Orioles Ace Responds After 16th Quality Start, Win vs Rangers

Getty Corbin Burnes pitching the baseball during a June 24 game against the Chicago White Sox.

The Baltimore Orioles are undefeated out of the MLB All-Star break, after Corbin Burnes recorded his 16th quality start in a 9-1 win over the Texas Rangers.

He threw six innings of one-run baseball, including six strikeouts in Baltimore’s first game back from the All-Star break. But that includes a season-high four walks, and a solo home run shot from Nathaniel Lowe.

Burnes spoke with reporters postgame about his performance, and the quick turnaround after starting the All-Star Game just days prior.

“Felt like a normal start,” Burnes told reporters on July 19. “Once I get going in my routine pregame, I’m able to kind of flip the switch and lock in a little bit. Obviously, wasn’t as crisp tonight. Four walks is never something we’re trying to do. Two of them were kind of being careful with and just making sure we’re not getting beat in situations. But the other two were just poor pitches that led to walks. Outside of that, I thought I threw the ball really well.”

Burnes ERA drops to 2.38 on the season, and his 16 quality starts ties Logan Gilbert for the MLB lead. He finished with 19 in all of 2023.

Brandon Hyde On Burnes’ Night: ‘Just A Pro’

Orioles’ skipper Brandon Hyde met with reporters after the win. He commended Burnes approach against the Rangers.

“A few more walks than normal but just so ultra-competitive on the mound and limits damage,” Hyde said on July 19. “Gets out of a big spot there in the sixth off a guy who took some good at-bats on him earlier. Just a pro.”

Hyde also acknowledged the awkward transition between the All-Star Game and a start with only two days off.

“Definitely not a normal in-between start routine for him,” Hyde continued. “He goes home, not normal rest, pitches in the All-Star Game, throws an inning. Then two days off and back at it in a big league game. Didn’t look like he missed a beat. He was fantastic tonight.”

Burnes improves to 10-4 on the season, and Baltimore is 13-7 in his 20 starts.

Burnes Predicted To Sign $255.5 Million Contract

Watching the Orioles’ ace dominate comes with a caveat for fans. The 29-year-old is headed for free agency in the winter, and he’s in line for a lucrative payday.

There’s no world where Baltimore doesn’t offer Burnes a deal to return. But there is a world where he’s paid more to play elsewhere.

In a July 18 column for Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter predicted that Burnes will sign a seven-year, $255.5 million contract to remain with the Orioles longterm.

“If there’s mutual interest in getting a deal done before the offseason hits, a seven-year, $255.5 million contract could be a nice starting point in negotiations,” Reuter wrote. “That would give Burnes a $36.5 million annual salary, eclipsing the $36 million annual value of the deal that Gerrit Cole signed with the New York Yankees.”

Baltimore’s front office is backed by a new ownership group, led by David Rubenstein.

General manager Mike Elias described the group as “a positive,” when talking with reporters about the future of the team on July 18.

“I view our ownership situation as being a positive,” Elias said, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. “As we’ve seen, they’re very passionate, very robust group. And they see the talent on the team and they want to support that but they also understand that, you know, baseball ops, there’s discipline involved. We don’t want to be emotional actors. So I think the type of support that we’re going to get from them both on this deadline and going forward is going to be the right kind of support.”

The trade deadline will be the first test of this iteration of the Orioles’ front office and ownership. Burnes’ free agency in the winter may very well be the next.