BALTIMORE—Before Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed by rain, Cedric Mullins was in the Orioles’ lineup, batting eighth and playing center field. Mullins is in the midst of a horrendous slump. He’s hitless in 14 at-bats and 5-for-57.
“I love his defense in center field,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I gave him the weekend off, and I played him yesterday. I’d like for him to get going offensively. When Ced’s being Ced, our lineup completely changes.”
In 2021, Mullins became the first Oriole to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season. Last season, he had two stints on the injured list with right adductor/groin strain and hit .233, though he did have a career-high 74 RBIs.
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“I think he was battling some physical stuff last year in September,” Hyde said. “I don’t think that’s the case this time around. This is a little bit of mechanics.
“This is in between the fastball and the offspeed, fouling back strikes that he should hit or normally put in play hard. He’s kind of fouling straight back or popping up. It’s more of a mechanical confidence issue. We’ve all seen when Ced’s going well what that looks like. I want to believe he’s not that far away from that.”
Mullins ended 2023 without a hit in his last 22 at-bats, 10 in the regular season and 12 in the Division Series.
“His process is good. He’s working the right way,” Hyde said. “He’s out here hitting early on the field. I thought the work was really good. I’m hoping he can get going. Defense is great. That is definitely a big plus. He can impact our lineup when he’s hitting.”
Tuesday’s rainout: The Orioles’ game against the Blue Jays scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed by rain about an hour before its scheduled 6:35 start, the first postponement of the season. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 29th at 3:05 p.m. Because of Wednesday’s forecast, the teams decided to wait until then to make up the game. Kyle Bradish, who was scheduled to start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, will start Wednesday’s game, which is scheduled to begin a 12:35 p.m.
Notes: The Orioles’ game against the Boston Red Sox on August 17th, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m., has been changed to a 7:o5 p.m. start. … Triple-A Norfolk’s game against Lehigh Valley and Single-A Delmarva’s game against Lynchburg were postponed by rain.