Oriole beat writer Rich Dubroff shared the following observation after the Yankees dismissed the Orioles on Friday night — “The Orioles don’t appear to be in the Yankees’ class.”
I agree after watching a 7-2 decision that seemed even more lopsided, and a 9-4 loss on Saturday that included a passed ball by catcher Adley Rutschman that allowed a run to score, a mix-up between shortstop Gunnar Henderson and second baseman Jeremiah Jackson that allowed Cody Bellinger to reach second because neither was covering the base, and two errors by rightfielder Tyler O’Neill. They had just four hits on Saturday after getting just three on Friday.
In their current state, the Orioles aren’t good enough to contend even though they improved their roster during the offseason. They are being defined by injuries and sloppy play, their 15-18 record reflecting their mediocrity at this point.
Manager Craig Albernaz was asked if he was concerned after a third straight ugly loss.
“Not concerned. It’s more, on my end, more frustrating just because that group is really talented,” he said. “And I feel like we should not be three games below .500. That’s on me. I gotta do a better job leading these guys and getting the most out of them, because the talent in that room, we should not be where we are right now, as far as the record.”
It’s hard to hide your deficiencies over 162 games. Jackson, for instance, has been an uplifting early-season story — two grand slams, including one the night his foul ball broke the jaw of Albernaz. But Jackson is not an everyday second baseman, and his defensive shortcomings are starting to show. Coby Mayo, whose power is impressive, is not an everyday third baseman, and his defense is also creating extra outs. Blaze Alexander brings a solid glove to his utility role, but he’s also not an everyday player.
When Pete Alonso signed with the Orioles in December, it was exciting for several reasons: The team was getting a power-hitting first baseman; the five-year, $155 million contract signaled that the Orioles were committed to winning in 2026 after a dismal 2025; and it meant an infield of Alonso, second baseman Jackson Holliday, third baseman Jordan Westburg and Henderson.
It’s now May, and two of those four — Holliday and Westburg — haven’t played this season. Holliday had surgery to remove the hamate bone in his right hand, and is still healing. Westburg has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and is trying to avoid season-ending surgery. The Orioles need both.
The outfield is also in flux. Leftfielder Taylor Ward has been an on-base machine and solid overall on defense, although there have been a few misplays on balls he appeared to misread. Leody Taveras has been steady in center, with a better bat than expected, giving the Orioles time to figure out what to do about Colton Cowser, who has continued to struggle at the plate. Cowser has the tools to be one of the Orioles’ best all-around players, but he’s a long way from April 2024 when he was the American League Player of the Month. Dylan Beavers is another player with promise, but his outfield defense has been shaky at times. Tyler O’Neill’s strength is his bat and not his glove, which he demonstrated again on Saturday.
Rutschman and Samuel Basallo have given the Orioles a boost behind the plate and on offense, with Basallo’s upside the highest of any player on the team.
At the end of spring training, the Orioles sent Dean Kremer, a starter for the past four seasons, to Norfolk because they were satisfied with a rotation of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin. Just over a month into the season, Eflin is done for the year, Kremer is recovering from a strained quadriceps muscle and Rogers is on the injured list because of the flu. Rogers had a terrific start in the season opener but has struggled in his last three starts. Bradish’s control has disappeared, negating the quality of his pitches.
The most impressive start stuff-wise was turned in by Baz last Tuesday night against the Astros when he looked like a potential ace. Bassitt followed it with his best start on Thursday and afterward disclosed that he had some words for the pitchers.
“I’m not going to give you our secrets, but I think all of our starters have been pretty poor throughout the year, and I thought we kind of had a come-to-Jesus [moment] before Shane’s start and just had some talks, hard talks about kind of how we were pitching, our mindset of pitching,” the 37-year-old Bassitt said. “And then Shane went out there and did his thing. I thought he was on the attack, and it was just — that’s how we want to be.
“I think overall we’ve been too cute throughout the year and we didn’t do well. So, it’s just, we have guys bullpen-wise, and obviously starters, that are way too good to be being cute out there.”
Bullpen-wise, the Orioles are missing closer Ryan Helsley, who has elbow inflammation, and have had to shuttle relievers back and forth because of workload and inefficiency. They have Andrew Kittredge back to complement Rico Garcia, but they need more more innings from their starters to prevent overuse. Since Bassitt’s performance, Brandon Young, Cade Povich and Bradish have each lasted just four innings.
Consistency on offense, defense and pitching is something the Orioles lack. The return of Holliday and Westburg would help, but it’s a fundamental issue or, more precisely, a fundamentals issue. They’re not playing clean baseball and are making far too many physical and mental mistakes. As of May 1st, the Orioles had allowed 25 unearned runs, the most in baseball.
“The Yankees are a good ballclub,” Alexander said after Friday’s game. “Again, I’m in this locker room. I put us against anyone, truly. The Yankees, you know, good relievers, funky angles, high velo guys. But it’s nothing that these guys in here, nothing that we don’t train for. I’d put us up against anyone.”
The Orioles are not backing up those words, and they need a course correction before 2026 starts to reflect 2025 more than anyone expected.