Anxiety engulfed the Orioles clubhouse in the hours leading up to the 6 p.m. trade deadline and 6:35 first pitch. There were young stars who knew they were safe from being moved but still budding with angst about which of their teammates might leave. The handful of young players and veterans whose names had been floated in rumors for weeks were even more worried.
“That build up is always something that puts people on edge,” Cedric Mullins said.
That deadline is past now, with the Orioles making three moves to bring in major leaguers who they hope help them reach their October goals. The roster the rest of the way is more or less set. This is the group Baltimore deemed it can win with.
And with that uncertainty lifted, they could finally play stress-free after the last few weeks provided so much of that. The ups and downs of the last month will leave the Orioles with a losing record in July. Knowing that’s now behind them with a revamped roster, Baltimore played one of its most complete games of the season in a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
“I think our guys have been frustrated for a few weeks about how we’re playing,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I really have a lot of confidence in the club that we’re going to get back to playing with that loose, free kind of style. I just see us making unsure mistakes out there right now and trying not to make a mistake instead of playing with a little bit more freedom. And so maybe hopefully, get past this deadline, we’re gonna start playing that way.”
Only one member of the major league roster ultimately left at the deadline. The Orioles (64-44) used infielder Connor Norby along with Triple-A outfielder Kyle Stowers to bring in left-hander Trevor Rogers from the Miami Marlins. Rogers will slot into Baltimore’s rotation along with fellow recent acquisition Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and Corbin Burnes, who the Orioles leaned on to guide them through the frantic deadline day.
Burnes pitched 6 2/3 innings and collected seven strikeouts, his most in a start since June 16. He allowed one run to score while on the mound, while Cionel Pérez let an inherited runner score in the seventh for Burnes’ second earned run.
Yennier Canó pitched a scoreless eighth, and Seranthony Domínguez finished the win with a perfect final frame.
Burnes is more critical to the Orioles’ postseason hopes than any of the four pitchers they brought in over the last week. They were to supplement injuries and add depth. Burnes, like he’s done all season, is a playoff rotation headliner. The Orioles didn’t make a move for a top-of-the-rotation starter at the deadline as many hoped. Instead, they got their ace in February.
Baltimore’s offense, which scored eight total runs in the first three innings in both games of Monday’s doubleheader, leaped ahead early again Tuesday with Anthony Santander driving the effort.
After Gunnar Henderson walked with two outs in the first inning, Santander slapped a double down the left field line to score the shortstop from first. Ramon Urias’ solo homer, his first since June 19, and Ryan O’Hearn’s two-run single made it 4-0 after three.
Santander grew his team’s advantage again with a solo shot in the fifth for his 31st home run of the season. The outfielder has hit four homers in his last seven games and nine in July after hitting 13 long balls in June. He’s now tied for third in MLB in home runs, eight back of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the league lead and three ahead of Henderson for most on the team.
Colton Cowser extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 games with a 2-for-5 night as he continues to excel out of the leadoff spot. Urias added three hits, and Henderson scored both times he got on base as he too grows comfortable with his new place in the lineup.
Santander will soon share a lineup with more deadline acquisitions and a new entrant coming from within the organization. On the way are Eloy Jiménez, primarily a designated hitter from the Chicago White Sox who’s hitting .304 versus lefties, and No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday, who steadied with Triple-A Norfolk after his demotion earlier this year.
Baltimore’s roster looks much different after Tuesday. Such is the case with the trade deadline. Players didn’t let it spill onto the field for their penultimate game of July and relied on mainstays to get them through it.
There’s still two months to go. The Orioles will use that time to tinker with lineups and pitching matchups to get the best of their new talent. Then, it’ll be time to judge if the front office did enough.
Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer contributed to this article, which will be updated.
Blue Jays at Orioles
Wednesday, 12:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
