Baltimore Orioles

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.

As Baltimore prepares for its first road trip, here are five takeaways from the opening week.

Dean Kremer is the natural replacement for Eflin in the rotation.

Baz and Cowser played each other nearly every tournament from ages 8-12. They are teammates now, but bragging rights remain whether it’s friendly fire or not.

“I think we had two [challenges left] at that point,” the 21-year-old Basallo said. “I thought why not use it? Better to use it and see what happens instead of holding on to it.

To be a complete team, the Orioles will hope for more performances like this one, with a diverse run-manufacturing catalog.

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.

Alonso squared up a low-and-inside fastball from former Mets teammate Jacob deGrom.

The Orioles’ relievers, thrown into the fire after two nights of shortened starts, couldn’t hold the Rangers in check.

With two scoreless innings in Nunez's debut Saturday, one of the most improbable stories in baseball may only be getting started.

The loss featured more shaky defense from the Orioles (2-2) and an uneven debut from right-hander Chris Bassitt that created an early deficit.

The inspiration was unclear at first. Jackson Holliday thought it stemmed from the Happy Hands Club scene of “Napoleon Dynamite.” Outfielder Dylan Beavers thought it was a butterfly.

Baz’s $68 million deal buys out his arbitration-eligible seasons, with two additional seasons tacked on to the end.

When Mayo said he wanted to be ready for everything, he was talking about pitch shapes. He may as well have been talking about his entire baseball future.

When Baltimore’s offense needed a spark in Sunday’s 8-6 series-ending win against the Twins, Pete Alonso came through both times.

A leadoff walk and a home run in the fifth cost Bradish in his first appearance this season.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Baltimore is “turning into a place that players really want to be, and that’s hugely important for us and we want to keep that going.”

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.

COLUMN | While there are bigger fish for the Orioles to nail down extensions with, Shane Baz is a great early entry who keeps the organization pointed in the right direction to lock down more players.

Baz was under team control through arbitration until after the 2028 season. This deal buys out two years of free agency.