Jordan Westburg, Tyler O’Neill, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson all blasted solo home runs within the first two innings of the Orioles’ series opener with the Rockies on July 25. That lead evaporated across the next three frames against Dean Kremer.
Jackson Holliday tied the game with an RBI single in the seventh inning. Then, Ezequiel Tovar crushed a go-ahead home run to put Colorado back in front for good.
Friday’s game encapsulated season-long inconsistencies for the Orioles and showed why they’re a seller at the trade deadline. They fell at home, 6-5, to the worst team in the league to move to 45-58.
“That’s a bitter one right there,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “It feels like here lately we’ve thrown up some good numbers early in games … and we just haven’t been able to hang on.”
Baltimore’s offense went 5-for-25 after the first two innings and only scored the one run after the second inning.
Despite hitting a homer, Mayo was pinch-hit in favor of All-Star Ryan O’Hearn with a runner on third in the eighth inning. O’Hearn struck out swinging.
Mansolino said before the game that potential trades will create more opportunities for prospects. One of those players is Mayo.
Mayo found his stride at the plate in the middle of June but has still had limited playing time. With O’Hearn not starting Friday — a likely sign of things to come with the trade deadline approaching — Mayo took the nod at first base and took advantage with a 413-foot blast to dead-center, his first in the majors off a non-position player.
But Mansolino ultimately elected to pinch-hit for him late in the game, continuing what’s been limited playing time with O’Hearn still on the roster.
Kremer, who entered the outing with a 2.00 ERA in his previous six starts, couldn’t find the same success against a club that traded one of its top hitters earlier in the day. He gave up a third-inning solo home run, a two-run blast in the next frame and a pair of RBI knocks in the fifth.
“All in all, didn’t do my job tonight,” Kremer said. “Guys gave me a lead and I blew it.”
The big blow came against Andrew Kittredge, whose role in the bullpen has increased importance after the move the Orioles made earlier in the day.
Baltimore’s first trade chip goes
The Orioles needed a near-perfect start to the second half of the season to avoid a sell-off. They did the opposite of that, and the first domino fell Friday. Gregory Soto was shipped to the Mets for a pair of pitching prospects, Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.
Soto was a logical trade candidate given that he is a free agent at the end of the season. A former two-time All-Star, Soto endured an inconsistent tenure in Baltimore but still proved as a reliable specialized arm in the bullpen.
Soto pitched to a 3.96 ERA in 36.1 innings for the Orioles this season, averaging more than a strikeout per inning with one of the best barrel percentages (94th percentile) among all MLB pitchers.
The left-hander has been especially strong against same-handed hitters. Lefty bats are hitting just .138 with a .276 slugging percentage against Soto this year.
“It was up and down at times but he was getting lefties out, which is what he’s getting paid to do ultimately,” Mansolino said. “I thought Gregory did a great job.”
Aracena is the younger of the two pitchers Baltimore received. The 20-year-old hasn’t pitched above Low-A ball but has a power arm, with a 33.5 strikeout percentage this year. The right-hander holds a 37.4 percent whiff rate and batters have hit just .169 in 64.1 innings off him this season. He slots in as the Orioles’ No. 19 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Foster has slowly progressed through New York’s farm system since being taken in the 14th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. In 30.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season, the 26-year-old has a 2.97 ERA with 39 strikeouts.
Navigating the uncertainty
Soto was the first Oriole dealt around this year’s trade deadline. He won’t be the last, and Mansolino is aware of that.
Mansolino said before Baltimore’s series opener with the Rockies that his strategy toward handling the uncertainty of players’ immediate futures is by bringing it up to keep a free-feeling clubhouse.
“I think when there’s an elephant in the room, if you’re hiding from it, it’s not good,” he said. “As I talk about it with some of these guys, I feel like it kind of relieves the pressure in some ways. At least hopefully it does.”
After the Soto trade, the Orioles have six players with expiring contracts still on the roster — O’Hearn, Zach Eflin, Cedric Mullins, Charlie Morton, Seranthony Domínguez and Gary Sánchez. Sánchez is on the injured list and won’t be dealt. Everyone else is a candidate.
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