05/17/25 02:03:00
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05/17 14:01 CDT Last-place Orioles fire manager Brandon Hyde after falling 13
games under .500
Last-place Orioles fire manager Brandon Hyde after falling 13 games under .500
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
BALTIMORE (AP) --- The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday
after a dismal start to the season by a team coming off two consecutive playoff
appearances.
The Orioles are 15-28 and in last place in the AL East following a loss to
Washington on Friday night. Hyde guided the team through an extensive rebuild
and won manager of the year honors in 2023, but Baltimore's performance slipped
noticeably during the second half of last year, and the Orioles have put
themselves in a significant hole so far in 2025.
"As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately
my responsibility," Orioles executive vice president and 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."
Third base coach Tony Mansolino will serve as interim manager. The Orioles also
fired major league field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins.
Hyde is the third major league manager fired in the last 10 days, joining
Pittsburgh's Derek Shelton and Colorado's Bud Black.
Such is the precarious life of a big league skipper.
"Brandon and I are close. I love the guy," said Nationals manager Dave
Martinez, who once served with Hyde on the Cubs' staff under Joe Maddon. "We
all know what we sign up for when we take this job. It really just stinks. He's
a good man. I know he'll land on his feet. I wish him all the best, but it's a
tough gig."
The Orioles players were informed of Hyde's dismissal during a team meeting
headed by Elias, about four hours before Baltimore was to host the Nationals.
"Pretty surprised, honestly," starting pitcher Cade Povich said. "It's not
something you expect to come in the morning and hear."
Outfielder Ramn Laureano said, "That's unfortunate because Brandon Hyde is a
great guy. We, as players, have got to play better. The players are the ones
with the bats and gloves."
Hyde was in his seventh season as Baltimore's manager. He endured seasons of
108 and 110 losses early on, but by 2023, the Orioles won the AL East with 101
victories --- and the future looked incredibly bright thanks to young standouts
like infielder Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman and right-hander
Grayson Rodriguez.
Baltimore had other top prospects in the organization as well, but after a
49-25 start last year, the Orioles played sub-.500 baseball the rest of the way
and settled for a wild card. For a second straight season, Baltimore was swept
out of the playoffs in its first series.
Then came an offseason in which ace Corbin Burnes left via free agency, and the
front office tried to patch up the rotation with one-year stopgaps like Charlie
Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano and Kyle Gibson. Sugano has pitched well but the other
two haven't, and the Orioles have the worst ERA in the American League at 5.31.
Meanwhile, an offense that was supposed to be the team's strength has been
spotty. Rutschman is batting .214, Ryan Mountcastle is at .233 and Cedric
Mullins has slumped all the way to .226 after a good start.
All that probably isn't Hyde's fault. But the organization hopes things change
under Mansolino, who's been the third base coach for the Orioles since 2021
after working in Cleveland's minor league system from 2011-20.
"It hurts," infielder Ramn Uras said of Hyde's firing. "I feel like we let
him down. But obviously we're looking forward to changing things around
mentally."
The organization apparently decided that removing Hyde now was better than
standing pat through the summer.
"Sometimes the case in baseball, change becomes necessary, and we believe this
is one of those moments," owner David Rubenstein said.
The Orioles are hitting .192 with runners in scoring position, the worst mark
in baseball. Friday's 4-3 loss to the Nationals was a microcosm of the season
so far. Baltimore left 15 men on base and allowed the winning run to score from
second on an infield single in the top of the ninth.
Top prospects Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo haven't produced much, and injuries
to Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg and Tyler O'Neill have hurt the lineup as
well. And the pitching staff could afford health problems even less. Rodriguez
and reliever Andrew Kittredge haven't pitched at all this year, and Zach Eflin
missed time as well.
The team's poor start has put Elias under scrutiny after what looked like a
very successful rebuild. If the Orioles don't climb back into contention this
year, he will be under a lot of pressure next offseason to bring the team back
to the path it appeared to be on less than a year ago.
___
AP Freelancer David Ginsburg contributed to this report.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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