Nine games may only be a small sample size but, as the Orioles learned, it’s plenty big enough to cause panic in Birdland. And, for sure, it’s at least enough to establish a pattern that is a cause for concern.
Bottom line: The O’s do not get along with left-handed pitchers, a pattern opposing teams have been dwelling on since spring training. It may or may not simply be the way the rotations are set for the Angels, Royals and Pirates, but left-handers started five of the first nine games, with the Orioles going 2-3 in those games against a 3-1 record against right-handed starters.
The strategy that’s evolving is fairly simple. Opposing teams have been content to turn switch-hitters Adley Rutschman and Anthony Santander around to the right side, minimize Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins and any other lefty hitters and take their chances (or pitch around) Ryan Mountcastle and the rest of the right-handed lineup.
To be sure, the Orioles are struggling offensively by any metric, but the ineffectiveness against left-handed pitching is alarming. Austin Hays and Ramón Urías were contributors in this area a year ago but have not been a factor in the early going of 2024. Santander has the only home run against left-handers, against whom the O’s have a .536 OPS, making the .748 mark against righties look gigantic.
Adding to the problem, of course, are the box-car numbers being put up by Triple-A Norfolk. The trouble there is (in addition to the woeful pitching numbers in the International League) that most the highest-ranked major league ready hitters with the Tides are left-handed hitters, which doesn’t help the equation.
In fact it’s enough to wonder if Connor Norby and Coby Mayo, two right-handed hitters who are mashing in Norfolk, might not be among, if not the first, call-ups down the line. It won’t appease a fan base still upset he wasn’t on the Opening Day roster, but as good as he is and might become, Jackson Holliday does not appear to be the answer to the Orioles’ current dilemma and neither do Heston Kjerstad or Kyle Stowers — barring what would require a major upheaval on the big league roster. As matters stand, and with Hays struggling, Colton Cowser, who’s already on the roster, figures to be the next left-handed batter up.
It is still a little early for full-blown panic, but you can be sure the tipping point is not far away. For a good part of Birdland it came with the second loss of the season.
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Far be it from me to throw cold water on the way the Tides have opened the 2024 International League season, but … let it be noted that the Charlotte Knights, on the receiving end of most of the offensive onslaught, are the 2-7 Triple-A farm team of the 1-8 Chicago White Sox.
The Tides opened by winning two of three against the formidable Durham Bulls, the Tampa Bay farm team they beat for the IL title a year ago, and then came within a 6-2 loss to sweeping a six-game series against the Knights, who it’s safe to say have no pitching help to offer their parent team.
After the first week of the season, the IL team average ERA was 4.79, which is elite when compared to the Knights’ team ERA of 9.68. All of which needs to be taken into consideration when assessing the Tides’ monster start.
While on that subject, let it also be noted that the Tides’ team ERA stood at a robust 7.11, which ranked 19th out of the 20 teams, and figures to approximate the final score of a lot of games if the trend continues.
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You don’t hear much talk about “Moneyball” these days, but every once in a while the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics do something that makes you wonder.
It wasn’t a great surprise that the A’s claimed corner infielder Tyler Nevin on waivers from the Orioles right before the start of the season. What was surprising is that the A’s identified Nevin as an outfielder, where he has had five at-bats in three games.
On that same waiver wire was Ryan McKenna, who projects as a versatile fourth/fifth outfielder at the major league level and at the very least would have been a defensive upgrade in Oakland’s vast outfield. I hardly question the A’s adding Nevin, who has right-handed power, but McKenna seemed a better outfield fit and it was surprising he wasn’t claimed.
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox