CLEVELAND -- As the Orioles begin to shift the focus of their season to development, games like Tuesday’s are important.
While starting pitcher Brandon Young has struggled in his short big league stint with the O's, it hasn’t stopped him from getting thrust into action due to numerous injuries to the team’s pitching staff.
Young got another chance to show that he belongs on Tuesday, and although he didn’t pass the test with flying colors, he did show a little bit of promise.
Young, the Orioles' No. 19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings in Baltimore’s 6-3 loss to the Guardians. The O's have now dropped the first two games of the series and sit at 44-56 on the season.
“I thought he threw the ball pretty good,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I liked the fastball and that he went at their hitters. It was a very positive outing.”
Although Young’s spot on the roster still isn’t secure (especially with Zach Eflin coming off the injured list to start Wednesday night's game), the team’s moves at the July 31 Trade Deadline could result in him becoming one of the more important players on the roster.
“I’m still trying to find my feet under me,” Young said. “Just very frustrated. I haven’t been what I’ve wanted to be, but it’s all perspective. I’m glad I’m up here [and] I’ve really enjoyed throwing in the big leagues for this team.”
Eflin, Charlie Morton (who will get the nod on Thursday) and Tomoyuki Sugano are all impending free agents who have been mainstays in Trade Deadline rumors for most of the summer.
The same could be said on the position player side, as Ramón Laureano (who homered for a second straight game), Cedric Mullins and All-Star Ryan O'Hearn are also all on expiring deals.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias has already gone on the record and said that he “isn’t blowing up the team” and plans to compete next year, but trading away some (or all) of those six players would allow for Baltimore to recoup some value from guys who aren’t a part of the team’s future.
“Mike and the organization have a responsibility to create stable success for the organization for years to come,” Mansolino said. “That’s a big responsibility that he has, and he’s going to have to manage it how he’s going to manage it. For me and my staff, our goal is to win with whoever’s here, regardless of whoever gets traded or not.
“We’re fortunate to go through this with a core group of players who are highly unlikely to go anywhere.”
That core begins and ends with position players like Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, and it’s now on the Orioles to spend the next two-plus months figuring out who else is a part of it. One of the more intriguing pieces is Coby Mayo, who was the team’s No. 4 prospect last year per MLB Pipeline but has hit just .169 across 124 career MLB at-bats.
Although Tuesday’s game marked just his fourth start of July, the Orioles are hoping that the time Mayo spends around the big league club will help him just as much as any Minor League at-bat would.
“We’re not fools; we understand carrying him here will make him lose some at-bats [in the Minors], but we want him to watch the game and slow the game down,” Mansolino said. “I really hope we’re trying not to judge Coby at 23.”
Mayo finished 1-for-1 with three walks, marking his best game at the plate in nearly a month. His hit came against Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.
“A small step in the right direction,” Mansolino said.
“I wasn’t trying to think about too much, just looking for a good pitch to hit,” Mayo said. “I was able to lay off some good pitches and get a good result.”
With the loss, the Orioles sit 12 games below .500 at the 100-game mark and have the third-worst record in the American League. Both of those things could lead to Baltimore's roster looking very different a week from now.
“Everyone worries about the Trade Deadline every year,” Mayo said. “I feel like it’s been a thing the last three years, and I feel like we’re on the flip side this year. Guys are focused on handling business day by day, and, you know, we’ll see what happens.”