Despite runners left on base, the Baltimore Orioles had a great opportunity to win last night’s game against Washington. Cade Povich pitched well enough to win. And he should have. Povich’s line: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K.
Nine strikeouts is noteworthy. So are 15 men left on base. Now granted that has nothing to do with Povich, And the sad thing? The Orioles were 4-for-15 with RISP. Two of those four hits didn’t yield runs. That may be neither here nor there. But it’s a fact, as well as a tactical anomaly.
Povich surrendered a first inning solo homer to Lowe in the second inning, this after a 15 minute rain delay. This after the Birds loaded the bases in the first, but allowed Washington to needle out of it. And again, they did get a hit with a runner in scoring position in that mix; this without a runner scoring.
The O’s did strike however in the third. Ramon Laureano was the second in a series of back-to-back doubles, and the O’s tied the game at one. Jackson Holliday’s RBI-single later in the inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead.
Washington would tie the game with an RBI-single in the sixth, but the Orioles would load the bases again in their part of the frame. Ramon Urias’ sacrifice fly would give them the lead back at 3-2. As much as I wrote above about hits with RISP without a runner scoring, this was in essence the inverse. It’s another out with a runner in scoring position, however a run scored.
But Washington would re-tie the game in the eighth on Wood’s two-out solo home run. It came on the second pitch of the at-bat, and on a pitch low-and-away in the strike zone. But should they have pitched to Wood in that situation? Fair question I suppose. There were two outs in the inning. Furthermore they did pitch him away. I think had they not pitched to him and he came around to score, there would be the question of why not attack Wood with two outs and the bases empty?
Felix Bautista didn’t have his best stuff in the ninth. He walked the first hitter, but was able to record two straight outs. That brought Nunez to the plate, culminating in a bizarre sequence. He tapped a roller to Ryan Mountcastle at first base. At first you’re thinking, okay inning over.
But Nunez hustled down the line – like really hustled. It was also a slow roller, and…was Bautista slow to cover first? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Nunez was safe. And with two outs the runner was in motion, and Bautista WAS slow to throw the ball home. That ended up being the winning run, and the Birds fell 4-3.
That’s a cruel way to lose a game. Again, whether or not Bautista was slow to cover the bag is a fair question. I tend to think Nunez simply beat that out. But he did seem to forget there were two outs, and there was a runner behind him. That sort of lapse is the Orioles’ season in a microcosm.
Brandon Hyde had some interesting comments after the game regarding what he addresses to the team with things going so awry (quote courtesy of Eich Dubroff, BaltimoreBaseball.com):
We’ve addressed a lot of things this year, and so if you just continue to address, it’s going to fall silent at times. So there’s been a lot of addressing. I’m sure we’re going to talk about some things. I don’t know if tonight’s the right time. Timing’s important. Or tomorrow. Because there are a lot of people who are upset in there right now.
He’s right in that a lot of people in the locker room are upset. I would submit this is a poor choice of words, and a bad look. By saying there’s been a lot of addressing, it comes off as publicly blaming people. And that blame may be well-deserved in many cases. But you never throw people under the bus publicly.
And I say that recognizing that this was right after a tough loss. It’s probably a good thing that there’s “been a lot of addressing.” But saying that flippantly in passing isn’t necessarily the right thing. Address behind close doors, and publicly say that the onus is on the coaching staff to find a way out of this.
The series continues this afternoon at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Jake Irving. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.
Birdland Crush 