It was another unbalanced week for the Orioles. They started with possibly the worst game of the year when they got shut out by a junkballing lefty (shocker) and learned they had lost Cedric Mullins for a bit. This led to a disgusting loss in game one and a bounce-back win in game two against Cleveland. However, they would drop the series against the Guardians after a poorly planned game. They would then take two of three from the Giants in San Francisco to bounce back from a lousy homestand.
They still managed to go 3-3 this week and win a series, but something felt off.
We have a lot to discuss, so let’s get into it.
What Was the Vision for the “Bullpen” Game?
Let’s set the scene with this one. This game happened because Grayson Rodriguez had to be sent down. So you want to send Grayson down? OK, he wasn’t doing well and had another blowup start…makes sense. But. The plan for his next turn through the rotation has to be better than this.
The Orioles have a long list of starters from Triple-A that could have given them a decent start. Yes, Cole Irvin was unavailable, but other guys on the 40 -Bruce Zimmerman, and Drew Rom to name two – were available to start, which makes what happened next so mind-numbing. The Orioles, for once, had a good offensive day against good pitching and scored eight runs off Shane Bieber. We should be talking about how this led to an immaculate win that nobody expected, but we can’t talk about that because the plan was to have a bullpen game. Not just a regular bullpen game, a game where your first four pitchers are your worst relievers and end up giving up nine runs in five innings.
What was the vision for this game? Why would you do this? This decision to have a bullpen game instead of just calling up a Triple-A Starter is baffling. It cost the O’s a series and could have sent the team into a bad slide.
So, please, Mike Elias: never do this again.
The Bullpen is in Flames
Speaking of that Bullpen, it was a disaster this week. They gave up eighteen runs, that’s right, eighteen. Now, twelve of those runs came in the game we’ve already discussed at length, but these relievers are still not stepping up right now. The worst had to be Mychal Givens, who looks cooked. He did go to the IL, so he won’t pitch for a while, but the point still stands.
Bryan Baker, Cionel Perez, and Givens were all awful this week. Even Yennier Cano has been shaky lately. This bullpen better figure it out and pray it was an off week because this can’t continue.
Mountcastle is Hurting This Team
This one is tough. Ryan Mountcastle is a fan-favorite player and has been brilliant at moments this season. However, he is in a terrible slump right now. He has the worst OBP at .273 out of the nine regulars. Only backup catcher James McCann has a worse OBP than him; yes, you read that right. Even Ryan McKenna‘s is better than Mounty.
Ok, but getting on base has never been his strength; he is here to hit home runs and drive in runs. Good point, but he hasn’t been doing that lately. Yeah, he has a team leading 11 home runs, but he hasn’t hit consistently enough. The advanced metrics still say that he should be putting up better numbers, but how long will we hope and pray that luck will fall his way?
He also cannot stop striking out and laying off sliders in the dirt. His chase rate is up. Yes, he hits the ball hard when he makes contact, but this year has proven that he might not be a middle-of-the-order bat. He seems like a guy you need talent around. That is fine, but the team needs Mounty to step it up because his OPS is now in the .700s, and that can’t happen for a guy the team relies on to drive in runs.
Mounty usually goes on a tear in June, so let’s hope it happens again.
Time to Start Dodging the Injury Bug
The IL is looking very crowded right now. They already lost Mullins for a good chunk of time, Givens and Dillon Tate got moved back to the IL, and while he looks like he will avoid a stint there himself, Gunnar Henderson has missed the last two games with lower back issues. This team can’t take much more because the lineup needs Mullins and Gunnar back, and the Bullpen could use a healthy Tate right now. The team can’t sustain any more injuries until further notice because the lineup suffered without Mullins and Gunnar. Mullins is the only guy who can reliably lead off, and Gunnar adds walks and power.
Please, no more injuries!
When is Mateo’s Time as an Everyday Starter Up?
Jorge Mateo is coming off a truly unwatchable May, where he was, bar none, the worst hitter in the lineup, constantly taking the world’s worst at-bats and killing his team. Unfortunately, his lousy stretch hurt the Birds again in the Giants series. Saturday, he had another terrible AB, swinging on a garbage change-up that cost the team runs late in a game.
So here’s the question: we know that Mateo and, to an extent, Ramon Urias are in the lineup because of their defense, but how long can this go on? The offense is inconsistent, and Mateo does nothing to help that, so how long can the O’s keep Mateo as an everyday starter? Eventually, they will have to wake up to this and bring up one of those infield prospects to help, but when is that? How much longer can Mateo not hit while the calls for Jordan Westburg get louder and louder?
Honestly, who knows, but that time will come this year. Maybe we will have to wait until July for the change, but it will be coming soon. Mateo continues to kill this offense, and his defense can only save him for so long because he isn’t playing like an everyday starter.
We have the Brewers next and then the Royals at home this week, so some easier opponents will be coming up. Hopefully the O’s can take advantage.
