BALTIMORE—The Orioles’ revamped infield has Jahmai Jones at second base, Jorge Mateo at shortstop and Ramon Urias at third for Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. Dylan Bunday will make his first start against his former team, which has lost 18 consecutive games.
Jones was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Monday, and shorstop Richie Martin was optioned to the Tides. Kelvin Gutierrez was recalled from Norfolk on Tuesday to replace Maikel Franco, who was designated for assignment on Monday.
“He never got going,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Franco. “He never got on a really good streak.” Franco hit .210 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs.
The Orioles can play Urias or Gutierrez at third base. Urias has been bothered recently by a sore leg.
“If Urias’ leg is good, he’ll play all three [infield spots],” Hyde said. “I’ll be rotating Ramon around. Mateo will get more shortstop time now. I still want to play him at second base, also. It’s going to be a bit of a mix and match.”
Martin, who missed much of the season because of a broken left wrist, hit .227 with a homer and five RBIs in 15 games.
“Richie needs Triple-A at-bats,” Hyde said. “He needs to work on his swing. He just hasn’t played much. Richie’s got a ton of tools, incredibly athletic, becoming a better defender at short. Now, it’s just to learn the speed up here offensively and be able to be on time with the fastball, be able to make hard, consistent contact. We felt getting Triple-A at-bats for would be best thing for him from a development standout.”
Jones, who is batting seventh in the lineup, will get to face the team that traded him to the Orioles for Alex Cobb in February. He hit .248 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs in 69 games in Norfolk and thought the experience was valuable.
“It really allowed me to focus on the things in Norfolk that I felt like I needed to work on before I came up here,” Jones said. “I knew I was going to be thought about throughout the season, so I tried to stay ready throughout that Triple-A season, so that whenever. I got the call, I was ready to go.”
Jones, who began his career as a leftfielder, said he has improved at second since spring training.
“You can take a million fungos, you can take a million ground balls,” Jones said. “Nothing simulates a game-like situation being put in front of you, so I definitely think so.”
Hyde is hoping Jones can bring a spark.
“We’re scuffling,” Hyde said. “We’re in a tough spot right now. Hopefully, Jam can give us a little jump-start and give our club some energy and play well.”
Hyde doesn’t expect to play Jones in left field, though he acknowledged he didn’t expect Mateo to play there when the Orioles acquired him earlier this month. Mateo has started in right and left field.
One of Jones’ teammates, third baseman Rylan Bannon, has nine homers and 17 RBIs in his last nine games for Norfolk. Hyde said there’s a chance he’ll play with the Orioles between now and the end of the season.
“There’s definitely a possibility of him coming up,” Hyde said. “He’s on the 40-man, and he’s swinging the bat better recently. I hope Rylan can keep hitting. I love to see guys be able to dominate before they graduate.”
Reassessing Harvey: Relief pitcher Hunter Harvey, who’s on the 10-day injured list because of a lat strain, has thrown twice for Triple-A Norfolk in his rehab assignment, but the Orioles aren’t ready to bring him up.
“We’re going to have him throw another time or two,” Hyde said. “We’re still evaluating after every appearance he makes down there. Right now, he’s going to throw again down there, and then we’ll reevaluate.”
Notes: Hyde hasn’t decided on a starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game, when the Orioles will face Shohei Ohtani.. … Cobb won’t be pitching in this series; he’s on the 10-day injured list because of right wrist inflammation.
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Jones, Mateo, Urias, and even Gutierrez, these are the types of prospects I like us to be evaluating. I hope 1 or 2 can do well enough over the long haul to be useful pieces, even if it's as back ups, on the next good Orioles team.
Corn Cobb on the DL, there’s a shocker, right wrist inflammation, hmmm....go O’s...
Meh. At least it gives us possibly a better chance to not go 0-21.
At 7-3 with a 3.82 ERA, he’s yet another example of a pitcher who leaves Bawlamer to find success.
Important to remember Jahmai Jones was acquired for Cobb. He’s only 23 and has 6 more years left of team control. Cobb is a free agent after this year, so the Orioles got something for him instead of watching him walk
Good point ClayDal. It’s a win win, I think. Jones looks good and I hope he performs well.
I was just trying to use Cobb’s success as another head scratching example that makes me wonder ….why?
Cobb actually pitched well for the Orioles when healthy. Unfortunately he was never healthy
Hunter Harvey was put on the 10 day IL July 2. If my math is correct, today is day 53. Doesn’t appear he will be ready for at least another week. So look for the Orioles to put him on the 60 day IL and either make a waiver claim or bring up a non roster player. Since that would open up a spot on the 40. And if Harvey recovers quickly, he’s eligible to come off in a week
Anyone else notice Gausman has come crashing back to earth?
Still having a way better year than Means & playing for a first place team...go O’s...
Incorrect. Means' WAR is 3.0. Cobb's is 1.5. Means is highly valued by rival talent evaluators, and if the Orioles were foolish enough to trade him, 29 other teams would want him. As much as I like Cobb, he's not nearly as highly valued.
Rich.....CPs was referring to Gausman ...not Cobb.
When all is said and done, Means will have better career numbers than Gausman, and nothing was expected of him! This # 19 is in honor of Davis, why not!
Gausman has a 4.8 WAR, Ken. He will be a hot commodity this fall. Means would be if he were available, too.
Correct Rich, Gausmans season doesn’t compare to Means, Means ERA is somewhat skewed because he had a career game (no hitter), curious what his ERA would be without that, part of Gausmans success has to be playing for a team in first & an organization that always finds ways to win, THATS tradition...go O’s...
Believe me, I am not a Cobb fan...go O’s...
Means’ ERA would be 3.82 without the no-hitter. It’s 3.50.
Buhbye, Spenser, it's not fooling anyone anymore!
Really “enjoying” listening to the Angels broadcast of the game on my MLB app tonight.
Hearing a different take on our pitiful O No’s is entertaining in a bathetic and painful sort of way.
The announcers are professional but you can still pick up on their amazement of just how feckless this team is currently.
Its 13-2 in the fourth inning. Wow.
Ya know, I was really excited to see Jones and whoever is at shortstop tonite play. Maybe things are changing? Ate dinner and was running a bit late, so I turn on the tube during the 3nd inning with the O's down 5 to 1 .. and just in time to see them in a jam looking to go further down.
Excitement begone. No matter whoever is playing short tonite, we still stink. But wait ...some guy named Ohtani is coming to bat with runners on 2nd and 3rd and I've read somewhere that this guy is something special. Excitement returns! So I decide not to change the channel and see what all the buzz is about with this guy.
Now is where I have to watch my language. Let me start by saying I don't give a rat's dang about conventional baseball wisdom saying you walk this guy. HORSECRAP I disagree....in this particular year, on this particular night, already down 5 to 1 and in a meaningless tank game, I say give the 3000+ paying fans (mostly wearing red) a thrill and pitch to this phenom instead of tucking the teams collective tail and punking out by walking him. Gutless, cowardly loserville decision by Brandon Hyde. It just turns my stomach. Show that you have a F’in pair will ya?! The the coup de gras as justice is served when the next guy up doubles to make the score 8-1.
As the great Jimmy MgGinty once told Shane Falco,"You've got to have heart, lots and lots of heart. Players want the ball."
Next time Mr Hyde. Act like it's the big time and pitch to the man. Show that you have a pair. Show some heart.
Done typing this rant, and we’re down 13-2.
Drink Pepsi and god bless our people trying to get out of Afghanistan
13-2 in the 4th. This team is pathetic. I’ve been a fan since ‘68 and never felt this low about them. Awful, just awful. It’s gonna take a ton more than Jahmai Jones to spark this disaster.
I predict another roster shuffle after the game! Fan since '66, and I, too, have never felt this low. This would be hard to do, even on purpose!
It can only go up from here 79. Just don’t know how long it’s going to take to turn the corner.
Disagree. The Oriole organization can and will find a way to make it go down from here. BTW, my personal guess is we turn the corner in 2024 or '25.
I’m not trying to tick off any of you guys and gals (I know there are some out there) who are saying this is the lowest they’ve felt as O’s fans. But to me personally, 2018 was still the lowest I’ve felt. That team was actually supposed to contend for a playoff spot. Nothing, and I mean nothing, wax expected from this bunch. The ‘18 team flat out quit that season. I truly believe these guys are at least still trying. I know it’s hard to believe that when Losing their 19th consecutive game by a score of 13-2 in the 4th but this team at least has something to look forward to in a couple years. Luckily right now I’ve reached the point of apathy so maybe that’s why I feel the way I do but still, as I said, the ‘18 team will always go down as my biggest disappointment.
I loved the guys on that '18 team, but I have admit, it was a low. The team quit on Showalter. They got old, and when the going got tough, they up and quit.
I wonder how these fresh faced kids are handling this ongoing debacle. They come up for a taste of the big leagues, and they are behind by 12 runs by the fourth inning. It must be enervating to live through this night after night, beleaguered and beat down. Positivity wanes in an ocean of negativity, defeat and cynicism.
Only get on were shot at a first impression, Jones isn’t good, first game , I get it, wish him the best, not a good first impression, at least they’re fighting back, 13-8 in the sixth...agree with what Boog said about pitching to Ohtani, what message does it send your team, especially when all they’re playing for is the game tonight, not like they’re 1 game out of the wildcard...lol...go O’s...
Just when you wonder what haven’t we seen yet this year, hey, there it is, an inning where they K 4 times.
Kind of a reverse Immaculate Inning...lol...go O’s...
Curious about Hyder's remarks about all these young infielders playing in different positions every day. Would Brooks, Belanger, Grich, Dave Johnson, etc have been Gold Glovers if they had to move all around the infield instead of playing one position and playing it VERY WELL?
Agree, recipe for disaster, kind of setting them up for failure...go O’s...
Can’t believe I’m still listening in the bottom of the 9th, hoping the O’s can somehow come back from 6 runs down to break this ... 18?? ... game losing streak. Heaven help us all.
Jones is over rated. Looks over matched at the moment. Send him back down. Call up Bannon. Os are in danger of playing too many chumps and having the longest losing streak of all time. Time to call up some prospects who will spot a W.
Well, thank you my fellow commenters. I have been telling my son that contrary to records, whether it be the 114 loss O's or the 21 in a row loss O's or the '18 O's, the reasons that I have finally sworn off of THIS edition until the spring are too numerous to mention. However, in stating that, I will say that in addition to the daily losing and awful pitching and horrible horrible defense (Pedro Severino, I'm looking at you)and the non existent hitting with RISP the lack of talent is apparent. I refuse to watch a rag tag bunch being passed off as a ML team. But, worse than ALL of that is the more than occasional lack of sound fundamental baseball and just plain lack of hustle this team has shown. I don't know if this has become "The Oriole Way" or if it's because Mr. Elias is bringing in people from everywhere. Either way, I am done until Spring of '22. I've stated this before. I go back a long, long way with this team and this group is IMPOSSIBLE to watch. My blood pressure is down to where my Doc and I want it to be and I will not allow this group to change that. Fellow commenters, I wish you all a great rest of the summer, and have wonderful holidays, and hopefully if all is well, we'll talk in the Spring. I'm out. Stay well everyone!!!
Hunter Harvey — Is it just me or does it seem like this guy is always on the DL? Has he spent more time on the DL than not during his major league career?
Stick a fork in hunter Harvey