Ebel won't return as Orioles head athletic trainer

Changes being made in the Orioles organization are happening beyond the coaching ranks and in the front office.

Head athletic trainer Brian Ebel isn’t coming back for the 2025 season, according to multiple sources. Ebel just completed his seventh season in the role and his 40th in the organization.

Assistants Mark Shires and Patrick Wesley remain with the Orioles and could interview for the opening.

Ebel began his career in 1985 as head athletic trainer with the Rookie League Bluefield Orioles during his summer breaks from college. He was promoted to Class A Erie in 1988 and Double-A Hagerstown from 1989-91, and worked as minor league medical coordinator from 1992-96.

The Orioles put Ebel on their staff as an assistant in 1996, and he became head athletic trainer when Richie Bancells retired after the 2017 season.

Grueling stretch comes to end with O's playing .600 ball during the span

It ended with a blowout loss 11-2 last night, but for the most part the Orioles did a nice job through their extremely demanding stretch of 30 games over 31 days that ended on Sunday Night Baseball.

The team today will have its first day off since June 17 and just its second since May 30.

They played .600 ball during this run, going 18-12. When the stretch began, they were two games out of first place. As it ended, they had gained those two games back and were actually percentage points ahead of the Yankees at .631 to .628.

One reason they did well in this stretch, said veteran Ryan O’Hearn, was manager Brandon Hyde. O’Hearn said his skipper has good feel for when to push his players but also went to pull back a bit perhaps with less pregame work during a difficult stretch like the one that just ended.

“Definitely. As far as early work, batting practice, stuff like that, we’ve had many times when we kind of stepped back and had a show and go (a day with less pregame work). You know kind of taking it easy during the day and when it’s time to play the game you play the game. I think Hyde has a really good feel when it comes to that. He understands guys are grinding with tough games and tough teams and no off-days.

O's talk about going 18-11 during demanding stretch of games

The gauntlet is coming to a close for the Orioles. Starting back on May 31, they began a stretch of playing 30 games in 31 days that ends with tonight’s game versus Texas.

They have gone 18-11 in this span, and 6-2-1 in nine series, even with a five-game losing streak and being swept in Houston. Tonight they could produce their second four-game sweep of this run with an earlier one at Tampa Bay. The run includes series wins over the Braves, Phillies, Yankees, Rays and Rangers.

“I think we have handled it really well. Whether we come out 18-12 or 19-11,” Colton Cowser said this afternoon. “I think coming out of this month with a winning record with the opponents we played, especially with one off-day, it is a testament to this team and the depth that we carry.

“I think we talked about it (before it began) but not necessarily who our opponents were. It was, ‘Damn, we’ve got one off-day in June.’ But yeah, I was talking to (James) McCann and he said every year it feels like there is one month to the season and it’s kind of a gauntlet.

“After this stretch, looking at the schedule, we only play four Mondays the rest of the year. Which is kind of crazy to think about. It’s more like a minor league schedule all the sudden. We’ll take it.”

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