Notes on Frazier's thumb, Voth's return from elbow injury and lots of Henderson

Jul 22, 2023

Adam Frazier stood at his locker yesterday and wrapped black tape around his right thumb and wrist. A pregame ritual that he’d like to stop.

Maybe soon.

Frazier said the thumb is much better since he injured it Aug. 3 in Toronto. He was in the lineup again last night and has appeared in the last five games, twice coming off the bench to face an opponent’s right-handed reliever.

“It was a grind of a couple weeks there once it happened,” he said. “It’s starting to feel good again and I’m swinging back full speed again, so it’s good.”

Some injuries linger until a player can shut down over the winter and heal, but Frazier doesn’t think he’s carrying the discomfort through the playoffs.

“It was like a sprain and everything,” he said. “Ended up having to get a little cortisone in there. So, it was a grind but it’s starting to feel better.”

Frazier wasn’t hit by a pitch and he didn’t injure his hand while making a diving stop. On the same day that Jack Flaherty made his Orioles debut at Rogers Centre, Frazier executed one of his finest throws that led to the injury.

The circumstances compounded his frustration.

Runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the first inning, a called third strike on Matt Carpenter, bad footing, a spiked hand, and a sequence that shouldn’t have happened.

“Actually, didn’t even count,” Frazier said. “It was strike three, out three, and Rutsch (Adley Rutschman) threw it down anyway. The umpire kind of made a delayed call that day, and I couldn’t see him. I slipped, I was on the ground, I couldn’t see the umpire, whether he called strike three. And then I think (Whit) Merrifield took off for home and I just went ahead and threw it, and on the follow through my thumb just went straight in the ground. I was laying down and I just threw it from the ground.

“Freak play. Would have been a good play. I made a good throw, but didn’t even count, so it just adds insult to injury. But it’s getting better now.”

Frazier stayed in the game and went 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly. He didn’t play again until Aug. 8 and wasn’t in the lineup again until the following night.

The soreness came back this month, and Frazier stayed on the bench in three straight games. He started at second base Thursday night against the Jays and went 1-for-2 with a run scored before Jordan Westburg pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning.

After striking out three times last night, Frazier singled into right field in the eighth and scored on Ryan McKenna’s two-run single.

* Austin Voth tossed two scoreless innings Sunday against the Rockies in his first appearance with the Orioles since June 13. He was on the 60-day injured list with an elbow injury.

Voth allowed one hit, struck out one batter, and threw 16 of 18 pitches for strikes.

“I felt more like myself,” he said. “I was able to locate my fastball where I wanted to, and my off-speed as well. I kind of feel back to normal.”

The discomfort became an issue in spring training, causing the team to shut him down, and it necessitated a roster move in June and a prolonged rehab assignment.

“The first two times I tried to throw through it,” he said. “We deal with injuries throughout the season. You just kind of want to do the best you can to get through them, but this definitely was a situation where I needed to be shut down and let it calm down for a little bit.”

Veterans learn when it’s the appropriate moment to stop trying to be a gamer and alert the team.

“It comes to a certain point where it’s like, ‘What am I doing? I’m injured. I need to say something, I need to get better, so I don’t continue to hurt the team,’” Voth said.

The return outing was exactly what the Orioles wanted to see from Voth, who registered a 3.04 ERA last summer in 22 games, including 17 starts, after they claimed him on waivers from the Nationals.

“I thought Austin threw the ball well,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “I rewatched it today. His fastball was up to 95, I thought he threw a couple good breaking balls. Had two shapes to his breaking balls. Looked like the guy from last year.”

* Gunnar Henderson singled twice and walked last night to leave him at 48 extra-base hits.

The club’s rookie record is held by Cal Ripken Jr. with 65 in 1982, according to STATS. Eddie Murray is next with 58 in 1977. A pair of future Hall of Famers.

Ryan Mountcastle had 57 extra-base hits in 2021 and Trey Mancini finished with 54 in 2017.

Henderson began last night in sixth place behind Adley Rutschman, Curt Blefary, Sam Bowens and Ron Hansen with 49.

* Henderson is one stolen base shy of becoming the first rookie in team history with 20-plus doubles, five-plus triples, 20-plus homers and at least 10 steals. He swiped second base last night in the first inning after drawing a one-out walk against Michael Kopech and again in the fourth after a single.

He can become the 20th rookie in major league history with that stat line, joining Arizona's Corbin Carroll this year. He’d be the first in the AL since Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. last season.

OK, we’re not going back that far.

While on the subject of Henderson, he began yesterday leading the Orioles with 11 Defensive Runs Saved, per Sports Info Solutions. Eight are at shortstop, tied for fifth in the majors though he’s played over 300 fewer innings at the position than anyone ahead of him.

* The Orioles were 30 or more games above .500 after 130 games for the seventh time in club history.

The 1969 team was 89-41 (plus-48) through 130 games and lost to the Mets in the World Series. The 1979 team was 86-44 (plus-42) and lost to the Pirates in the World Series. The 1971 Orioles were 82-48 (plus-34) and lost to the Pirates in the World Series.

The 1997 team was 38 games above .500 and lost to Cleveland in the American League Championship Series.

It does get better.

The 1970 Orioles were 84-46 and won the World Series. The 1966 Orioles were 82-48 and swept the Dodgers as an underdog in the World Series.

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