After losing two of three games in Milwaukee to begin the week, the Baltimore Orioles returned home to Camden Yards and swept the Kansas City Royals over the weekend.
On Sunday, while stars Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle rested, three of the lower-profile Orioles –Aaron Hicks, Josh Lester and Ryan O’Hearn – provided most of the offense, as the Orioles swept past KC.
Gunnar Henderson continued his torrid streak at the plate with a three-hit game and a 462-foot bomb that landed on Eutaw Street, hitting the Warehouse on a bounce. Of the 120 homers to land on Eutaw Street, this was the longest.
On Sunday’s WBAL radio’s postgame, Henderson had this to say: “I feel like when I finally get to the man-strength phase, I might be able to get a little bit farther.”
Huh? Farther than a 462-moon shot. Can’t wait to see where those shots land. The Inner Harbor, perhaps?
The 4-2 week for Baltimore puts the club 17 games over .500 (41-24). It’s the high-water mark for Baltimore dating back to late July 2016.
Sunday’s win over KC completed the team’s third three-game sweep and their third winning streak of at least four games this season.
Impressive, since the team is still without the services of star centerfielder Cedric Mullins, who is still recovering from a back injury. Mullins has yet to begin his rehab assignment, so his return is still in doubt.
Gibson continues to sparkle on the mound
Sunday’s starting pitcher Kyle Gibson won his fourth consecutive decision, allowing three runs early before retiring nine straight. Gibson was removed after a one-out single in the seventh, with the O’s in command, 9-3.
Gibson, an under-the-radar free agent signing over last winter, is now 8-3 on the year and has emerged as the ace of the Baltimore pitching staff. His acquisition is further evidence of the continued buildup of the Orioles scouting and analytical departments.
When Orioles GM Mike Elias addressed the media after the Gibson signing, he said the scouting department liked what they saw in Gibson in 2022, and the analytics indicated his won-loss record to be very deceiving.
In 2022 with the Phillies, Gibson was 10-8 with a bloated ERA of just over five runs per game in 31 starts.
A deeper dive into Gibson’s numbers indicated an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio, ground-ball outs and as importantly the 31 starts – he took the ball on a regular basis.
Speaking of Mullins
Mullins, who is nursing a right groin abductor strain that even hurts him when he tries to write, is still “aways” from beginning rehab, according to Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde. Mullins has been away from the team a full two weeks since the injury occurred May 29th in Cleveland.
Mullins is expected to resume baseball activities this week at the team’s spring-training complex in Sarasota.
Former Yankee Aaron Hicks has more than filled in for Mullins in centerfield. Since joining the Orioles, Hicks is hitting .364 in eight games, with a homer and five RBIs. The homer was the 100th of his career.
Hicks also has been solid in the field. Saturday, he made a spectacular sliding catch on a fast-sinking bullet off the bat of Royals centerfielder Bobby Witt Jr.
In New York, among the criticisms for Hicks was his less-than-average defensive abilities. Maybe a change of scenery was good for him.
Rodriguez demotion update
Since being sent back to Triple-A Norfolk about two weeks ago, Grayson Rodriguez has had two quality starts with the Tides. In Rodriguez’s last outing, the 6-foot-5 right-hander showed how dominant he could be and how he could be on the verge of a return trip to Baltimore.
On Friday against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Rodriguez struck out 10 batters over six innings; as impressive was his 29 swings-and-misses. The Railriders hitters just weren’t able to make contact most of the evening.
Again, maybe the change of scenery was good for Gray-Rod.
What’s next for the Orioles
The Orioles welcome American League East opponent Toronto to town starting Tuesday evening for a three-game set. The Orioles then head to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field to open a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs.
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