The Orioles hit a soft spot in their schedule this week and took advantage, taking two of three from both the last-place Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox.
Here are five things we learned from their week, which resulted in Baltimore retaking a half-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East.
Zach Eflin is back, and the Orioles can breathe again
Following a minimum stint on the injured list, Zach Eflin returned to the mound for the Orioles on Sunday and picked up right where he left off. The trade deadline acquisition was spectacular against the Rockies, carrying a bid for a perfect game into the sixth inning and tying his season high with nine strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 1.95 in five starts with Baltimore.
His return was a huge sigh of relief for the Orioles, who are still without Grayson Rodriguez while he works his way back from a lat/teres muscle strain. The Orioles’ pitching injuries have tested their depth, requiring greater-than-expected contributions from Albert Suárez and rookie Cade Povich, but they’ve also left the Orioles searching for stars to step up in their place. Eflin has been that star, and his addition might be the most significant of any team in the pennant race.
Despite his August slowdown, Gunnar Henderson’s season is proving historic
August wasn’t a banner month for Gunnar Henderson, but most players would trade their worst months for Henderson’s slumps in a heartbeat. The Orioles’ shortstop posted a .709 OPS in August, his worst in any month since April 2023. It’s also only five points under the MLB average OPS of .714 for this season.
Henderson has opened September with much better results, going 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate with two home runs in four games. The second of those blasts was his 35th of the year, breaking a tie with Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada for the most home runs in a single season by a shortstop in Orioles history. By FanGraphs’ WAR metric, Henderson (7.1) already owns the 10th most valuable season by any Orioles hitter and he could crack the top five with a strong finish.
It’s been clear for a while the Orioles have a special player. Now, he has the results to back it up.
Coby Mayo is up, but consistent playing time isn’t certain to follow
Manager Brandon Hyde said he’s going to “pick my spots” with top prospect Coby Mayo. The Orioles recalled the corner infielder when rosters expanded Sunday and, with Ramón Urías hitting the injured list with an ankle sprain the same day, there appeared to be a path to regular playing time for Mayo. However, he’s played two of four games thus far and Hyde subbed him out for Ryan O’Hearn in the field for the final three innings Sunday.
While Mayo has the potential to be a centerpiece of the Orioles’ roster for years to come, he’s hitting .087 (2-for-23) and the club is in a tight division race in which one win could prove to be the difference. With the Tampa Bay Rays lining up a trio of right-handers for their upcoming weekend series in Baltimore, Mayo’s development might have to take a back seat to the Orioles’ short-term goals.
As Craig Kimbrel’s issues linger, the rest of the Orioles’ bullpen shows life
The Orioles’ bullpen has quietly put together an impressive run over the past two weeks. Since Aug. 27, the club’s reliever ERA of 2.30 ranks fifth best in the majors. While Craig Kimbrel has yet to follow suit — he’s sandwiched a pair of scoreless appearances around a two-run outing Saturday — Baltimore is getting encouraging returns from its bullpen at the right time.
Kimbrel might not get back to closing out games in the ninth inning this season, but Seranthony Domínguez is 8-for-8 in save chances and Yennier Cano, Gregory Soto and Keegan Akin have impressed in front of him. With Jacob Webb on a minor league rehabilitation assignment and Danny Coulombe progressing to facing live hitters in a bullpen session Tuesday, reinforcements are on their way as well. Come October, their bullpen could wind up being a surprise strength.
Cedric Mullins is saving his season
Nobody on the Orioles had a better week than Cedric Mullins, who recorded a hit in all six games while hitting .429 (9-for-21) with a home run, a double, four walks and two stolen bases. After getting off to an abysmal start to the year, Mullins’ season OPS is four points shy of .700 — no small feat considering he was sitting at .522 as recently as June 8.
All he’s done since is slash .284/.363/.483 with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases in 71 games. Those are numbers that, had they occurred to start the year, would’ve put him in consideration for a spot in the All-Star Game. They’re also numbers that closely resemble those he posted in 2021 when he had 30 home runs and 30 steals. Injuries had raised doubt over whether he could get to that point again, but he’s put to rest any concerns for now.
