The Baltimore Orioles have secured James McCann on a four-year contract, reportedly worth $89 million…
The reaction is about what you’d expect. Players watch a teammate sustain an injury and struggle to comprehend the reasoning or keep count.
Zach Eflin is reinstated from the injured list and starts yesterday’s series finale in Colorado, less than 24 hours after a 103.1 mile line drive slams into Dean Kremer’s right arm, creating a Rocky Mountain high welt above his wrist. The Orioles were dumped again into their gain-one, lose-one way of life.
Kremer has avoided the injured list and perhaps the off-day Thursday works in his favor. But he lasted only 3 1/3 innings and manager Brandon Hyde used six relievers in a 7-5 loss. Hyde said yesterday that he’d be surprised if Kremer started in the next four or five days.
Ramón Urías is hit on the nose by a 93.8 mph sinker, stays in the game and rolls his ankle covering third base. He’s on crutches and the 10-day IL, putting the Orioles’ hottest hitter on ice for an indefinite period.
If it wasn’t for bad luck …
“Kind of a disappointing night,” said Orioles first base coach Anthony Sanders. “But just really worried about Dean and Urías, and then especially him getting tipped with the nose and then now the ankle after that. Just got to cross our fingers and just hope that we can just stay healthy down the stretch.”
That would be a pleasant change from the usual routine.
Misery loves company, as they say, and the Orioles know that the baseball gods aren’t just picking on them. They wonder why again and then survey the baseball landscape.
“If you really look at the big picture you do,” Sanders said, “but then as you look around the league and look at all the other injuries that are happening, just got to stay afloat and next-man-up mentality.”
Catcher James McCann stood at the railing Saturday night with a mixed sense of disbelief and déjà vu. Trust me, it makes sense on this club. In the crazy year 2024.
“You hear the comments in the dugout when it happens,” he said before his home run and double in a 6-1 win. “I’d say not surprised as much as, ‘Here we go again.’
