Brendan Mortensen

Baltimore

Host at MASN All Access Podcast: Orioles

Content Manager at Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN)

let it rip | @masnOrioles & @masnNationals | O's contributor for @FanSided | 🍊 @NewhouseSU & @WAERSports

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Articles

Starter's hot stretch cools off, O's winning streak ends at six (updated)

19 hours ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Orioles had gone two consecutive series without allowing four earned runs or more. They, of course, won all six of those games. Tonight, Baltimore allowed four earned runs by the end of the third inning. The offense couldn't find the right hits, and the O's fell 5-4 to the Athletics, snapping Baltimore's six-game winning streak. A lefty starter on the mound presented a tall task for an Orioles lineup that had been the worst in baseball at hitting southpaws this season.
Laureano returns, Mountcastle out for extended stretch

1 day ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Orioles roster had a shakeup this afternoon, but it wasn’t the one that most had expected. Jordan Westburg has been tearing the cover off the ball in six games in Triple-A Norfolk, but his return will most likely wait until after this road trip. “You’ll see Westy play these next couple days most likely,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I think he’s probably the most likely one to be there Tuesday.” Baltimore won’t rush him.
What does a "successful" rest of the season look like in Baltimore?

1 week ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

The 2025 season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Baltimore Orioles. At 19-36, the O’s have dug themselves quite a hole to kick off the campaign. Time is not their friend. As the calendar rapidly approaches June, expectations from the offseason feel distant. A great comeback is still possible, but Baltimore is heading toward the middle innings down a handful of runs. This week on “The Bird’s Nest,” Annie Klaff and I zoomed in.
Explaining Trevor Rogers' surprising success in Boston

1 week ago | birdswatcher.com | Brendan Mortensen

In Rogers' five rehab appearances in the minors, he had a 7.71 ERA. How did he toss a big league shutout? Trevor Rogers' rehab starts didn't inspire much confidence. In his first start for the Norfolk Tides about one month ago, Rogers lasted just 1 2/3 innings, surrendering four earned runs, walking three, and striking out just two. Things didn't get much better over his next three starts in Triple-A.
Orioles snap losing skid in dramatic fashion (updated)

2 weeks ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

MILWAUKEE – Baltimore was right there. The losing streak was over. The Tony Mansolino era had its first victory in the palm of its hand. For the first time this season, Baltimore could come back to win a game after trailing entering the seventh inning. They found clutch situational hits when they needed to. Their former All-Star closer was on the mound with a chance to seal things in the ninth. Baltimore was one strike away.
Kittredge returns, plus an update on Laureano

2 weeks ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

MILWAUKEE – There haven’t been very many positives to point to in the brief Tony Mansolino era. Today, there’s one in plain sight. Andrew Kittredge, who the O’s signed to a one-year, $10 million deal with an option for 2026 this offseason, was reinstated from the injured list today. Kittredge missed a chunk of spring training and the beginning of this season after undergoing “knee debridement” surgery. At his healthy best, he’s one of the best setup men in the game.
New Statcast metric highlights area of potential improvement for Orioles

2 weeks ago | birdswatcher.com | Brendan Mortensen

Could a revamped ideal attack angle rate lead to better numbers at the dish for Baltimore? Baseball is guilty of information overload. Venturing over to any player’s Statcast page, you’ll find any number of potential rabbit holes to shimmy down. Navigating through the right twists and turns, however, can lead you to some incredibly in-depth answers to your most pressing questions.
Another quiet night at the dish leads to another loss (updated)

2 weeks ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

MILWAUKEE – The story of the O’s first two games in Milwaukee has felt eerily similar. The starting pitching didn’t take them out of it but wasn’t stellar, the bullpen was adequate but not great, and some late life from the offense wasn’t enough to push Baltimore ahead. Any way you slice it, it added up to the Orioles’ eighth consecutive loss, this time 5-2. The Orioles haven’t won a series against the Brewers since 2003. The first turn around the order was incredibly uneventful for both teams.
Elias on Hyde's dismissal, issues plaguing Orioles

2 weeks ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

MILWAUKEE – Mike Elias isn’t a stranger to addressing the media in the midst of a losing season. Since taking the reins of the O’s front office in November 2018, Elias oversaw tough years in the win and loss columns from 2019 to 2021. The caveat there, of course, is that Baltimore was rebuilding. Soon, players like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and more would join the fold to propel the Orioles to a 100-win season and division title, and back-to-back postseason appearances.
Late rally comes up short in Baltimore's 5-4 loss (updated)

2 weeks ago | masnsports.com | Brendan Mortensen

MILWAUKEE – The first two innings haven’t been kind to the Orioles in the Tony Mansolino era. Late deficits haven’t been kind to Baltimore all season. In the first game of their new series against the Brewers, the Orioles beat both trends. But they couldn’t beat the Brewers, falling 5-4 in Game 1. Yesterday, the ever-reliable Zach Eflin allowed seven earned runs in his first two frames against the Nationals. On Saturday, Kyle Gibson and Charlie Morton combined to do the same.