'We're not panicking': Orioles working through early-season challenges

PHOENIX -- Nothing was different about the way Orioles players packed their bags in the visitors' clubhouse at Chase Field late Wednesday afternoon. No team meeting was held. The calm, quiet setting was the same as after any loss, which there are plenty of during a 162-game season.

Not a lot has gone right for Baltimore over the first 13 games of the 2025 campaign. The all-around struggles were again on display as the O’s took a 9-0 loss to the D-backs for a disappointing finish to a tough three-game series and a challenging six-game road trip.

How is the morale of the Orioles following an unexpected 5-8 start?

"I think we're OK. We don’t need to hit the panic button yet,” said right-hander Dean Kremer, who allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk over 4 2/3 innings in the latest defeat. “We've still got 150-something games left. So I mean, I'm quite confident in our group here that once everybody kind of gets going at the same time, it's going to be a runaway train."

To be exact, there are 149 games to go, and that’s important to remember. The O’s have plenty of time to turn everything around and make it to the postseason for a third consecutive year.

“Obviously, you always want to go out there and win, and that's what we're trying to do,” first baseman Ryan Mountcastle said. “Last week or so, it's been a little tough. But I'm sure we'll get back on the horse.”

At the same time, there’s quite a bit Baltimore needs to correct in order to get the season moving in a better direction.

First, there’s the offense, for which the magic number has been five so far. When the O’s have scored five or more runs, they’re 5-0. When they’ve tallied four or fewer, they’re 0-8.

Gunnar Henderson needs to heat up atop the order (a .160 batting average and .392 OPS in six games since coming off the injured list). When the 23-year-old star shortstop sets the tone -- as he did in Monday’s win at Arizona -- good at-bats typically trickle down through the lineup.

Some of it’s been a bit of bad luck. The Orioles had 13 hard-hit balls (exit velocities of 95-plus mph, per Statcast) on Wednesday. Yet, they recorded only four hits as Arizona’s trio of Brandon Pfaadt (six innings), Jalen Beeks (two) and Bryce Jarvis (one) combined for a shutout.

How does Baltimore get its bats going? There’s no secret formula.

“Nothing in particular,” outfielder Tyler O’Neill said this week. “I think we definitely believe in ourselves, that’s first and foremost. We face some pretty tough pitchers, obviously big league-caliber pitchers here. Can run into a hot arm at any time. But we can turn it around at any time, too. Obviously, there’s a lot of potential in this lineup. It’s just a matter of time.”

Optimism doesn’t make the frustration any easier to deal with in the meantime.

“It’s tough. Baseball’s tough,” infielder Jackson Holliday said. “It’s frustrating to lose, especially games you think you can win.”

The lack of run production isn’t the only reason for the Orioles’ difficult start, though. Their starting pitchers have had a tough time pitching deep into games as well as keeping opponents from scoring.

Baltimore’s rotation ERA sits at 5.37 as hurlers such as Kremer (8.16 ERA through three outings) and veteran right-hander Charlie Morton (8.78 through three outings) have had bumpy beginnings. Now, the banged-up staff will be without top right-hander Zach Eflin, who went on the IL with a right lat strain.

This type of start is uncharted territory for these Orioles, who are three games below .500 for the first time since July 8, 2022, when they were 41-44. It’s the first time the O’s haven’t won any of their first four series of a season since 2010, when they dropped seven straight sets to begin the year.

Since splitting the season-opening four-game set in Toronto, Baltimore has lost two of three to each of Boston, Kansas City and Arizona.

“We’re off to a slow start, grinding,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’ve had a handful of good games, but we’re having a tough time putting everything together. Guys are keeping their heads up. We’ve just got to keep working. It’s a talented team that we’re not playing to our full potential right now. You’re going to go through challenges throughout the season. We’ve hit a challenge a little bit early in the season this year, which we haven’t in the past few years.”

Much like Wednesday’s postgame atmosphere, the Orioles aren’t changing anything. They’ll return to Baltimore, reset during Thursday’s off-day and prepare for the upcoming nine-game homestand that begins Friday with the opener of a three-game series vs. the Blue Jays.

“We’re not panicking in the clubhouse,” Hyde said. “We’ll have a hitters and pitchers meeting just like we do before every series after the off-day, and [we'll] remind them that they’re really good players and keep encouraging and staying positive. It’s important right now.”