Samuel

Basallo

The 21-year-old backstop did his damage off of Lucas Erceg in the seventh inning, crushing a 1-1 changeup for a 404-foot (105.0-mph EV) solo shot that increased the Orioles’ lead to 8-2. Basallo has been a very valuable contributor for the O’s and for fantasy managers in the first half, slashing a healthy .249/.310/.465 with 16 homers and 46 RBI in 300 plate appearances.

Rutschman has shouldered a heavy load for the Orioles, often serving as the team’s designated hitter when he’s not starting behind the dish, so he’ll get a hard-earned day off in this one. Samuel Basallo starts behind the dish for the O’s and will bat fifth against Royals’ right-hander Seth Lugo on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

Basallo came up big for the Orioles in the bottom of the eighth inning. Facing Matt Strahm in a left-on-left matchup and with a runner on first, Basallo got a piece of a high and inside slider from Strahm, lacing it down the right field line for a two-run homer to put the O’s up 5-3. It was the 15th homer of the season for Basallo, who has now homered three times in his last seven games. The 21-year-old lefty isn’t hitting for much of an average this month, slashing just .167/.259/.542 in July, but he’s making the most of the balls he puts in play.

Once again Basallo will take a seat with an opposing left-hander on the mound. Coby Mayo will serve as the team’s designated hitter in his place on Sunday and will bat fifth against Reds’ left-hander Nick Lodolo.

Basallo was responsible for two of the three runs the Orioles drove in on the night. The rookie slugger blasted an opposite field two-run homer off Reds starter Brady Singer in the third inning to put the O’s up by 3-0, which would prove to be enough to earn the win in this one. It’s the first homer in July for Basallo, who is coming off a down month where he slashed just .205/.258/.325 with three homers in June. Hopefully he can string together a few more strong performances and enter the All-Star break on a high note.

Basallo takes a seat following three consecutive starts behind the dish. The 21-year-old prodigy is hitting just .183 (13-for-71) with three homers in 21 games since the start of June. It’ll be Chadwick Tromp handling the catching duties on Saturday in his place.

The first was a 434-foot bomb to center, while the second was pulled 373 feet to left. It’s the first career two-homer game for Basallo, who had been pretty quiet of late. He was hitting .177/.239/.242 in 67 plate appearances while fighting a wrist issue this month.

Baltimore is going to roll with three catchers on their active roster with Adley Rutschman on the injured list. It’s worth noting that Samuel Basallo is out of the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Angels, but there hasn’t been any indication that he’s dealing with any sort of physical issue besides the usual bumps and bruises. It’ll be Sam Huff handling the catching duties on Monday night with Tromp in a backup role.

Rutschman will miss at least a week because of Colt Emerson’s hideous throw that hit him on the helmet as he was running to first base in Thursday’s game. Samuel Basallo and Sam Huff will likely platoon behind the plate for Baltimore.

Rutschman will get some extra time off to rest with Samuel Basallo handling the catching duties in this one. The 28-year-old backstop made his return behind the dish during Friday’s series opener after missing a pair of games with left hamstring tightness earlier this week.