Good morning, Camden Chatters.
If you’re an optimistic Orioles fan, you can find things to like about the Birds’ doubleheader split against the Tigers yesterday. They completed a series win over a struggling Detroit team, starting their 10-game homestand on the right foot. They got another quality start from Brandon Young, who’s stepping up his game in the absence of the Orioles’ many injured pitchers. And Colton Cowser delivered what might have been the Birds’ most exciting hit of the year, a dramatic, walkoff, three-run homer with two outs and an 0-2 count in the ninth that sealed a Game 1 victory.
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If you’re a pessimistic Orioles fan, you might point out that the O’s were one strike away from getting swept in a doubleheader by a sorry Tigers team that had lost seven in a row. Or that the Birds’ offense was mostly missing in action besides Cowser’s dinger, managing only eight hits in the two games combined. Or that Trevor Rogers stumbled through another unacceptable outing, giving up four runs without getting out of the fifth inning in the Birds’ 4-1 loss in the nightcap.
Either way, you’re not wrong. You have to take the good with the bad with these 2026 Orioles. Every win keeps their hopes of relevance alive while every loss puts them closer to the point of no return. For every struggling Oriole who shows signs of improvement, like Cowser, there’s another who just continues to spiral, like Rogers. It’s been an emotionally draining season and we’re only just reaching the one-third mark today.
The Orioles could hardly have afforded to lose a series to a team as bad as the Tigers, so at least they avoided such ignominy. It doesn’t give me any real confidence, though, that they’ll be able to do the same against the Rays, their next visitor at Camden Yards. The Rays, the best team in baseball, schooled the Birds with a three-game sweep last week in Tampa. If they were to do the same this week, the O’s would fall to a season-worst 10 games under .500.
The Orioles will need to shake off last night’s loss and play their best baseball against a stellar opponent for the next three days. Are they up to the challenge? I have no idea.
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Links
Orioles’ Colton Cowser hits walk-off home run in Game 1 as Orioles split with Tigers – The Baltimore Banner
For a better team, a thrilling walkoff like yesterday’s could have been the start of a winning streak. Instead, well…you know.
Orioles settle for doubleheader split with 4-1 loss in Game 2 (updated) – School of Roch
Trevor Rogers almost looked like his 2025 self last night when he retired 10 batters in a row. And then it all fell apart again. What a bummer of a season he’s having, to put it mildly.
Will Orioles continue with Mike Elias? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Not forever, no. But if you’re asking how soon they’ll part ways with him, that’s something that only O’s ownership knows.
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Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! May 25 has been a popular day for Orioles birthdays; seven former Birds were born on this day. The most prominent is shortstop Miguel Tejada (52), who had four great years with the O’s from 2004-07 (and one less-than-great return in 2010) and set a franchise record with 150 RBIs in 2004. Statistics-wise, Tejada probably deserves to be in the Orioles Hall of Fame, but his links to performance-enhancing drugs at various points of his career eliminate that possibility.
Other former Orioles born on this date are 2025 two-game righty Carson Ragsdale (28), catchers Fernando Lunar (49) and Melvin Rosario (53), right-hander Bill Dillman (81), and the late outfielder Andrés Mora (b. 1955, d. 2015) and first baseman Jim Marshall (b. 1931, d. 2025).
On this date in 2003, O’s reliever Buddy Groom set an obscure record. He pitched in his 638th major league game, in none of which he got a plate appearance (since he was a relief pitcher for mostly AL teams in the non-interleague era). That broke the MLB record set by Red Sox reliever Bob Stanley. Groom went on to pitch 786 games in his major league career, and no, he never did step foot in a batter’s box. They should’ve let him take an at-bat in his final MLB game, just for kicks.
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Random Orioles game of the day
On May 25, 1999, the Orioles began a nine-game west coast road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Angels. The O’s jumped out to a quick lead, scoring a first-inning run on B.J. Surhoff’s sac fly, but they were held scoreless for the rest of the game. Angels starter Omar Olivares worked eight strong innings and Troy Percival nailed down the save in the ninth. The Birds’ Scott Erickson went 7.1 innings but was tagged for three homers, including two by Garret Anderson. The loss dropped the Orioles to 16-28, the worst record in the American League.
Read the full article here