Dean Kremer had perhaps the worst start of his career last night for the Baltimore Orioles in Buffalo against Toronto. It might be the worst start of anyone’s career. That’s not as much a conviction of Kremer as it sounds. These sorts of outings happen. And they aren’t easy to stomach for anyone. Kremer’s line: .1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 5 BB, 0 K.
Toronto put two runs on the board right away. Kremer loaded the bases by way of walks, and Hernandez’s RBI-single gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. Grichuk would also add an RBI-groundout.
At that point you felt good that the Birds had recorded an out, and you thought maybe Kremer would pitch out of the jam allowing only two runs. But that wasn’t to be; Biggio walked as well, and Gurriel’s grand slam lit Toronto ahead 6-0.
Toronto would put three more runs on the board in the early innings, but the Orioles’ pen held them at bay for the rest of the game. Which was good. But the damage was done.
The O’s have really taken it on the chin the past few days. Against Houston I wrote that it was as if the Houston players knew what Oriole pitchers were throwing before they (the pitchers) did. I had that same feeling last night as well.
Which makes me wonder if the Orioles aren’t somehow tipping their pitches. Obviously it would be unintentional if being done, however some of the swings and mammoth home runs we’ve seen appear a bit over/m-the-top. As in you’d have to know the pitch and the location in order to be able to hit the ball like that.
The most incriminating thing about that possibility is that if opposing teams are picking up on something that’s telling them what’s coming, obviously nobody in the Orioles’ dugout is picking up on it. That would be a huge problem.
Another interesting moment came in the fourth inning with Grichuk on first base. The ball was tagged deep to center field, but not deep enough as it was caught. The Orioles proceeded to easily throw Grichuk out at second base trying to rage up and advance.
First off, it was a stupid idea to try to advance on what amounted to a routine fly ball. But…Toronto was leading 9-0 at the time. I won’t say anything further about it, but it seems like poor form.
The series continues tonight at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Alex Manoah. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 