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Mountcastle is hitting .183 with one homer, four RBI and just one run scored in his last 16 games, dropping his OPS to .742. He's probably going to do some sitting against right-handers until he heats back up. That's what happened Saturday, as Ryan O'Hearn played first base.
O'Hearn swatted his 12th homer of the season. He also drew a couple of walks and came around to score after one of those free passes. O'Hearn doesn't get the same level of attention at some of the other big name hitters for the Orioles -- and justifiably so -- but he remains a strong option with a slash of .275/.344/.468 with the aforementioned dozen homers and 38 RBI in his platoon role.
Who else is dizzy right now? After entering the bottom of the ninth with a 5-3 lead, Holmes allowed a leadoff single to Kyle Stowers and would go on to load the bases with walks to Ryan O'Hearn and Adley Rutschman before an error from Anthony Volpe allowed a run to score. Cedric Mullins then poked a ball to left field, which landed over the head of Alex Verdugo after he stumbled. Given the stakes, it's hard to think of a more demoralizing loss. The Yankees will have a few days to dwell on the lost opportunity during the All-Star break. This wasn't all Holmes' fault, but he's not exactly in the circle of trust right now.
Hays left Saturday's game with adductor soreness, but it was viewed as precautionary, and that's obviously the case with the outfielder back in the lineup. The Orioles will go with their right-handed heavy lineup against lefty Carlos Rodon, so Hays is in with Ryan O'Hearn taking a seat.
O'Hearn probably has nothing to worry about for the short-term, as far as his role against righties, but he can't slump for all that long, given the Orioles' alternatives in the DH spot. O'Hearn is still sporting a solid enough .275/.333/.451 line for the season, and Statcast actually believes he's been considerably better than that suggests.