In the series opener to Kansas City Royals on Friday night, Baltimore Orioles ran out of at least one point of view, struck two doubles and had an excursion to the wrong base for a third time already this season.
Such a broken game has made an overwhelming early impression during the 2025 season, especially for a team that favored in some places to win Al East and is expected of most to compete for a playoffs. Before his team took the field on Saturday afternoon, Manager Brandon Hyde was sure that Baltimore’s game would be improved, but he also admitted that there is much that needs work.
“We could play much better than we play,” Hyde said. “We have had some games where we swung the bat really well. I think our bullpen has mostly hit well. We just haven’t laid – we haven’t put a couple of games in a row.”
His player took a step in that direction with an 8-1 thumping of Royals at Kauffman Stadium, broke a three-game losing line and brought Oriole’s record to 4-5 in total.
The right -wing trader Tomoyki Sugano, a key -free agent from Japan who made his second major league start, effectively settled into the sixth round and picked up his first victory. Hyde said he appreciated Sugano to get 19 outs in 89 places – a longer effort than his first excursion – which Orioles needed to rest some relief buttons.
Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sánchez and Jackson Holliday drove in two runs per piece, Tjurpen allowed zero hits in 3 2/3 speechless innings, and Baltimore made no significant mistake on the defense. It may have been Oriole’s most complete game so far, with Gunnar Hendersons 0-for-5 with four strikes as an exception.
Hyde said that Sugano “looked much more comfortable” than in his first start a week ago Sunday at Toronto Blue Jays, which was shortened due to cramps in both hands.
“He had really good command that he had in spring training,” Hyde said of Sugano, who allowed a solo home run to Bobby Witt Jr. With a six-run lead in sixth for Kansas City’s lonely driving.
Orioles came in 10th place in runs per match, although Hyde said his crime had not yet found consistency in a complete series. Hyde complimented his hits for having come up big in the moment against the right hand Michael Wacha and said that a strong wind from the middle prevented several air balls from crossing the fence.
“I think we will swing the bat this year,” Hyde said. “We are dangerous up and down in the order.”
Orioles took up the pace in other aspects. Hyde had no baserunning misunderstanding to complain or rationalize, and no one threw to the wrong base-which happened on Friday, when O’Neill gathered a two-out Bloop single on the right and incorrectly fired the ball to the second base when Witt competed for home and scored all the way from the first. The result was a rare three-run single for Vinnie Pasquantino, who has been slowed down by a strained hamstring.
“We have had a similar situation as three times now,” Hyde said. “Tyler understands: That ball has to go to the record. He has played well, just a couple of mistakes.”
Hyde praised O’Neill for working with scenarios like that during prega influences Saturday.
“We have to play better defensively in order for us to compete,” Hyde said.
Orioles did not sit in a large hole that Atlanta Braves made on 0-7 and 1-8. Baltimore has also not had its full range yet, with Henderson who only went back to the squad in Kansas City after a muscle tribe near his rib cage hit him out towards the end of spring training. They also lost excursor Colton Cowser four matches into the season when a pitch burst the thumb. The starting rotation has also not been at full strength, especially with the right hand Grayson Rodríguez who suffers from elbow inflammation at the end of March.
Orioles players probably heard concern about the club’s direction that came into the season. Baltimore won 91 matches a year ago and fell to Royals in the Al Wild Card series. Two years ago it won 101 games and took first in Al East. When he entered in 2025, Front Office took some criticism for releasing the right -wing dealer Corbin Burnes, who signed with Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency, without replacing him with a corresponding talent at the top of the rotation. They also let Outfielder Anthony Santander go to free agency to Blue Jays – but as Hyde has said, they seem to be deep on crime.
Oriole’s right -wing dealer Zach Eflin, their best pitcher, acknowledged that stories like these are, but he has not drawn any conclusions based on fewer than 10 games.
“It’s so early,” Eflin said. “I don’t really have an answer for you. It’s just – what – eight matches in? It’s a long season, 162 games. It’s a little early to speculate or give an opinion based on how we are currently playing.
“Teammoral is amazing. We all have a bunch of energy that we show every day. We expect to win, and that is what we will continue to do.”
