Baltimore Orioles outfielder Ramon Laureano lost his mind.
It’s been a tough season for the Baltimore Orioles, which remain well behind the New York Yankees in the AL East race.
While the O’s certainly have the talent to make a run at the division crown when all is said and done, their rotation and bullpen feature major question marks.
That, plus the disappointment of young stars like Adley Rutschman, have frustrated the fanbase.
That frustration reached a boiling point with outfielder’s Ramon Laureano’s ejection.
Laureano threw his bat on the ground after a close strike call he disagreed with.
The veteran outfielder has had a tough enough time getting on base this season, as he’s hitting .192 on the year. Laureano only has 14 hits on the season, and five of those have been home runs.
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Ramon Laureano lost his mind against the Twins
It’s been a tough enough season for the O’s. A loss to the Minnesota Twins would have dropped Baltimore 10 games below .500.
Now, that pitch to Laureano was too close to take, in my honest opinion. While there’s a reasonable argument to be made by Laureano that it was slightly off the plate, considering he had two strikes against him, he really ought to have swung.
The Orioles game against the Twins is the first of a doubleheader on Wednesday. Even a solid split against Minnesota would inspire some confidence for the O’s, and they could use it.
Manager Brandon Hyde is on the hot seat, while Jordan Westburg just went on the injured list.
Laureano himself shouldn’t be playing this vital of a role for a team with real postseason hopes.
He struggled mightily in 2024 with the Cleveland Guardians, but was able to turn around his season some with the Atlanta Braves.
However, Atlanta moved on this winter by signing Jurickson Profar and other replacement-level outfielders.
