Another game, and another decent start by a Baltimore Orioles’ pitcher. This time Cade Povich. Not a quality start, but a good basis for a win. However end of the day his efforts weren’t enough. Povich’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K.
Povich found himself in some trouble in the second, but had almost pitched out of it. Dingler was at the plate with two outs and a two strike count – this with two runners in scoring position. And Dingler, who’s struggled mightily at the plate, smacked a two-RBI double.
Emmanuel Rivera would get the O’s on the board in the last of the second with a sac fly-RBI. The O’s did have a chance in the fourth to take the lead, however. They totaled three base hits in the inning; and yielded no runs. Heston Kjerstad did have one with a runner at second base, however Adley Rutschman was thrown out at home plate.
Personally I wouldn’t have sent Rutschman. Most catchers don’t run well. It was a risk, and Detroit lucked out. The flip side is by sending the runner you’re forcing the outfielder to make a perfect throw. And he did.
But the Birds would tie it back up in the sixth. Emmanuel Rivera’s RBI-single tied things back up at two. However an inning later Detroit would plate two, and the O’s trailed 4-2 as we went to the later innings. Yet, they had one more rally left in them. Only one more rally, but they had a rally.
The O’s loaded the bases in the ninth with nobody out. And for a brief moment it appeared that things were trending the right way. Most Valuable Oriole Gunnar Henderson smacked a two-RBI double to tie the score, leaving two runners in scoring position with nobody out. All the Orioles needed was one run to win the game.
But you never count your chickens. after a Cedric Mullins groundout, Detroit opted to pitch to Anthony Santander – this with one out and the winning run at third. Again, I thought that was a bad decision. Why pitch to their hottest hitter?
Whether they were really pitching to him or pitching around him, it worked. Santander sent a flair into shallow left. Detroit shortstop Sweeney almost collided with a teammate, but managed to run out and catch the ball. Detroit would plate two runs in the top of the tenth, and the Birds fell 6-4.
The Orioles somehow allowed Detroit to wiggle out of that situation in the fourth with the three base hits and zero runs. They also gifted them out of the inning in the ninth. All they needed was to get the ball out of the infield. But Detroit wiggled out of it.
You can argue that the O’s trailed all game long, but it feels like a game they gave away. The Santander at-bat in the ninth was key; whether he should have swung at a 2-0 pitch that was low is another story. He probably should have taken the pitch and eventually taken a walk.
Now the good news is that they battled back in this game. Several times. They fell short, but a week ago they probably would have gone quietly in the ninth and moved onto tomorrow. And they’re also on the brink of getting people back, which bodes well.
The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Albert Suarez gets the start for the O’s, and Detroit is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 