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The latest from Jon Meoli
Jon Meoli: Firing Brandon Hyde a year ago didn’t fix the Orioles’ problems. Craig Albernaz is making progress.
COLUMN | We aren’t far enough removed from watching this team tumble off the cliff to be OK with it standing so close to it again, but we need to acknowledge it is on sturdier ground.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles typically don’t waste good starts. They just need a lot more of them.
“With all of the changes that have happened over time, the evolution of this game, a couple things always stay true. It’s starting pitching, and defense, timely hitting,” manager Craig Albernaz said.
Jon Meoli: Pete Alonso’s ‘coin-flip theory’ explains his approach to hitting — and the Orioles slugger’s recent success
COLUMN | Alonso entered Wednesday with 54 hard-hit balls and 21 walks, accounting for 48% of his 155 plate appearances. That was 11th best in baseball among all qualifiers.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ sweep in New York hurt more than their place in the standings
COLUMN | The Orioles can undo the damage in the standings. It’s only four games. But it might take four months of good baseball to make anyone think about this team in a different way.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ biggest early-season test comes this weekend in New York. Their stars need to ace it.
COLUMN | The Orioles have mostly been floating under the radar, and even if I suspect the underlying play will continue on that path for a while, there’s value to making early statements when the chance arises.
Jon Meoli: 5 factors that explain the Orioles’ uneven offense
The Orioles offense hasn’t been as consistent or productive as you might hope. There are five more months to change that, but this one is basically in the books.
Jon Meoli: In Taylor Ward, Orioles rookie Dylan Beavers sees much worth emulating
Beavers, a 24-year-old rookie, is taking in everything he can from Ward to help him reach a higher level.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ offensive explosion could change how we talk about their season
COLUMN | Even though it was just one night, it made it easier to believe the baseball bromides used to describe this team hours before first pitch.
Jon Meoli: Adley Rutschman returned to the Orioles without missing a beat. Having his ‘comfortable’ swing helps.
In the context of the balance and simplified swing load he now boasts, Rutschman looks back at last year with the knowledge that “sometimes less is more.”
Jon Meoli: Checking in on the most important parts of the Orioles’ farm system
It doesn’t look like the Orioles are going to lose touch with the playoff race. That makes what’s happening on the farm meaningful, given the potential for Mike Elias to dip into the minors to support the major league team.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles carry themselves like a winning team. They don’t always play like one.
COLUMN | They’re a .500 team that expects to win and carries itself that way, but they haven’t played a level of baseball to back it up just yet.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles can learn a lot from Samuel Basallo’s stint as everyday catcher. So can he.
COLUMN | With his second home run in three games, Basallo's bat is heating up, and manager Craig Albernaz thinks that has to do with this extended run behind the plate.
Jon Meoli: This isn’t the Pete Alonso the Orioles signed up for, but this is still what they need
We know what it looks like when a well-paid first baseman doesn’t have it anymore, and this isn’t it.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ first road trip could have gone a lot worse. Somehow, that feels like progress.
COLUMN | The absence of calamity was notable as this club looks to find its footing under new manager Craig Albernaz. And there were plenty of opportunities for disaster to strike.
Jon Meoli: Why the top of the Orioles lineup holds the key to their season
COLUMN | These are extremely uncomfortable decisions the Orioles are forcing opposing managers to make, and there’s too much quality at the top of the lineup to not punish teams.
Jon Meoli: It’s barely April, and it feels like the Orioles are already in the grind
The Orioles' uneven start doesn’t mean anything in the context of a six-month season. It’s just not what this particular season needed to separate everything that will happen going forward from everything that happened last year.
Jon Meoli: Anthony Nunez’s surprise inclusion in the Orioles’ bullpen fits his improbable journey
With two scoreless innings in Nunez's debut Saturday, one of the most improbable stories in baseball may only be getting started.
Jon Meoli: By doubling down on Shane Baz, the Orioles can turn their rotation into a long-term strength
With Baz’s five-year, $68 million deal, the Orioles have bet on him to be a meaningful part of their rotation for the rest of this decade — and having him in place will help them build that out however they see fit.
Jon Meoli: With a win in his image, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz earns his beer shower
Everything Albernaz did in spring training to set the Orioles up for success was intentional. On opening day, it paid off.