Orioles news: Swept by Cubs, Austin Hays hot streak, Heston Kjerstad wake up call

If you'd told us this past Monday that the Orioles were about to be swept by the Cubs, we wouldn't have believed you. Clearly the better team heading into the series, the O's floundered at the plate, struggling to get any offense going.

The O's were shut out on consecutive nights, extremely uncharacteristic of this team. Coming into the series, they'd only been shut out twice all year. Having doubled that mark heading into a vital series with the Yankees this weekend, you'd be forgiven for being disappointed in the O's this week.

In the end, the Cubs outscored the O's 21-2 over the three-game series. And after all that, the Cubs are still in the cellar in the NL Central. The O's need to put this embarrassing series behind them and focus on what's ahead.

Austin Hays is forcing his way into the Orioles' lineup

The Orioles outfield is crowded, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing. Two months ago, we were watching Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins collapse, and were left wondering why guys like Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser weren't getting every day playing time.

Thankfully for the O's, things look a little bit different heading into the final weekend before the All Star break. Mullins and Hays have finally gotten their seasons turned around and are adding important depth to a strong Orioles lineup.

Hays in particular has come on strong since the start of June. In the last 6 weeks, Hays has crushed the ball. He's hitting .383/.433/.683 since June 1 and is proving to be an extremely strong platoon hitter against lefties.

In the long run, Kjerstad seems like he'll be good enough to play every day. But for the time being, Hays has been so valuable that it makes sense to platoon the two and keep giving Hays starts against LHP.

Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez hypes up Heston Kjerstad

Speaking of Kjerstad, RHP Grayson Rodriguez had some interesting comments about the young outfielder.

About the rookie, Rodriguez told reporters after Sunday's win in Oakland "I think the league’s about to get a wake-up call about him. Because the way he handles the bat is impressive. He’s got some juice."

Got some juice is right. The young lefty is slugging .553 with 3 homers and a couple doubles in just 19 games. Kjerstad has shown a strong penchant for plate discipline and has done plenty of damage on contact.

With any luck, the Orioles will keep him up in Baltimore for the remainder of the season and let him fully adapt to major league pitching. He has too much potential to keep sending him back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk.

Orioles ball boy Tyler Smith heading to All Star Game

In a bit of silly and random news, Orioles' ball boy Tyler Smith will be heading to Arlington, Texas for the All Star Game next week.

MLB had asked fans to vote on which ball boys to send to Arlington and Smith received overwhelming support from Orioles fans. It's the opportunity of a lifetime for Smith, who'll get the chance to do Baltimore and the Orioles' organization proud down in Texas.