Scoring Early Means Everything To The Orioles. It Must Happen More Often
Scoring Early Means Everything To The Orioles. It Must Happen More Frequently
The O's are dominant when leading after 1 inning and 3 innings but it doesn't happen remotely often enough Jason La Canfora|
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Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles will attempt to win four games in a row for the first time this season against the struggling Angels Tuesday night with a poor starter on the mound for their opponents.
Seems like a perfect opportunity to cash in early.
Which needs to become a trend for a lineup that has been far too erratic and routinely waits far too deep into games to get going. This pitching staff is in another nice run of form, but lacks high-end arms (with the bullpen even more lacking), and the lineup must be a daily strength if the Orioles are going to get anywhere close to baseball czar Mike Elias’s stated goal for the 2026 campaign.
This modest win streak has been fueled by finally backing their starting pitchers with some early support, allowing them to lean even more heavily into an aggressive approach, trying to flood the strike zone. The Birds have scored first in three straight games, an incredible rarity for them, especially on the road; they entered this 10-day road trip among the dregs in MLB in scoring and hitting away from home through the first five innings and still rank just 18th in runs produced in that split despite their recent outbursts.
This matters, majorly, given the way this roster was constructed and the way this team plays ball (a brutally bad defensive team can lean into getting its best defenders on the field in desired situations earlier in games with a lead; a shallow pen calls on its better arms protecting leads). Baltimore’s starters – who all know they lack elite swing-and-miss stuff – can trust it more and not nibble when they think they might keep getting some support.
It seems to be particularly vital to this group.
Tuesday’s starter, Shane Baz, may have been prophetic after his last start when asked about his team’s inability to got hot as they limped through a series in Seattle to start this road sojourn.
“I feel like jumping out to the lead would help us a lot,” Baz said amid a few introspective pauses to consider the gravity of the situation. It looks even more profound now upon the recent win streak and study of how we got here.
Scoring Early Means Everything To These Birds
The Orioles are 11-2 this season when leading after one inning, with an .846 winning percentage that leads the American League (per Stathead data via baseballreference.com) and is second in MLB. Small sample size, but the league average in these situations is .733, quite a chasm. Problem is, it’s happened just 13 times; only the pathetic Red Sox lineup (10 times) and anemic Padres (10 times) have done it less.
It certainly seemed to matter on Sunday, when Brandon Young was staked to a two-run lead in the first HYPER and could navigate an immediate jam while still pitching to contact; he allowed a run in the first to the top of a tough order and still had a lead he would never surrender. Believe it or not, that outing Sunday, and Monday’s drubbing of the Angles, are the only times the Orioles have led after one inning in consecutive games this season (80 games in!) and just the second time all season it’s happened twice in the same week.
“It’s nice to beat some ass sometimes, honestly, and get a series win,” Young said after a 12-1 win in which he labored to throw 97 pitches through five innings. As to the run support: “It makes my job a little easier, kind of reinforcing the first-pitch strike mentality. And if I can get ahead and stay ahead, that’s when I have my best success.”
Amen brother.
He and Baz are speaking for everyone here, trust me. Watching a rotation (except for Young) largely try to navigate around the fastball night after night leads to problems. A few early runs go a long way.
What about as the game expands, you ask?
Beyond Inning One
The trend holds, across the board. Means so much; doesn’t happen nearly enough.
When the O’s lead through three innings they are 22-6 (10th best in MLB) … but those 28 instances rank 20th in baseball.
When they lead after five innings they are 23-4 (13th in MLB) … but those 27 instances rank just 29th in baseball. (Only those miserable Red Sox have done it less frequently, just 23 times).
And, of course, some of this has been due to starters imploding early or the Orioles bridge guys in the pen not being very good, but trust me, if this lineup was fulfilling Elias’s propaganda about it from spring training, the team’s record would be much better.
The Nationals, on the other side of the Beltway, were supposed to be rebuilding again with a terrible staff and an even worse bullpen and they can’t field the ball either (though it’s been a lot better lately). But their young sluggers have mashed and the Nats have led after five innings 43 times – tied for the MLB lead with the mighty Dodgers - and they have more wins in those scenarios (33) then times the Orioles have achieved it.
It’s not the only reason the Nats are one of the biggest surprises in ball at 41-38 (with a projected win total around 65 in March), despite playing in the far more difficult National League. And it has plenty to do with the Orioles being 38-42 and lucky to be buoyed by how pathetic the rest of the AL has been.
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Published 3 hours ago
JASON LA CANFORAJason La Canfora has covered the NFL and MLB for decades and currently covers the Ravens and Orioles for On SI.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
