Winning this game was always going to be a tall order for the Baltimore Orioles. Starter Grayson Rodriguez was scratched with what was later termed a “right lat/terres discomfort.” He didn’t look comfortable warming up in the bullpen, and approximately 15 minutes before the game Al Suarez was told he was starting. Suarez’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K.
To be blunt, Albert Suarez was outstanding. He rightfully should be the story of this game. He pitched five innings of the most solid baseball of his career. And when he left the game, he was in line to be the winning pitcher. This thanks to Jackson Holliday’s solo homer in the sixth inning – also the Orioles’ first hit.
But…he’s unfortunately barely even a footnote in the game story. Brandon Hyde lifted Suarez after five, despite the strength in his performance. And I get it – it was a spot start on short rest. However Hyde went to Gregory Soto in the sixth following Burch Smith, who left a baserunner with two outs. Again…with two outs.
Soto gave up a single, leaving runners at the corners. That brought Kirk to the plate, who smacked a three-run home run. And suddenly the lead belonged to Toronto at 3-1. Again, another two-out rally for an opponent.
Varsho followed with a single, and the Orioles opted to intentionally walk Clement. That part was curious to me…the count admittedly was 3-0. However it seemed that they surrendered the at-bat in order to get what they thought was a better matchup.
On top of that, Toronto then opted to do something incredibly unconventional. They attempted a double-steal, and it worked. That left two runners at scoring position, and Barger’s two-RBI double extended the lead to 5-1.
The O’s did load the bases with nobody out in the seventh. Then it was Brandon Hyde’s turn at unconventional managing. He pinch hit Austin Slater for…Jackson Holliday. The very idea appears to be against the grain. And if results mean anything, technically it worked. Slater drew a walk, cutting the lead to 5-2.
Hyde did that for a better matchup, but…wow. What a move to make. Again, technically it worked in that the Orioles scored. But I’m not sure it worked how they wanted it to.
Hyde also used Coby Mayo as a pinch hitter later in the inning for Colton Cowser. So the Orioles took the bat out of the hands of a guy in Jackson Holliday (who’s been heating up and had already homered), and Colton Cowser – who snapped a 17-game hitting streak as a result. Again, unconventional.
So the difference is that Toronto’s risk-taking worked, and the Orioles’ didn’t. End of the day, we’ll never know how it would have worked out had things been different. Maybe the Orioles wouldn’t have even gotten that second run – who knows. But you only get kudos for rolling the dice when it works out. That’s true in sports, and in life.
Brandon Hyde said after the game that Grayson Rodriguez was going back to Baltimore for additional testing. That’s not good news, although there’s nothing definitive yet that we know. For what it’s worth, his next turn in the rotation would come on Sunday.
I want to circle back to Albert Suarez. He was a true pro in doing what he did tonight. And make no mistake that he deserved a better fate. He rightfully should be the big story in this game. That obviously wasn’t the case end of the day. But what he did tonight was unparalleled.
The series continues tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Bowden Francis. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 