Orioles are slowly proving that Brandon Hyde was indeed the problem

It turns out that maybe the Baltimore Orioles didn’t need a blockbuster trade or a full-scale rebuild. They just needed a new voice in the clubhouse.

After stumbling to a horrendous 15–28 start, the Orioles finally pulled the plug on the Brandon Hyde era, ending a tenure that dated back to 2019 and, more often than not, felt like a franchise failing to meet expectations. Since handing the reins to interim manager Tony Mansolino, this team hasn’t just looked better — they’ve looked like a team that finally remembered how to compete.

Since Mansolino stepped in, the Orioles have gone 18–14, including an impressive 12–7 mark in the first three weeks of June. This doesn’t look like a coincidence. It looks like a wake-up call. Earlier this week, they climbed to nine games under .500 — a modest milestone, sure, but one they hadn’t reached since May 11.

Tony Mansolino has the Orioles looking alive — proving Hyde was holding them back

The clearest signs of progress are on the mound. Before June 1, Orioles starters owned a rough 5.38 ERA with a paltry 7.02 K/9 and a 0.4 WAR. Since June began? A 4.78 ERA, 8.82 K/9, and a 1.7 WAR — a statistical leap that can’t be brushed aside as a fluke. It’s not just that the pitching has improved — it’s that the approach, the structure, the feel has changed. And perhaps no player embodies that turnaround better than Charlie Morton.

After looking completely washed with a 9.45 ERA in April, a bullpen stint helped reset the veteran righty. Since returning to the rotation, he’s allowed just two runs in three starts — excluding a fourth start that turned out to be a clunker in Oakland. Morton is starting to look stable in the rotation and no longer a liability.

But the turnaround doesn’t stop on the mound. The Orioles offense, which had been sputtering with a 90 wRC+ through May, has surged to a 114 mark in June — a jump that shows the bats are finally backing up the arms. Whether it’s smarter at-bats, better lineup construction, or simply players responding to a new clubhouse tone, the energy is undoubtedly different.

With less than six weeks until the July 31 trade deadline, the Orioles are making a clear pitch to the front office to not sell them short. If this trend continues, there’s no reason for GM Mike Elias to consider a teardown. If anything, they’ve earned the right to hold — and maybe even add.

None of this erases the good Hyde did in helping lead the franchise through its rebuild. But the writing was on the wall. His message had gone stale, the clubhouse needed a jolt, and Mansolino delivered it. The Orioles didn’t suddenly add talent overnight. They just started playing like a team that believes again.

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