ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brandon Hyde has remained bullish about his players. They’re his guys — he’s a players’ manager — and even as the season begins slowly for many of his longest-tenured players, the Orioles skipper is unflappable in his assessment.
They’ll come around, he says. Their track record speaks for itself, he notes. They only need to see a ball here or there find grass, he surmises, before all of this worry is old news.
The sentiment doesn’t guarantee a turnaround. But for Anthony Santander and Ramón Urías, the last two weeks have shown Hyde’s patience to be prudent.
In Friday’s series-opening 6-3 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, Santander and Urías drove in runs early to give Baltimore a platform to build on. Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg later delivered opposite-field, two-run homers that pushed the game out of reach.
Of all the knocks, the continuation of recent surges at the plate for Santander and Urías supports the frequent playing time for a pair of veterans who have proven reliable throughout their time in Baltimore.
“It seems like he’s [Santander’s] heating up,” Westburg said. “I’ve been able to hit behind him a lot recently, and it seems like his at-bats are ultra competitive.”
Santander, an impending free agent who began the year hitting .202 before a strong stretch kicked in late in May, clubbed his 13th home run in the second inning against right-hander Aaron Civale. The blast — plus a single and a walk later — elevated his batting average over his last 12 games to .326.
In that span, Santander has more runs batted in (nine) than strikeouts (eight). He’s also knocked a round-tripper in four of his last seven games.
Earlier in the year, pitchers found a hole in Santander’s swing: the high fastball. But lately an adjustment is allowing Santander to combat that pitch, and when Civale threw a high fastball to Santander, the ball left the yard swiftly.
“He got one tonight above the zone and put it in the seats,” Hyde said. “He’s done that a few times now this last week or so. He’s made a really nice adjustment.”
“That’s Tony at his best,” said Westburg, noting how Santander battled out of a two-strike count to go deep. “Not giving at-bats away, really sticking to his process and hitting balls hard. Like, even his outs are loud right now. And that’s who he is. That’s the Tony that we know. He’s going to show up. It’s only a matter of time.”
And Urías, whose role largely diminished to the bench before Jorge Mateo’s concussion opened more playing time, lined a double to the left-field fence to score Colton Cowser later in the second inning.
For as slowly as Urías opened the season (with a .167 average at the start of May), in his last seven games he has looked more like the productive utility player of recent seasons. Including his double Friday, Urías has a seven-game hitting streak and a .500 average in that span.
“It’s great to get production from the bottom of the order,” Hyde said. “Ramón Urías, huge hit.”
The second-inning runs Santander and Urías drove in gave left-hander Cole Irvin an early lead, although the Rays broke through against Irvin in the bottom of the frame via Jose Siri’s solo homer. Irvin pitched into the sixth, allowing two earned runs (three overall) with eight hits, six strikeouts and no walks.
The Orioles have juggled their rotation this month, giving two days of extra rest to right-hander Kyle Bradish, given the gauntlet of a schedule ahead. Bradish will pitch Saturday, a week after his last appearance, but Irvin provided some length even with hard-hit balls against him.
“They’re not an easy team to face twice in a week,” said Irvin, who allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings Sunday. “Thought I did well, and Rutsch [catcher Adley Rutschman] called a great game. Offense did great things. Defense was there. All-around great game for the team.”
He had additional breathing room because of the two-run homers from Mountcastle and Westburg — each of whom could find himself nearing a first All-Star nomination by posting a strong month. With Westburg’s long ball, five Orioles players have 10 or more this year.
“Anywhere in our lineup,” Irvin said, “we can do damage, and it’s pretty fun to watch every single night. And you just don’t know when we’re going to explode.”
Westburg and Mountcastle have produced at a steady clip for just about the entire campaign. To have Santander and Urías nearing their best again will only deepen an already potent lineup — particularly Santander, who’s expected to be an everyday contributor.
“I think everyone in the clubhouse trusts his [Santander’s] ability, trusts his process,” Westburg said. “We know he’s going to be a huge piece for us coming down.”
