To say the Orioles have struggled against the Detroit Tigers this year would be an understatement.
Continue reading “Despite struggles against Tigers, O’s postseason hopes alive”Despite struggles against Tigers, O’s postseason hopes alive
O’s look to gain ground, as Tigers visit OPACY
Way back in May, the Orioles had just swept the now-NL-Central-leading Cardinals in a dominant three-game performance.
Continue reading “O’s look to gain ground, as Tigers visit OPACY”Battle of Birds: Orioles drop 2 of 3 to Jays
The Orioles entered their series with the Toronto Blue Jays needing to win at least two games to make the trip successful.
Continue reading “Battle of Birds: Orioles drop 2 of 3 to Jays”Wild times in store: Orioles battle Blue Jays with postseaon hopes at stake
The Baltimore Orioles are taking the fight north, as they head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in a mid-September matchup.
Continue reading “Wild times in store: Orioles battle Blue Jays with postseaon hopes at stake”Orioles sweep Nats: Take MASN Cup
Sometimes the best cure to turn fortunes around is to beat up on a weaker opponent.
Continue reading “Orioles sweep Nats: Take MASN Cup”O’s, Nats complete Beltway Series with 2 games in DC
With just seven series left on the 2022 schedule, the Orioles are set to finish off their inter-league play in DC Tuesday and Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.
Continue reading “O’s, Nats complete Beltway Series with 2 games in DC”Tides take series against RedBirds, win back-to-back series
The Norfolk Tides spent a stretch from the end of June to the near end of August looking to gain some footing. Not winning any of the eight series they played, they would not back down.
Continue reading “Tides take series against RedBirds, win back-to-back series”Aberdeen set to soar into postseason
The Aberdeen IronBirds are ready for postseason baseball after completing their 2022 season.
Continue reading “Aberdeen set to soar into postseason”2022 Delmarva Shorebirds Season Recap
It is time to say goodbye to the 2022 Delmarva Shorebirds. A team that record-wise did not perform that well but gave us entertainment day in and day out.
Continue reading “2022 Delmarva Shorebirds Season Recap”Orioles finish homestand against Red Sox
The Baltimore Orioles are coming off a tough series loss to division rival and holder of the third AL Wild Card spot, the Toronto Blue Jays, that left them 4.5 games out of a postseason birth.
Continue reading “Orioles finish homestand against Red Sox”Grayson Rodriguez: Return of baseball’s top pitching prospect
Most baseball fans in and around Baltimore know of baseball’s top pitching prospect, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez.
Continue reading “Grayson Rodriguez: Return of baseball’s top pitching prospect”O’s, Blue Jays face off in huge series from OPACY
So far this season, the Baltimore Orioles have a record of 6-3 against the Blue Jays.
Continue reading “O’s, Blue Jays face off in huge series from OPACY”O’s win series against A’s
The Baltimore Orioles opened a 10-game home stand by welcoming the Oakland Athletics to town.
Continue reading “O’s win series against A’s”Chaos Comin’: O’s set to battle A’s from OPACY
The hype is real. The Baltimore Orioles are once again in another important series, something that seems to be the theme going forward.
Continue reading “Chaos Comin’: O’s set to battle A’s from OPACY”Orioles have third consecutive winning month, first time since 2016
This is starting to become routine. The Orioles have won another month, and the month of August couldn’t have been more special.
Between playing in the Little League Classic to starting the month 5-0, the Orioles are playing exceptional baseball. So, let’s break down how big the month of August actually was for the Birds.
First, let’s talk about four key players, two pitchers and two position players that had a massive impact on the O’s winning month. Those guys are Cedric Mullins and Jorge Mateo, along with pitchers Kyle Bradish and Félix “The Mountain” Bautista.
Cedric Mullins:
Mullins had a month like no other.
Slashing a clean .296/.358/.469 with a .827 OPS, along with 29 hits (team-high), six doubles, one triple and three home runs, Ceddy continues a season where he is dominating the outfield and even started September off with a bang.
Mullins even had an 11-game hitting streak during the month, along with seven stolen bases, solidifying the O’s leadoff spot.
Jorge Mateo:
Mateo is another guy that has had a very solid month.
The speedster slashed .277/.327/.489 with a .816 OPS and had 26 hits, six doubles, one triple and four home runs (tied team-high).
Add that with 17 RBIs (tied team-high) and four stolen bases, Mateo is having a complete breakout year and could possibly be knocking on the door for a 20-20 season.
Kyle Bradish:
Bradish finally had the breakout we all have been waiting for in the month of August.
After a sketchy start and an unfortunate injury, Bradish had a insane month, starting five games and going 28.2 innings pitched.
The young right-hander went 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA and tallied 26 strikeouts and an opponent’s batting average of .236. Bradish has begun to turn his season around and become the person that we traded Dylan Bundy for in 2020.
Félix Bautista:
Now we move to Mountain Time.
Bautista had one of the best months of August when it comes to relief pitchers. Going 7/7 in saves and pitching in 13 games, he had a 1-0 record with a 1.23 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
“The Mountain” continues to grow in the American League Rookie of the Year conversation and has a great shot the more takes the mound in the ninth.
Now, let’s talk about the Orioles as a whole.
The O’s had a 17-10 record in the month of August and an 8-2 series record. Offensively, the Birds slashed .244/.313/.404 with a .717 OPS. Over their 219 hits, they had 47 doubles, three triples and 30 home runs, with 114 RBIs and 118 runs scored.
On the pitching side, the Orioles had a 3.43 ERA, pitched three shutouts, had nine saves, 199 strikeouts, a 1.21 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .250.
Finally, the month of August was filled with debuts and special moments. Three players debuted in the month of August for Baltimore.
On August 2, we saw outfielder and former trade piece from the Manny Machado trade, Yusniel Díaz. On August 13, we saw top left-handed pitching prospect, D.L. Hall. And lastly, on August 31, we saw top prospect, infielder Gunnar Henderson.
Also included, we saw many firsts. On August 25, outfielder Kyle Stowers hit his first major league home run to tie the game in the ninth off Liam Hendriks.
On August 31, in his second career MLB at-bat, Gunnar Henderson hit a no-doubt shot for his first big league hit and home run.
On August 13, we saw D.L. Hall have his first big league pitch and strikeout.
And finally, on August 1, we saw Terrin Vavra have his first career major league hit.
The Month of August was nothing but magical and a positive step in the right direction for this young club. As the season decreases in games, our love for this team increases with passion.
Let’s ride into September and show MLB that the Orioles are a true contending postseason team.
Who stood out to you the most in the month of August? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Like Zack’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @Zackattack8211
O’s catch Cleveland off Guard, complete 4-2 road trip
Can you hear that? There’s a rumble throughout baseball, and it’s coming from Baltimore.
Continue reading “O’s catch Cleveland off Guard, complete 4-2 road trip”O’s sign former Marlins slugger Jesús Aguilar to minor league deal
O’s call-up top prospect Gunnar Henderson for postseason push
Being argued as the top prospect in baseball is not something many 21-year-old ball players can stake a claim to. Then again, Gunnar Henderson is not your normal 21-year-old ball player.
Continue reading “O’s call-up top prospect Gunnar Henderson for postseason push”O’s, Guardians face off in yet another big series
To finish out this road trip, the Baltimore Orioles head out to Cleveland for three games.
Continue reading “O’s, Guardians face off in yet another big series”Shorebirds win series against Lynchburg, walk-off Hillcats 3 times
The Delmarva Shorebirds had one of the most clutch series this season, winning four of six games played against the Lynchburg Hillcats, with three of those victories being walk-offs.
Continue reading “Shorebirds win series against Lynchburg, walk-off Hillcats 3 times”Tide steady: Norfolk splits series with Jacksonville
The Norfolk Tides are still looking for their first series win since the end of June. After splitting their most recent series with Jacksonville, the Tides will go into September having not won their last eight series.
Continue reading “Tide steady: Norfolk splits series with Jacksonville”IronBirds soar by Blue Rocks for series victory
The IronBirds have been in a dog fight as of late. After blowing away the competition in the first half, they had come back down to earth and were struggling to find some consistent footing in the second half.
Continue reading “IronBirds soar by Blue Rocks for series victory”Walk-off win ties Bowie for first preceding big series at Erie
The usual suspects played key roles in a 5-4 walk-off win over the Altoona Curve Sunday, a win that bumps their record back to 60-60, and 33-18 in the second half.
Continue reading “Walk-off win ties Bowie for first preceding big series at Erie”Astros become latest victim of Orioles Magic, O’s take big series
Orioles Magic is spreading through baseball like a wild fire in a California forest.
Continue reading “Astros become latest victim of Orioles Magic, O’s take big series”Orioles set to face Mancini & Astros for 3
The Baltimore Orioles continue their push in the AL Wild Card race, as they head to Houston, where they will face former Oriole and fan favorite Trey Mancini for the first time since he was traded earlier this month.
Continue reading “Orioles set to face Mancini & Astros for 3”Orioles stymie ChiSox, take 2 of 3 from Camden Yards
If someone would tell you that a visiting team would collect 34 hits in a series, while yielding only 18, you would be safe to assume that the visiting team took the series with no issue.
Continue reading “Orioles stymie ChiSox, take 2 of 3 from Camden Yards”Remember the name, Jud “the Stud” Fabian
Jud “the Stud” Fabian: A 21-year-old Orioles outfield prospect that has already made an impact in such a short amount of time.
Continue reading “Remember the name, Jud “the Stud” Fabian”Ortiz keeps sparkling, Baysox fall out of first in loss to Altoona
With most of Baltimore and its social media salivating over when the Orioles will end the suspense and bring up No. 1 prospect Gunnar Henderson and No. 2 prospect Grayson Rodriguez, the automatic question becomes that of who will take their place with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.
Continue reading “Ortiz keeps sparkling, Baysox fall out of first in loss to Altoona”O’s travel back home to face White Sox for 3
Following a wildly exciting victory in the Little League Classic, the Orioles enter yet another big series, sitting at 63-58 on the year.
Continue reading “O’s travel back home to face White Sox for 3”Shorebirds split slugging series against Red Sox
The Delmarva Shorebirds wrapped up their away series against the Salem Red Sox in a very offensive fashion.
Continue reading “Shorebirds split slugging series against Red Sox”Bulls sink Tides in 6-game set
The Norfolk Tides are slowly fading from contention as the season reaches the dog days of summer.
Continue reading “Bulls sink Tides in 6-game set”IronBirds ground Tourists
Aberdeen has been struggling to maintain their dominance that they carried through the first half of the season.
Continue reading “IronBirds ground Tourists”O’s add to Red Sox’s woes, take 2 of 3 in series win
The Baltimore Orioles were upposed to be the sure victory for opponents, be out of any contention by the end of April and be lucky to win close to 60 games this season.
Continue reading “O’s add to Red Sox’s woes, take 2 of 3 in series win”Orioles battle Red Sox in AL East showdown
The Orioles are back in action after a back-to-back losses headed into the weekend. They will look to right the ship, as they host the Boston Red Sox for a three-game series.
Continue reading “Orioles battle Red Sox in AL East showdown”O’s take series from Jays, 1.5 back of Wild Card spot
The Orioles have used August as a spring board to further along their attack on the AL Wild Card standings.
Continue reading “O’s take series from Jays, 1.5 back of Wild Card spot”Shorebirds split series against Mudcats, continue to struggle
The Delmarva Shorebirds had another series that either ended in a losing or tying way.
Continue reading “Shorebirds split series against Mudcats, continue to struggle”Bowie splits with Akron, playoff chances in jeopardy
The Bowie Baysox came into the week in first place and had the highest chance to make the Double-A postseason in the second half. But the Akron RubberDucks had other plans.
Continue reading “Bowie splits with Akron, playoff chances in jeopardy”O’s announce minor league promotions
It’s Monday, which means that it is roster movement day for the Orioles’ farm system.
Continue reading “O’s announce minor league promotions”O’s begin big series in Toronto
Orioles baseball is back, following what was a very poor showing down in Tampa Bay.
Continue reading “O’s begin big series in Toronto”Tides split series with Red Wings
Amid all the struggles the Tides were having, one thing that offered a hope of relief was a series with the Rochester Red Wings.
Continue reading “Tides split series with Red Wings”IronBirds split series with Renegades
One of the biggest issues for the Aberdeen IronBirds over the past few weeks has been their pitching.
Continue reading “IronBirds split series with Renegades”Calling on Hall: D.L. Hall set to join Orioles in St. Petersburg
As first reported by MASN’s Roch Kubatko, left-hander D.L. Hall will be joining the Baltimore Orioles in St. Petersburg, Florida, for their series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Continue reading “Calling on Hall: D.L. Hall set to join Orioles in St. Petersburg”O’s head to Tampa Bay for pivotal 3-game set
The Baltimore Orioles head into Tampa Bay this weekend for what is shaping up to be the Birds’ biggest series in at least five years.
Continue reading “O’s head to Tampa Bay for pivotal 3-game set”O’s take series from Jays, move into Wild Card spot
Ladies and gentlemen, the Baltimore Orioles are no fluke.
Continue reading “O’s take series from Jays, move into Wild Card spot”Tides drop third straight series
To say the Norfolk Tides are struggling would be an understatement.
Continue reading “Tides drop third straight series”With tough schedule ahead, O’s host Blue Jays for 3
The Baltimore Orioles have defied the expectations of most the baseball world. A team that was supposed to be a “cellar dweller” for the season has turned out to be one of, if not the biggest, surprise in baseball.
Continue reading “With tough schedule ahead, O’s host Blue Jays for 3”Aberdeen soars to series victory over Blue Rocks
Aberdeen came into their series with the Blue Rocks struggling a bit in the second half of the season.
Continue reading “Aberdeen soars to series victory over Blue Rocks”Shorebirds get swept to shore by Augusta
The Delmarva Shorebirds continue a disappointing season in such a negative way by getting swept 6-0 this past week.
Continue reading “Shorebirds get swept to shore by Augusta”Baysox bludgeon Harrisburg for 8th straight win, climb over .500
When nine different hitters drive in a run in a 14-3 win Thursday, then the Bowie Baysox continue with an 8-0 win Saturday, how do they top that? How does a nine-run first inning and an 18-1 Sunday thrashing of the Harrisburg Patriots sound?
Continue reading “Baysox bludgeon Harrisburg for 8th straight win, climb over .500”Orioles take series against Pirates, are 2 games back of AL Wild Card spot
The Baltimore Orioles welcomed the Pittsburgh Pirates to town for a three-game set, and the Birds would ultimately come out on top.
Continue reading “Orioles take series against Pirates, are 2 games back of AL Wild Card spot”O’s look to continue post-deadline hot streak against Pirates
Since trading Trey Mancini and Jorge López, many Baltimore Orioles fans believed GM Mike Elias and the O’s were throwing in the white flag.
Continue reading “O’s look to continue post-deadline hot streak against Pirates”Texas swept away: O’s sweep Rangers in Arlington for first time since 2013
For the first time in team history, the Baltimore Orioles have swept the season series from the Texas Rangers.
Continue reading “Texas swept away: O’s sweep Rangers in Arlington for first time since 2013”Trade front goes quiet, it’s all about pitching depth
Sometime after Andy MacPhail took over as the Orioles’ President of Baseball Operations in mid-season of 2007, he said one of the first things he told owner Peter Angelos was that in the business of acquiring pitchers, you have to divide by two. Only half of the pitchers you either draft or trade for as minor leaguers, will make it.
Continue reading “Trade front goes quiet, it’s all about pitching depth”O’s acquire clubhouse-favorite Brett Phillips from Rays
The Baltimore Orioles spent the last two days trading veteran stalwart Trey Mancini and reclamation project Jorge López for a flock of minor league arms.
Continue reading “O’s acquire clubhouse-favorite Brett Phillips from Rays”Orioles start August with plethora of roster moves
The Orioles as an organization have started August off on many roster changes.
Continue reading “Orioles start August with plethora of roster moves”Jorge López traded to Twins for 4 minor league pitchers
Reports out of Baltimore have Jorge López heading to the Minnesota Twins for multiple pitching prospects.
Continue reading “Jorge López traded to Twins for 4 minor league pitchers”Orioles, Rangers set for 3-game series in Arlington
The last time the Rangers saw the Orioles, the Birds were in the early stages of a 10-game winning streak and taking the baseball world by surprise.
Continue reading “Orioles, Rangers set for 3-game series in Arlington”Trey Mancini traded to Astros in 3-team deal
Reports out of Baltimore have Trey Mancini headed to the Houston Astros in a major trade involving the Tampa Bay Rays as well.
Continue reading “Trey Mancini traded to Astros in 3-team deal”Shorebirds have fantastic 5-1 week against Hillcats
The Delmarva Shorebirds are having a not-so-great season. But the team did have a great week, as they had a 5-1 series win over the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Continue reading “Shorebirds have fantastic 5-1 week against Hillcats”Orioles have back-to-back winning months, finish 16-9 in July
The Baltimore Orioles are one of the hottest teams in baseball.
The month of July was insane to watch as an Orioles fan, with many historic moments and a lot of excitement and potential.
Between the many walk-offs, from Mancini to Mullins, to the 10-game winning streak that we all love. We can once again say the Orioles have another winning month.
Let’s break down the three key players and one key team factor that led the O’s to their best month since 2016:
Ramón Urías:
Ramón Urías had a month like no other. He was an impact out the gate and had a month like we haven’t seen for some time in Baltimore.
In 21 games, he slashed .343/.387/.600 with a team-high .987 OPS. He also had a team-high five home runs and 18 RBIs.
Urías also had a multi-home-run game against the Tampa Bay Rays during the month. He has looked insane, and we hope he continues to be an underrated star on this team.
Adley Rutschman:
Once again, our beloved catcher had a solid month.
Adley has been what we needed him to be thus far since his May 21st debut. In the month of July, he slashed .290/.425/.478 with a .903 OPS.
He also had a team-high 15 walks. Include that with his amazing defensive skills behind the plate and heads up base running, our star in the making gets better by the month.
Spenser Watkins:
Any Oriole fan knows that the starting rotation is probably the weak point. And honestly, that is not saying too much.
But one guy who had a good month and turned his season around was Spenser Watkins. Starting four games, Watkins had a 2-0 record with a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings.
Striking out 17 batters and only walking four, Watkins had a .241 opponents batting average. Here’s to hoping this is the turn around the 29-year-old.
The “Score-ioles”:
The best way to win games in MLB is to score runs. Now, everyone already knows that, but when it comes to the 2022 Orioles in July, they knew it pretty well.
Only getting shutout one time the entire month, the Orioles had an amazing run differential of 111-92, or a +19. While including three walk-off winners and multiple late-inning comebacks, the Orioles showed absolutely no signs of quitting this month.
All in all, the Orioles had an impressive month of July and finished the month with a 16-9 record and a season record of 51-51. The O’s are staying hot, as they are currently just three games out of the last AL Wild Card spot.
Who stood out to you for the O’s in the month of July? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Like Zack’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @Zackattacks8211
Baysox dominate their way to 5-1 series win against Altoona
The Bowie Baysox have been on a tear in the second half of the Eastern League season, and they continued their amazing streak with a 5-1 record over the Altoona Curve this week.
Led by hot bats and lights-out pitching, the Baysox are currently holding a one-game lead over the Erie Seawolves in the second half.
When talking about this series, however, the first name that comes to mind is outfielder and O’s No. 3 prospect, Colton Cowser.
During this series, Cowser slashed .524/.557/.952 with an OPS of 1.529. He also carried the team with 11 total hits through the series, including two home runs and nine RBIs.
Cowser finished out an incredible July and first month with the Bowie Baysox where he slashed .324/.446/.649 with an OPS of 1.095.
Speaking of hot bats, let’s talk about one of the more underrated prospects in Joey Ortiz. The O’s No. 13 prospect decided to break out this month and ended July with an amazing series.
Slashing an impressive .519/.536/1.000 with an OPS of 1.536 during the series, Ortiz tallied a team-high 14 hits and 11 RBIs. He also hit three monster home runs, and best of all, had only three strikeouts in 27 at-bats.
Ortiz finished out July slashing .404/.438/.674 with an OPS of 1.112 and recorded an impressive 36 hits and, once again, only 11 strikeouts in 89 at-bats. Obviously, he should be Player of the Month, right?
We talked about two of the great hitters, but now it’s time to talk about the offensive production overall in this series.
First, let’s talk about the run differential. The Baysox scored 56 combined runs in this series, averaging 9.3 runs a game.
The Curve scored a combine 25 runs and averaged a combine 4.16 runs per game, meaning that not only did the Baysox double Altoona’s total runs scored, they had a run differential of 31 runs, averaging just over five more runs than the Curve.
We also have to mention that the Baysox had a hit total of 68, averaging just over 11 hits a game. Altoona’s hit total was 41, and they averaged just under seven hits per game.
All in all, the Baysox had a incredible series against the Curve. As stated earlier, they do have a one-game lead over the Erie Seawolves, as Bowie moves to a 18-8 record in the second half.
The Baysox will begin a series against the Harrisburg Senators on the road starting Tuesday.
Who stood out to you in Bowie this week? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Like Zack’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @Zackattack8211
O’s drop series to Reds, fall back to .500
The Orioles came into Cincinnati riding a series victory and winning home stand, ready to take on the last play Reds in a three-game set.
Continue reading “O’s drop series to Reds, fall back to .500”Orioles fly high to Cincinnati for 3-game interleague series
The Baltimore Orioles have gone from an expected 100 losses to one of the most talked about teams in the last couple months.
Continue reading “Orioles fly high to Cincinnati for 3-game interleague series”O’s take 3 of 4 from Rays, even season series
A season ago, seeing the Tampa Bay Rays was considered an automatic loss for the Baltimore Orioles.
Continue reading “O’s take 3 of 4 from Rays, even season series”Case for & against O’s trading Trey Mancini
Trey Mancini has gotten a lot of mileage out of the fact that he was probably the best player on the team between his arrival in Baltimore and being forced to miss a year with cancer two years ago.
Continue reading “Case for & against O’s trading Trey Mancini”O’s top prospect Terrin Vavra receives call to majors
In a season that has seen plenty of call-ups for the Baltimore Orioles, we can add another to the list.
Continue reading “O’s top prospect Terrin Vavra receives call to majors”Aberdeen soars to shortened series victory
The long break is over, and the Aberdeen IronBirds were ready to get back to work.
Continue reading “Aberdeen soars to shortened series victory”Low Tide: Bulls Sweep Tides in shortened series
The Norfolk Tides seem to struggle when they get closer to .500. A team with a lot of talent, they came off the long break to a three-game series with the Durham Bulls.
Continue reading “Low Tide: Bulls Sweep Tides in shortened series”Shorebirds suffer 3-game sweep in shortened series
Over the past weekend, the Delmarva Shorebirds faced off against the Fredericksburg Nationals. And much like their previous meetings, the Nationals left victorious.
Continue reading “Shorebirds suffer 3-game sweep in shortened series”O’s host Rays for 4 games from OPACY
After a disheartening series loss to the New York Yankees, the Orioles will host yet another AL East team, this time the Tampa Bay Rays.
Continue reading “O’s host Rays for 4 games from OPACY”Baysox bring broom, fritter away chance for weekend sweep
The Baysox coughed up a 6-0, second-inning lead and never scored again, losing a 7-6 game to the Richmond Flying Squirrels yesterday, a blemish on a weekend featuring victories Friday and Saturday.
Continue reading “Baysox bring broom, fritter away chance for weekend sweep”O’s fall short against Yankees in weekend battle
The second half is under way for the Orioles. Their first second half series was against the vaunted New York Yankees, and up until game three, this was a series that showed the Orioles are no longer pushovers.
Continue reading “O’s fall short against Yankees in weekend battle”O’s open second half against Yankees
The All-Star break is over, newly drafted No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday has signed and the Orioles are set to start the second half with a series against the division rival New York Yankees.
Continue reading “O’s open second half against Yankees”O’s draft selections: Day 3
The Baltimore Orioles have been looking to develop pitching in the minor league system for sometime now.
Continue reading “O’s draft selections: Day 3”Tides split series, remain under .500
The Norfolk Tides are in a battle against themselves, as the try to reach the .500 mark.
Continue reading “Tides split series, remain under .500”O’s draft selections: Day 2
The first day of the MLB Draft saw the Orioles welcome new overall No. 1 pick, shortstop Jackson Holliday, to the organization, along with three college bats.
Continue reading “O’s draft selections: Day 2”BlueClaws ground IronBirds in 4-2 series
The Aberdeen IronBirds came into the week as one of the top teams in the league. A strong first half and a good start to the second half had them fighting for first place.
Continue reading “BlueClaws ground IronBirds in 4-2 series”Baysox absorb 9-0 loss, go 4-1 against Akron
The week that was ended with a resounding thud at Prince George’s Stadium this weekend, as a Saturday rainout and a 9-0 loss Sunday followed a four-game Baysox winning streak over the Akron RubberDucks.
Continue reading “Baysox absorb 9-0 loss, go 4-1 against Akron”O’s Draft Day selections: Day 1
Draft day has come and gone, and with all the excitement of who might go first overall, Birdland was waiting with anticipation to find out who the newest Baby Birds would be.
Continue reading “O’s Draft Day selections: Day 1”Rays stop red hot Orioles: O’s .500 at break
The Orioles came into Tropicana Field riding a 10-game winning streak. At the same time, they were riding a 10-game losing streak at the Trop. Something was going to give.
Continue reading “Rays stop red hot Orioles: O’s .500 at break”3 contributing factors to Orioles 10-game winning streak
Well, one small part of a big season unfortunately came to a end Friday July, the O’s 10-game winning streak that put them over .500.
Continue reading “3 contributing factors to Orioles 10-game winning streak”Orioles announce Minor League Players of Month for June
The Baltimore Orioles have announced their June Minor League Players of the Month, right-handed pitcher Peter Van Loon and outfielder Heston Kjerstad.
Continue reading “Orioles announce Minor League Players of Month for June”O’s look to extend winning streak against Rays
Following their third straight series sweep, the red hot Baltimore Orioles travel to Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays for three games.
Continue reading “O’s look to extend winning streak against Rays”And the No. 1 pick is…
The baseball world will soon be looking in with anticipation, as the 2022 Amateur Player Draft will begin this Sunday, July 17.
Continue reading “And the No. 1 pick is…”Windy City gets Charmed, O’s sweep short series to 10th straight win
The Chicago Cubs are stuck in a rebuild. As fans of the Baltimore Orioles know, there are some tough times ahead, but the light does grow brighter.
Continue reading “Windy City gets Charmed, O’s sweep short series to 10th straight win”O’s are at .500: Where to go from here
The Baltimore Orioles are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, their longest since 1999 when they won 13 straight.
Continue reading “O’s are at .500: Where to go from here”Pitching provides most highlights in Bowie’s 2-4 week; home twin bill Thursday
Bowie survived a late rally by the Somerset Patriots and broke ahead late for a 3-2 win Saturday night in Bridgewater, NJ.
Continue reading “Pitching provides most highlights in Bowie’s 2-4 week; home twin bill Thursday”Orioles look to continue winning streak from Wrigley Field
Orioles Magic is alive and well, as the Baltimore Orioles are winners of their last eight games, with a chance to extend their streak in Chicago against the Cubs.
The Cubs and Orioles have met once this season, only playing one game so far. Game two of the first series in Baltimore was postponed due to inclement weather.
In that one matchup, the O’s matched their season-high in home runs with five and ended that rainy evening with a 9-3 victory.
This time around, the Orioles have a bit more to play for with their eight-game win streak on the line. Luckily for the Birds, they will get two hot arms on the mound in Jordan Lyles and Spenser Watkins.
Between Lyles and Watkins’ previous two starts each in July combined, they have allowed a low total of four runs over 25 innings. That duo has also collected two wins in their four combined starts.
The offense has been scorching hot during this winning streak. They have scored five or more runs in four of those games, with three of them seeing seven or more cross the plate. There was also one game the O’s put up 10.
❌-FACTOR:
A huge factor going into this series, which leads us into The Baltimore Battery’s ❌-FACTOR, is the bullpen after getting a day off.
During the eight-game winning streak that saw a game played in eight straight days, the bullpen has been used a lot. Jorge López pitched in six out of nine days, while Keegan Akin saw a lot of use, as did Dillon Tate.
Luckily, a day off after Austin Voth was able to deliver five innings is crucial. Eventually, this offense will cool down, and it will be necessary for the bullpen to be at full strength when that happens.
If the bullpen is lights out like usual, even a weaker offensive attack from the Orioles can still bring success.
Game 1 Starting Lineup:
This series begins tonight at 8:05 p.m. EST. You can catch each game on MASN or on your local Orioles Radio Network station.
How do you see this brief two-game series playing out? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter! And make sure to use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content to show your Birdland swag!
Like Justin’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @orioles4life96
Orioles claim relief pitcher Louis Head off waivers from Miami
So far in 2022, the Orioles bullpen has been the land of misfit toys.
O’s GM Mike Elias has strung together a stellar bullpen that is full of former Rule 5 picks, longtime minor leaguers and a plethora of waiver claims.
On Tuesday, Elias added yet another waiver claim to the bullpen, this one being 32-year-old right-handed reliever, Louis Head.
Head has had a very long road to the majors, one that began in 2012 when he was drafted by the then-Cleveland Indians. Head hovered around Cleveland’s minor league system until 2018. In 2019, Head was a member of the Dodgers system before he landed with Tampa Bay in 2021.
Head’s long-awaited major league debut finally came in 2021 with the Rays. And believe it or not, it was a stellar debut.
In his first season in the bigs, Head pitched 35 innings to a tune of a 2.31 ERA and 32 strikeouts. He was very dominant in that season, as he finished with a WHIP of 0.857 and a 174 ERA+.
He also had a FIP (fielding independent pitching) of 3.11, which measures a pitcher’s efficiency in outcomes he has the most control over. The lower this number, the better. A 3.11 is pretty good and proves he was creating the success himself, not just with the help of a good Tampa Bay defense.
The year 2022 has seen a different side of Head, one that currently holds a 7.23 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched. His numbers are up in literally every category, and it is apparent as to why he was designated for assignment.
However, there is promise in the arm of this right-hander, promise in which a pitching coach like Chris Holt very well may be able to tap into, much like we have seen with Félix Bautista, Austin Voth and Jorge López.
Head is currently on the 15-day IL, and it is assumed he will join the team when that stint ends. He was slated to start his rehab assignment with Miami’s Triple-A affiliate July 12 before being designated for assignment.
Welcome to Birdland, Louis!
What do you think of this waiver claim? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter! And make sure to use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content to show your Birdland swag!
Like Justin’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @orioles4life96
Heston Kjerstad makes jump from Low-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen
The newest promotion within the Orioles’ farm system is one that may bring a little more excitement than most.
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The Norfolk Tides came into their latest series with a chance to get to, and even surpass, the .500 mark on the season.
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The Delmarva Shorebirds barely edged out a 4-3 winning record this past week vs Salem.
Continue reading “Shorebirds edge out series win over Salem”Jorge López named sole Oriole All-Star representative
The Baltimore Orioles truly had a few players who, in a perfect world, could be All-Stars.
Ryan Mountcastle, who had 11 doubles and seven home runs in June alone, Austin Hays with his cycle and seven outfield assists, or even Félix Bautista sporting that 1.77 ERA and 44 strikeouts over 35.2 innings pitched.
Among these breakout first halves is one that trumps all the rest. What Jorge López has done this season is beyond remarkable.
The once failed starter, who came to Baltimore via waivers, also struggled as a starter with the Orioles. Towards the end of the 2021 season, López began throwing out of the bullpen, and has it ever been beneficial.
Entering 2022, López was ready to showcase what he could do as a back end reliever, who could sling a high 90s sinker, along with a devastating slider. And now, he only ever had to see a lineup one time.
To start the season, López only allowed two runs in his first 10 appearances in April. Along that span, he struck out 14 batters over 11.1 innings and also notched four saves that month.
May was much of the same, as López allowed just four runs, while collecting two more saves. However, the best was yet to come.
López in June was a completely different animal. In that month, he allowed only one run off four total hits in 13.2 innings. He struck out 17 batters while only walking one for an entire month. Still up to this point, he hadn’t allowed a home run yet.
July saw the first struggles for the 29-year-old, as he blew two saves in row to start the month and followed those appearances with another home run in his third July game. However, in elite closer fashion, López has bounced back for three saves in three appearances during the Orioles’ eight-game win streak.
At the time he was voted into the All-Star game, López held an ERA of 1.74 with a WHIP under one at 0.97. He is tied for 11th in saves at 16 and has struck out a total of 47 batters to 15 walks in 41.1 innings.
Without a doubt, López deserved an All-Star nod. Not only has he been among the league’s best closers, he has had a hell of a journey to the point he is at now, while being one of the most likable players in baseball.
Congrats, Jorge! You deserve it!
What do you think of Jorge López being selected to the All-Star Game? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter! And make sure to use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content to show your Birdland swag!
Like Justin’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @orioles4life96
IronBirds fly through Cyclones to win series
The Aberdeen IronBirds win! This is becoming a common sentence for fans and followers, one that instills hope for tomorrow and brings Birdland much joy.
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As an Orioles fan, it has been tough sledding since 2018. Enduring three 100-loss seasons in four years, the rebuild was wearing on fans everywhere.
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It’s not often that at 21 years of age, a player is in Triple-A, ranked the second best prospect in an organization and ranked in the top-five prospects in all of baseball.
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Before the season started, many pundits had the Los Angeles Angels as one of the top teams in the league. After all, they had reigning MVP and ttw-way star Shohei Ohtani and arguably the best player in the game, Mike Trout.
Continue reading “Birds set to battle Halos for 4 games at OPACY”Late night droppings: D.L. Hall is ready for the call
Pitching wins baseball games – it’s the tale as old as time that remains true, regardless of the changes to the game.
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When the Baltimore Orioles play the Texas Rangers, a lot of memories surface.
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Among a season for the Shorebirds that has shown lots of promise for young prospects, it has also featured a lot of losses.
Continue reading “Shorebirds suffer 6-game sweep to Nationals”
The Baltimore Battery 