Orioles Manager Enrages Fans With Controversial Lineup Decisions in Ugly Loss

Baltimore Orioles fans are roasting Brandon Hyde for his puzzling lineup decisions.

Mar 28, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) walks towards the dugout after a pitching change during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

It's only 10 games into the season, and Baltimore Orioles fans are already calling out manager Brandon Hyde for his head-scratching lineup decisions.

Puzzling lineups have been an irritating theme of Hyde's throughout his Orioles tenure, often inciting rage from fans when they (frequently) don't work out.

That was the case in Sunday's series finale against the Kansas City Royals. With Baltimore trying to win the rubber game and even its record at 5-5, Hyde deployed a righty-heavy lineup against Royals lefty starter Kris Bubic.

The 51-year-old skipper curiously benched two of his hottest hitters, Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad. Holliday's off to a great start and hitting .333/.355/.533 this season, while Kjerstad had five hits in his last 14 at-bats prior to Sunday's game.

Even more bizarrely, he replaced them with two of the team's coldest hitters, Gary Sanchez and Jorge Mateo. Mateo doesn't have a hit this year, while Sanchez only has one.

Not surprisingly, Hyde's questionable moves backfired. Mateo and Sanchez went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts as the Orioles' offense sputtered, managing just one run and five hits in their 4-1 loss to Kansas City.

Kjerstad only got one at-bat as a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth (he struck out), while Holliday never left the bench. Perhaps if they had been in the starting lineup like usual, the game would have turned out differently.

Baltimore fans and writers were quick to criticize Hyde on social media, calling him out on X. Some even suggested that he should be fired.

No Holliday (hitting .333) or Kjerstad (hitting .294) in today's Orioles lineup.

Hyde, yet again, produces a lineup without some of the team's hottest hitters. Truly bizarre!

— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) April 6, 2025

It’s time to fire Brandon Hyde. For a guy who’s so hyper analytical, he makes the most boneheaded decisions. Just can’t have that any longer.

— Scott Greene (@TerrapinNation) April 6, 2025

Holliday and Kjerstad are both young players with limited MLB experience, so Hyde should be giving them as many at-bats as possible against southpaws. If they struggle, then it makes sense to platoon them, but they deserve the chance to prove they can be everyday players like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman.

"Protecting" rising stars by benching them so early in their careers only prevents them from learning. Inconsistent playing time also makes it tougher for them to stay in a rhythm at the plate.

In that sense, Hyde's moves are damaging in both the short and long term. He's costing his team games in the present and potentially harming his young players' development.

If Hyde wants to help the Orioles win games and get out of last place in the AL East, he should try starting their best players. It's a crazy concept, but it just might work.