A 3-3 homestand has left the Baltimore Orioles 11 games under .500 (55-66), as once again they drop a series to a team they should beat (The Athletics) and take a series against the team they should not (Seattle Mariners).
The fun part of the Orioles lately is that the starting pitching has been putting together strong games. Unfortunately, the bullpen has struggled to come through in some of those games.
The injury bug continues to bite as well, causing more havoc and taking a hit to the depth of the team, as bodies are literally being signed off the street to fill holes.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s The Great, The Good and The Ugly.
The Great: Trevor Rogers
Right now, until he falters, I can’t see how anyone can remove Trevor Rogers as The Great selection at this time. Another week, another stellar outing, once again proving GM Mike Elias does have an eye for talent.
Rogers stymied the Seattle Mariners for seven innings, allowing just four hits, one run and striking out six on 95 pitches, 72 strikes (76%).
Rogers has totaled 21 innings in his last three starts, allowing just three earned runs against teams that were division or Wild Card clubs, showing he has big-game ability. He should line-up nicely next to Kyle Bradish and, hopefully, Grayson Rodriguez next season in the O’s rotation.
Rogers is now 5-2 in 11 games with a 1.43 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. He has totaled 69.1 innings, striking out 60 to just 15 walks, and has allowed just one home run. He is holding opponents to a .167/.218/.229/.447 slash line and .212 BABIP.
The Good: Dean Kremer
It’s not often you can lose and find yourself walking away with The Good nomination, but Dean Kremer did just that.
Kremer put together one of the finest outings of the season for an Orioles pitcher, and it came at one of the toughest times during the Birds’ second half struggles.
Kremer put together his seventh quality start, as well as his seventh outing of seven or more innings in the 1-0 loss to Seattle to open the series.
The 29-year-old veteran righty pitched eight innings of one-run, five-hit ball, striking out six batters and walking just one.
Perhaps pitching for his Orioles career or auditioning for a job next season, Kremer is now 8-9 across 24 games (23 starts) with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has totaled 140.1 innings with 116 strikeouts to 36 walks, holding opponents to a .257 average.
The Ugly: The Injury Bug
It seems there is no cure in sight for the Birds this season, except for the season to end.
Colton Cowser made his second trip to the IL (concussion) this season, and that coincided with Tyler O’Neill (wrist) making his third trip to the IL, leaving the Baltimore outfield a conglomerate of no-name castoffs that should make up a Grapefruit League late-inning lineup rather than a late summer big league roster.
To make matters worse, it was announced that former All-Star closer Félix Bautista (shoulder inflammation) will miss the rest of the season with a significant injury that will be revealed once more specialists are seen.
On August 11, Grayson Rodriguez underwent right elbow debridement surgery, which will allow him to have a normal offseason and be ready for spring training 2026.
Soon-to-be free agent Zach Eflin returned to the IL for the third time this season, and will have a lumbar microdiscectomy to relieve a disc pressing on a nerve in his back. He is done for the season as well.
Eflin did say he would love to return to the Orioles next season and beyond when he met with the media.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. I love this clubhouse,” Eflin said. “I’ve told pretty much everybody that we’ve had a conversation about that. I’ve told them I love this place. I’d love to be here. We’re going to get the operation done and kind of see where that takes us.”
Hopefully, the injury bug lets the Orioles finish the season without any more bites. With 41 games left, we will see what happens going forward.
The Birds will head to Houston to open a three-game series on Friday with the Astros and then to Boston for a two-game set before and off day. They will then return home to play the same two teams in back-to-back four-game series.
Will Trevor Rogers keep his hold on The Great? Will Dean Kremer continue to step up in big games and show his moxie? Can the Birds get through the rest of the season without any more injury bug bites?
We will find out next week, when The Great, The Good and The Ugly returns.
What are your thoughts on our selections? 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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