Good morning, Birdland!
Game one of a big series up in New York was a bit of a bummer as the Orioles fell 4-2 on Tuesday night. Worse than that is the injury to Jordan Westburg. The infielder hurt his hip on a collision with Juan Soto as Westburg attempted to field a slow grounder towards third base. Soto was ruled out for interference and Westburg was subbed out for Ramón Urías in the following inning.
For now, the Westburg injury does not sound too serious. Brandon Hyde said after the game that Westburg was “pretty sore” and they would simply see how he feels going forward. That does not sound like any sort of structural damage is involved, but it does mean a stint on the bench is possible.
That injury took a backseat nationally to the Aaron Judge situation. The Yankees’ slugger exited the game shortly after being hit on the hand by an Albert Suárez fastball in the third inning. Judge looked rather enraged when it happened, and the entire Yankees fan base and media followed with some absolutely insane online whining.
Getting hit on the hand by a big league fastball probably hurts a whole bunch. Plus, Judge has lost time in his career due to that exact situation. I get it. But it’s also a part of baseball, unfortunately. Players can get hit. There is no evidence to suggest Suárez did it on purpose, just as there is no reason to assume that Keegan Akin plunked Gleyber Torres on purpose later in the game. Neither pitcher is exactly known for their control.
If it was any other player, even Juan Soto, it likely would not have received much attention at all. Judge is, arguably, the game’s biggest star given his level of production and his current team. And the fact is that if he misses significant time, the Yankees chances in the division and the league would plummet. He is the MVP front-runner for a reason, and it’s because he may be literally the most important player on any roster in the league.
But that does not mean that the dynamic of the game changes when he is at the plate. Pitchers are allowed to pitch in. He’s allowed to be mad if he gets hit. But anyone saying that it was intentional or suggesting that the Yankees should reciprocate would do well to seek help from a professional and discuss their issues.
Links
Willie Mays, a baseball giant, dies at 93 | MLB.com
A really sad day for baseball, and the entire world. Mays is one of the most important sports figures in history. The game would be very different without his contributions.
Orioles’ Jordan Westburg exits with hip injury after collision with Yankees’ Juan Soto: ‘A strange play’ | The Baltimore Sun
Put another tally in the “Juan Soto is a weird dude” column. The guy is really good at baseball, and he’s eccentric. But sometimes he just does absurd things. This was one of those instances.
Orioles’ Coby Mayo: Back in action | CBS Sports
This is great news! Hopefully the Orioles don’t “need” Mayo soon due to Westburg’s injury. But he was putting up huge numbers prior to the injury, and seems on pace to debut in Baltimore sometime this summer. It’s nice to hear some positive injury news for once.
Third major league start for Povich leads him to Yankee Stadium | Roch Kubatko
There is argument to be made that Cade Povich is the Orioles’ most important pitcher over the next month or so. The team needs to learn about what they have internally heading into the trade deadline. Maybe Povich is good enough to be a mid-rotation solution, maybe not. That will tell the front office how hard they need to push for an upgrade in July.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Cody Sedlock turns 29. The Orioles’ first-round pick in 2016, Sedlock dealt with injuries throughout his professional career, and to this point has pitched in just one MLB game, which came in 2022. He is currently in the White Sox organization.
- Logan Verrett is 34. He was picked up by the O’s on two occasions, first as a Rule 5 pick in 2014 and then purchased from the Mets in late 2016. His only game action with Baltimore came in 2017, when he appeared in four games out of the bullpen.
- Val Majewski celebrates his 43rd birthday. In 2004 he played nine games in the Orioles’ outfield, his only major league experience.
- Bruce Chen is 47 today. The 17-year journeyman had a three-season stint with the O’s from 2004 through 2006. During that time he tossed 343.2 innings and had a 4.61 ERA, serving mostly as a starter.
- Willis Roberts turns 49. He was middle reliever with the Orioles from 2001 through 2003. In that time he compiled a 4.57 ERA over 138 appearances.
- Butch Davis is 66 years old. He bounced around the league as an outfielder, which included 18 games with the Orioles between the 1988 and ‘89 seasons.
- Don Ferrarese celebrates his 95th birthday. He pitched in three seasons for the Orioles from 1955 through ‘57.
This day in O’s history
2010 - Kevin Millwood finally earns his first win as an Oriole after he was signed in the offseason to be the team’s de facto ace. He had lost his first eight decisions, but on this day beats the Padres 5-4.
