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The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday, hoping a new leader can spark a turnaround of the most disappointing team in Major League Baseball.

Hyde, who had managed the Orioles through the end of their rebuild and helped lead them to the past two postseasons, oversaw an underwhelming start in which Baltimore went 15-28 and find itself 10½ games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.

Third-base coach Tony Mansolino will take over as interim manager, according to the team, which also fired field coordinator Tim Cossins.

“As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately my responsibility,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Part of that responsibility is pursuing difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future. I want to thank Brandon for his hard work, dedication and passion all these years, and for returning the team to the playoffs and winning an AL East championship. His many positive contributions to this organization and to Baltimore will remain, and we wish he and his family the best.”

With an underperforming offense, one of baseball’s worst pitching staffs and middling defense, the Orioles have regressed in every facet of the game this season. Hyde, 51, entered the season with questions about his long-term future after Baltimore was swept out of a wild-card series against Kansas City last year. In 2023, following a season in which they won an AL-best 101 games, the Orioles were swept by the Texas Rangers in the division series.

Elias gave Hyde a vote of confidence in early May, only to see Baltimore lose 10 of its next 13 games, including the past four. Beyond shortstop Gunnar Henderson, center fielder Cedric Mullins and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, the Orioles have received limited offensive help, and injuries to infielder Jordan Westburg and outfielder Colton Cowser tested their lineup.

The pitching in particular has been disastrous. With a thin rotation and injuries to right-handers Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin, the Orioles sport a 5.33 ERA, the worst in the AL and third worst in MLB. Following the loss of ace Corbin Burnes via free agency to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Orioles did not sufficiently backfill their rotation, even as they guaranteed more than $100 million in free agency.

Baltimore entered the offseason with more money to spend under new owner David Rubenstein but have received limited return for it. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who received a three-year, $49.5 million deal, is hitting .188/.280/.325. Charlie Morton, who got $15 million for one year, is 0-7 with an 8.35 ERA. Catcher Gary Sanchez (one year, $8.5 million) has spent the past three weeks on the injured list, where reliever Andrew Kittredge (one year, $10 million) has been the entire season. Only right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who signed for one year and $13 million, has been productive.

“As is sometimes the case in baseball, change becomes necessary,” Rubenstein said, “and we believe this is one of those moments.”

Hyde was hired in 2019, when the Orioles were in the second year of a teardown that saw them lose at least 108 games in three consecutive full seasons. The arrival of catcher Adley Rutschman and Henderson in 2022 turned around Baltimore’s fortunes. Their 101-win season, along with a promising core of position players, portended a bright future.

Baltimore stalled out in 2024, winning 91 games, and lost Burnes and slugger Anthony Santander to division rival Toronto. Although top prospect Jackson Holliday has shown signs of developing into a solid every-day regular, outfielder Heston Kjerstad and third baseman Coby Mayo have yet to find their big league footing.

Mansolino, 42, managed at four levels of the minor leagues before joining Cleveland‘s coaching staff in 2019. The Orioles hired him as third-base coach before the 2021 season.

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Journalism rallies to win Preakness; Gosger 2nd

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Journalism rallies to win Preakness; Gosger 2nd

BALTIMORE — Journalism won the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming from behind down the stretch to make good on the lofty expectations of being the odds-on favorite in the middle leg of the Triple Crown two weeks after finishing second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby.

Finishing first in a field of nine horses that did not include Sovereignty but featured some of the best competition in the country, Journalism gave trainer Michael McCarthy his second Preakness victory. It is Umberto Rispoli’s first in a Triple Crown race, and he is the first jockey from Italy to win one of them.

Gosger was second by a half-length after getting passed by Journalism just before the wire. Sandman was third and Goal Oriented fourth. Journalism went 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.37.

Journalism thrived on a warm day that dried out the track after torrential rain fell at Pimlico Race Course for much of the past week. Those conditions suited him better than the slop at Churchill Downs in the Derby.

Sovereignty did not take part after his owners and trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness, citing the two-week turnaround, and aimed for the Belmont on June 7. That made this a fifth time in seven years that the Preakness, for various reasons, was contested without a Triple Crown bid at stake.

But Journalism staked his claim for 3-year-old horse of the year by winning the $2 million American classic race run at the old Pimlico Race Course for the last time before it’s torn down and rebuilt. The Preakness is set to be held at nearby Laurel Park, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., next year before a planned return to the new Pimlico in 2027.

Journalism is the first horse to win the Preakness after running in the Kentucky Derby since Mark Casse-trained War of Will in 2019. Only two others from the 19 in the Derby participated in the Preakness: Casse’s Sandman and fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas’ American Promise.

Lukas, the 89-year-old who has saddled the most horses in Preakness history, referred to McCarthy once this week as “the new guy.” This was just McCarthy’s second, and he’s 2 for 2 after Rombauer sprung the upset as an 11-1 long shot in 2021.

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‘So that’s why they’re called the 0’s’: Twins troll Orioles after shutout win

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'So that's why they're called the 0's': Twins troll Orioles after shutout win

The Minnesota Twins are on a roll. They extended their winning streak to 11 games Thursday with a 4-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles that completed a series sweep. Their confidence carried over to social media, too, as they trolled the Orioles.

Minnesota used a three-run third inning to propel itself to victory, with home runs from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Byron Buxton.

The Twins hold the longest win streak in MLB; its their their longest run of victories since winning 12 straight from April 22 to May 4 last season, according to ESPN Research. The franchise record is 15 set in 1991.

Minnesota poked fun at Baltimore’s namesake with a post after the game, referring to the Orioles also being known as the “O’s” — and swapping a zero in for the O.

The Twins have won each of their six matchups against the Orioles this season. All of them have come during Minnesota’s current win streak.

Minnesota (24-20) is fourth in the American League Central behind the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers.

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Red Sox rookie Campbell working out at 1st base

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Red Sox rookie Campbell working out at 1st base

Star Boston Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell has started working out at first base in the wake of Triston Casas‘ season-ending knee injury.

Campbell worked out at first before Friday night’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora addressed the situation when he spoke to reporters before the game.

“Looking for options,” Cora told reporters. “Obviously, we’re getting Romy [Gonzalez] probably at the end of the week, early next week, but just introduce him to first base and see how he looks. That’s where we’re at.”

Casas ruptured the tendon in his left knee while running to first base during a game against the Minnesota Twins earlier this month. His replacement at first, Gonzalez, was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a left quad contusion last week.

One potential replacement, star slugger Rafael Devers, said after Casas went down that he would not be open to moving to first after he went from third base to designated hitter during spring training to make room for Alex Bregman.

Campbell, one of baseball’s top prospects, broke camp with the big league team and has been its primary second baseman through the start of the season. He has also played in the outfield and at shortstop and third base in his career, but never first.

Asked what he would need to see for Campbell to be a realistic option at first for his team, Cora added: “The process started, right? It can take 10 days, 15 days, a month, two months. But we started the process and introduced him to first.”

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