regard,” O’Neill told the media. “Some guys like to step up, and there are other clubhouses that are not so like that. I don’t think those things are kind of necessary. Obviously, we all know where we’re at. We obviously all need to do a better job; specifically, myself. It’s just a day-by-day process. All we can do is work hard and show up the next day and try to win a ball game.”
The Orioles are 1-5 in their last six games and have been outscored 46-18, scored three runs or less 13 times this month and are 6-for-41 (.146 avg) with runners in scoring position over the last six games.
At some point, a player needs to grab the bull by the horns. The Birds are six games under .500 for the first time since June of 2022, the same year they arrived on the scene. Who will become that leader on the field and in the clubhouse?
4. The Brandon Young express
Making his big league debut on April 19, Brandon Young pitched four innings, allowing three earned runs and putting the Birds in position to win a game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Young was sent down after the game for Cody Poteet, who ended up on the IL two days later, only for Young to return.
Young stayed with the team to pitch again in game one of the Birds’ doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 4.2 innings this time, allowing three earned runs. Unfortunately, the offense was stagnant, and he would suffer the loss in the 4-3 defeat.
After the game, Young was sent back down to Triple-A Norfolk once again.
Young’s yo-yo ride the past week is a reminder of former Oriole reliever Nick Vespi, who traveled 22,315 miles in promotion and demotion moves with the Orioles over his time with the organization.
Young has totaled 8.2 innings across two starts. He has a 6.23 ERA and a WHIP of 2.19 with nine strikeouts and eight walks. The numbers may seem a little high, but Young kept the Orioles in both games and gave them a chance to win.
With Young going back and forth three times over the last week, could he become the Orioles’ new Vespi?
5. Uncle Charlie’s $15 million disaster
The Orioles pivoted this offseason, and it came at the wrong time. After losing Corbin Burnes, the Birds lost valuable time and the opportunity for other front-line starters to join the team.
The opportunity to sign Max Fried, Walker Buehler, Blake Snell and many others had passed, and the Orioles made a desperation signing in 41-year-old and 20-year vet, Charlie Morton.
Morton was expected to pitch valuable innings as a back-end rotation guy and give the Orioles an opportunity to win when he took the mound. Instead, the O’s have gotten a shell of the veteran, who can almost guarantee a loss every time he steps on the mound.
Morton has had trouble locating both his curveball, his primary out pitch, and his fastball, which is still hitting 95 mph consistently.
Morton joins former Oriole Mike Bodicker (1988) as the only pitchers to take a loss in their first six appearances of the season and the 30th pitcher overall to do so. He ranks fourth out of those 30 with a 10.36 ERA, which actually fell .50 points after yesterday’s relief appearance.
To put it in a better perspective, the Orioles are 10-10 when any other pitcher starts and 0-6 when Morton pitches. Change needs to happen quickly.
6. A new sweepless streak in danger?
Last season, the Orioles were swept for the first time in nearly two years. They went 106 straight series before being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals to end the third longest streak in MLB history.
The Orioles are in danger of having another sweepless streak snapped when they face the Tigers and Tarik Skubal in the final game of their three-game set.
Skubal last faced the Orioles May 15, 2022, when he threw six scoreless innings and struck out 11 batters. The reigning Cy Young Award winner is 2-1 with a 2.06 ERA in three career starts against the Birds.
The Orioles avoided being swept by the Washington Nationals last series by winning the final game of the series. They will try to do the same thing Sunday in the series finale against the Tigers.
As it stands, the Orioles have now gone 39 consecutive series of two games or more without being swept. With the season starting out as poorly as it has, there is a silver lining in some aspects.
The Orioles will head home after Sunday’s game and prepare for a three-game series against AL East front-runner New York Yankees. They will follow that up with three games against the Kansas City Royals.
Will we need to keep the tall boys out for next week’s Six-Pack? Tune in and see what the next edition of the Battery Six-Pack brings forth.
What are your thoughts on this team as it currently stands? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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