Baltimore Orioles’ fans shouldn’t feel too badly about the Birds’ steak of 106 consecutive series’ without being swept being snapped in St. Louis. First off the streak speaks for itself, and it was impressive. It was also bound to end at some point. And you’d rather it culminate at the hands of a team like St. Louis as opposed to a division rival.
This was a strange series, and the sum of the parts came together to sweep the O’s away. The entire series had an uneven and inconsistent strike zone, often from inning to inning. (Ironically the only two people ejected were on the St. Louis side.) It was also marred by two rain delays and one suspended game, started last night by Kyle Bradish – and completed this afternoon. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.
Bradish was good overall. And he may (or may not) have pitched deeper into the game if not for it being suspended due to rain. He gave up an RBI-double to Gorman in the second, and the O’s tied it in the fifth on Jorge Mateo’s run-scoring double.
When the game picked back up early this afternoon, Gorman smacked a two-run homer in the last of the sixth. And the St. Louis bullpen kept the Birds off the board the rest of the way. Suspended games are tough, and they can go either way.
The more concerning thing in the immediate interim is John Means, who started the regularly-scheduled game following the completion of the first game. Means threw pretty well overall, but at a diminished velocity. He was lifted with elbow discomfort. Means’ line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.
Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the third gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. That combined with Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-groundout and Anthony Santander’s RBI-single extended the lead to 3-0. Then the rain came – again.
Following an hour long delay, St. Louis appeared to have regrouped. Nootbar’s RBI-single in the fifth cut the lead to 3-1. Donovan’s sixth inning three-run double would give them a 4-3 lead. Tack on a solo homer by Winn in the seventh, and the O’s trailed 5-3.
How quickly things can change. However the O’s tried to rally. They put runners at the corners with nobody out in the ninth, and actually scored a run on Kyle Stowers’ sac fly. However that also went as a double play, as Cedric Mullins was doubled off of first. He got a poor read on the ball, and while the fielder made an exceptionally good play in catching it, Mullins thought it was a hit.
To show they weren’t kidding, St. Louis actually challenged the play, thinking that Austin Hays left third base early. However replays confirmed he was still on the bag when the ball was caught, and the Birds did close to within one run. But that run was meaningless, as they went down to defeat, 5-4.
Again, the sweepless steak was going to end at some point. Look no further than the Baltimore Ravens; did winning however many preseason games in a row win them anything? Or however many consecutive games with 100+ rushing yards – or whatever it was? End of the day, Gunnar Henderson is still the odds-on favorite to win the MVP. The Orioles are still the odds-on favorite to win the AL East, and they’re still a serious World Series contender. If those things come to pass, nobody’s going to care about a sweepless streak.
The O’s now head to Chicago to open up a four-game set with the ChiSox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Mike Clevinger. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 