The last time the Orioles opened the season so well in 2016, they arrived on Opening Day with an experienced team and playoff expectations, then parlayed a season-opening sweep of the Twins to 89 wins and a berth in the American League Wild Card Game. The ’21 O’s are designed differently, their targets have a longer scope. But the first results? Pristine so far.
A weekend later, the Orioles are one of two unbeaten AL teams (along with the Astros) after choking the Red Sox 11-3 in an Easter Sunday defeat at Fenway Park. Baltimore jumped to an early double-digit lead after a third inning of seven runs, reaching its first sweep for the season since 2016 and the first sweep in Boston since August 25-27, 2017.
“It was a really great weekend,” said winning pitcher Bruce Zimmermann. “It’s just a huge confidence boost for this team, and I think we’ll be surprising a lot of people this year. So this is just the beginning. “
The Orioles did it with contributions up and down the lineup, with Cedric Mullins’ five-hit match from first place kicking off their 17-hit attack. Four O’s enjoyed a multihit game and four drove in multiple runs in support of Zimmermann, the rookie lefthanded who recorded six solid innings en route to his first Major League victory. By partying in cold conditions to Garrett Richards after two close wins, Baltimore outperformed the Red Sox by 13 points (18-5) in the three-game run, despite not hitting a home run.
A weekend is of course far from a season. But at least the past three days in Boston sparked optimism for a rebuilding club preparing for signs of growth, whether it’s the advent of more top prospects or the further development of building blocks already in-house.
Let’s take a look at some of the key developments this weekend, which could indicate more:
1. Click the top of the order
Sunday’s win was a team effort, with all but one Orioles starter having at least one hit and the top three batters – Mullins, Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander – combining for 10. But the key was Mullins, who is 9-for-13 in the season following his 5-for-5 day. Consider the difference between that and two years ago, when Mullins started 6-for-59 and closed the season with Double-A Bowie.
Mullins’ nine hits are the most of an Oriole in the first three games. Billy Gardner (1957), Paul Blair (’75) and Brady Anderson (’97) shared the record of eight.
“He’s doing everything extremely well,” Hyde said.
Mullins, who reached base in all six at bats on Sunday, won the first game of five hits by Orioles since Mancini on September 24, 2019. He doubled and scored in the first, a double in the second, singled and scored in the second. third, singled again in the fourth, walked and doubled in the seventh and scored in the ninth.
Mullins is the first Oriole, and sixth player since 1952, to have five hits, three doubles and at least one walk in a game. The last player? Indian catcher Kelly Shoppach against the Tigers on July 30, 2008.
“It’s relaxing, and I can go upstairs and stay locked in my at-clubs,” Mullins said. “It’s really important to stay locked up now.”
2. Pitching
The bats were not the reason for the low expectations the Orioles followed on the way to 2021. The bigger one was the pitching – specifically, a starting rotation that, even after the dust settled this spring, was left full of questions behind Opening Day starter John Middelen. This weekend she masked just about everything.
Resources were simply masterful on Friday, the bullpen held the line behind Matt Harvey on Saturday and Zimmermann rode on his second career start on Sunday. Zimmermann occasionally threw a 10-run lead and struckout five batters with one walk, leaving little more than the solo-homer by JD Martinez and the RBI-double. The bullpen performed all weekend, combining 9 1/3 scoreless innings.
3. Fundamentally healthy
Could these Orioles be better defensively than in recent seasons? They struggled in the field all spring and they weren’t a strong defensive team in 2019 or ’20, with many young players and some playing out of position at times. If you look around the diamond this year, there are fewer gaps to see, especially now that Rio Ruiz turned heads on second base in place of Yolmer Sánchez, an American League Gold Glove Award winner with the White Sox in ’19.
Mullins is a downtown impact advocate. Santander was a finalist of the AL Gold Glove Award last year. Austin Hays – who left Sunday’s win with a right hamstring injury – allowed Hyde to protect Ryan Mountcastle from Fenway’s Green Monster all weekend. Mancini is back to his natural position of first base full-time, and Freddy Galvis and Maikel Franco provide solid veteran gloves on the left. The O’s only made one mistake all weekend, and they generally haven’t defeated themselves in a way that they have in the recent past.
“I think the synergy we have as a team is very strong,” said Mullins. “We have been playing together for a few years now and everything is starting to click. We have an idea of our playing style, how to keep our heads up regardless of whether they are successful or not. And it can be seen. “