Orioles must face hard truth about Jackson Holliday…
When the Baltimore Orioles selected Jackson Holliday as the No. 1 overall pick back in 2022, they expected him to quickly become the face of the franchise. Holliday showed his potential by fast-tracking through the minors and making his MLB debut in 2024.
Holliday was called up to the big leagues in April of 2024 and just a few short weeks later, he was back in the minors due to intense struggles in the majors. Holliday eventually clawed his way back into the majors but finished 2024 with an underwhelming .189 batting average and struck out 69 times in just 60 games. Baltimore expected big improvements from Holliday this past offseason and while he has gotten better, it is still not enough.
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Jackson Holliday has improved but not enough for the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are in last place in the AL East. While it is obviously still early in the season and even in last place are just 5.5 games out, not many would have anticipated Baltimore ever seeing the bottom of the standings in 2025. On paper, they are far too talented to be so far behind their division rivals.
Going into this past offseason, the Orioles were optimistic about Holliday as he had claimed to figure some things out and had changed his approach. These adjustments have resulted in an improvement as Holliday is now hitting .237 this season with two homers. However, through 24 games, he has still struck out 21 times. These improvements are so minor that it is time to face the cold-hard truth. He has to be better.
Of course being successful at the big-league level doesn’t just happen. Sometimes players need some time to work through struggles and hard times before they find themselves. Holliday has had his time. As a No. 1 overall pick and the level of talent we all know he possesses, he has to be much better than he currently is for the Baltimore Orioles to be at their best. There is nothing wrong celebrating his improvements but they are far from his expectations.
Dodgers get pitching boost with Tony Gonsolin move..
The Dodgers welcomed the former All-Star starter back after a long injury absence.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have endured a number of injuries to their starting rotation, most recently losing Tyler Glasnow to the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. While Glasnow joins fellow starter Blake Snell on the IL, the Dodgers announced some positive pitching news, as the team welcomed Tony Gonsolin back to the active roster Wednesday.
Los Angeles activated Gonsolin after a lengthy IL stint. Righty reliever Matt Sauer was optioned back to Triple-A in a corresponding move, according to the team’s official account on X.
Gonsolin last pitched for the Dodgers in August of 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery and was sidelined all last season. But Gonsolin performed well during a rehab assignment with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. Now, after a 20-month layoff, he’s ready to return to a Major League mound.
The Dodgers welcome Tony Gonsolin back after 20-month absence..
Gonsolin’s return is significant for the Dodgers. While the team boasts a championship-caliber roster, the starting pitching has been problematic. In addition to Glasnow and Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw have been unable to pitch for LA. So Gonsolin is suddenly a key contributor, helping to stabilize the rotation along with mainstays Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Gonsolin made his long-awaited return to the bump on Wednesday, taking on the Miami Marlins in Los Angeles. After five innings, he’s allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Gonsolin is protecting a 4-2 Dodgers lead in a strong season debut.
The sixth-year veteran made his Major League debut with LA back in 2019. He finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 but he really came into his own in 2022. That season he went 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA, 0.875 WHIP and an 8.2 K/9. He finished the year with an ERA+ of 188 and 4.3 bWAR. The excellent performance earned Gonsolin his first career All-Star nod.
The Dodgers are, as expected, off to a strong start this season. LA entered play on Wednesday with a 20-10 record and a one-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
The Toronto Blue Jays aren’t just losing, they’re getting crushed. After their 10-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, they’ve now gotten outscored 26-5 over their last three games and have lost eight of their last 10. The Blue Jays have also lost their last three series, as they got swept by the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in addition to dropping two out of three contests vs. the Seattle Mariners. Pitching is a main culprit for their woes, as they’re 21st in baseball with a team 4.27 ERA. However, Toronto made a change to the staff that will affect Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox, via MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
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