Hyde on Orioles’ start: ‘We’re a better team than that’

ANAHEIM, California—This has been a difficult season for Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. His job security has been questioned, and at a press briefing last Friday, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, who is on the trip with team, reiterated his support for Hyde, saying that he was “very confident” in him.

“It means a lot,” Hyde said on Saturday before the Orioles’ game against the Los Angeles Angels. “Me and Mike work closely. We’ve worked together for quite a while now. We have a great relationship and communicate really well and have conversations throughout the day, every day. For him to be able to do that for me and to understand what we’re going through, big picture.”

The Orioles enter Saturday’s game with a 14-23 record.

“He was very patient my first few years when we were not good, and then we got pretty good, for him to show the patience this year, where we are roster-wise, I appreciate that very much,” he said.

Hyde said he and Elias talk multiple times each day.

“About our team, about the roster, the struggles we’re having, positives, of which there haven’t been many, and how hard this is,” he said. “I feel good, proud of what we’ve built here. We’re off to a slow start. We have a lot of players on the injured list, and some things haven’t worked out. We have a long season left. Mike has been very supportive as well as everyone else in the front office and ownership.

“I am trying to figure out how to win games with the roster we have right now and play better baseball. I haven’t been happy with how we’ve played. If you watch our team, that’s not how we’ve played the last couple of years. That’s bothered all of us on the coaching staff. We’re a better team than that, a better product. Last night, I was happy with how we played the game [a 4-1 win]. I thought we played Orioles baseball last night. I think we can do that more often.”

In 2019, Hyde’s first season, the Orioles lost 108 games. After the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, they lost 110 games in 2021. Going through that doesn’t make this season any easier.

“No, no,” Hyde said. “This is really hard. Losing is hard. Watching guys that you’ve been grinding with for years not having the success that they’re having, that you think they should have, the development part of this team, still. We did not play the way that we should be playing. It’s tough on a nightly basis, but I feel like we can turn this thing around. I feel like we can play like we did last night more often.”

Notes: Zach Eflin will start Sunday, Hyde said. … Right-hander Matt Bowman cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.