Mancini: 'We all love playing for Hyder'

June 2nd, 2021

Orioles players took the field for batting practice ahead of Wednesday’s series finale against the Twins feeling a mixture of relief and happiness. However, manager Brandon Hyde was still a bit irritated after the final out in Tuesday’s 14-game skid-snapping 7-4 win.

The music was blasting in the clubhouse louder than had ever heard after the win Tuesday night. The O’s were finally able to celebrate a victory after a long two weeks. Their skipper watched as his team had a well-deserved celebration, but he’d already shifted focus to the next matchup.

That type of intensity and focus sets the tone for what is expected from every member of the roster, and it is one reason why Mancini enjoys playing in Baltimore so much.

“[Hyde’s] handled it extremely well,” Mancini said, referencing the second-longest losing streak in club history. “You know, we all love playing for Hyder. He gets the best out of guys. It's obviously really tough on a manager when a team goes through a streak like we did, but he has faith in us every day and that never wavered at all. I can't say enough about playing for him every single day, and always have.”

The feelings are mutual between the first baseman and his manager, and they’re happy to share a clubhouse. While speaking to reporters postgame on Tuesday, Hyde spoke of the energy-shifting moments he felt early on, led by Mancini.

“It helped to score some runs, really Cedric [Mullins] and Trey getting us going twice,” said Hyde of the O’s early lead. “Just really good at-bats early in the game off of a good starter that beat us a handful of days ago. Trey setting the tone and our dugout was -- that was the most vocal our dugout has been in probably three years.”

Serving as the DH in the 7-4 victory, Mancini did what he does best: He drove in two runs from singles hit in the bottom of the first and third innings -- his 44 RBIs rank third in MLB.

The kids are all right
For the first time this season, Baltimore and all four of its affiliates -- Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, High-A Aberdeen and Low-A Delmarva -- won their respective contests on Tuesday. Including those wins, the O’s Minor League affiliates now own a combined .649 winning percentage (61-33 record).

Bowie, Aberdeen and Delmarva each sit atop their division.

Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles’ No. 2-ranked prospect, was named the High-A East Pitcher of the Month. In five starts for the IronBirds, the right-handed pitcher punched out 40 batters and issued just five free passes while posting a 1.54 ERA. He will make his Double-A debut on Wednesday as the Baysox take on the Yard Goats in Hartford.

Down on the Eastern Shore, infielder Gunnar Henderson was named the Low-A East Player of the Month. With the Shorebirds, Henderson has slashed .313/.391/.613 over 20 games. Baltimore’s No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, leads Low-A with 30 RBIs, and he is ranked second in home runs (six), runs (21) and total bases (49).

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Savannah McCann is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @savjaye.