The deck was probably stacked against the Baltimore Orioles and starter Zach Eflin today. The bullpen was already taxed, day game after a night game, and Adley Rutschman went to the IL just prior to the game. Eflin’s line: 3.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
New York smacked three solo homers in the first two innings. Of those three solo homers, only one of the pitches was in the middle of the plate. Similarly, New York strung together three straight singles in the third. Escarra’s sac fly-RBI gave them a 4-0 lead.
Some of those singles were fluky and softly hit. I’ve never seen a team fall victim to so much soft contact. First and foremost sometimes that does happen. But it happens a lot to the Orioles, and it nitpicks them to death. The reasoning for that may well be so many pitches off the plate.
Unfortunately the Orioles aren’t fooling anyone. Teams know that they aren’t pitching-to-contact. They aren’t attacking hitters. They’re trying to buy cheap outs in a sense. There’s nothing wrong with that – to a point. But when teams know they’re throwing off the plate, all the Orioles are doing in effect is selling cheap hits and base runners.
It’s easy to be afraid to pitch-to-contact when you’re facing the likes of Judge and Stanton. However the times when Oriole pitchers have attacked the zone this series against those guys, they HAVE induced outs. So…are the O’s outthinking themselves a bit?
On that aforementioned Escarra sac fly, Cedric Mullins’ throw home allowed the other two runners on base to advance. And Peraza sent a VERY softly-hit ball just over first base, and it landed fair for a two-RBI single. Again on a pitch away, and on the first pitch of the at-bat at that. Almost like they knew it was coming.
New York would add a solo homer by Volpe and an RBI-triple by Rice later in the game. To compound things, New York starter Schmidt took a no-hitter through seven before he was lifted due to a high pitch count. Gary Sanchez broke up the no-hit bid in the eighth with a single.
To make matters worse, the Orioles could have even more injury issues going forward. I mentioned Rutschman going on the IL – Jordan Westburg was lifted after one at-bat with “left hand discomfort.“ You have to hope that this is a precautionary thing, and that Westburg is back in the lineup tomorrow – or Monday. Westburg’s made a huge difference offensively since returning from the IL. The O’s can’t afford to lose him again.
It’s easy to say that the O’s shouldn’t pitch on the fringes of the plate. I recognize that, especially when the likes of Judge and others are staring back at your pitchers. I also recognize that their analytics are telling them to do things the way they are. But you know who else reads analytics? Other teams.
And those other teams are aware that the Orioles are dedicated to analytics first and foremost. So it’s actually working counter to the way it’s supposed to – those analytics are a blueprint for other teams to know what’s coming, and how to beat the Orioles. You can’t allow that to happen. You’re only outsmarting yourself.
The series concludes tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Will Warren. Game time is set for just after 11:30 AM.
Birdland Crush 