COLUMN | If it looks as if hitters are just guessing against Rico Garcia, it’s because they are.

Rogers spent four months as one of the game’s best pitchers last year by doing it the way he did until the seventh — and avoiding big innings like the one that chased him Friday.

The Orioles once sought specific pitch types and shapes, but are now taking a more holistic view.

COLUMN | It’s nothing to brag about to say the Orioles are improving at the plate, on the mound, in the field and on the bases, considering how rough things have looked at time. But they’re talented enough to do all those things well.

COLUMN | The club’s faith in what it does is so deeply held by those running the organization that any meaningful change would be an admission of failure that, at a time of such scrutiny, would only lend credence to the criticisms of the Orioles’ front office.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Beavers, a 24-year-old rookie, is taking in everything he can from Ward to help him reach a higher level.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

We know what it looks like when a well-paid first baseman doesn’t have it anymore, and this isn’t it.

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.