The Baltimore Orioles returned home last night following a long west coast swing. In doing so, they ran into a buzz saw called the Toronto Blue Jays. As it turned out, Asher Wojchiekowski was plagued by a sore hip throughout his outing. The O’s said after the game that he’s expected to be fine. Wojciechowski’s line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.
Wojchiekowski gave up a two-run homer to Guerrero in the third, an RBI-single to Bichette in the fourth, and a solo homer to Grichuk in the fifth. Wojchiekowski wasn’t on point last night (with the sore hip being duly noted), however Toronto also ended the night with five home runs and eleven runs total. Regardless of who the Orioles trotted out there, Toronto hitters were smacking around.
Jonathan Villar got the Orioles on the board in the last of the fifth with a fielder’s choice-RBI. But the aforementioned Bichette and Guerrero hit the Orioles hard all night. Something about the sons of famous Dad’s that wasn’t sitting right with the Orioles last night. Guerrero also homered in the eighth, giving him two on the night.
Trey Mancini also smacked a solo homer in the last of the eighth for the Birds, giving him 25 on the season. That’s a new career high for Mancini, who’s progression as a hitter has been upwards since making his debut. And that’s good news for the Orioles.
Mancini of course was the subject of a few muted trade rumors as the deadline approached, but he’s still an Oriole. And he’s said that he’s happy about that. So are the Orioles.
I’ve said on numerous occasions that trading Mancini would be a huge mistake for the Orioles. He’s the type of player around whom you want to build. Now on the flip side he would probably net the most return in terms of players. But you have to look past that.
It’s short-sighted to suggest that simply because Mancini’s been a part of two consecutive last place finishes (assuming that’s the eventual case this year) the O’s should ship him out. His numbers speak for themselves. You want to keep a guy like him. On top of that, he seems to like playing in Baltimore and he seems to like the organization. He’s a keeper.
The series with Toronto continues tonight at Camden Yards. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the O’s, and Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 