The good news for the Baltimore Orioles is that they have Monday off.
The break gives the club an opportunity to rest, evaluate the roster and prepare for a challenging nine-game West Coast road trip.
Baltimore wrapped up its seven-game homestand with a 3-4 record, splitting with the Seattle Mariners and losing a series to the San Diego Padres. Now, the Orioles head west to face the first-place Mariners once again, the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and, finally, the Los Angeles Angels.
Before the Birds leave town, let’s take a look at who stood out in this week’s edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
THE GREAT: BRANDON YOUNG
The transformation Brandon Young has made from last season to this year has been remarkable — and the scary part for his opponents is that he continues to get better.
At this point, there is no way around it. Young is developing into the Orioles’ most reliable starter and may be emerging as the ace of the staff, crazy to say.
In his latest outing against Seattle, Young tossed seven innings of two-hit baseball while allowing two walks and striking out five.
The performance marked his fourth consecutive quality start and his fifth of the season. Through 10 starts, Young is 5-1 with a 3.04 ERA across 56.1 innings while recording 42 strikeouts.
THE GOOD: PETE ALONSO
The Orioles’ biggest offseason addition has finally begun to show why he was one of the most coveted free agents on the market.
After a slow start, Pete Alonso has found his rhythm as Baltimore’s offense has started to come alive.
Over the past week, Alonso slashed .346/.438/.731 with nine hits, three home runs, eight RBIs, six runs scored and four walks. To add to his recent success, he has reached base safely in 12 of the O’s 13 games in June, collecting 16 hits and seven walks during that stretch.
For the season, The Polar Bear is slashing .253/.335/.473 through 73 games. He has recorded 70 hits, including 13 doubles and 16 home runs, while driving in 48 runs, drawing 34 walks and scoring 73 times. He has also stolen two bases while providing Gold-Glove-caliber defense at first base.
THE UGLY: JACKSON HOLLIDAY
Yes, Jackson Holliday has only been back for a short time, but expectations have always been different for baseball’s former top prospect.
Holliday entered the league with tremendous pedigree. The son of former slugger Matt Holliday, he quickly climbed through the minor leagues and was known more for his advanced bat than his defense.
A broken hamate bone slowed his development this season and, while there have been flashes of the player Orioles fans have been waiting to see, he has yet to consistently put everything together at the plate.
Over his last seven games, Holliday has collected just three hits and one walk while striking out eight times. One of those hits was a home run, and he drove in five runs during that span, but Baltimore needs more consistent production from him moving forward.
On the season, Holliday is slashing .176/.291/.284 with three home runs, 11 RBIs, one stolen base and 23 strikeouts against 10 walks in 22 games.
The Orioles return to action Tuesday to begin their nine-game West Coast road trip.
Will Young continue his ascent toward ace status? Can Alonso stay hot at the plate? And can Holliday finally take the next step Oriole fans have been waiting for?
Be sure to check back next week for another edition of The Great, The Good & The Ugly.
What are your thoughts on this week’s 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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