Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is confident that phenom pitcher Grayson Rodriguez has “turned the corner.”
Rodriguez put together another stellar outing on April 23 against the Detroit Tigers, throwing five scoreless innings with five hits, six strikeouts and three walks. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander did not allow a run in the first inning for the first time in four starts this season.
The Orioles completed the three-game sweep of the Tigers by scoring the winning run in the 10th inning on a wild pitch for the 2-1 victory.
“Hoping he turned the corner there,” Hyde said about Rodriguez’s first-inning struggles. “He didn’t have maybe his best stuff in the first inning but kind of got rolling there, utilizing his changeup, keeping his really good velocity throughout his outing. Love to see him do that again.”
Rodriguez, 23, has admitted that facing major league hitters has been an adjustment. However, he clearly has the repertoire of pitches and mentality to be successful at the highest level.
Overall, Orioles pitching was stellar this past weekend, and the staff hopes to keep that momentum during a key series against the Boston Red Sox this week.
The Orioles are a close-knit group, and they seem to thrive off one another’s success.
“I’ve always said pitching is kind of contagious,” said Orioles lefty reliever Keegan Akin, who got big outs for the club against the Tigers and Red Sox on April 23 and 24, respectively. “I feel like you see guys go out there and kind of set the standard like Grayson did today. He didn’t have his best stuff but he showed up and gave us five zeros, and the bullpen did the rest.”
Last year, Rodriguez opened the season at Triple-A Norfolk and made 11 stellar starts, compiling a 2.09 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 56 innings before suffering a Grade 2 lat strain. While there was a chance the ailment could have shut him down for the year, Rodriguez returned to minor league games on Sept. 1, exactly three months after his last start before he was shut down.
Rodriguez will likely be on an innings limit this summer for his rookie year. Rodriguez has only thrown more than 100 innings once in his four-year minor-league career, amassing 103 in 2021 between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. He is a power pitcher who combined for 270 strikeouts in 178.2 innings the past two seasons.
Rodriguez can be his own toughest critic, but his performance appears to be trending in the right direction. He can provide the Orioles a chance to win when he pitches every fifth day.
“I think there were definitely some things we could have done better,” Rodriguez said after his start against the Tigers. “Obviously, the walks are kind of an issue, but really, just not having the greatest stuff today and the defense being there to back me up.”
Jackson Holliday Moving Up
Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, who entered the season as the club’s third-ranked prospect behind Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez, is already rising through the ranks.
The 19-year-old was promoted to High-A Aberdeen on April 24, and he is expected to make his debut on the road against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Holliday is the third No. 1 overall selection in Orioles history, joining catcher Adley Rutschman (2019) and starting pitcher Ben McDonald (1989).
He became the first high schooler taken by the Orioles in the first round since Rodriguez (No. 11 overall) in 2018 and the first high school position player taken by the O’s in the first round since infielder Ryan Mountcastle (No. 36 overall) in 2015.
“It’s very rare for the first pick taken to end up being the very best player in the whole draft. And that’s not the expectation or even the need when you’re picking No. 1,” Orioles GM Mike Elias said when Holliday was drafted. “We just kind of want to make the best investment at that moment that we can possibly make, take the right player for us. Which is fine if that’s the fit. And hopefully have a really solid, healthy, productive career and help us win playoff games in Baltimore.”
Holliday slashed .392/.523/.667 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 13 games (51 at-bats) with Low-A Delmarva this season. He committed only one error in 117 innings at shortstop and second base.
Last year, he was promoted to Low-A Delmarva on Aug. 24 and made his full-season debut with the Shorebirds on Aug. 25 against Lynchburg, going 1-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a walk.
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