This past weekend’s Baltimore-New York series was huge for both the Orioles and the city of Baltimore.
It started Friday with the instant classic that ended when Anthony Santander blasted a bomb into Eutaw Street to give the Orioles a 1-0 win.
The Yankees squared things up on Saturday, clobbering the Birds, 8-3. Aaron Judge hit his first homer since returning from the injured list, a 446-foot blast, and Giancarlo Stanton sent a fastball over Mount Walltimore at 115 MPH.
Then came Sunday night and ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
The Orioles scored six runs before their first out in the first inning and rolled to a 9-3 pasting of the Bronx Bombers.
It was 7-0 before the inning was over, and from that point on the Yankees looked like they didn’t even want to be there.
Oriole pitching struck out 18, but New York manager Aaron Boone saw the silver lining: “Outside of the strikeouts, I thought our at-bats were building off last night (Saturday). I thought we grinded out really well. We made it tough on Kremer. We couldn’t finish off,” said Boone.
Huh?
Sunday night should have sent a message to New York and a national audience that this O’s team is different.
These aren’t the Orioles of the last four years. This team is a problem for the rest of the American League.
Now, as the trade deadline approaches, GM Mike Elias has some major decisions to make to bolster the team with the best record in the league.
Despite the great weekend, the team needs help on the mound. The offense has enough to make a deep run in the postseason. The pitching staff is showing some fatigue.
The team needs a few more arms, but the market for those arms is getting slim.
The Orioles have the farm system to get anyone that’s left, which boils down to the White Sox’s Dylan Cease, Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez (a former Oriole) and the big prize, the Mets Justin Verlander.
Orioles have the need for pitching help, but not at any price
Many believe the pitching staff is too fragile to get through the rest of the season, with many pitchers nearing career highs in innings pitched. Thus, a sense of urgency to add arms by Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.
That’s hard to ignore.
Former starter Tyler Wells, after throwing what felt like an extended batting practice for the Yankees Saturday, is now on a vacation in Bowie, home of the team’s Double-A affiliate.
Dean Kremer looked a bit worn Sunday night and was removed after four innings with a 7-1 lead.
There are signs that the pitching staff is on the brink of wearing down.
Acquiring a top-shelf pitcher is going to be expensive. At least two high minor-league prospects, and of course absorbing the extra payroll the new pitcher will bring, will be a burden.
There is also a credible case to be made that since the first-place Orioles have risen to the top of the AL East standings over the first four months of the season, why won’t they stay atop?
Elias said on Friday that while he certainly likes the club the way it is, he still hopes to add some quality pitching depth before Tuesday’s deadline.
How far will the Orioles go to shore up the bullpen or rotation (or both) will be clear in about 24 hours.
The dominoes have been falling for the past few days. Possibly that’s exactly what Elias has been waiting on.
As the deadline nears, the buyers and the sellers are playing a game of who blinks first.
With Elias and his past success, I’m betting he wins.
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