Orioles news: O’s get thrilling win; MLB Draft starts today

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Even in a season that isn’t going according to plan, an immutable fact remains: life seems a little bit better after an Orioles win. That’s especially true when the O’s make it a dramatic win, like last night’s 5-3 takedown of the visiting Royals at Camden Yards. After Brandon Young’s bid to pitch into the eighth inning went haywire in heartbreaking fashion, Samuel Basallo stepped up to reinvigorate the team and the sizable crowd of O’s fans with his electric go-ahead homer — and epic bat toss — in the Birds’ last at-bat. Check out Stacey’s recap of a delightful night at Oriole Park.

The game was a fun reminder of what the Orioles can look like when they’re playing well, something that unfortunately has happened far too little this season. A win against a last-place Royals team doesn’t fix the many problems that still plague the Birds. But with two games remaining against lowly Kansas City, the Orioles have a chance to head into the All-Star break feeling better about themselves if they can put together a couple more performances as competent as last night’s.

While the players (hopefully) keep their attention on the field, the O’s front office decision-makers have other things on their mind this weekend. The 2026 MLB Draft begins today at 1 pm, and the Orioles hold the #7 pick. As Mark Brown wrote, there’s no consensus among draft pundits about which player the O’s will take; five different writers have suggested four different possibilities for the Orioles in their mock drafts. And of course the Birds’ actual selection could end up being someone not even mentioned. They do that sometimes.

The Orioles’ #7 pick is their highest since 2022, when they held the #1 overall selection and drafted Jackson Holliday. Since then, their highest first-round picks have been #17 in 2023 (which they used on Enrique Bradfield Jr.), #22 in 2024 (Vance Honeycutt), and #19 in 2025 (Ike Irish).

And I would venture to say that Mike Elias really needs to nail this one. His once-hyped draft prowess has lost quite a bit of luster in recent years. After his lauded first draft with the Orioles in 2019, which netted the O’s both Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the results of his subsequent drafts have been a mixed bag. He reached a bit to make Heston Kjerstad the #2 overall pick in 2020 and that hasn’t panned out, though he also scored Jordan Westburg later in the first round. Elias’s top selection in 2021, Colton Cowser, is still a bit of an enigma offensively. Then there’s Holliday, who hasn’t yet performed like the platonic ideal of a #1 overall pick, though he’s still just 22.

None of the Orioles’ draft picks from 2023 or beyond have arrived in the majors, but Bradfield has struggled to hit consistently in the minors, and the 2024 draft — in which Elias selected Honeycutt and Griff O’Ferrall in the first round — looks like a bust. Early returns from the 2025 first round (Irish and Wehiwa Aloy) look promising so far, as does Caden Bodine, whom the O’s traded to the Rays in the Shane Baz deal.

If the Orioles’ 2026 campaign continues to go sideways and the team decides to make front office changes this offseason, then there’s a real possibility that this is the final draft Elias will oversee. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope it’s a good one.

Links

Basallo’s tie-breaking home run gives Orioles 5-3 win over Royals (updated) – School of Roch

Basallo got some amazing distance on that thing. And I’m just talking about the bat toss.

Is 2026 the year the Orioles draft a 1st-round pitcher? ‘We’ll see.’ – The Baltimore Sun

In my house, “we’ll see” is what I tell my daughter when my actual answer is a hard no. I’m thinking the same is true here.

Will Orioles’ Jackson Holliday fulfill his promise? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

One e-mailer suggests that the O’s should mortgage the farm to trade for Mason Miller. I hate to tell you this, friend, but the Orioles are not a closer away from being a good team.

Will the O’s consider trading any pending free agents? – Steve Melewski

Follow-up question: do the Orioles have any pending free agents that other teams would even want to trade for?

Turnstile will be at the Orioles game tonight. The commemorative jerseys will not. – The Baltimore Banner

Due to supply chain issues, the O’s didn’t have the Turnstile giveaway jerseys ready to hand out to fans last night. It’s been that kind of a year for the 2026 Orioles.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two guys who were briefly Orioles: outfielder Daniel Johnson (31), who played nine games from 2024-25, and righty Zach Clark (43), who pitched a single MLB game back in 2013.

On this date in 1968, Earl Weaver managed his first major league game after taking over for the fired Hank Bauer. The then-37-year-old Weaver guided the O’s to a 2-0 win over the Senators in Baltimore, thanks to Dave McNally’s two-hit shutout and a Don Buford home run. It was the first of 1,480 regular season wins — plus 26 postseason wins — in Earl’s eventual Hall of Fame career.

And on this day in 1987, Billy Ripken made his MLB debut, joining brother Cal Jr. in the Orioles lineup. Their dad, Cal Sr., became the first skipper in MLB history to manage two of his sons. Cal Jr. and Billy went a combined 0-for-7 in the Orioles’ 2-1 loss to the Twins.

Random Orioles game of the day

On July 11, 2002, the Orioles opened the second half with a 4-1 loss to the Athletics at Camden Yards. Scott Erickson had a strong seven-inning, three-run outing, but was outdueled by A’s lefty Mark Mulder, who stymied the Orioles for seven scoreless. Future Oriole Miguel Tejada went 2-for-5 with an RBI double for Oakland. The loss dropped the Orioles to two games under .500, which doesn’t seem so bad considering they eventually finished the season 28 games under.