The Baltimore Orioles walked off the field Sunday with more than just a loss. They walked off knowing one of their most versatile players is likely done for a significant chunk of the season.
Blaze Alexander took a Lucas Erceg fastball to the left hand in the seventh inning. The benches cleared — not in a brawl, just in that tense, what-just-happened moment every team dreads. X-rays showed a non-displaced fracture. The Orioles confirmed the news Monday morning, and it hit the clubhouse hard.
According to reports, veteran first baseman Pete Alonso gathered the team after the game and delivered a speech that didn’t mince words. “We’ve got to rise to the occasion,” Alonso said. “Especially now, doubly rise to the occasion because being down with Blaze, that’s really frustrating. We’ve got to pick him up. We’ve got to pick him up, and we have to play our best baseball and then some in the second half.”
That quote came via Andy Kafka of Diamondback Sports. It’s the kind of moment that either galvanizes a team or exposes how fragile they really are.
Alexander was having a breakout year
Entering Sunday, Alexander had posted a .791 OPS while playing six different defensive positions. Six. The guy was basically a Swiss Army knife for manager Craig Albernaz, plugging holes all over the field. Now that knife is broken. Hand fractures for position players can take six to eight weeks to fully heal, depending on the severity and the hitter’s pain tolerance. The Orioles aren’t giving a timeline yet, but the All-Star Break just started and they’re already down a key piece.
They’re also without reliever Ryan Helsley, who landed on the injured list last week. That’s two significant contributors out right as the trade deadline approaches. Baltimore sits at 46-51, two games back of the final AL Wild Card spot. Not great, but not hopeless either. The question now is whether the front office sees this as a buying opportunity or a sign to sell off pieces like Alonso, who’s on an expiring contract.
Fans online are split. Some think the injuries make the decision for the front office — sell, restock the farm, try again next year. Others point out that Alonso’s speech shows a team that still believes. The next two weeks will tell the story.
The Orioles come out of the break with a road trip to Houston and Boston. A rough stretch there and the narrative shifts from “maybe they can sneak in” to “what’s the return on Alonso?”
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