With the Yankees coming to town, Orioles need to find their offense; Santander happy to be All-Star

BALTIMORE-What happened? The Orioles ended a dreadful three-game series with their second straight shutout loss to the Chicago Cubs, 8-0, on Thursday night.

It was the first time the Orioles had been shut out in consecutive games since June 23^rd-24^th, 2021, and they were swept in a series at home for the first time since August 27^th-29^th, 2021.

The Cubs outscored the Orioles, 21-2, but despite the awful series, the Orioles remain two games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees lost to Tampa Bay, 5-4, and have lost 18 of 25 games.

The teams play three games this weekend at Camden Yards, and neither wants to stagger to the first-half finish line before the All-Star break.

The Orioles had just five hits, three against Cubs starter Justin Steele, who threw just 70 pitches in seven innings.

“Just not very good at-bats,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We didn’t do a whole lot of anything in this series. We didn’t play well at all in any aspect. We’ve got to play a lot better going forward.”

The lone bright spot was that outfielder Anthony Santander was named to the All-Star team as a replacement for Houston’s Kyle Tucker. He joins shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Jordan Westburg and pitcher Corbin Burnes to give the Orioles five representatives for the first time since 2016.

What’s wrong with the Orioles’ offense? “We’re a good team,” Hyde said. “It’s been a rough few days. We just got flat out beat and didn’t play well. We got beat by starters. We didn’t play very good defense for us, and we didn’t throw the ball very well besides [Corbin Burnes] last night, so we’ve got to play a little better.”

Oriole starter Albert Suárez allowed four runs on six hits in five innings. Cole Irvin gave up four runs on seven hits in four innings.

Santander had one of the Orioles’ five hits, a double.

“Really tough,” Santander said. “We didn’t have the offense. Tomorrow is another day. The Yankees are coming and coming back here with the right mentality, working hard.”

How happy is Santander to be an All-Star? Santander, whom Hyde called one of his favorites, couldn’t hide his delight.

“It is a blessing, all the work I’ve been putting in all these years in my career, and I’m happy and grateful,” he said.

Santander is hitting .234 with 23 home runs and 57 RBIs.

“I never give up. Tough injuries early in my career, but always having the right mentality, working hard, able to bounce back, stay here and go out there and play every single game and help the team win,” he said.

Santander knew when Tucker was hurt, he could get the call but didn’t count on it.

“It was a possibility, but there’s a lot of good players out there,” Santander said. “We always have to wait for them to make the call. They chose me, so I’m happy.”

He’s excited to join his teammates.

“We’ve been together all these years, and it’s happy to be with all that young talent in the All-Star Game,” he said.

Santander is one of three players on the roster who had already played for the Orioles when Hyde arrived in 2019.

“He’s had an All-Star first half, played wonderful defense, a huge part of our order,” Hyde said. “He had a heck of a first half after a rough start.”

What happened to Suárez? Suarez gave up four consecutive hits in the fifth, three straight doubles, and left trailing, 4-0.

“They were just swinging and everything was going right for them,” Suárez said. “In my mind I was like, ‘keep making pitches and trying to get people out.’”

Hyde wasn’t displeased with Suárez.

“I thought he threw the ball well for the first four innings,” Hyde said. “In the fifth, I thought he left some balls up in the zone, some offspeed stuff.”

Suárez, who didn’t make the club out of spring training, ends the first half with a 5-3 record and 2.82 earned-run average.

“I always think positive, and I like to stay positive,” Suárez said. “This has been a positive first half.”

Why did the Orioles option Tate? Dillon Tate was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and right-hander Burch Smith had his contract purchased from Norfolk.

“A little bit of a reset [for Tate], but we’re excited to add Burch,” Hyde said. “The way the games have gone the last couple of days, having a fresh bullpen arm was important. Burch is a guy that’s had a lot of experience. He’s thrown the ball really well a couple of times down at Norfolk.”

Smith and Suárez have taken a similar path. He pitched in Japan and South Korea the last two years. Suárez pitched in Japan in 2019-2021 and in Korea the previous two.

“I’m sure it has to do with adversity,” Hyde said. “Pitching in different environments, I think is really, really helpful. Pitching in challenging environments. Pitching for your livelihood. You continue to play and have the dream of getting back to the big leagues. You’ve got to be really tough to put yourself in that position.”  

What’s the word? “He’s one of my favorites. He’s been with us for this whole path and it’s awesome to see him get recognition and it’s going to be fun watching him on national TV.” –Hyde on Santander’s All-Star announcement.

What does it mean? The Orioles played poorly against the Cubs and need a series win against the Yankees to avoid going into the All-Star break on a down note.

What’s the stat of the day? 5-10. The Orioles finished with a 5-10 record against National League Central teams. They were 0-6 against the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, lost two of three to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh and were 3-0 against Cincinnati.

What’s going on in the minor leagues? Alex Pham allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings, striking out six in Double-A Bowie’s 4-1 loss to Altoona. The Baysox had just four hits.

Third baseman Mac Horvath and catcher Adam Retzback each had two hits in High-A Aberdeen’s 3-2 win over Asheville.

Shortstop Alfredo Velásquez had three hits in Single-A Delmarva’s 4-2 loss to Lynchburg.

Triple-A Norfolk infielder Terrin Vavra went on the injured list because of illness.

What’s next? The Orioles host the New York Yankees in the final series before the All-Star break. Cade Povich (1-3, 6.51) will face Gerrit Cole (1-1, 6.75) at 7:05 p.m.

Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com