The Baltimore Orioles were hoping for better results out of newly-acquired Trevor Rogers this evening in Cleveland. To be clear, it wasn’t a disaster. He didn’t struggle per se. But the team was hoping for more out of a guy for whom they spent two really decent prospects. Rogers’ line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K.
Again, I want to be clear; you have to throw in that Rogers just joined the team yesterday. Is that an excuse? No, it’s a fact. In truth, Rogers probably made just one or two bad pitches. And by the time the game was over, it probably didn’t make a difference.
The O’s did take an early lead. Adley Rutschman’s double was followed up later in the inning by an RBI-double by Gunnar Henderson. But that was all the Orioles could muster.
Rogers gave up a sac fly-RBI to Ramirez, and an RBI-single to Naylor in the last of the first. And Cleveland never looked back. After Rogers sent Cleveland down 1-2-3 in the second, he gave up a double and a walk in the third. He also recorded two outs…
…however with those two on and two outs, Rogers grooved a four-seam fastball down broadway, and it was hammered into the stands by Fry for a three-run homer. And the Orioles trailed, 5-1. The Birds would get one back in the fourth on a solo homer by Anthony Santander, and at that point trailed 5-2.
Ramirez would smack a two-run home run and Naylor a three-run shot, both in the seventh inning. In truth, that put the game out of reach for the Birds. They did get a nominal run in the eighth when Adley Rutschman reached on an E6, scoring Jackson Holliday.
Overall, not a great night for the O’s, who now sit only percentage points ahead of New York in the standings. Which is also a problem given the fact that the Orioles have three more this weekend against Cleveland, and New York has three against Toronto. But you have to take them one at a time.
The two-out rallies reared their ugly head again this evening. Two of the three homers came with two outs. To be clear, it’s not just a recent trend. It’s not even a trend that lasts through the current regime. It’s been a problem for years.
So the O’s let up with two outs or two strikes? I don’t think so. However the fateful pitch in these at-bats is usually a fastball that’s elevated. And opponents know that a fastball is the Orioles’ out pitch so to speak. So they sit on those fastballs, and they’re rewarded for doing so.
Obviously the flip side of this is that it’s never news when it works. When an Oriole pitcher strikes someone out, or induces a ground out, nobody bats an eye. But that’s part of the game. Baseball is based on failure. And over 162 games, you’re going to fail a decent amount. Think of it this way, if you hit three of ten pitches (a .300 average) over however many years, odds are you’re in the Hall of Fame.
The series continues tomorrow at Progressive Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Hector Carasco. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 