A 7-3 homestand has reawakened Charm City and given Birdland reason to wonder, once again, “Why Not?”
Less than two weeks ago, the Baltimore Orioles looked like a team simply going through the motions, with conversations already shifting toward selling pieces. Instead, Jackson Holliday has returned, Colton Cowser is delivering timely power and, if history is any indication, June could be the month Gunnar Henderson catches fire.
With the Orioles about to begin a six-game road trip, it is time for another edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
THE GREAT: SAMUEL BASALLO
The expectations surrounding Samuel Basallo were sky-high entering the season, and so far he has met every one of them.
During the recent homestand, Basallo gave Orioles fans a glimpse of what could be a cornerstone bat for years to come.
Over his last seven games, Big Sam is slashing .438/.500/.875 with two home runs, seven RBIs, four runs scored, four walks and just three strikeouts.
What makes Basallo’s recent surge especially encouraging is not just the power production. The O’s 21-year-old backstop is showing an ability to control the strike zone while consistently driving the ball with authority, all while still being years away from his prime.
THE GOOD: KYLE BRADISH
Any concerns that Kyle Bradish would need additional time to regain his form following Tommy John surgery are beginning to fade.
The O’s crafty right-hander is once again showing flashes of the frontline starter Birdland saw before his injury. This past week, Bradish made two starts and allowed just two runs — one earned — across 13 innings while recording seven strikeouts.
For the season, Bradish has allowed more than three runs in only two of his 12 starts. Despite a 2-3 record in May, he posted a 2.80 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while holding opponents to a .195 batting average.
For a rotation that has spent much of the season searching for stability, Bradish’s return gives the Birds something it has lacked this season: a starter capable of matching opposing aces deep into games.
THE UGLY: THE BULLPEN
What was once one of Baltimore’s greatest strengths has become one of its biggest concerns.
Against Tampa Bay, O’s relievers allowed eight runs in 8.1 innings, though only four were earned. They followed that up by posting a 9.65 ERA over 9.1 innings against Toronto.
For the week, the bullpen logged 17.2 innings and surrendered 18 runs, 14 of them earned, resulting in a 7.16 ERA.
The season-long numbers are equally troubling. Baltimore’s bullpen ranks among the league leaders in runs and hits allowed while sitting near the bottom in saves and strikeouts. It is a surprising development considering the bullpen appeared to be one of the more stable areas of the club in the first month of the season.
The Orioles enter Tuesday at 28-32 before beginning a 13-game stretch without an off day. While flaws still remain, this club is beginning to look far more like the team many expected to see than the one that stumbled through the season’s first six weeks.
Can Basallo continue his emergence? Will Bradish keep building momentum? And perhaps, most importantly, can the O’s bullpen rediscover its reliability?
We will find out soon enough in next week’s edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
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