Wells’ strong start, 7 steals, Beavers’ homer carry Orioles to 3-1 win and sweep of White Sox

CHICAGO–What happened? Four months ago, Tony Mansolino became the Orioles’ interim manager. He doesn’t know whether he’ll be retained. If he does return, he’ll have interesting choices to make when it comes to starting pitchers.

Tyler Wells, who started Wednesday for just the third time since right elbow surgery in June 2024, could be in the mix.

“I think we’ve forgotten how good a starter this guy is,” Mansolino said before the game. “This guy’s a really good major league starter. I think the only concern about him starting isn’t the ability to be a good starter, but his ability to stay healthy over the course of the year. He hasn’t done that yet.”

Under Mansolino, the Orioles are 57-52, and he said he’s tried to create a positive culture.

“To the fans, and to the people in the stadium, what’s on the field, what’s on the grass and dirt, they probably think is the most important,” Mansolino said. “I promise you the culture and the leadership part far outweigh the actual in-game stuff for me, personally. But you need to win, so you better do the stuff on the field the right way, too.”

Wells (2-0) allowed one run on four hits in six innings as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-1, before 10,919 at Rate Field. He threw 89 pitches, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

The Orioles (72-80) recorded their eighth sweep of the season and tied a team record with seven stolen bases, although only one resulted in a run because of their 12 strikeouts.

Jeremiah Jackson’s first-inning single off Martín Pérez gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Jackson drove in Gunnar Henderson, who stole third base after reaching on a single and an error. It would be the first of three steals for Henderson.

Dylan Beavers hit a two-run home run in the fourth, his third and his second in as many games, to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead.

Pérez (1-6) left the game with left shoulder soreness during Jackson Holliday’s at-bat in the fourth.

Mike Tauchman’s ninth home run against Wells in the fourth cut the lead to 3-1.

Yaramil Hiraldo pitched a spotless seventh, and Rico Garcia threw a perfect eighth. Keegan Akin pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save.

The Orioles’ seven steals equaled the team record set on August 28^th, 1986 in the second game of a doubleheader at Oakland. Henderson led the way with three, Tyler O’Neill had two, and Jorge Mateo and Beavers stole one apiece.

“Credit to the players for being fearless and aggressive,” Mansolino said.

Right-handed pitcher Carson Ragsdale, who allowed eight runs on nine hits in three innings on Sunday at Toronto, was claimed off waivers by Atlanta.

How well did Wells pitch? So far, Wells has been impressive, and he’s satisfied with his return.

“Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better return so far,” Wells said. “Really just trying to kind of focus on staying within myself, controlling the game. I know I can go out there and I can control the ball and, yeah, it’s showing and I think that that’s kind of the biggest takeaway so far of everything.”

Wells has a 2.04 ERA in three starts.

“Another good one,” Mansolino said. “It’s a guy that can throw any of his repertoire in any count, any spot. The pitchability is so good, so advanced in a lot of ways. In an era of catchers setting up middle and pitchers throwing just as hard as they can down the middle, Tyler Wells is a little bit of a throwback in how he pitches. He’s been really good so far.”

What about those stolen bases? Beavers and Mansolino credited first base coach Anthony Sanders.

“I just think Sanders does a really nice job of watching video and getting tips from their pitchers and knowing what to hone in on going into the game, depending on whether it’s a starter or reliever,” Beavers said. “We have a ton of good resources that give you a better clue of where to look and how to get the best jump you can. I think today it just kind of all came together and we were aggressive.”

Beavers has been in the major leagues for just over a month, and he’s made a strong first impression.

“He’s good. He’s a good player,” Mansolino said. “He just keeps on plugging away. He has good at-bats. He has some at-bats that may not be the best, but by and large they’re way more good than bad in a lot of ways. It’s a big home run there that won us the game, and he’s doing great.”

Is Henderson making up for his lack of power? According to Mansolino, Henderson has made up for his lack of power this year in other ways. The 24-year-old shortstop has 16 home runs after hitting 37 last season.

“There’s no doubt. He’s one of the most complete players in the big leagues for me in a lot of ways,” Mansolino said. “The power numbers and the home runs and the whole thing will come back next year. He’ll figure out the reason why he’s not hitting home runs and doubles the way he has in the past, and he’ll get that solved this winter, and he’ll come back with a vengeance in ’26.

“And he will do the whole thing. He’ll hit the ball over the fence. He’ll hit the ball in the gaps, and the defense, the baserunning, the at-bats all stay the same, and it will be quite possibly the best player in baseball once it all comes back.”

What does it mean? With the exception of a sloppy seventh inning on Tuesday night, the Orioles played a complete series against a team they dominated, winning all six games.

What’s the stat of the day? Henderson has 26 stolen bases in 30 attempts.

What’s the word? “We’re throwing bullpens. We’re throwing a lot. We’re building capacity. We go on rehab assignments. I think at this point, I’m probably close to 40 innings between my rehab assignment and now. So, I think it’s a little bit different in that way, just kind of the way that I feel. But overall, I feel good and I’m really happy with kind of where everything is at and how it’s recovered.”-Wells on his progress after June 2024 surgery. 

What’s next? The Orioles will return to Camden Yards to open a four-game series against the New York Yankees on Thursday night at 7:15. Cade Povich (3-7, 5.05) will face Max Fried (17-5, 3.03). The game will be shown exclusively on FOX.

Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com