Behind Enemy Lines: 6 Orioles Players to Know as Mariners Head to Baltimore For Three-Game Set
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After taking two of three from the Astros this past weekend and getting a day off on Monday, the Mariners are set to embark on a nine-day road trip that will take them to Baltimore and both baseball cities in Texas.
To kick things off on Tuesday, the M's will get their first look at a young Orioles team that currently sits fifth place in the AL East at a record of 21-29. Seattle, which isn't far off at 20-28, won its season series against Baltimore in 2021, with three of its four victories coming at Oriole Park last April.
The Orioles have proven to be a pesky opponent through the first quarter of the 2022 campaign, most notably securing series wins over the Angels, Cardinals, Rays and Red Sox. Therefore, this likely won't be a walk in the park for a Mariners team that could desperately use a soft landing pad following a brutal month of May.
While the Orioles' record reflects the fact they are still in the midst of an ongoing rebuild, their roster is arguably the most talented it's been in a few years. Of course, that is not a very high bar to clear. But beyond the usual suspects of Trey Mancini, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander, there are a handful of solid big leaguers making waves in Baltimore.
Here are six to keep an eye on this week.
LHP Keegan Akin
Akin has been the Orioles' best piece out of the bullpen this season, sporting a 1.71 ERA with a 2.98 FIP through 31.2 innings of work. He's averaging 8.24 strikeouts and 2.56 walks per nine innings pitched, with opponents hitting just .157 against his low-to-mid 90s fastball and .061 off his slider—his two most commonly used pitches, which have generated whiff rates of 32.5 percent and 20.8 percent, respectively. The southpaw has also mixed in a changeup 19.7 percent of the time, though he's surrendered a .296 batting average and .519 slugging percentage with it.
RHP Dillon Tate
The big draw with Tate is his changeup, which has induced a startling 40.8 percent whiff rate up to this point. It's a lethal offering and opponents are hitting just .115 against it. He also routinely throws a sinker that averages out at 93.5 MPH with good movement and mixes in the occasional slider as well. Tate has walked just four batters through 25 innings pitched, thanks in part to his 85th percentile placement in chase rate. But despite the swings and misses he generates outside the zone, particularly with his changeup, he ranks outside the top 150 relievers in CSW% (25.9 percent) with a meager average of 6.48 strikeouts per nine innings. Nevertheless, he makes up for the lack of punchouts with the 19th-highest groundball rate amongst all qualified relievers (57.5 percent). Dealing with him and Akin could be a frustrating dilemma for the Mariners this week.
C Adley Rutschman
The consensus top prospect in baseball is here and he's experienced some growing pains through his first week of MLB action, slashing .167/.286/.233 with a triple and four walks in eight games. His first career RBI and home run elude him for now, but he'll be looking to rectify that in this series. He hasn't recorded a hit over his last three starts, so perhaps he is, as the kids say, "due."
INF Rougned Odor
Odor is still kicking and having himself a nice stretch over the last two weeks. In that time, he's slashed .288/.302/.577 with a team-high 150 wRC+ and three home runs. Historically speaking, the former Rangers second baseman has been a below-average performer against the Mariners, though he's hit 24 home runs in 453 plate appearances. One of those came off right-handed pitcher Chris Flexen, who's scheduled to start the third and final game of this series.
INF Ramón Urías
Urías, like Odor, got off to a dreadful start but has turned things around in the second half of May. Over his last 14 games, he's put together a .264/.339/.434 slash line with a pair of home runs and five RBI. He ranks in the 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate on the year and exhibits good enough discipline at the plate, though he could stand to tighten up his strikeout and walk rates a bit. Thus far, he's remained a reverse splits hitter with better numbers against right-handed pitchers than lefties, so Flexen and Tuesday starter George Kirby will need to make mental note of his spot in the lineup.
OF Austin Hays
The Orioles' leader in fWAR (1.3) and wRC+ (138) isn't Mancini, Mullins or Santander—it's Hays. The 26-year old outfielder is putting together a résumé worthy of All-Star consideration, slashing .297/.361/.455 with five home runs and 22 RBI. His Statcast numbers have been fairly neutral, suggesting there isn't much he's particularly excelling at, but he's a tough out who can stave off strikeouts (15.3 percent) and walk a fair amount (8.2 percent). Wednesday's matchup between Hays and left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray, who's tallied 20 or more swings and misses in each of his last three starts, should be fun to watch.
