Means 'right where he needs to be' in return

BALTIMORE -- At 3:26 p.m. ET on Tuesday, he walked through the doors of the Orioles' clubhouse. A wry grin was plastered across his face as he strolled to his locker and dropped his backpack next to his chair.

John Means was back.

"Ah, there he is!" catcher James McCann said, giving Means a pat on the shoulder while walking by the 30-year-old left-hander.

It wasn't the first time Means stepped foot in the room this year. He’s been there plenty. But this time was different. This was Means' start day -- his first in the big leagues since April 13, 2022.

A near-17-month journey back from Tommy John surgery -- as well as a setback caused by an upper-back strain in late May -- all led to Tuesday night, when Means made his return. And it was an encouraging one.

Means worked five solid innings in Baltimore’s 5-2 loss to St. Louis at Camden Yards. The southpaw allowed three runs on only four hits -- two of which were solo home runs -- as the Orioles lost for only the second time in their past 10 games.

• Games remaining: vs. STL (1), vs. TB (4), at HOU (3), at CLE (4), vs. WSH (2), vs. BOS (4)
• Standings update: The Orioles (91-53) lead the American League East by three games over the second-place Rays (89-57), who lost to the Twins on Tuesday. Baltimore has the best record in the AL, meaning it would not have to play a best-of-three Wild Card Series and would head to the best-of-five AL Division Series as the No. 1 seed.
• Magic number: 4 for postseason berth

When Means’ name was announced, the home crowd cheered. When he toed the rubber for the first time since early in the 2022 season, he tuned out his surroundings. As he delivered his first pitch at 6:37 p.m. ET, his focus was on solely one thing again: baseball.

“After getting out there in the first inning, I had a lot more nerves, I think, before the game than I usually do,” Means said. “It kind of felt like the debut again. But once I got out there and started pitching again, it felt natural.”

The Cardinals had some early success against Means, who allowed a two-out homer to Paul Goldschmidt in the first and loaded the bases with no outs in the second. However, Means worked out of that jam with only one run allowed, as he set down eight consecutive St. Louis batters before giving up a two-out home run to Richie Palacios in the fourth.

Means retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, working a 1-2-3 fifth that included his lone strikeout of the night -- a punchout of Lars Nootbaar, who went down looking at a changeup for the second out of the inning. Means departed after throwing 75 pitches, 55 for strikes.

The fastball/changeup combination that allowed Means to have so much success from 2019-21 -- when he recorded a 3.73 ERA over 67 games (63 starts) and was the Orioles’ best pitcher -- looked much the same. The ‘19 All-Star threw 29 changes and 25 four-seamers, inducing all eight of his whiffs with those two pitches.

“It looked like John Means -- a ton of strikes with his fastball, really good changeup,” manager Brandon Hyde said.

Hyde felt after the fifth was a good time to pull Means. Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado were due up to start the sixth, and Baltimore -- needing to win as many games as possible to secure its first postseason berth since 2016 -- trailed by only one at the time.

The decision had nothing to do with how Means’ arm was feeling.

“Today felt great, physically,” said Means, who made six Minor League rehab starts prior to his return. “Better than I’ve felt in a really long time.”

A lot has changed since Means last started for the Orioles, who are now a contending team in the thick of a pennant race. Down the stretch, he’ll be pitching in more meaningful games than he experienced earlier in his MLB career.

Means will also be working with two different catchers -- McCann and Adley Rutschman.

In their first start as a battery, McCann came away impressed with Means and is excited about the lefty’s potential impact on the O’s.

“His tempo was phenomenal. He got the ball, got on the rubber and he was ready to go,” said McCann, who went up against Means earlier in his career. “Having faced him as a hitter, I know how good his changeup is, how good his fastball can be. But again, to catch him was a lot more fun. I think he’s right where he needs to be.”

And that’s pitching in big league games, which is something Means will never take for granted after his lengthy time away.

“I just want to take it day by day at this point,” Means said. “Not think too far ahead, and just try to be the best pitcher I can possibly be.”