Urgency for Orioles intensifies as regular season shrinks

Blame the injuries, inexperience and faulty execution. Blame the weather, traffic, sound system, advertising signs or astrological signs. Whatever suits the narrative. Whatever the imagination allows.

Just be sure to include how the Orioles raised the bar too high and too quickly.

They went from 83 wins in 2022 to 101 and a division title. They set themselves up for regression and criticism. Fans are demanding that heads roll because their favorite team can’t get on one.

No one in their right mind projected 102 or more wins this season, but playing sub-.500 ball since the All-Star break wasn’t in the brochure. Rock bottom keeps moving, too. An 8-1 loss to the historically putrid White Sox was supposed to be it, until the Tigers no-hit them for 8 2/3 innings after using an opener. Until the Orioles responded to Mike Elias’ words of encouragement and optimistic tone Tuesday afternoon by managing only one hit in six innings against the Giants’ Blake Snell, allowing six runs in the top of the ninth and losing 10-0.

The Yankees, meanwhile, were beating the Mariners in Seattle to open a four-game lead in the division race. Now it's five. The Orioles are choking on the fumes, but they can get healthier this month and still make some noise in the postseason.

Kremer surrenders two home runs and Orioles can't erase mistakes in 5-3 loss (updated)

Dean Kremer’s first pitch of tonight’s game sailed 397 feet to right field for a leadoff home run. Gunnar Henderson began the bottom of the first inning by flying out and slamming his bat to the ground in anger.

Immediate signs of an Orioles’ turnaround weren’t detected. They’d flicker over the course of the night and burn out.

A lead in the third inning and subsequent rallies provided false hope. Walk-up music reverted back to the original playlist, but the Orioles maintained their post-break ways with a 5-3 loss to the Giants before an announced crowd of 23,856 at Camden Yards.

Kremer allowed four earned runs and five total in six innings, the victim of some tough luck, and the Orioles fell to 84-68 with their fifth loss in six games, eighth in 10 and ninth in 12. They’ve gone 26-30 in the second half but maintain a 2 1/2 game lead for the first wild card.

The Orioles are only 16 games above .500 for the first time since May 31. They're 19-26 against the National League.

Feedback from Hyde and Orioles players on decision to DFA Kimbrel

Craig Kimbel’s old locker is empty except for a row of hangers. His belongings are gone.

The former closer has left the building.

The Orioles designated Kimbrel for assignment earlier today and recalled reliever Bryan Baker. They made the move after he was charged last night with a career-high six runs in two-thirds of an inning, the last straw with his chances for inclusion on the playoff roster dissolved a while ago.

“Tough day,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We have so much respect for Craig and his career and what he’s done for the game, how long he’s pitched, how long he’s pitched well. So it’s never easy to say goodbye to somebody who’s done a lot.”

Kimbrel, 36, was an All-Star snub after posting a 2.80 ERA and 0.962 WHIP in 39 appearances, but he had a 10.59 ERA and 2.177 WHIP in 18 games since the break and never responded to a second reset.

O's Corbin Burnes on Craig Kimbrel getting DFA

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde described it as a “tough day” as the team designated for assignment closer Craig Kimbrel. Hyde called him a “great teammate and class act.”

When I asked ace right-hander Corbin Burnes about Kimbrel, he said similar things. He may have been a poor pitcher for the team in the second half but his teammates sure seemed to support and have respect for him. And Burnes said even as Kimbrel’s season was spiraling downward he was in the clubhouse helping other players.

But in the end, performance matters most. And he went from an ERA of 2.80 in the first half to a pitcher that in 18 second-half games was 1-3 with a 10.59 ERA and 2.177 WHIP.

“Obviously it’s tough,” said Burnes. “You never want to see a guy get designated. A guy that has been here all year and given a lot to this team. And been a leader in the clubhouse, been a leader in the bullpen. You never want to see that happen. You understand why it happens, how baseball and how the business goes.

“I wish him the best. He’s had a Hall of Fame career, if this is it. If he comes back to play, I don’t know. I haven’t talked to Craig much about that. But he’s going to be a Hall of Famer.”

Orioles and Giants notes, plus pregame notes

The Orioles have lost eight of 11 games and scored 21 runs in that stretch. Tonight’s lineup combination puts Jackson Holliday at second base after Livan Soto made three consecutive starts, and Heston Kjerstad at designated hitter after he came off the bench last night and singled twice.

James McCann is catching. Emmanuel Rivera is playing third base.

Dean Kremer has five quality starts in his last six outings. He’s posted a 3.76 ERA in the second half.

Kremer has made one career start against the Giants and allowed two runs in six innings. Matt Chapman is 2-for-17 with a home run against him, but San Francisco put him on the paternity list today.

Kremer’s fastballs are generating a whiff rate of 32.1 percent in September, per STATS, which is nearly double his 16.8 rate through August.

Orioles DFA Kimbrel and recall Baker

The Orioles ran out of time trying to fix Craig Kimbrel.

The club announced today that it designated Kimbrel for assignment and recalled reliever Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk. The 40-man roster has 37 players.

Kimbrel has been scored upon in 11 of his last 19 appearances to leave him with a 5.33 ERA and 1.357 WHIP in 57 games. He’s averaging 5.3 walks per nine innings, his highest total in a full season since his rookie campaign in 2010.

The six runs surrendered last night were two more than his previous career high. The nine-time All-Star allowed only seven runs in the entire 2012 season.

The Orioles signed Kimbrel to a contract at the Winter Meetings that paid $12 million this season with a $13 million club option for 2025. Bonuses were added for games pitched and finished.

Orioles shut out for eighth time in 10-0 loss (updated)

The Orioles didn’t find their mojo tonight.

Talk earlier of getting on a roll proved to be well-intended but hollow. The Orioles were down after two pitches from Albert Suárez, fell further behind in the second inning and lost to the Giants 10-0 before an announced crowd of 23,967 that sat through periods of light rain at Camden Yards.

The club can’t find cover from a steady shower of poor performances.

Their record fell to 84-67 with eight losses in the last 11 games, and the deficit behind the Yankees grew to four.

Craig Kimbrel allowed a season-high four runs in the ninth before leaving the game on a groundball single, uncontested stolen base, wild pitch, walk, fielder’s choice RBI bunt by Brett Wisely with a late throw to the plate, 12-pitch walk, two-run single by LaMonte Wade Jr. and Heliot Ramos’ RBI double. It got worse. Matt Bowman let both inherited runners score on Michael Conforto’s single, leaving Kimbrel with a career-high six runs. He hadn't surrendered more than four in his 15-year career.

Elias: "We’ve been going through a patch here for a few months and it’s been trying for all of us"

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias’ media availability yesterday in the home dugout at Camden Yards hinted at bad news.

That’s what happens when an organization is pelted with it. The first instinct is to assume the worst and seek shelter.

There were three options with Elias: One or more of the injured players had a setback, a roster move warranted an explanation, or he just decided to meet the press before the last homestand of the season.

Elias declined to make an opening statement, which destroyed the injury theory. And the roster went unchanged.

“If it’s all right with you guys,” he said, “I’ll just open it up to questions.”

More updates on injured Orioles, tonight's lineups

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias took his turn today providing injury updates to the media, asking in a joking manner for questions to be broken up individually rather than in one lump inquiry. Just trying to simplify the process.

Ryan Mountcastle (wrist) is in a hitting progression down in Sarasota, the most positive news about the first baseman since he was shut down.

“I was there during instructional league yesterday and had a chance to see him work out,” Elias said. “He has a sore wrist and he’s making his way back from that, and that takes a few steps, but I do think we have a really good chance of seeing him playing for Norfolk here pretty soon, and I do think we’re going to get him back, and he’s making a push. And we definitely will take what we can get from him, and we’re hopeful to get him back before the season’s over.”

Jordan Westburg took batting practice for the first time since fracturing his right hand. “Like a normal citizen,” Elias said.

“Jordan’s doing great, too,” Elias added. “We can’t wait to have him back, and we are expecting him back before the end of the regular season. We’re not totally there yet, but it’s going really well.”

Mullins on the last homestand and Elias on the last few months of struggles

Coming off a losing road trip and a stretch with seven losses in the last 10 games, the Orioles return home tonight for the regular season’s final homestand trying to find some good vibes, some runs and some wins.

They begin play tonight at 84-66, three games out in the American League East and 2 1/2 ahead of the Royals for the top Wild Card spot and No. 4 playoff seed with 12 to play.

“Lot is at stake in terms of us trying to create some momentum going into the month of October,” center fielder Cedric Mullins said this afternoon. “Think a lot of guys are excited about this last homestand. Excited to get things going in the right direction.”

How is the team mood right now with the club 26-28 in the second half and 31-35 since July 1?

“I think it’s following suit with the wins and losses," said Mullins. "It’s like trying to create that continuous win streak. Yeah, there might be a little pressure added to that. But the off-day was big just to come back home, take a day, refresh and get back into it."

More on Irvin and Maton, plus some Orioles lineup speculation

One matter was resolved yesterday with the Twins claiming left-hander Cole Irvin on waivers only one day after the Orioles designated him for assignment. Irvin won’t stay in the organization, and now we track reliever Kyle Virbitsky’s progress while grading the Jan. 26, 2023 trade with Oakland.

Virbitsky went a combined 7-2 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.197 WHIP in 41 relief appearances between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. He surrendered only five home runs and struck out 69 batters in 57 2/3 innings.

The Orioles dug into their infield prospect pile and sent Darell Hernáiz to the Athletics. He’s appeared in 44 games this season as a rookie and batted .193/.268/.239.

The honeymoon period with Irvin was short. They optioned him last year after only three starts, when he allowed 15 runs and walked eight batters in 12 2/3 innings. The rest of his brief Orioles career was spent bouncing from the rotation to the bullpen to the minors.

Irvin is joining Minnesota’s expanded roster today. The Orioles won’t be deciding whether to offer him arbitration this winter, which probably wasn’t in the cards but didn’t come with any sort of confirmation.

Orioles lose Irvin to Twins on waiver claim

A second attempt by the Orioles to pass Cole Irvin through waivers has failed.

The Twins claimed Irvin this afternoon after the Orioles designated him for assignment yesterday. He went unclaimed at the trade deadline when the club made a flurry of late moves.

Irvin was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 4 and had his contract selected on the 21st while Dillon Tate was optioned. Tate was designated later and claimed by the Blue Jays on Sept. 1.

Roster space was needed yesterday with reliever Jacob Webb reinstated from the 15-day injured list and outfielder Heston Kjerstad from the concussion injured list. Irvin and infielder Nick Maton were the counter moves.

Maton’s situation remains unresolved.  

Reviewing yesterday's roster moves and latest offensive sputter

The Orioles created two openings on their 40-man roster yesterday by again designating left-hander Cole Irvin and infielder Nick Maton for assignment.

Left-hander Danny Coulombe, on the 60-day injured list, can fill one spot when he’s reinstated. He retired all three batters faced yesterday in his second rehab appearance with Triple-A Norfolk.

Maton was bumped to make room for outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who returned from the concussion injured list and stayed with the major league club rather than being optioned. The offensive woes prompted the Orioles to give Kjerstad another shot, and he went 0-for-2 while batting cleanup and serving as the designated hitter before Eloy Jiménez pinch-hit for him.

This is the level of, dare we call it desperation, to find an offensive spark that the Orioles slotted Kjerstad fourth after his long layoff from major league competition. It didn't help.

They were held to two runs or fewer for the sixth time in the last 10 games and have scored 21 in that stretch. And a 4-2 loss at Comerica Park dropped them three behind the first-place Yankees with 12 remaining. They lead the Royals by two for the top wild card and home field.

O's fall again to end 2-4 road trip with a loss at Detroit (updated)

DETROIT – An O’s starter pitched well, but got little or no run support. A recurring theme in Birdland a lot lately.

Facing a traditional starter – not an opener – was not something that helped the struggling Orioles offense today.

They saw Detroit right-hander Keider Montero. And while his 4.88 ERA was not impressive, his last outing was. He pitched a three-hit shutout Tuesday on 96 pitches versus Colorado.

Today, he didn’t get that deep in the game, but the O’s could not score off him either.

They finally got some offense, but it proved too little and too late today.

Heston Kjerstad talks about rejoining the Orioles today

DETROIT – Heston Kjerstad is back with the Orioles, finally free of concussion symptoms and feeling good about his swing and his health.

He is batting fourth as the DH today, so thrust right back into the mix in a prominent spot. He wants to help an offense that has produced just 15 runs in five games this road trip. Over the last nine games, in going 3-6, Baltimore batters are averaging 2.1 runs per game with a team OPS of .583.

Kjerstad is ready to try and provide a boost with his bat.

“Oh 100 percent. All of us want to provide that boost. Maybe I can bring that. It’s a great lineup we have here. Baseball, you want to play well and the offense, we need to get rolling a bit better. All it takes is one. Once one goes, the rest of the offense will roll with him, so we’ll get it rolling here,” he said.

After he was hit in the helmet July 12, Kjerstad went on the seven-day concussion injured list. He returned eight days later but the symptoms lingered.

Heston Kjerstad joining Orioles for series finale at Detroit (plus lineup and other moves)

DETROIT - The Orioles are adding Heston Kjerstad to their roster for today’s series finale with the Detroit Tigers.

The O's announced that move and series of others this morning. In addition they have reinstated righty reliever Jacob Webb from the injured list where he was out due to right elbow inflammation. Webb has pitched to a 3.08 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings pitched. He last pitched on Aug. 2 at Cleveland.

They designated for assignment pitcher Cole Irvin and infielder/outfielder Nick Maton. The O's 40-man roster right now is at 38.

Kjerstad has been on the injured list with a concussion and playing minor league rehab games in the last several days with both High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie.

He went 4-for-13 with a double and three RBIs in four games with Bowie after going 2-for-5 over two games with Aberdeen. He was the leadoff hitter last night for Bowie at Erie and went 0-for-1 with two walks.

Mailbag leftovers for breakfast

The penultimate road trip of the season concludes later today in Detroit, which limits my usage of the word "penultimate." At least until the next-to-last regular season game.

The Orioles are off Monday and host the Giants and Tigers before wrapping up the regular season in the Bronx and Minnesota.

Those last six games could be meaningful. Don’t you think?

The roster will keep changing as more injured players return. Well, more players will return from the injured list. Phrasing!

Here are some mailbag extras that were stuck at the bottom of the bag. My tube of hair gel leaked. I have no idea how it got in there, so hopefully that isn't one of your questions.

Corbin Burnes throws first scoreless start of year as O's beat Detroit (updated)

DETROIT – An Orioles starting rotation that had been pitching well recently kept it going tonight behind their ace.

With the team losing and not scoring many runs in dropping six of eight games, it was harder to notice the solid rotation outings. But in the last three games, O’s starters had an ERA of 1.37. Over their past seven games their ERA was 2.57 with five quality starts.

Right-hander Corbin Burnes, the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner and 2024 All-Star game starter for the American League, took that up a notch today.

Burnes allowed two singles over seven scoreless innings tonight as the Orioles beat Detroit 4-2 to bounce back after their one-hit loss Friday night.

Baltimore improved to 84-65 and moved to within two games of first-place New York, which lost today. The win keeps the O’s two games ahead of Kansas City for the top AL wild card spot.

O's lineup as they try to bounce back in Game 2 (plus Hyde's pregame notes)

DETROIT - Having lost five of six and six of their past eight games and facing the team with the best record in baseball since Aug. 11, the Orioles will try to find a way tonight.

Find a way to get some offense and start winning again. 

The O's are now 83-65 overall and ended Friday night three games back of the Yankees, who are playing this afternoon. 

The O's were one-hit last night and they got just two baserunners: one on an eighth inning walk and one on Gunnar Henderson's two-out triple in the ninth that broke up Detroit's combined no-hit bid.

With the 1-0 loss, the Orioles were shut out for the seventh time and second in the the last five games. 

This, that and the other

The Orioles were victims of a violent flood of injuries over the course of the season, threatening to sweep away their hopes to repeat as division champions, but players who are able to return will do so in trickles.

Reliever Jacob Webb appears the closest to reinstatement after Thursday night’s scoreless inning with Triple-A Norfolk. Manager Brandon Hyde told the assembled media in Detroit that the right-hander could be available this weekend. The Orioles just need to check his recovery.

Danny Coulombe could be right behind him after a second rehab outing, expected to be tonight. He threw 10 pitches Wednesday in a scoreless inning with the Tides.

The Orioles went slowly with Webb, giving him five days’ rest between appearances before Tuesday night’s outing. He pitched for a fourth time Thursday and the shorter break seemed like a positive sign.

Coulombe might not be on the same schedule. He faced hitters in live batting practice at least twice at Camden Yards. The elbow felt great.