The Baltimore Orioles now find themselves in a situation where they need wins with few games remaining. They had the opportunity early today to get ah early lead for starter Trevor Rogers. And they couldn’t do it. Rogers’ line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K.
A single and two walks loaded the bases for the O’s before they even recorded an out. It also appeared they had taken a 1-0 lead when Coby Mayo walked with the bases loaded – but did he really?! The full count pitch was challenged by Toronto, and the challenge was upheld. It went from a 1-0 lead to one out and the bases still loaded.
But the O’s still had a shot to start on top. And they couldn’t do it. Two strikeouts ended the inning and let Toronto off the hook.
Toronto came out characteristically aggressive in the second inning. McAdoo got on base with a single, and promptly stole second base. He would score on an RBI-double by Gimenez later in the inning.
About that; I’ve said since at least last year that the O’s play their outfield too deep. I get the point; it’s easier to close in running forward that tracking the ball backwards. But look at how many fluke pops dump their way in front of the outfield. Furthermore, with pitchers being told to focus on spin rate more so than anything else, the ball at times does strange things off the bat.
And that’s what happened with that Gimenez hit. He blooped a ball shallow into the outfield, with Christian Encarnacion-Strand deflecting the ball off his glove, and left fielder Dylan Beavers not being able to get there in time. Maybe…just maybe…if Beavers is playing slightly more shallow, this isn’t an issue.
The O’s would even the score in the fifth on an RBI-single by Pete Alonso. But it was a short-lived tie. Toronto of course throws the script out the window, especially against the Orioles. The book says that solo home runs don’t hurt you. And yes, I agree with that sentiment. In the same way that surrendering a FG in the first quarter of an NFL game shouldn’t hurt you.
But that also assumes that you don’t surrender back-to-back-to-back solo home runs. That’s akin to a three-run home run. The culprits were Springer, Guerrero, and Okamoto. All three were on pitches smack in the middle of the strike zone. Mind you, the Orioles have had trouble all year with teams in effect knowing that they were pitching to the fringes of the plate. But right down Broadway isn’t the answer either.
The Orioles had a chance to bury Toronto early on. And they just couldn’t do it. Toronto on the other hand took advantage of the opportunities they were given. That’s the difference in this game. That might be the difference in the season.
That trend continued in the eighth when Toronto loaded the bases with two out, and the Orioles rewarded them by walking on a fifth run. To top that off, Springer smacked a bases-clearing double to extend it to 8-1. Should that ball have been caught? In my opinion, yes. But it homely under Dylan Beavers’ glove in left field. Could that have been due to the outfield playing too deep again?
As I said, I’ve said since at least last year that the outfielders were too far back. It seems to be proven and re-proven time and again. Whatever the algorithm is saying, it’s not working. And this has been the case over multiple managers, meaning that the directive may not be coming from the dugout.
The Orioles now head to Queens to open a three-game set with the NY Mets at Citi Field. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Jonah Tong. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 