"They call him an ace for a reason" - First baseman Ryan O’Hearn says having Corbin Burnes on the mound is an added advantage for the Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles tied their series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday with a 7-3 victory at Rogers Centre, bringing their season record to 68-47. They are tied with the New York Yankees in the AL East Division and are currently the top team in the American League.

Orioles’ utility man Ryan O'Hearn joined Adam Jones and Jerry Coleman on the “The Jones Podcast,” sharing his personal and professional experiences on his team's good run this season. In the episode, O'Hearn also talked about his teammate Corbin Burnes' impact on the mound.

“It's like we're right there. So I mean he gives us a chance to win every time. We know that we're going to get that out of him and that's amazing. I don't know if guys are like, ‘Yo, we only need to score three today.’ We're not going to put a cap, obviously, on how many runs we're trying to score. But it is nice to have [him],” Hearn talked about Burnes’ reliability (h/t - The Baltimore Banner). [Time Stamp: 22.42]

“That’s, you know, like a pocket ace and they call him an ace for a reason. He is who he is. When he pitches we're gonna have a chance to win. So it's definitely nice to have [Corbin Burnes].”

Burnes signed a one-year $15.6 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason, avoiding arbitration. In February, he was traded to the Orioles for Joey Ortiz, D.L. Hall, and a 2024 2nd-round pick.

This season he has a 12-4 record with a 2.63 ERA in 143.2 innings through 23 games. This is Burnes' second-career best season, only after his 2021 season (2.43 ERA) in 2021, when he won his first Cy Young Award.

On the other hand, Ryan O'Hearn has contributed 46 RBIs, 46 runs and 12 home runs in 97 games. His triple slash of .268/.346/.449 and an OPS of .795 are slightly under last season’s numbers but higher than other prior seasons.

If the Orioles enter into playoffs this season, it'll be O'Hearn's second postseason and the first for Burnes in the O’s jersey.

Ryan O'Hearn is open to any position for the Orioles

Ryan O'Hearn has only one goal in sight - win games. For that, he’s open to playing in any position that his team will assign him.

“It's a hard job. As far as position defense, I'll play wherever whatever he [Brandon Hyde, Orioles manager] needs," Hearn said. [time stamp: 16.08].

"If Tony [refers to RF Anthony Santander] needs a day I'll go play right, if M [refers to 1B Ryan Mountcastle] needs a day I'll play first. … I don't I don't really have a preference,”

This year, he has played 49 games as the designated hitter, 23 games as the first baseman, 13 games as the right fielder, and eight games at left. His versatility gives the Orioles more flexibility in their lineup.