Once again the Orioles teased fans with a promising start to the week only to regress back to their mediocre form in the weekend series. The O’s clawed back some ground in the AL East winning two out of three from the Yankees in Camden Yards. But then they quickly squandered any momentum that brought by getting decimated in two straight games by the similarly mediocre Nationals.The Birds managed to bounce back and win the Sunday finale to avoid the sweep and finish with another .500 week, but they continue to just tread water instead of making up any ground in the playoff race.
The O’s welcomed the Yankees to Camden Yards for a three-game set starting Monday, looking to salvage some dignity after getting outscored 39-10 in a four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium earlier in the month. Baltimore took two of three to claim the series and carry some momentum into the off-day.
Monday’s opener was a pitchers’ duel for most of the night. Brandon Young gave the O’s 5.1 solid innings, allowing two runs on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks. His lone mistake was a two-run homer by Ben Rice in the third that gave New York a 2-0 lead. Yankees lefty Ryan Weathers was dominant, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh until Adley Rutschman broke it up with a single up the middle to open the inning. Tyler O’Neill followed with a one-out walk, then Coby Mayo, jumped on reliever Brent Headrick’s third pitch and launched a three-run homer into the left field seats for a dramatic 3-2 lead. Dietrich Enns earned the win in relief, and Anthony Nunez locked down his second save in a tense ninth.
On Tuesday Trevor Rogers returned from the IL after an extended illness and looked rusty from the start. Paul Goldschmidt homered on the very first pitch of the game, and Trent Grisham added a three-run shot in the third as Rogers issued two walks to load the bases and then got burned. Rogers lasted only four innings, giving up six runs on six hits ballooning his ERA to 5.77. The O’s managed just two runs off Will Warren and went down quietly in a 6-2 loss.
The start of Wednesday’s finale was moved up to beat incoming weather, and Kyle Bradish made the most of the early first pitch. Bradish was brilliant for the second straight start, facing the minimum through his first 13 batters and carrying a no-hitter into the fifth before Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled with one out. That was the only hit Bradish allowed across six scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking three. Mayo opened the scoring with an RBI double in the second, and the O’s added two more in the third, chasing Fried, who left after just three innings with left elbow soreness. Rutschman blew the game open with a two-run homer in the fifth en route to a 7-0 win.
The positive vibes from the Yankees series win evaporated quickly when the O’s traveled down I-95 to Nationals Park for the Beltway Series. Baltimore dropped two of three to a Washington team that entered the weekend trying to reach .500 for the first time in two years, though Gunnar Henderson’s monster Sunday performance salvaged the finale and avoided the sweep.
Friday’s opener was the most frustrating loss of the bunch, because Shane Baz actually gave the Orioles exactly what they needed. Baz turned in his longest outing of the season, going seven innings while allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks. The problem was Washington’s Zack Littell tossed five scoreless innings despite entering with a 6.94 ERA. The O’s bats were lifeless through eight innings before finally stirring in the ninth when Gunnar Henderson ripped an RBI double and Jeremiah Jackson added another to pull within 3-2, but reliever Richard Lovelady got the final out to seal it for the Nats.
Saturday was an ugly one. Chris Bassitt couldn’t continue his recent effective form, finishing with five innings, six hits, four earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts. The O’s were scoreless into the seventh before the offense finally showed up. Samuel Basallo hammered a first-pitch sweeper over the right field fence for a solo shot, and Tyler O’Neill followed immediately with his own blast to left, the team’s first back-to-back homers of the season. Taylor Ward added an RBI single to pull Baltimore within 4-3, and get them back in the game.
Then the bottom of the seventh happened. Keegan Akin relieved Bassitt and was tagged for six runs in just a third of an inning. Andrew Kittredge came in and promptly served up a three-run homer to Jacob Young that blew the game open at 11-3. Josh Walker gave up a two-run shot to House in the eighth as the O’s fell 13-3.
Sunday’s finale offered some redemption, and Gunnar was the catalyst, crushing an upper deck solo homer in the first. Coby Mayo followed with a two-run shot off Miles Mikolas in the second, and Colton Cowser added a two-run homer of his own in the fourth for a 6-2 cushion. Henderson went 4-for-5 on the day with the homer, a double, two RBI and a stolen base, snapping a 2-for-20 skid over his previous five games. It was exactly the kind of breakout game the O’s have been waiting for from their franchise shortstop. Brandon Young started on the mound but only lasted 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks. It wasn’t a long outing, but the bullpen was up to the task for once. Anthony Nunez, Tyler Wells, Yennier Cano and Rico Garcia combined to limit the Nats to one run as the O’s avoided the sweep with a 7-3 win.
Several Orioles put together solid weeks at the plate. Coby Mayo was the offensive standout, hitting .333/.455/.722 with two homers and six RBI across the two series. After his three-run blast against the Yankees on Monday, Mayo added a two-run shot off Miles Mikolas on Sunday in Washington. For a player who entered the week hitting .158 with 35 strikeouts, it was a much-needed sign of life. Mayo still has a long way to go to prove he belongs as an everyday option at the hot corner, but this was the best week he’s had all season.
Samuel Basallo also had a productive week, batting .333/.375/.600 with a double, a homer and two RBI. His solo shot off Cavalli on Saturday to ignite the seventh-inning rally was one of the hardest-hit balls of the week at 109.2 mph. Basallo continues to look like the real deal offensively, and the consistency he’s shown week after week at 21 years old only reinforces the front office’s decision to lock him up long term.
Gunnar Henderson deserves a mention for his explosive Sunday, going 4-for-5 with his 10th homer, a double, two RBI and a stolen base. The overall week numbers (.240/.269/.440) were dragged down by some quiet games earlier, but that kind of ceiling performance is a reminder of what Henderson is capable of when he’s right. He needs to string more of those together.
The award this week, however, goes to Kyle Bradish for his second consecutive brilliant start. On Wednesday against the Yankees, Bradish was nearly untouchable, allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings while striking out seven. A Jazz Chisholm double in the fifth was the only blemish on an otherwise dominant outing. He carried the minimum through 13 batters to start the game and anchored the Orioles’ first shutout of the season.
What makes this week’s selection meaningful is the trajectory. Bradish struggled early in his return from Tommy John, failing to complete five innings in either of his first two starts and looking like a pitcher still searching for his pre-injury form. Over his last two outings, he’s looked like the guy who made the All-Star team in 2023. The velocity appears to be ticking up, the command has sharpened, and the confidence on the mound is visible. In a rotation that has been searching for some stability, Bradish emerging as a reliable arm would be a good start to turning things around.
Down on the Farm
Norfolk went 2-4 on the week, but the biggest story remains the rehabbing Orioles working their way back. Jackson Holliday showed tangible signs of progress in his third rehab stint, hitting .235/.350/.529 with a homer, a triple, three walks and an RBI across five games. It is a notable step forward from the .176 slash line he carried through his first two assignments, and more importantly, the hand has not forced another shutdown. Holliday is getting reps at third base alongside his usual second base work, a clear hedge against the Westburg news. The swing looks more confident, the at-bats are getting longer, and a return to the big league lineup before the end of May feels realistic if this trajectory holds.
Heston Kjerstad also continued his rehab at Norfolk after transferring from Double-A, hitting .273 with six hits and two RBI across the week. The contact is there but the power has not shown up yet, as Kjerstad managed just one extra-base hit, a double, without drawing a single walk in 22 plate appearances. The hamstring is clearly no longer limiting him physically, but he looks like a hitter still working his timing back. There is no rush to bring him up until he starts driving the ball.
Among the non-rehabbing Norfolk bats, Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a productive week, slashing .300/.333/.700 with five doubles, a homer and six RBI. The former Red continues to hit for extra bases at a high rate since his acquisition and could factor into the big league picture if the Orioles need infield help. Reed Trimble hit two homers and drove in four despite limited at-bats, and Creed Willems added another homer while hitting .263 with two RBI behind the plate.
Down at AA Chesapeake, Aron Estrada had a strong week at the plate, leading the team with a .421/.476/.474 line, eight hits and two stolen bases. Griff O’Ferrall also had a hot bat this week, hitting .316/.423/.421 with two doubles, four RBI and three stolen bases. Tavian Josenberger was the most exciting bat on the roster, slashing .294/.455/.588 with two triples and a double while getting on base at an excellent clip.
On the mound, Juaron Watts-Brown was dominant again, firing four innings of one-hit ball with five strikeouts, though the four walks continue to be a concern in his profile. Yaqui Rivera was even better, tossing four perfect innings with four strikeouts in the most impressive pitching performance of the week across the system.