Grayson Rodriguez deserved a better fate for the Baltimore Orioles. He technically didn’t pitch to a quality start, but he had a strong outing. And he certainly pitched well enough to win. But that’s not always how it goes. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K.
5.2 innings pitched is slightly lower than what we’ve been seeing out of Oriole starters, and what one might expect. However keep in mind that Rodriguez is still a rookie. And he’s just back up after a stint in the minors.
Rodriguez fell behind in the last of the fourth on an RBI-single by Springer. However one inning later the Orioles took advantage of a Toronto mental mishap. With a runner on third, Adley Rutschman grounded to the second baseman. That should have been the third out of the inning, but nobody in the infield covered first base, allowing the run to score.
That’s an inexcusable mistake if you’re Toronto. If you’re anyone, really. A big league club has to make that play, and the Orioles got a run and tied the game.
However unfortunately, this wssn’t to be the Orioles’ night. Rodriguez got tagged with the loss in this game, because he left the game with two on. He gave way to Shintaro Fujinami, who inherited those two base runners before proceeding to load the bases.
He then hit the next two batters with a pitch, forcing in two runs, and giving Toronto a 3-1 lead. Jorge Mateo would commit an E6 later in the inning, allowing another run to score. The Toronto bullpen took them the rest of the way, and the Birds dropped the game, 4-1.
This was the Orioles’ first loss this season at Rogers Centre. End of the day it’s tough to sweep someone in a four-game set. Especially at their place. You come back to the park and get ‘em tomorrow.
The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Newly acquired Jack Flaherty gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.
Birdland Crush 