Monthly Archives: July 2020

Baltimore Orioles fall late

The Baltimore Orioles put up a fight last night against New York. However starter John Means has a lackluster first outing. Means never pitches well against New York, however he certainly wanted to look better than he did. Means’ line: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Before you could blink, New York put five runs on the board in the first inning. This included a grand slam by Voit. Means stabilized, but he was lifted in the third.

However the O’s battled back. And almost immediately at that. Hanser Alberto‘s two-run homer in the last of the first brought the O’s to within 5-2. One inning later Rio Ruiz hit a two-run shot of his own, putting the Orioles right back into the game, and within one run at 5-4.

The skies opened up in the sixth inning, causing an hour-and-a-half rain delay. When the game resumed, the O’s took the lead in the eighth inning. Pedro Severino‘s two-run homer gave the Orioles a 6-5 lead. Unfortunately however, New York had a guy in Judge who was capable of a three-run shot. And he gave NY the lead back in the ninth. And the O’s fell 9-6.

I’ve written on the important of insurance runs several times thus far this season. And we saw it last night. Especially when playing against the likes of Judge, Stanton, et al. However the good news is that the O’s battled back after being down big early on. With a young team, that’s how you have to look at things.

Tomorrow the Orioles will welcome in the Tampa Rays to Camden Yards for a three-game weekend series. Alex Cobb gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Blake Snell. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall in home opener

Due to the ongoing situation with the Miami Marlins, the Baltimore Orioles opened their home schedule against New York last night. I suspect that the Birds and starter Asher Wojchiekowski wish it had been Miami they were playing, as New York came out swinging early and hit the O’s hard. Wojchiekowski’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Wojchiekowski surrendered a solo homer to LeMahieu in the first at-bat of the game. Solo home runs aren’t going to beat you, but these are the Bronx Bombers. They do more than just one solo shot in the first inning.

They would net another run on Ford’s sac fly-RBI later in the inning. However even though NY was throwing it’s ace, Cole, the O’s battled back. Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-single in the last of the first cut the lead in half at 2-1. But again, the Bronx Bombers don’t just go away. Judge’s solo homer in the third extended their lead to 3-1.

Hicks would smack a two-run homer later in the third, and LeMahieu and Judge would add RBI-singles in the sixth. The thing about teams such as New York is that they don’t really stop adding runs on. I wrote about insurance runs last weekend, and how it was good to see the Birds adding them on. That’s never been a problem for a team like New York.

The O’s did get a two-run homer from Dwight Smith Jr. in the seventh, but again New York kept adding on runs. Even in the ninth inning. When the smoke cleared, they beat the Orioles 9-3.

Perhaps the bigger story was that first baseman Chris Davis wasn’t with the team last night. Manager Brandon Hyde said before the game that he wasn’t available and wasn’t with the team. He was unable to say anything further, which of course naturally makes people think that this is COVID-related.

In the wake of the Miami situation Davis had said that he was more concerned about the situation. Certainly it’s a concern for anyone, but especially a guy like Davis who has young children. He has remained on the active roster, so in terms of him staying with the team that’s a positive sign.

The disjointed series will be “paused” until next week following tonight’s game, and truly finalized next Wednesday night when New York returns to Camden Yards. John Means makes his season debut for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s J.A. Happ. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Schedule in flux

The Baltimore Orioles will take on the New York Yankees tonight and tomorrow at a Camden Yards. It of course will be the Birds’ home opener. It was supposed to be against the Miami Marlins, however due to the COVID-19 outbreak in their clubhouse their season has been placed on hold.

So New York comes in tonight, and they were also supposed to be in Baltimore from August 3rd-5th – next week. Monday and Tuesdays games in essence have been rescheduled for tonight and tomorrow. Wednesday August 5th’s game is still on against New York.

Presumably, if Miami is able to continue their season next week, those games will be played on Monday and Tuesday. In fact, you might even see doubleheader’s, so as to makeup the games canceled earlier in the week in Miami. All of that remains to be seen. If Miami is unable to continue their season, presumably those dates will just remain as off days for the O’s.

The “disjointed series” with New York begins tonight at Camden Yards. Alex Wojchiekowski gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles not playing tonight (updated x2)

Commissioner Rob Manfred announced last night that the Baltimore Orioles game tonight in Miami has been postponed. There was talk about playing today at Camden Yards (either one game or a doubleheader) with the O’s as the visiting team in their home park, but that’s been scrapped. Manfred on the situation:

Our first concern obviously is the health of the players and their families and making sure that we do everything possible to minimize the spread of the virus among our employees. We’ve been fortunate so far. We’ve done tens of thousands of tests, our positive rate has been 0.4 percent, so we feel like the protocols have worked pretty well.

Not withstanding that fact, we have made some decisions. The Miami Marlins will not play their two games in Miami tonight and tomorrow. We’re doing some additional testing. If the testing results are acceptable, the Marlins will resume play in Baltimore on Wednesday against the Orioles.

Quote Courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The Orioles are scheduled to play Miami on Wednesday and Thursday nights at Camden Yards. Those games of course are previously scheduled, and are Oriole home games. Now what could theoretically happen is that assuming Miami is cleared to play, perhaps they do a doubleheader on Wednesday (at Camden Yards) with Miami as the home team, and another doubleheader Thursday with the Orioles as the home team.

Whether both teams and the union would approve of two doubleheaders in a row is another story. That would certainly put the Orioles at a disadvantage going into a weekend series with division foe, Tampa. More realistically, I think you put those two games on the back burner and play one or both of them at the end of the season if need be. Either that or find a common off day and play a doubleheader.

For the record, the Orioles have adhered to all of the agreed-upon guidelines in terms of social distancing, masks, and putting themselves in essence in a bubble while on the road. The issue of course lies with the Miami Marlins. I would submit that baseball fans, players, coaches, etc. everywhere should be looking at them with contempt when they played on Sunday in Philadelphia knowing that the virus was spreading in their clubhouse. Infections are going to happen. It’s how you handle them that makes the difference. They handled it about as poorly as anyone could. More as we hear it.

Update: We’re hearing that the league has now at least temporarily suspended the Miami Marlins’ season. So that would wipe out tomorrow and Thursday’s games between the O’s and Miami at Camden Yards. It’s unclear what the league will do moving forward, however at this time canceling or suspending the MLB season as a whole doesn’t appear to be on the table.

There are all kinds of ideas being thrown around, including one that has the NY Yankees coming to Baltimore for games tomorrow and Thursday evenings. NY was otherwise supposed to have been here for three games next week – Monday-Wednesday. Again, that’s just an idea. It’s unclear if that means that perhaps things could shift regarding Miami by then, and maybe they could play here and just swap series’…?

MLB appears to not be overly concerned about one team playing a few fewer games than others. So if someone ends up playing 55 games, that’s fine – they’ll do standings by win percentages. And in a scenario like what we’re seeing this year, I think that’s smart. I’m not sure they planned for an entire team to have it’s season suspended, but here we are. More as we hear it.

Update II: MLB has announced that the New York Yankees will be coming to Baltimore tomorrow and Thursday night to take on the O’s at Camden Yards. This replaces the Miami series. Presumably both games start at 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ game canceled in Miami (updated)

The Baltimore Orioles are in Miami in anticipation of tonight’s game with the Marlins – which has apparently just been canceled. The Miami Marlins are actually still in Philadelphia, where they played this weekend. Over the course of the series, four Miami players tested positive for Covid-19.

There are multiple reports and stories out there, but some of them pin as many as 14 positive tests in the Miami clubhouse. What happens from here remains to be seen. As of now tomorrow’s game and the two-game set in Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday are still on.

It’s possible that if enough taxi squad guys can make it to Miami by tomorrow and the rest of the team tests negative, perhaps they could play a doubleheader. Or maybe a doubleheader at Camden Yards later in the week with Miami acting as the home team in one of the games. Again, remains to be seen. All we know for now is that today’s game is canceled.

Incidentally the aforementioned scenario’s are only ideas out of my head. None of it was said with any sort of prior knowledge. But this is kind of a big moment for MLB, because something like this was bound to happen eventually. Hopefully we can move forward taking as many precautions as possible. This story will be updated if need be as more details about the schedule are made available, however in the interim please join me in sending prayers and good vibes to manager Don Mattingly and the entire Miami Marlins organization.

Update: The O’s are apparently going to be flying back to Baltimore this evening. So while nothing official yet, that would mean that tomorrow night’s game at the very least isn’t going to be played in Miami. With the Marlins in Philadelphia, they could easily bus down to Baltimore and play a doubleheader tomorrow at Camden Yards – obviously with Miami serving as the home team.

It’s unclear if that’s what’s happening, but it appears that the Orioles’ stay in South Florida is going to be cut short, needless to say. I suspect that an attempt to play the doubleheader at Oriole Park tomorrow will be made, and if worst comes to worst they’ll just postphone both games for now. More as we hear it.

Baltimore Orioles: Big wheels keep on turning

The Baltimore Orioles turned to Wade LeBlanc this afternoon at Fenway Park in the series finale with Boston. And LeBlanc didn’t disappoint. While for the second straight day the O’a fell short of a quality start, it was also the second straight day where starter put them in a great position to win a game. LeBlac’s line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Whether it was Fenway Park’s dimensions or something else, Oriole bats were hot right off the bat. They took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run homer by Rio Ruiz. For a short period, it appeared that it might be a game – Boston cut that lead to 2-1 in the second on a solo homer by Vasquez.

But that was short lived. The O’s came right back. Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-double in the third have the Birds their two-run cushion back. And it was full steam ahead from there, as they’d get a sac fly-RBI from Austin Hays, and a solo homer from Anthony Santander in the fourth. They also chased the Boston starter before the end of the inning.

Boston would get a solo homer from Pillar in the fifth, and an RBI-single by Bogaerts in the sixth. Other than that, the Orioles shut the door on Boston. Chris Davis even added an insurance run with an RBI-double in the ninth. (Davis would later commit an unforced base running gaffe by getting doubled off second, but luckily it didn’t cost the O’s.)

The star of the day had to be Anthony Santander. He had the aforementioned solo home run. He also saved a homer by Bogaerts in the last of the fourth. The ball looked to be curling around the Pesky Pole, however Santander lept into the empty stands and caught the ball. Shades of the final game last year.

It’s worth reminding folks that 2019 began the same way. The Birds fell on Opening Day in NY, and won the final two games of the series to register a series victory in the beginning of an otherwise forgetful season. However I think there were a lot of people who expected the Birds to get swept this weekend in Boston. Yes, Friday was bad. But they bounced back in the final two games in convincing fashion. That should mean the world to fans.

Even in a sixty-game sprint, it’s too early to look at the standings. But while they have the same record as the NY Yankees, if you really want to be technical the Birds are ahead of them in the standings. Because the Orioles’ wins were division games. But it’s still early. ; don’t read into too much. You’d just rather win two-of-three in the opening series than drop two-of-three or get swept. As the title states, big wheels kept on turning this weekend for the O’s.

The Orioles now head to South Florida for a short series against Miami at Marlins Park. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Pablo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Alex Cobb shines in Birds’ first win of 2020

Reports of the Baltimore Orioles’ demise might have been slightly exaggerated after last night’s big loss. The O’s sent veteran Alex Cobb to the mound this afternoon at Fenway Park, and he didn’t disappoint. Keep in mind that it’s been over a year since Cobb has pitched, due to being shelved with an injury last April. Cobb’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

The Orioles had that determined look in their eyes this afternoon right from the get go. They wanted to get the stink of last night’s loss shoved to the side, and they hit the ground running right away. The Birds put two runners in scoring position right out of the box. And Renato Nunez smack a two-RBI double off the green monster in left field, giving the O’s a 2-0 lead.

Nunez would later score on a fielding error, extending the lead to 3-0. One inning later Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-single ran it to 4-0. Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-single later in the inning gave the Birds a 5-0 lead.

However the key was Cobb. Granted it helped that he got some runs early, but he kept a decent Boston lineup in check for the most part. He absolutely painted the corners throughout his entire outing. He employed late movement on his pitches, that kept Boston hitters guessing all day.

Cobb went back out to start the sixth inning, and after recording an out surrendered a homer to Moreland. That ended his day. Boston would also get an infield RBI-single from Plaweki, cutting the lead to 5-2. However one of the more unsung moments of the game was Miguel Castro coming out of the Birds’ pen with two outs, throwing three pitches, and ending the inning. Two potent fastballs and a sweeping slider. Good morning, good afternoon, and good night. 

With Boston looking to rally and Cobb long gone, that was a huge moment in the game. And Castro rose to the occasion. Oriole bats also rose to the occasion an inning later in the seventh. One thing we’ve seen from the Orioles in 2018 and ’19 was the lack of insurance runs. We did see it a little bit in Sarasota, which I recall saying at the time was a good sign. But it’s lacked in recent years, and that’s helped losses to pile up.

But it wasn’t the case today. Anthony Santander smacked a two-RBI double in the seventh, extending the Orioles’ lead back to five at 7-2. Again, that’s something I remember nothing in the spring which I thought boded well. While the Oriole bullpen never allowed Boston to get back on the board, insurance runs are never a bad thing. The sum of all these parts gave the Orioles their first win of 2020, 7-2 over Boston.

The series concludes tomorrow at Fenway Park. Wade LeBlanc gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Ryan Weber. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tough loss on Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles’ starting pitcherTommy Milone dominated Boston in his first ever Opening Day outing. You read that right; he dominated Boston – for about two innings. Milone’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

During the first two innings Milone Moses Boston hitters down. He changed speeds very effectively, and seemed to be ready for prime time. However in the third inning once the Boston hitters got a second look at him, he began to struggle.

Milone surrendered four doubles in the third inning, which gave Boston a 4-0 lead. I did find it interesting that manager Brandon Hyde opted to lift Milone. On a normal Opening Day I don’t think that would have happened given the same circumstances. But each game counts approximately 2.5 – 3 times as much as a game in a 162-game schedule. The urgency of today is much greater than it normally would be.

Boston would load the bases in the last of the fourth, and six runs later they led 10-0. They busted the game wide open. And while the O’s burned two different bullpen relievers in that fourth inning, Boston bats were still strong. Often when you wake a team up they find ways to stay hot. And Boston certainly did that tonight.

Part of the issue is that Oriole pitching allowed Boston hitters to get ahead in the count from the get-go. When you get behind in the count you’re pitching from a position of weakness. Thus you end up forced to throw a strike, and the pressure ends up on you. Especially when the bases are loaded. Allowing a Boston hitters to get ahead in the third and fourth innings tonight allowed Boston to run away with the game.

Renato Nunez would smack an RBI-double in the sixth to at least get the Orioles on the board. However Boston came right back with two more runs in the last of the sixth. And they did so once again by smacking doubles – this time off the green monster in left field.

Rio Ruiz brought the Birds to within 13-2 in the seventh as he smacked the Orioles’ first homer of the year. This one of the solo variety. It means little for the sake of this game, because you aren’t coming back from being down 13-2. But Ruiz started to hit for more power in the latter half of last season. And that appears to have continued.

The series continues tomorrow at Fenway Park. Alex Cobb gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Martin Perez. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles 2020 Season Preview

This is the first season preview I’ve written for the Baltimore Orioles in late July. But that’s about par for the course in 2020. Opening Day high temperature records are being obliterated this year. And we all know the reason why. But such is the situation in which we find ourselves in 2020.

In March I was planning on predicting that the Birds would take a few steps forward this season. And by that I mean in the win/loss column. The 2019 O’s won 54 games – which was an improvement over 2018. Who knows what the prediction would have been had this year gone off properly. Needless to say however, I can confidently tell you that the 2020 Birds won’t even approach 100 losses. In fact, this will probably be the lowest loss total in franchise history.

It begins and ends with pitching, and that’s a work in progress. Even still however, Oriole pitching was having a decent spring before things shut down. A better spring than I would have expected. So could they be slightly better than advertised? Perhaps. But they’ll suffer a bit at first, with staff ace John Means missing the Opening Day start tonight due to soreness.

More realistically in a sixty-game sprint, the bigger question might be how the middle relief stacks up. How do the Cody Carroll‘s and Richard Bleier‘s of the world faire in games? We’ve already started to see the concept of an “opener” in MLB the past few years. Might we start seeing more out of middle relievers? In a sixty-game season, that might be necessary.

Hitting of course is a big deal also. The O’s will be without Trey Mancini this year of course due to his cancer treatments. Chris Davis had an exceptional exhibition season, and the hope is that he can continue that starting tonight and into the regular season. If the Orioles are going to keep up in games they’re going to need runs and base runners. That also means that the Hanser Alberto‘s, Rio Ruiz‘s, and Anthony Santander‘s of the world will need to have big games as well. Get on base; the runs will come.

This was already going to be another rebuilding year for the O’s. But will it be? We’ve certainly never seen a sixty-game sprint as a season. Could it play to the Birds’ favor? That’s a tough question to answer. So what’s my prediction for 2020? Again, tough question to answer. While most people assume the O’s will finish in the cellar, I don’t think they will. So that’s my prediction – while I don’t think they’ll contend, I do think they’ll stay out of last place.

Opening Day of course is today, and the Birds find themselves in at Fenway Park for the first of a three-game set. Tommy Milone gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles name Tommy Milone Opening Day starter

Prior to yesterday’s 6-4 exhibition loss in Washington, the Baltimore Orioles named Tommy Milone their Opening Day starter for Friday night in Boston. I see Milone as a curious choice, given that he didn’t see that much action in the spring. However it’s entirely possible that manager Brandon Hyde is almost seeing this as a spot start:

The bottom line with Tommy is that he’d just be getting one extra days of rest, so we keep everybody on regular rest. I didn’t want to bring anybody back short. In this kind of unusual space and time when we only had a short time to get these guys ready, they’ve done an amazing job of getting ready. We just didn’t want to take the chance of bringing back somebody on short rest, and we felt that Tommy was just one day away. So he’s going to have five days before his start. It just works out for us in that way.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

John Means of course was supposed to be the Opening Day starter. However arm fatigue is holding him back. I do think that Means will make a sizable contribution this year. It just won’t be as the Opening Day starter.

I’m sure that a lot of people didn’t have Tommy Milone making the start on Opening Day. But it’s about par for the course for 2020. How many of us had Opening Day occurring in July?!