“Wes-ty, Wes-ty!”
That could become a familiar chant among Orioles fans for Jordan Westburg.
One of the organization’s top prospects made his MLB debut on June 26 amid thunderstorms against the Cincinnati Reds and picked up his first hit.
The following night, Westburg went 2-for-5 with a key RBI double in the eighth inning. Overall, he has five hits in his first three major league games.
He is the first Orioles’ batter to hit safely in his first three career games since Gunnar Henderson did so in his first four from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, 2022.
“This is something I’ve never been a part of before, so it’s just really special,” Westburg said.
Westburg is the Orioles’ third-ranked prospect behind infielder Jackson Holliday and outfielder Colton Cowser, according to MLB Pipeline.
This year, it was a matter of when, not if, Westburg was going to be promoted from Triple-A Norfolk, where the 6-foot-2, 210-pound infielder slashed .295/.372/.567 with 15 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 67 games this year.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde will give Westburg plenty of opportunities to play. The 24-year-old is versatile enough to play multiple positions in the infield. At Norfolk, Westburg played at third base and shortstop and in left field and right field.
“It’s a day-to-day, night-to-night basis who I feel like needs a night off, who I feel is a better matchup against a certain starting pitcher,” Hyde said. “Just make the decision the day before. I try to do a series-before lineup, where best-case scenario, everybody’s healthy, this is what I’m seeing the next three or four days. But those things change a lot, too. You guys don’t see a lot of stuff that happens, but some guys come in and maybe need a day, and so kind of an outline and then go from there.”
While Westburg is known for his bat, he also has a quality glove. In his debut, Westburg scooped up a grounder up the middle and deftly flipped the ball out of his glove to Jorge Mateo for the force out.
The Orioles are making a hard push toward their first postseason berth since 2016. The team expects Westburg to play a key role in this surge.
Westburg’s new teammates are excited to have him in the fray.
“He’s with a lot of guys now who are in this locker room, he got to play with them in the minor leagues, so I think it’s a very comfortable environment for him, and he was just able to enjoy the day and have fun with his teammates,” left fielder Austin Hays said. “He’s got good plate discipline, he’s got some power, he hits the ball to all fields, and he’s got a pretty good glove, too. I think he brings a lot to the table for us.”
Gibson Struggles
The Orioles are relying heavily on Kyle Gibson to help anchor the starting rotation. However, the veteran right-hander has had some recent struggles.
In an 11-7 loss to the Reds on June 28, Gibson allowed six runs and nine hits in 4.2 innings. It was the second straight outing in which he struggled.
In his previous start against the Mariners, Gibson lasted just three innings and gave up five runs and seven hits in a 13-1 loss. It was his shortest start since Sept. 2 when he was pitching for the Phillies and allowed seven runs in just 1.2 innings against the San Francisco Giants.
“I don’t really like giving up that many runs early,” Gibson said after his start against the Reds. “Anytime, really, but especially when the offense comes back and puts up four, and then giving the lead right back, it ends up being the backbreaker.”
Gibson has allowed at least three runs in four of five starts in June. He had a 6.84 ERA in June after posting a 3.86 mark in six May starts.
Nonetheless, Gibson remains confident he’ll get back on track. The All-Star break could be coming at a good time to help him reset.
“You’re going to lose 70 to 80 games, depending on how well you play. It’s just one of those games,” Gibson said. “You’ve got to be able to flush it and not let one loss turn into two.”
Another Key Series
The Orioles have eight more wins than the Minnesota Twins entering their weekend series (June 30 to July 2) at Camden Yards.
Nonetheless, the Twins (40-42) are in first place in the AL Central while the Orioles (48-31) trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 5.5 games in the AL East.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde expects some enthusiastic crowds at Oriole Park for the series. The club is giving away floppy hats on June 30 and Hawaiian shirts on July 1.
“If it went like last year, then I’m going to be really excited about it, because that was a big crowd and loud and energetic,” Hyde said. “I think I said we need to do it every week last year because of the amount of people that were here. So I’m sure the fans are excited.”
Here are the matchups for the weekend:
Friday, June 30, 7:05 pm, MASN2: Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (8-3, 4.50) vs. Twins RHP Pablo López (3-5, 4.41)
Saturday, July 1, 4:05 pm, MASN2: Orioles RHP Kyle Bradish (4-3, 3.75) vs. Twins RHP Bailey Ober (4-4, 2.97)
Sunday, July 2, 12:05 p.m., Peacock: Orioles LHP Cole Irvin (1-3, 7.18) Twins RHP Sonny Gray (4-2, 2.67)
Other Notes
• Orioles closer Félix Bautista struck out Spencer Steer in the ninth inning with a 103.3 mph fastball on June 28. It was the fastest strikeout pitch by an Oriole in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008) and the eighth-fastest strikeout pitch in MLB this season.
• Infielder Gunnar Henderson hit a bases-clearing triple to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead in the first inning against the Reds on June 28. His home-to-third time of 11.43 seconds marked the fastest triple by an Orioles batter this season, according to Statcast. Henderson has hit safely in his last four games since June 24 and has collected three extra-base hits in his last three games.
• Catcher Adley Rutschman is 9 for 50 throwing out runners trying to steal on the year. He has also slashed .221/.295/.337 with nine walks and 17 strikeouts in June.
• The Twins were 2-2 at Camden Yards last season and 2-1 against the Orioles at Target Field.
• Twins RHP Brock Stewart (elbow), 2B Jorge Polanco (hamstring), LHP Caleb Thielbar (oblique) and RHP Jorge López (mental health) will not play in the series.
• Minnesota was swept by the Atlanta Braves heading into the series against the Orioles. The Twins are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles