It was a successful, bounce-back week for the Baltimore Orioles as they went 5-3, including a series split with the best team in baseball, the Cleveland Guardians. After taking 3 of 4 at home against the Toronto Blue Jays, in a series that contained a double-header, the O’s went into Cleveland in one of the biggest series of the year thus far and was able to sneak away with 2 wins, after dropping the first 2 games.
The biggest contributor to the Orioles’ success this week was the strong showing offensively. The birds averaged nearly 7 runs a game over their 8 games this week and had double-digit hits in 4 of the games. It was extremely difficult to pick just one person who was hot this week, as Colton Cowser continued to rake, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. Additionally, one of the newest Orioles, Eloy Jimenez has started his Baltimore career 5-9 with 2 RBI. But wait, there’s more! Anthony Santander continued his hot stretch, batting .344 this week with 3 home runs and 7 RBI.
If the O’s can continue to hit the ball well and get production out of guys who have been struggling recently, such as Adley Rutschman, they will continue to fight for the AL East title. Let’s take a look at this week’s who’s hot and who’s not:
Batting
Who’s Hot: Jackson Holliday
Baseball’s number-1 ranked prospect was called up yet again for the Orioles, however, this time, he looks like he’s here to stay. Jackson Holiday is back up and has earned every second of the regular playing time he has been getting this week. Holliday, who only played in 5 of the 8 games this week, batted .389 while blasting 2 home runs and driving in 7. He also managed to walk twice on his way to collecting 14 total bases. His first career home run came in his first game back as he belted a grand slam onto Eutaw Street against the Blue Jays. It is also important to note that Holliday had three straight multi-hit games against the Guardians, which only proves that he is getting comfortable, and more importantly, confident.
Holliday has looked extremely comfortable this time around with the big-league club. He is taking pitches well, and more importantly, making great contact. He is coming in at nearly 100 MPH on all of the balls he is putting in play. It is a great sign that even his outs are being rocketed into the field of play. In fact, Holliday came within inches of 2 additional home runs on the week.
Called up to replace the injured Jorge Mateo, Holliday is quickly proving why he is the best prospect in baseball. He is also giving Brandon Hyde little reason to think he is not an everyday starter for this Orioles team. Sure, we have seen a couple of tough defensive plays from Holliday, but that will happen from time to time. The hope is he can clean up his defense while continuing to produce at the plate. The Orioles will surely have some tough decisions to make once Mateo is back because Holliday is starting to really settle in. There is no reason to believe that Holliday won’t make a huge impact on this team down the stretch and into the postseason. He will look to keep his hot bat going against the Blue Jays.
Weekly Stats: .389 Avg / 2 HR / 7 RBI / 2 BB / 5 K / 1 2B / 0 3B / 14 Total Bases / 0 SB
Who’s Not: Cedric Mullins
Just when Cedric Mullins was starting to gain some momentum, he reverted to having another tough week. Mullins batted just .190 this week, collecting just 5 total bases. He had no home runs or RBIs to contribute to a very strong offensive week for the Orioles. The only bright side for Mullins this week was the fact that he managed to walk 6 times and stole 2 bases. This in and of itself is a boost to an offense, especially when nearly every other batter in the lineup is hitting the ball well.
Cedric Mullins is undoubtedly one of the most important veterans on this team. From his leadership, to his defense, to his ability to come through in clutch situations, there is never a reason to give up on Cedric Mullins. Sure, fans would love to have Cedric improve on his recent struggles, but if he can continue to provide a spark defensively, and get on base via walks, he will continue to play a big role on this team. His defense and speed will surely be handy come playoff time, so there is no reason to sweep Cedric under the rug. If he can get his bat going again, it will only be an added bonus to this Orioles roster that has been hitting lights out the past few games.
Weekly Stats: .190 Avg / 0 HR / 0 RBI / 6 BB / 3 K / 1 2B / 0 3B / 5 Total Bases / 0 SB
Pitching
Who’s Hot: Zach Eflin
Of all of the Orioles’ newest additions at the trade deadline, potentially the most impactful and important for a run down the stretch is Zach Eflin. Eflin is a strong starter who does not dish out free bases very often, which is something that young guns like Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott tend to struggle with. Eflin slides perfectly into the 3rd spot in this rotation and will be on the team next year, as he has team control.
In two games this week, Eflin went 2-0 in 12.1 innings pitched while yielding a 3.72 ERA. He did give up quite a few hits with 15, however, he only walked 1 batter in his two outings. Eflin will need to continue giving this team a chance to win down the stretch as he is filling the shoes of Kyle Bradish, who the O’s lost for the season. Eflin will certainly play a big role in the postseason too behind Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez. So far, Eflin seems to be a strong addition to this Orioles pitching staff.
Weekly Stats: 12.1 IP / 15 H / 1 BB / 3.72 ERA / 10 K / 2-0 / 2 HR
Who’s Not: Gregory Soto
Unlike recent addition Zach Eflin, Gregory Soto, who the O’s added at the deadline from the Philadelphia Phillies, did not get off to a hot start with his new team. In two outings this week, Soto gave up 4 earned runs off of 5 hits in just 1 inning of work. He also allowed 2 walks while striking out none.
Soto had been having a tough season for the Phillies before being dealt to the Orioles, however, the birds are hoping he can provide a spark to the back end of this bullpen that has struggled mightily in recent weeks. So far, Soto has not been the solution. There is still plenty of time for Soto to settle in and find his stuff, however, how long the Orioles are willing to test things out in the bullpen is unknown. I don’t think there is any O’s fan comfortable going into the playoffs with the bullpen constructed the way it is currently. Hopefully, the addition of Danny Coulombe off of the IL at some point in September will be a huge boost. Soto may be on the hot seat for that reinstatement if he continues to pitch the way he has been.
I’d be remiss if I did not mention another pitiful performance by a new Orioles pitcher, Trevor Rogers. After dealing Kyle Stowers and Conner Norby for Rogers, who was once an All-Star, but has struggled this season, Orioles fans were not happy. Rogers’ first outing did not help his cause as he gave up 5 earned runs off of 6 hits and 3 walks in just 4.1 innings in his O’s debut. Rogers likely won’t be too impactful come playoff time, as the O’s will likely move to a 4-man rotation, and Rogers currently occupies that 5th spot in the rotation. However, giving the O’s a chance to win every 5th day is something that will be much needed over the next 1.5 months. He will look to bounce back in his next start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Weekly Stats: 1.0 IP / 5 H / 2 BB / 36.00 ERA / 0 K / 0-0 / 1 Hold
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