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Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Skipper Says They 'Got Lucky' on Tuesday Night

The Baltimore Orioles are certainly breathing a sigh of relief after they could have been dealt a heavy blow on Tuesday.
Brad Wakai|
May 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) watches fourth inning action against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
May 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) watches fourth inning action against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

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Baltimore Orioles

Outside of their pitching staff, the Baltimore Orioles have been able to remain relatively healthy throughout the early portion of the year.

Based on how many major injuries have been suffered by pitchers across the league, they avoided that early on when Kyle Bradish was able to recover from his strained UCL by receiving Platelet-Rich Plasma injections.

However, things could have taken a turn for the worse on Tuesday night when Jordan Westburg was hit by a 95 mph pitch on his hand.

The 25-year-old infielder remained in the game, one where the Orioles lost 8-3 to end their season-high winning streak at five.

X-rays came back negative, causing manager Brandon Hyde to say, "I think we really caught a break and got lucky. He's sore, but feels a lot better than he did last night. It squared him up pretty good on the hand" according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.

All things considered, they certainly should feel lucky.

Any type of broken bones in Westburg's hand would have caused him to miss an extended period of time, something Baltimore couldn't afford as he's become one of their best hitters this year, slashing .291/.351/.508 with eight homers, 22 extra-base hits, and 34 RBI.

He's also been their primary third baseman, allowing them to limit the amount of at-bats the struggling Ramon Urias has gotten so far this season.

If the 25-year-old was to have gone down with an injury, it would have drastically changed how their defense and lineup would have looked until he made his way back.

The good thing for the Orioles is they don't have to worry about that now.

Hyde is giving Westburg the day off on Wednesday ahead of their off day on Thursday.

That should give his sore hand time to recover so he can play against the Tampa Bay Rays for their weekend series starting Friday.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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