Camdencast: A Baltimore Orioles podcast.

For the first time this season, the Orioles are in first place as Mark recorded an episode. The O's taking first place by winning three of four games against the Yankees, with the Yankees whining like a bunch of losers along the way, is something that can have all of Birdland in a bit of a gloating mood. Plus, some excitement about Kyle Bradish's return and where it leaves the rotation with him in and Grayson Rodriguez out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's not much to feel good about when your favorite baseball team's closer blows two saves in three games. Mark's trying to figure out what, if anything, can be done about it. In a rant-heavy and bullpen-focused episode, Mark wants Brandon Hyde to have a better plan for knowing when Kimbrel's ready, and a listener asks what the Orioles will end up doing to patch together better ninth innings. Hopefully something! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Orioles could end up squeezing both John Means and Kyle Bradish back in to the rotation by this time next week. After surveying the roster of the next O's opponent, the Athletics, Mark turns to the question of how the rotation and the bullpen could be impacted by these earlier than anticipated returns, and who would seem to be candidates to get squeezed out of the organization entirely as that shuffle happens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is something about the Royals where even when the Orioles beat them, they manage to do it in a way that maximizes agony in Birdland. Or maybe this is just Mark's enduring grudge over the 2014 ALCS. Whatever the case, the O's closed out a 5-1 week even with so much going wrong, especially in the bullpen, and now they head on to the Angels. Also in this episode, Mark looks at Wins Probability Added to see who's clutch and who's not so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Orioles have hit 30 home runs in 18 games, leading every other MLB team and every Orioles team in history through the same number of games. Mark looks at the six O's batters who've contributed the most to the dinger tally to see who's likely to keep it up and who might not be. Also in this episode, some guarded excitement about Albert Suárez and his possible impact on the rotation mix, and some thoughts on the coming pitching matchups with this weekend's Royals series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Orioles lost the first two games to the Brewers, the haven't-been-swept (in the regular season) streak was in danger, and early on Sunday it was in danger too even with Corbin Burnes on the mound. Mark takes a look at the good and bad from the Milwaukee series, surveys a couple of real problem areas for the O's so far, and looks ahead to this week's games against the Twins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark is still plenty ready to be hyped about Jackson Holliday being on the Orioles, but the fact is through his first two games the most exciting development has proven to be the return of the homer hose. In this episode, Mark is singing the praises of Colton "the Milkman" Cowser - who seems to have been at the front of bringing back the water celebrations. Also, some talk about how Holliday's looked so far, and what a few smaller news developments this week might mean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark is fired up about the Orioles reportedly having Jackson Holliday join the team in Boston tomorrow and he's not afraid to tell the world about it. In this episode, some eating crow over accusing Mike Elias of service time games, assumptions about where Holliday fits into the playing time mix, and some consideration of his likely competition for the AL Rookie of the Year, if he plays well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last week has been brutal for the Orioles offense, especially (but not only) for Austin Hays and Ramón Urías. Mark runs through some of the rough numbers for those guys and a few others before recognizing that there won't be any knee-jerk reactions from the front office - nor should there be. Hopefully the patience pays off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A prospect-heavy Norfolk lineup is blasting through Triple-A every night, which provides a lot of excitement for Orioles fans who want to follow things down on the farm. With the remaining full-season minor league affiliates starting up, Mark runs through where to find each of the top prospects in the system and what to hope for their progress as the season moves along. This could be another great year up and down the organization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Orioles played two great games and one underwhelming one in their opening series against the Angels. Mark is in a good mood about the team because he attended the great games and got to bask in the immaculate Camden Yards vibes, and didn't watch the loss. This episode discusses all that's gone great over the first few days, and some things that haven't gone as great but will hopefully work out fine in the end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between Corbin Burnes dazzling in his Orioles debut, Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins homering, and David Rubenstein's new ownership group spreading good cheer - and free beer - all across the Oriole Park at Camden Yards environs, Opening Day 2024 could hardly have gone any better. Mark came away from it all with one dangerous thought: Maybe Orioles fans really can have nice things sometimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you, like Mark, a sucker who spent all offseason and spring training assuming that Jackson Holliday would make the Orioles out of camp and that we could all be excited about this? Tough luck, we've got Tyler Nevin on the roster instead! Before a monologue about the disappointment over the Holliday decision, Mark reflects on the checkered Orioles legacy, and much more clearly positive Baltimore legacy, of Peter Angelos, who passed away over the weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entering the final week of spring training, the Orioles are going to have to think long and hard about who gets the last couple of spots on the bench and in the bullpen. Mark looks through the outfield options as well as the relief ones, with the Orioles needing to choose wisely because they don't want to lose a useful player on waivers for nothing and they don't want to have a non-useful player costing them games that matter in 2024 either. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything from spring training gets erased when it's over, so of course it doesn't matter, but also: The Orioles are 14-2-1 in games so far, and they're getting great performances from exciting young players like Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo. Mark is here for that excitement, and also the excitement that Corbin Burnes is officially the Orioles Opening Day starter. In the mailbag, a reader assembles a 21st century Orioles rotation superteam and wonders what would have to happen for the 2024 rotation to beat that group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, the Orioles used a total of 50 players and nearly all of them were part of spring training. The 62 players in Orioles camp this year will be who determines success or failure for most of this season. Mark rolls through the whole list both to give the grinders their due and to try to see who might be a diamond in the rough - and to remind us all who's there to excite us that they're going to be on the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Orioles have started their exhibition league schedule with a couple of wins, featuring one Colton Cowser walkoff homer and a Cole Irvin velocity bump. Mark looks at the early games and some improving injury news before looking at the state of MASN. The one game MASN showed over the weekend had some real video quality problems and Mark wonders if it's all a sign that the network isn't actually making money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were all taking it for granted that the Orioles would have a strong top 2 in their rotation between newly-acquired Corbin Burnes and returning 2022 ace Kyle Bradish. As camp opened, Mike Elias revealed a UCL sprain for Bradish that looks like it will delay him for at least six weeks. The same presser, we learned that John Means is a month behind on a previously-planned schedule. Mark tries to figure out how the Orioles rotation shakes out without these guys for the early parts of the season and whether they should be thinking about signing someone else to shore up some early-season depth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The start to the follow-up act to last year's 101-win Orioles season begins today with pitchers and catchers reporting to Sarasota to begin spring training. Mark's got the one big question on his mind: Will Jackson Holliday make the team? Also in this episode, thoughts on how almost the whole roster is locked in before camp even opened, hopes for no secret injuries, and who might be the candidate for "Oh no, this guy looks horrible, does he suck now?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The path to success for the 2024 Orioles is built on a variety of assumptions, a few of which are that players who were hurt in different ways over the course of last season will be able to come back looking more like the best versions of themselves. Mark puts Cedric Mullins, John Means, and Dillon Tate in this category and talks through his hopes and worries for each. In a mailbag segment, an explainer of the qualifying offer process and what might have to happen for Means and Anthony Santander to be QO-worthy players. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices