Latest news with #O's
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Red-Hot Orioles Consider Trading Ryan Mountcastle?
Will Red-Hot Orioles Consider Trading Ryan Mountcastle? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Maybe it's time to keep an eye on the Baltimore Orioles. After what's appeared to be a lost season, including the firing of manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles are suddenly on fire. The O's have won six in a row and nine of 11 games to give fans a glimmer of what many thought the club could be coming into 2025. Advertisement Their latest uptick could be the reason why the Orioles alter their philosophy going into next month's MLB trade deadline. As noted by Mark Feinsand, 'Baltimore might be the most intriguing team to watch during the next eight weeks.' Say the Orioles climb closer to .500 – they went into Friday at 25-36 – and find themselves back in the Wild Card race? That could change things considerably, according to Feinsand. What will the Orioles do at the MLB trade deadline? 'If the Orioles are able to turn things around, GM Mike Elias could look to add some much-needed pitching with the hope of a second-half run, but the more likely scenario is that Baltimore opts to sell off some pieces and look to contend in 2026,' Feinsand wrote. Yes, it's a big ask for the O's to get back in contention by the July 31 deadline to make deals. As pointed out, the team has a number of pitchers such as Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton, Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez headed to free agency after this season, along with outfielders Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn and Ramón Laureano. Advertisement Those are attractive expiring contracts to dangle in trades, with Feinsand adding that 'Eflin, Sugano, Mullins and O'Hearn would all help a number of contenders should they get moved.' But those aren't the only assets. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who has one year of team control remaining and it currently on the injured list, could be an 'intriguing trade candidate' with recently-recalled top prospect Coby Mayo 'waiting in the wings.' This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Severe storms and heavy rain risk Friday evening across Maryland
We can catch our breaths today with a quieter weather day ahead. After Wednesday's soaking rainfall, which delivered anywhere between 1 and 3 inches across the state, today looks mostly cloudy and dry. CHIPPING AWAY AT MARYLAND'S DROUGHT: Rain over past 36 hours has been super beneficial. We get new drought update this AM, which I'll post on here. The drought update this AM takes into account last week's beneficial rain. Yesterday's rain will reflect in next week's update. @WJZ — Steven Sosna (@SteveSosnaWX) May 29, 2025 We'll be dealing with high levels of humidity and seasonably warm temperatures throughout this Thursday with highs in the middle to upper 70s. A few isolated to widely scattered showers and thundershowers are possible this evening. This chance of wet weather will continue through the overnight hours. The showers and storms will be of the hit or miss variety, so not every neighborhood will get wet. Patchy areas of fog will develop overnight and linger into the Friday morning commute. Alert Day issued Friday for risk of Severe Storms & Heavy Rain Friday morning looks quiet with patchy morning fog and very muggy conditions. Low clouds and fog will give way to partly sunny skies. The severe storm threat Friday is dependent on how warm we get during the day. The more sunshine we receive earlier in the day, means a greater severe weather threat during the evening. The WJZ First Alert Weather Team has issued an Alert Day Friday afternoon and evening for the risk of severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, which may produce areas of flooding. There will be a few rounds of showers and heavy thunderstorms throughout the evening and overnight hours. The greatest threat for damaging winds and hail will take place with the first round of strong storms between 3 pm and 11 pm. In addition to potential strong winds and hail, storms will have torrential downpours, so areas of poor drainage and urban flooding will be possible. Additional clusters of heavy showers and storms will continue through the overnight hours. While most of these storms should not be severe, they will contain more heavy downpours. With the ground already saturated from recent heavy rain, the threshold for flooding is low. Any storm Friday evening or night could cause flooding, so please turn around and don't cross any roadway that's flooded. O's Game Forecast Friday Evening The O's game scheduled for Friday evening against the White Sox needs to be watched closely. A few rounds of strong storms are possible, so rain delay(s) and/or a postponement will be possible if multiple storms cross over Camden Yards. First pitch is at 7:05 pm. Outside of storms, expect a warm, muggy, and cloudy evening. Saturday Showers and Storms Saturday will stay unsettled with several rounds of showers and thunderstorms possible. Thankfully the atmosphere should have less energy than Friday, so the threat for severe weather is lower. We'll see a few rounds of showers and storms possible starting as early as the morning hours. Another few clusters of storms will be possible midday into early evening. Some of the strongest storms will have heavy rain, small hail, gusty winds, and lightning. Most of the storms should exit the area before 9 pm. Superb Stretch Starts Sunday A well deserved period of quiet, comfortable, and beautiful spring weather begins Sunday. Sunday will be the coolest day of the stretch with highs in the middle 70s along with a gusty breeze. Monday will be similar to Sunday, but with less wind. Temperatures continue to warm Tuesday under plenty of sunshine. Afternoon highs should climb into the lower to middle 80s. The peak warmth will arrive midweek where temperatures will soar into the upper 80s with some spots away from Chesapeake Bay getting close to 90° with plenty of sunshine.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What has gone wrong for the Orioles' pitching? And how do they get back on track?
BALTIMORE — As Orioles manager Brandon Hyde strode toward the hill, his pitcher, Kyle Gibson, stared off into the distance. Hyde, also clearly worn down by a month of these walks, fixed his gaze on nothing in particular. The gray-bearded skipper and the veteran hurler did not actually make eye contact until they came face to face on the foot of the mound. When the two beleaguered individuals finally acknowledged each other — with Gibson handing the baseball to Hyde before turning toward the showers — there was no animosity, no anger, no feeling of disdain. Just two frustrated baseball men, each facing their own crossroads and running low on answers. Signed late in spring training after an untimely injury to Orioles frontline arm Grayson Rodriguez, the 37-year-old Gibson made his 2025 debut on Tuesday. Things did not go to plan. The New York Yankees battered the soft-tossing righty for nine earned runs across just 3 2/3 innings of work. Gibson surrendered home runs to the first three hitters he faced. By the time the O's hitters came to the plate in the bottom of the first, they were already down 5-0. Just two seasons ago, Gibson led a 101-win, AL East-champion Orioles team in innings. He was also that pitching staff's heart and soul. His return to Baltimore was supposed to be part-reunion, part-stopgap. An emergency measure but a welcome one. Entering play Tuesday, the Orioles' rotation had a combined 5.62 ERA, the third-worst mark in MLB. Gibson, an incredibly well-respected clubhouse presence, spent most of April building up his workload. His comeback Tuesday seemed perfectly timed, a reliable veteran swooping in to Band-Aid a wounded staff. Instead, Gibson couldn't stop the bleeding. His outing was a catastrophe, a long-ball barrage of epic proportions. It marked the first time since 2016 that a starting pitcher allowed four home runs and seven hits in the first inning of a game. And for the Orioles, the horror show evening was a crushing encapsulation of the club's complete inability to record outs. One month into the 2025 season, the Orioles sit at a dismal 11-18 — the fourth-worst record in baseball, ahead of only the Rockies (4-25), White Sox (7-22) and Pirates (11-19). Following Tuesday's blowout 15-3 loss, Baltimore trails New York by 6.5 games in the AL East. Perhaps most striking: No team has seen a steeper decline in playoff odds since Opening Day. FanGraphs had the Orioles at 48.2% to make the postseason on Day 1; that number is currently at 14%. The season is long (and, for some, full of terrors), but Hyde and general manager Mike Elias could not have envisioned a worse start. So what in the world is going on here? How did this front office fail so dramatically to supplement its enviable core of young hitters with even league-average pitching? And, most importantly, what happens now? The Baltimore Orioles, it must be said, are not dumb. Elias, who took over as president of baseball operations in November 2018, has earned a strong reputation in regard to analytics and organizational infrastructure. Under his guidance, the O's built a draft-and-development monster that has churned out a wave of impact position players such as Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday. That core — supplemented by massive developmental leaps from big-league hitters such as Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins and Ryan O'Hearn — propelled Baltimore to playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024. The team's pitching, particularly its starting pitching, has been a very different story. Since Elias' first draft in 2019, the Orioles are the only MLB team to not have a pitcher they drafted reach the big leagues while still with the organization. Kade Strowd, who was promoted and demoted this week without making an appearance, would've been the first Elias-drafted pitcher to debut for the Birds. To be fair, Baltimore has focused most of its amateur attention on position players; only the Tigers, Nationals, Giants and Astros have drafted fewer pitchers than the Orioles during the span in question. They've also acquired multiple young, quality arms via trade, including Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and right-handed prospect Chayce McDermott. Brandon Young, who made his MLB debut last weekend, was signed as an undrafted free agent after 2020's truncated, five-round draft. And Rodriguez, currently on the IL, was drafted by the previous regime but developed almost entirely by Elias' group. Still, the lack of homegrown arms is striking, particularly when the club also hasn't committed long-term dollars to secure elite pitching in free agency. The blockbuster acquisition of ace Corbin Burnes in January 2024 was an encouraging splash, a rare moment of transactional aggression from the typically long-term-oriented Elias regime. Even though Burnes departed in free agency after just one season, that deal, which sent pitching prospect DL Hall, shortstop prospect Joey Ortiz and a compensation pick to Milwaukee, could not have turned out better. Burnes was dynamite in his one year in Baltimore, which included a sensational, though ill-fated, postseason start. Meanwhile, Hall has battled injuries since joining the Brewers, and Ortiz, after a promising 2024 season, has been one of the game's worst hitters this year. A deal last deadline for Zach Eflin, too, has been a massive victory. Eflin was wonderful for Baltimore down the stretch in 2024 and was throwing well this season before he was sidelined by a minor lat issue. Yet even with how well those trades played out, the Orioles did not replicate that strategy this past winter after Burnes left. They were not seriously connected to current Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, the best pitcher moved in the offseason. Nor were they players for southpaw Jesús Luzardo, who went from Miami to Philadelphia and currently ranks fourth among starters in fWAR. Instead, the Orioles dipped a toe — not a foot — into the free-agent pitching waters. They spent, but they did so poorly, cautiously, conservatively. New billionaire owner David Rubenstein signed off on the largest year-over-year percentage payroll increase in the sport. But Baltimore misfired when flexing its newfound financial muscle. They handed a one-year, $13 million contract to 35-year-old Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano, a long-time NPB soft-tosser finally making the stateside leap. Soon after, they gave 41-year-old Charlie Morton a similar one-year, $15 million deal, banking on experience over long-term upside. Baltimore also inked reliever Andrew Kittredge to a one-year, $10 million pact — though he has since landed on the injured list. And when Rodriguez, slated to slot behind Eflin in the rotation, went down late in camp, the team turned to Gibson on a one-year, $5 million deal. And now, the Birds are left with a team ERA of 5.52 and a mountain to climb. Besides Sugano, who has a 3.00 ERA through six starts, Baltimore's offseason plan already looks, at best, woefully insufficient and, at worst, like abject baseball negligence. Morton pitched to a 10.36 ERA across his first six outings before an encouraging showing Tuesday in relief of Gibson. Gibson, even at his best, is not some kind of magic salve. Rodriguez, now on the 60-day IL, is still months away. Bradish and Wells, both recovering from Tommy John surgery, could return by midsummer, but the club will be wary of leaning on either right away. That unfortunate rash of injuries, which can be expected to happen to every club, exposed Baltimore's dearth of reliable depth options. And at the top of the staff, there's no dependable shutdown arm. That's why, even once Eflin returns, the outlook for Baltimore's rotation remains hazy. The best-case short-term scenario involves a step forward from inexperienced left-hander Cade Povich and a stabilization from established workhorse Dean Kremer, whose 7.04 ERA is well above his career mark. A rotation composed of that duo, a healthy Eflin, a purring Sugano and something, anything, from either Gibson or Morton could crawl its way back to average. But unless Rodriguez, Bradish and Wells all come back with a vengeance, it's difficult to see how Baltimore's starting staff elevates itself to join baseball's elite. This organization is not in full disaster mode — not yet. Not for this season and not for this rebuild. Things might well turn around. But the margin for error in Baltimore is disappearing quickly. That's a large part of what has made the first month of the 2025 season so frustrating and, potentially, foreboding for the Orioles. With their window of contention open, each year that goes by without a playoff run is a chance wasted. And before the calendar has even turned to May, 2025 is looking like a huge missed opportunity.
Fox Sports
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
MLB roundtable: Is Freddie Freeman bound for Cooperstown?
The 2025 MLB season is heating up as it approaches its quarter mark, and a few teams are catching fire at a time that might pay dividends down the line. In this week's roundtable, FOX Sports' MLB reporters Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar take a look at the players and teams defining the early part of the season: 1. Baltimore Orioles' GM Mike Elias recently took responsibility for the rotation being a mess. The O's are in last place in the AL East and in the running for the worst run differential in the American League. It would help if the likes of Adley Rutschman and Tyler O'Neill started hitting, but on the pitching side, what can the Orioles do to fill in the holes they spent the offseason and early 2025 digging, before they're too deep to do anything about them? Kavner: Hope and pray their underperforming veterans magically perform better? Really, though, there are few obvious answers unless or until some of their current pitchers get on track, their injured pitchers turn a corner faster than expected or general manager Mike Elias trades for help well before the deadline. My mind keeps going back to the Trevor Rogers deal last year. The Orioles needed to move some of their blocked prospects at some point, and they were in the market for left-handed help. But instead of spending the exorbitant cost to acquire an actual difference-maker at the deadline, they dealt Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers for a reclamation project in what felt like an overpay at the time — even by deadline standards — and has only looked worse since. The move is relevant now, with the Orioles still desperately in need of pitching help after a perplexing offseason in which they lost Corbin Burnes then spread their funds around in a befuddling effort to rebuild the rotation on the margins rather than acquire an ace either via trade (the way the division-rival Red Sox did) or on the market (the way the division-rival Yankees did). Other than the Tomoyuki Sugano signing, that effort has predictably failed. There's not much help coming on the farm, either. Top pitching prospect Chayce McDermott got his first chance of the year on Wednesday, coughed up four runs in three innings and was optioned afterward. Meanwhile, Rogers was injured to start the year and has an 8.00 ERA at Triple-A, while Stowers leads the Marlins with 10 homers and a .946 OPS (both of which would lead the Orioles, too). The return of Zach Eflin should help, and the offense is better than this, but it's bleak right now. Thosar: It's not enough for Elias to just take responsibility. Self-awareness is great, but what is he going to do about this mess? He can start by making savvy trades, which is what he should've done in the winter, anyway, after the O's let Corbin Burnes walk away. The Orioles had the top farm system in baseball for the past three years before a slew of top prospects graduated and they dropped down the list. But they still have exciting names in-house that could be viable trade options to swap with the right team that has more pitching depth. There's no room for No. 2 prospect Coby Mayo on the big league roster to get significant playing time, so start shopping him in exchange for an impact arm. Outside of trades, Baltimore needs to start aggressively promoting their pitchers in the minor leagues. Finally, they can take a page from other contenders around the league and transition a bullpen arm into a starter. The bottom line is, Elias and the O's have to get creative to make up for the organizational failure of not having high-level pitching talent ready for this year. 2. The Twins have rattled off an eight-game win streak to push their record over .500 for the first time all year, and the Cardinals extended their own streak to nine on Monday with a win against the Phillies. Are you buying what either of these teams are selling in 2025, or is this just the normal ups and downs of a long season getting more attention because it's mid-May? Kavner: I'm buying that St. Louis has enough offense and Minnesota has enough pitching to contend for wild-card spots. Conversely, I don't think the Cardinals have the starting pitching depth nor do I think the Twins have enough offense to win their respective divisions. Matthew Liberatore has provided a huge boost for St. Louis, but Sonny Gray has a 4.50 ERA, and the underlying numbers suggest some regression ahead for Erick Fedde, who has performed well thus far. Meanwhile, the Twins have gone on their spectacular run this month despite a league-average offense during their hot May stretch. I'm slightly higher on Minnesota because I believe in the Twins' pitching and the American League is so weak, but both teams still have work to do to make me view them as legit contenders. Thosar: I'm buying what the Cardinals are selling, but not so much the Twins, because St. Louis has been more consistent throughout April and May than the Twins, who have been too up and too down for me to believe just yet that their winning streak is a sign that they're the real deal. Byron Buxton's red-hot start in May has helped Minnesota improve their record, but it's dangerous to expect him to carry the club all season. The Twins need to play more consistently for a longer period of time just to have a chance of catching up to the first-place Tigers, and even then, they need to leapfrog over the Guardians and Royals to have a shot. It seems like a stretch. The Cardinals, though, have a clearer path to contention in the weaker NL Central, with a better shot at catching up to the first-place Cubs. Keep an eye on their series against the Phillies this week, which will be a huge test for St. Louis after winning the series against the Mets and sweeping the Pirates and Nationals. They could just be winning because of their softer schedule, or they could be the real deal. We'll find out soon enough. 3. It's tough to look at what Freddie Freeman is doing in 2025 and not wonder about where his career is going to end up. He's the active leader in runs, hits, doubles, RBI and total bases, and recently passed the 350-homer mark. In 2025, at age 35, he's leading the NL in batting average (.376), slugging (.734), OPS (1.170) and OPS+ (228), and has hit an astounding .491/.532/.906 over the past two weeks entering play on Tuesday. What do you see from the Dodgers' first baseman from here on out, both in 2025 and by the time he calls it a career? Kavner: Eventually, I see 3,000 hits and a place in Cooperstown, though that hit milestone will depend a lot on health for the 35-year-old. The physical toll that the 2024 championship season took on Freeman is still obvious. Both his ribs and his surgically-repaired right ankle have hindered him at times early this year, and the latter issue is still evident with every step he takes. And yet, somehow, none of it seems to matter. He lamented his swing not feeling right for much of last season in what was a tumultuous year off the field, but coming off his historic postseason performance, he looks as good as ever at the plate this year. Freeman's average exit velocity is the highest of his career. He's the National League OPS leader and is also contributing above-average defense at first base. The Dodgers are going to handle him carefully, as they have with many of their players this year. But as long as his ankle holds up, I see no reason why he won't be an All-Star for the ninth time in his career and a matchup nightmare come October. Thosar: I think his future success depends entirely on how Freeman manages his ankle injury. We've seen it be debilitating for him as recently as earlier this season when he slipped in the shower and re-aggravated it. That tells me he can't place too much pressure on the ankle even off the field, and he goes through extensive, hours-long treatment for it every day just to play. It's a lot to maintain, and it seems like one slip-up in the treatment and recovery process could lead to a potential IL stint. Then again, Freeman is clearly able to overcome pain better than most players, and even though it's rare in baseball, there are players who get better with age. I'm just weary of long-term implications from his ankle that might not have caught up to him yet. Regardless, he's a lock for the Hall of Fame in my book. 4. The Diamondbacks called up top prospect Jordan Lawlar this week. It's his second go in the majors — Arizona called him up at the end of 2023, and then he missed most of 2024 with hamstring and thumb injuries. What should we expect from Lawlar, assuming he can stay on the field? Kavner: It's not often a team's top prospect gets called up in a utility role, but that seems to be the plan ahead for Lawlar. The move has been a long time coming, even if there's no obvious vacancy for him to fill with Ketel Marte at second, Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop and Eugenio Suarez at third. When you're slashing .336/.413/.579 as a 22-year-old at Triple-A — and you tallied an OPS over 1.000 at that level each of the previous two seasons — you've done all you can to demonstrate your worthiness of playing at the highest level. Lawlar has absolutely crushed left-handed pitching throughout his minor league career, so it would be reasonable to expect him to get some DH starts against lefties while giving Suarez, Perdomo and Marte occasional days off in the field. Lawlar's Triple-A numbers (.347/.424/.590 with 13 homers in 65 career games) were boosted both by his hitter-friendly home park in Reno and the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but even if he doesn't end up slugging well above .500 for his career the way he did in the minors, his combination of pop and plus-plus speed (his sprint speed ranked in MLB's 99th percentile during his first big-league stint) and ability to hit both lefties and righties (he had an OPS over .900 against both this year) should add to an already dangerous Arizona lineup, wherever he ends up playing. The D-backs prepared Lawlar for this opportunity by having him log time at second, shortstop and third at Reno this year, and I'd expect him to work in at all three spots. Thosar: Since he can play every infield position besides first base, I'm expecting him to receive more playing time, allowing the everyday starters to get off their feet. It will be fascinating to see if he can thrive with more regular appearances in the batting order (the D-backs think he can start 3-4 times per week) and more reps against major-league pitching. Perhaps Lawlar's speed and pop from the right side will help Arizona pull away from the .500 mark, which is where they've lived so far this season. He swiped 13 bags out of 14 chances in Triple A before he was called up this year, and those wheels should give the D-backs offense a different look. He can also be a late-game weapon for them, utilizing Lawlar's speed in tight games to score runs easier. His confidence should grow the more that the D-backs use his dynamic ability on the field. 5. Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes are both going to be part of Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, after not participating in previous tournaments — Judge because the timing just wasn't right, and Skenes because he wasn't even in the pros yet. With that in mind, what other first-time player would you most want to see suit up for Team USA next spring, now that those two are already on board? Kavner: Man, so many great possible answers here. I'll go with Bryce Harper, who represented Team USA as an amateur and intended to play in the last World Baseball Classic but was forced out by his elbow injury. He tends to rise to the occasion on the biggest stage, and it only feels right that he gets the chance to do that at the WBC at least once in his career, especially while he's still one of the game's most feared hitters Thosar: Bryce Harper and Pete Crow-Armstrong come to mind. They would definitely put on electric performances, and they've both played for Team USA as teenagers. On the pitching side, it's always tough to get ace-type starters to participate in the WBC because they're still building up from the long layoff of the offseason. But it would be awesome to see Jacob deGrom pitch for Team USA before he hangs up his cleats for good. It's unlikely he does so; he even opted to skip the 2021 All-Star Game when he was selected, in favor of focusing on his recovery in between starts. But maybe he'll have a different perspective next spring. You never know. Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner . Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar . recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Scattered strong storms across Maryland Friday and Saturday
Expect areas of mist, drizzle, fog, and scattered showers this morning. Scattered strong thunderstorms return Friday and Saturday along with heat and humidity. Morning Commute: Fog, Mist, & Drizzle Patchy dense fog will be a problem this morning across the area. Visibility is less than 1/2 mile in many places along with mist, drizzle, and scattered showers will mean a slower than normal morning commute. Be extra aware and give yourself extra time to get to your destination. The gloominess should begin to lift later this morning. Later today skies will remain mostly cloudy to partly sunny. A few isolated showers will be possible, especially across northeastern Maryland this afternoon. Highs will top out in the middle to upper 70s with very high levels of humidity continuing. O's Game Weather If you're headed to the O's game this afternoon, we're looking at mostly cloudy, warm, and humid weather. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 70s for the first pitch at 12:35 pm against the Twins. Expect a mostly cloudy and dry game with temperatures staying in the 70s. Scattered Strong Storms Friday & Saturday Scattered strong thunderstorms will be possible Friday and Saturday. Friday has two rounds of potential storms that we are tracking. One round in the morning possible between 5 AM and 9 AM and a second round after 4 PM. Any storms Friday could have drenching downpours, lightning, hail, and gusty winds. The best chance for any severe weather would be late Friday afternoon and evening. An additional round of strong thunderstorms are possible overnight Friday and Saturday afternoon. Any storms would contain frequent lightning, downpours, gusty winds, and hail. The timing and coverage of these storms are still a bit uncertain right now, but any storms that do form have the potential to become severe. It is possible that the WJZ First Alert Weather Team will need to issue a First Alert Weather Day(s) for severe storms Friday and/or Saturday as new information arrives. So please keep checking back for updates. Preakness Forecast Saturday Saturday's forecast for the Preakness is improving. Any storms that form on Saturday look to be rather isolated and also fast-moving. So even in the worst case scenario, a 45 to 60 minute passing thunderstorm is possible Saturday afternoon at Pimlico. The bigger story will be the afternoon heat and humidity with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s with high humidity. Heat index values will top out in the lower 90s. By the time the main race begins (7:01 PM), any isolated storms should be over. Temperatures will be in the lower 80s with clearing skies, breezy weather, and falling humidity. Beautiful Sunday and Monday Excellent outdoor weather returns Sunday and Monday with a gusty and refreshing northwest breeze, low humidity, and comfortable temperatures. With plenty of sunshine, high temperatures will reach the middle to upper 70s. Both days look exceptionally comfortable and dry. Wet Pattern Returns Next Week An unsettled and wet weather pattern will return mid to late next week as an area of low pressure meanders across our area. This will mean cloudy skies with rounds of rain. Temperatures will turn dramatically cooler again with highs in the mid to upper 60s. Showers will begin Wednesday and more rounds of rain will continue through the rest of next week.
