Coby Mayo hitting leadoff Saturday vs. Phillies

Ramírez dropped a routine foul popup from Coby Mayo for the error. Mayo then hit the next pitch 407 feet for a solo homer. The hitless game leaves Ramírez 5-for-36 with no extra-base hits this month. He’s hit .227/.304/.287 with one home run in 40 games since returning from a broken hamate bone, an injury that has a history of sapping power from hitters.

The 26-year-old has been rock solid for the Orioles this season, hitting .260/.306/.486 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 423 games. We should note that he has hit considerably better against lefties and has a .225/.247/.360 slash line against righties. With Encarnacion-Strand out of the lineup on Tuesday, Coby Mayo will DH and hit cleanup, while Blaze Alexander will play third base and bat seventh.

Mayo’s first homer off Joey Cantillo was his 16th off a lefty. The second off Slade Cecconi was his fifth versus a righty and first since July 27. He’s sat three of the last six times the Orioles have faced righties, but today’s performance could help with that. Luis Robert Jr.'s absence is also probably a good thing for his fantasy value.

Despite going 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run on Tuesday, Montes will sit against a left-handed pitcher. It’s not a surprise, but is good confirmation that he is going to be in a strong-side platoon role. Taylor Ward will play right field and Dominic Canzone will DH with Cal Raleigh also getting a day off.

Montes should play a lot of right field against righties for the Mariners after hitting .249/.369/.558 with 38 homers between Double- and Triple-A. He’ll strike out a bunch, and he’s probably not going to be a quality mixed-league guy right away. Still, he should be an upgrade from this current version of Taylor Ward if the Mariners let that happen.

This is a bit of a surprise. Robert is hitting well in August, slashing .267/.321/.520 with six home runs, 10 runs scored, and 11 RBI; however, the Orioles have been getting solid production from Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, and Leody Taveras in the outfield. Their DH spot has also been filled by Coby Mayo since Christian Encarnacion-Strand has emerged as the regular third baseman. Somebody who is playing well is going to be bumped from the starting lineup now, and you have to wonder if this is a sign that the Orioles plan to pick up Robert’s $20 million team option for 2027.

Mayo got the Orioles back into the game with a three-run homer off Jeffrey Springs that made it 5-4 A’s in the fourth inning. It gives Mayo his 19th homer in his first full season, and he’s driven in 55 runs. The .218 average leaves a lot to be desired, but Mayo’s power is readily apparent.

The homer was Mayo’s 14th off a left-hander, which ties him with Matt Olson for first in the majors. He’s also first with an 1.109 OPS against southpaws (min. 100 PA), with Andrew Vaughn second at 1.041. And the homer today was projected at 446 feet, making him one of just eight players this year to exceed 440 feet four or more times (Junior Caminero and Kyle Schwarber are tops at six times apiece). Unfortunately, Mayo is still at a pretty horrible .199/.227/.272 in 225 plate appearances against righties this year, leaving his future as a regular rather murky. The power spike would be more promising if it wasn’t coming with a 32.5 percent strikeout rate. He finished at 28.6 percent as a rookie last year.

Ward is back following a lengthy five-game absence due to quad tightness. It seemed like he was going to require a trip to the injured list, but the Mariners decided to wait it out instead. He’s at DH and hitting eighth on Wednesday evening in Milwaukee.

Ward takes a seat for the fifth consecutive game with quad tightness. This would be an obvious injured list situation in most cases, but Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters that Ward is very close to returning to the lineup. It sounds like there’s a decent chance he’s back at some point in the next few days.