It took until Memorial Day, but the 2025 Baltimore Orioles finally put together their first actual winning streak (which we’re calling three games in a row in a nod to the great skipper Lou Brown of Major League fame), beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 to back up two consecutive wins over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino managed to do in just over one week what Brandon Hyde was unable to accomplish in two months, but hey, who’s counting?
Don’t get me wrong: I’m in no way calling for Mansolino to have the “interim” tag removed. That guy has been basically screaming “I DON’T WANT THIS GIG!” in so many words every time he’s had a microphone put in his face since Hyde’s dismissal.
This was what Tony had to say immediately upon being named interim manager:
“This is very different than what I was doing. I had a nice little silo that I worked in, and it was comfortable. This is about as uncomfortable as it gets right now.”
The other day he was asked about potentially using Felix Bautista for a second inning. He took the opportunity to remind everyone that he is new here:
Did #Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino consider sending Félix Bautista back out for the 10th inning?
"It was a conversation, but we're not ready to do that quite yet. For me, being new and naïve to the whole situation, and it was a hard no.”
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) May 24, 2025
Then he was asked about his own managerial ambitions. Does he think about having the interim label removed?
“That’s so far off my plate right now to be honest with you, man. I’m just trying to make sure that the clubhouse goes right right now, that there’s positive vibes…We’ve been through a pretty traumatic turn of events here recently. I never thought I’d do this. That’s not my thought. How do we make sure these guys are playing well? How do we make sure that the Baltimore Orioles are winning games?”
This is a guy who wants nothing more than to go back to being the windmill that stands behind third base. He inspires nothing but confidence every time he speaks, let me tell ya.
I don’t even blame Mansolino. He’s clearly in over his head, in a situation he didn’t ask for.
The point is that the Birds’ managerial search needs to be shifting into high gear.
Still, regardless of how much of a babe in the woods he sounds like every time he speaks, Tony won three straight with this team before Hyde did.
