Just when it felt like the season was slipping through their fingers, the Orioles got a jolt, like rain in a desert. In a year marked by shake-ups and slumps, Wednesday’s win against the Milwaukee Brewers wasn’t just another tally in the W column. It was a glimmer of hope. And the spotlight is on the Japanese ace who’s been turning up the heat this season for the sparkless Orioles. And the clubhouse is buzzing with praise and his teammates aren’t shying away from saying it out loud.

When the Orioles defeated the Brewers on Wednesday, 35-year-old starter, Tomoyuki Sugano, ended up stealing the spotlight. He brings the energy to the clubhouse, even if he is not among the youngest players on the team. His pitching has been great, and ever since he signed the one-year $13 million offer, he has delivered for the team every time. And more than that, despite the cold vibe he may give off, it seems like he brightens up the team’s energy meter, something the team desperately needs during the recent shake-ups. His younger teammate, star hitter Gunnar Henderson, agrees and shared his honest take when asked about the Japanese sensation.

While talking to the Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn,  Henderson said Sugano, “brings his own special energy.” He shed light on the real vibe of Sugano and the goofball energy he has when talking to the coach, Drew French. In Gunner’s words, he would say to the coach, tongue-in-cheek, “Hey look, I’m not gonna be able to pitch on Saturday. Those orange pants, I can’t pitch in those pants.” It is no surprise that he has been able to create good chemistry with the team.

Henderson’s take is not wrong, not even a bit. Sugano has brought a definite new energy to the team. And he’s successfully keeping up with clear communication—perks of not being a native speaker, and that seems to be working out. He has been able to deliver what he signed up for. Sugano allowed five hits, two runs, and three strikeouts over six innings on Wednesday, leading to the 8-4 win against the Brewers. For the former Yomiuri Giants star, this marked his 10th start in MLB. The case is the same for Henderson; he, too, has shone this season. When these two players’ efforts converged, the team got great results, and yes, Wednesday was not a rare case.

Remember when the Orioles faced the Angels earlier this month? The starter’s electric 3 hits, 1 run, 5 strikeouts, and 0 walks dipped into the 8th inning—the first time for any Orioles pitcher. And the star shortstop’s 2 RBIs, including a homer that went over 400ft, helped them end a 5-game losing streak with a 4-1 win against the Angels. Even though both have been great so far, for the Orioles, this sure is a shaky season. And it is the same case for another 26-year-old RHP, too; his lack of performance led to an announcement on Wednesday.

Chayce McDermott’s bad command puts him in the minors again

The Orioles’ struggles are no secret—they just fired their long-time coach, Brandon Hyde, and replaced him with Tony Mansolino in hopes of at least a shot at the playoffs. But for Chayce McDermott, things are taking a different turn. McDermott struggled in a spot start on Tuesday versus the second game against the Brewers, yielding three runs on four hits and five walks over 4.2 frames. And now, the team has optioned him to the minors again.

The Orioles optioned McDermott to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. For him, this shouldn’t come as a surprise; he himself had confessed earlier about his missing command. “[Command] was bad. I am just gonna be honest,” he had admitted postgame on Tuesday. “It was pretty evident to see. You can’t throw under 50% strikes at any level of baseball, let alone the big leagues. Some mechanics were off. Rushing a little bit. Go back to the drawing board tomorrow,” he added.

He is not wrong, and data backs it up—just 37 of his 75 pitches were strikes. And now with him back in the minors, the Orioles will have an opening in their rotation Sunday in Boston. Even though they won their last game, they ended up losing the series to the Brewers 2-1. And Boston is going to test the already struggling team even harder. They now sit at the bottom of the AL East table with a 16-32 record. The managerial shake-up doesn’t seem to have affected much, but they need to flip the switch somehow. That too, as soon as they can.