Baltimore Orioles: Takeaways From Frustrating Series Loss To Giants

The Baltimore Orioles dropped another series this weekend as the San Fransisco Giants took two out of three from the Birds.

With the struggling San Fransisco Giants in town from the west coast, this weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity for the Baltimore Orioles to pick up their first series win since late April.

Unfortunately the series did not go the O’s way as they drooped two out of three games to the Giants at Camden Yards.

The O’s took the series opener in a slugfest, dropped game two after a rough pitching performance from David Hess and in game three were burned by former AL East rival Evan Longoria and the Giants offense.

It was another rough series, but there were a couple of positives to talk about. Here are the three big takeaways from the Baltimore Orioles latest series loss.

The Orioles Have Something In Dwight Smith Jr.

26-year-old Dwight Smith Jr. has yet up to the potential that made him a first-round selection of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. However, in 2019 as a member of the Orioles he is finally showing flashes as to why the Blue Jays made the selection they did.

In Friday’s series opener that potential was on full display as Smith hit a clutch grand slam in the first inning as the O’s responded to the Giants five-run first with a six-run inning to take the lead.

https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/1134622408353177601

Smith’s single-season home run high entering 2019 was two. Now the former first rounder has 10 on the season with 35 RBI’s. There’s little doubt Smith is making a case to be a piece to the Orioles puzzle for the future.

Gabriel Ynoa Deserves Another Start

In his second start of 2019, Gabriel Ynoa again proved why he deserves a shot to stay in the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation.

Though Ynoa took the loss Sunday, he only allowed two earned runs with one coming on an Evan Longoria solo shot.

Ynoa threw the ball at times throughout the start and even got through the first two innings in just 20 pitches.

If Brandon Hyde is going to continue to start the struggling David Hess, there’s no reason why Ynoa doesn’t deserve another shot to start for the O’s.

The Orioles as a Franchise are in a Better Spot Than the Giants

Yes, the Giants have the better record in 2019 (24-34) than the O’s (18-41) but going forward the Orioles are in better shape than the team that has won three world championships this decade.

The O’s successfully waived the white flag last season and obtained quality minor league talent. While the farm system isn’t quite where it needs to be yet tomorrow’s MLB Draft, and the summer trade deadline will continue to help the Orioles improve.

San Francisco, on the other hand, has continued to try to compete despite having a weak roster the past three seasons. According to FanGraphs, the Giants farm system ranks 27th entering the MLB Draft with the Orioles checking in at 22.

This weekend may have gone the Giants way, but the Orioles are in better shape for the long run.

After a 2-4 homestand the Orioles will now hit the road as they travel to the lone star state to take on the surprising Texas Rangers for three games beginning Tuesday evening.