The Baltimore Orioles may have lost more than a game last night. Starter Dean Kremer left the game after taking a comebacker off his right arm in the fourth inning. Kremer later had a X-ray, which was negative for a fracture – diagnosed with a contusion. Kremer’s line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Kremer gave up an RBI-single to Rogers, and a two-RBI double to Romo in the second. He left the game trailing 3-2, however, as Anthony Santander’s two-run homer in the third cut the Colorado lead. However they would later extend it to 5-2 on a two-RBI triple by Blackmon in the fourth.
But as we know, the O’s don’t go quietly. Eloy Jimenez hit his first Orioles’ home run, that being a solo shot in the fifth. Before you knew it, the O’s had two runners in scoring position later in the inning. Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single would tie the game.
Ramon Urias had two brushes with disaster, having two balls thrown in the area of his nose. In the wake of what happened with James McCann, the Orioles are probably a bit more sensitive to something like that. Urias actually was hit in the nose in the fifth, with a pitch grazing the tip of it. However it seemed that someone had it in for him.
However it wasn’t that which sent Urias to the showers. It was rolling his ankle over third base in the seventh on a stolen base attempt. Urias collapsed backwards immediately in a heap. He was removed from the game, with Emmanuel Rivera coming in to play third.
Urías was on crutches after the game, and presumably might be out for awhile. Keep in mind, he’s already the backup in a sense. Jordan Westburg was hurt a month ago. Injuries were already a major problem, but now with Kremer and Urías looking at time out the road becomes all the more tough. Next man up is a great attitude to take, and this organization very much believes in that. But you can only do it for so long.
To make matters worse, the Orioles made some defensive lapses in the eighth which cost them the game. Craig Kimbrel recorded a quick out, and then gave up a double to Jones to left field. To be clear, it should have been a routine single. However because of what the air does to the ball at Coors Field, the O’s are playing their defense slightly deeper in the outfield. Still, it should have been a single.
Jones was thinking he could get to second base right out of the box – he ran hard the whole time. That, combined with Colton Cowser all but assuming that Jones would pull up to first with a routine single, allowed him to get to second. Jones would later score in Beck’s RBI-single. On top of that, Beck went to second on Cedric Mullins’ throw home (trying to steal an out at the plate). Beck would then steal third, and score on Romo’s fielder’s choice.
I didn’t think Craig Kimbrel pitched awful. Obviously he’s belabored, and he took the loss. But you could argue that he should have had a runner on first base with one out. However you don’t want to call Colton Cowser out too much either, despite the fact that he took his time getting the ball back in. Again, you might not expect a runner to blast around first like that trying to get into scoring position. Jones gambled on Cowser playing deep and taking his time, and he guessed right.
Compounding thjngs, Mullins allowed the second runner to get into scoring position, who promptly stole third base. That put Kimbrel in a position whereby he was going to surrender a second run even by recording an out – which he did. End of the day it’s always a team effort. But defensive lapses like that can’t happen. And again the fact that a team all but bet on the Orioles lallygagging in a sense is concerning.
What’s more concerning in the interim is the injuries. The O’s have an off day this week (Thursday), which may allow Dean Kremer to simply be skipped in the rotation. And if he needs to go to the IL later on, they can make the retroactive date back to today. Ramon Urias may be out for awhile also. Luckily they have Rivera, and Coby Mayo is expected to be called back up today. But this is the second third baseman the Orioles have lost in a month. As I said, you get to a point where next man up ceases to be possible.
Zach Eflin is also expected to return today, so that’s a positive. You also have to hope that perhaps the defense is slightly sharper today and onward, as guys taking extra bases and all but assuming that Oriole outfielders are going to take their time getting balls back in (and assuming correctly) can kill you. Again, Kimbrel wasn’t awful. Could have been better, but wasn’t awful. However when an exuberant runner is given an extra base due to correctly assuming he can push the issue and get away with it, that’s a problem.
The series concludes this afternoon at Coors Field. The aforementioned Zach Eflin will come off the IL to get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado’s Ty Blach. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.
Birdland Crush 