Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser the lone bright spot

The question tonight was whether the pitching or the bats were less effective tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. The Birds called Brandon Young up from the minors to make the start, and he couldn’t quite make it over the hunt. Young’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Young, and most Oriole relievers, were pitching-to-contact. The problem was Texas seemed to know that. And they happily obliged in terms of putting the ball in play. The Orioles were swinging-for-contact also. But Texas starter deGrom mowed ‘em down.

Texas got on the board in the second with an RBI-single by Jung. One inning later after a single, Jung came up to bat again and smacked a two-run home run. That was only a three-run deficit, but it got worse.

On the flip side, the Orioles didn’t get a guy on base until the seventh. They didn’t get a hit until the eighth when Colton Cowser broke up the no-hitter. It was the third time in five games the the Birds had gone through at least the sixth inning before getting a base hit.

Texas would like on three more in the fourth. Heim’s solo homer in the sixth would extend the Texas lead to 7-0. And the Birds would go onto drop two-of-three in the series.

The O’s are also struggling with allowing guys to take extra bases. Many of their throws from the outfield are to the wrong base. Granted it’s for the purpose of throwing a runner out of course. But lapses in judgement like that are giving guys extra bases. And it’s hurting.

Baltimore Orioles: Back-to-back-to-back homers not enough

The Baltimore Orioles have seen Charlie Morton look better than what we saw tonight. But he’s certainly looked worse as well. On a night when he wasn’t helped much by his team’s offensive output, he labored through five. Morton’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Morton gave up an RBI-single to Carter in the fourth, followed by a fielder’s choice-RBI. Texas would also add a sac fly-RBI before the inning ended. Garcia’s RBI-single in the seventh also extended their lead to 4-0.

The Orioles didn’t get a hit until the seventh inning. It appeared like it was one of those days, but the Birds finally reached base on a hit with Ramon Laureano’s seventh inning single. After a Gunner Henderson walk, Gary Sanchez put the O’s back into the game with a three-run home run.

That was huge. It appeared like the Birds were already down and out. But they came back. On top of that, Ramon Urias immediately tied the game at four with a solo homer to right field (confirmed by replay). The coup de grace for the Orioles in that inning was a third homer – right after Urias’. Ryan O’Hearn made it back-to-back-to-back with a third home run to give the O’s a 5-4 lead.

That was certainly a momentum swing. However the O’s could stand to learn a lesson from Texas in terms of surrendering the lead and taking momentum back. And Texas did that immediately. Heim’s sac fly-RBI tied the game back up at five,

The game went to extra’s of course with a ghost runner starting the inning at second base. Seranthony Dominguez allowed the runner to get to third on wild pitch, and with one out Haggerty sent a bounding ball to Jackson Holliday at second. Holliday threw home, and nailed the runner at third. Or did he?

Texas challenged the call. And the umpires ruled that the runner’s hand made it in just before the tag. The runner was safe, and the Birds trailed 6-5.

Oriole bats stranded the ghost runner at third in their frame of the inning, and Texas won it 6-5. Good game to watch, even though a loss. Not one they wanted to drop, but it was also one they almost took.

The series with Texas concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Neither team has announced a starter of yet. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Trevor Rogers day is a Holliday

Trevor Rogers became the first Baltimore Orioles’ pitcher to complete eight innings in a regular season game since 2023 in tonight’s game against Texas. This in a game where the Oriole bullpen is about as taxed as it could possibly be. It could have been the best outing by an Orioles’ starter this season. On perhaps the hottest day of the year to date. Rogers’ line: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

It was one of those games where everything I just lined up. This including Oriole bats. In fact, the real question is whether or not Rogers was the big star, or Jackson Holliday.

The newly recalled Chadwick Tromp smacked a two-out double in the third, followed immediately by an RBI-double by Jackson Holliday. And the Orioles led, 1-0. The O’s would also put two on in the last of the fifth, the next time Holliday came up. And he smacked a three-run homer, busting the game wide open.

One inning later the O’s had two on with nobody out, and Colton Cowser striding to the plate. And Cowser laid down perhaps the bunt to end all bunts down the third base line, and it just died – in play. That loaded the bases, and the O’s extended their lead to 5-0 on Coby Mayo’s RBI-groundout.

Ramon Urias would add a sac fly-RBI in the sixth, more or less as an insurance run. Not that it was needed, as well as Trevor Rogers pitched. Andrew Kittredge closed out Texas in the ninth, and the Orioles took game one of this series. Rogers was outstanding. So was the offense, headlined by Jackson Holliday. Good team win.

The serie continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Charlie Morton gets the start for the Orioles, and Texas is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Did New York’s aggressiveness hurt twice over?

You can’t knock the effort of Dean Kremer today for the Baltimore Orioles. Kremer was strong, and only didn’t get credited with a quality start because manager Tony Mansolino opted to match up early. But Kremer put the team in a spot to win the game. Kremer’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

The O’s got on it early today. Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. Colton Cowser followed with an RBI-double. That left the Birds with a 2-0 lead. It could have been more, but Cedric Mullins grounded out.

New York got on the board in the second. Chisholm was singled home by LeMahieu from second base after a double. Colton Cowser’s throw to the plate was up the third base line, forcing catcher Maverick Handley to come up the line. He fielded the ball, but Chisholm lept into Handley and knocked him over – dislodging the ball and cutting the Oriole lead to 2-1.

I don’t think it was a dirty play by Chisholm, although it was certainly aggressive. Handley went flying after the collision, and Chisholm touched home plate. Again needless to say, it showed a certain reckless abandonment on the part of Chisholm. It also showed Handley the showers, as he left the game with an injury.

The O’s couldn’t get much going offensively for the rest of the way. New York threatened in the seventh with two on and two outs – and Judge coming to the plate. New York had an open base, but the Orioles opted to pitch to Judge. Sort of…

…the pitched him away – at first. And if anything, at various points reliever Seranthony Dominguez got slightly too much of the plate. That may well have been the case on Dominguez’s 3-2 splitter. But yesterday I wrote about how Oriole pitchers were trying too hard to steal strikes on the fringes of the plate. But when they attacked hitters (such as Judge), they saw some success.

So in the entire at-bat, Dominguez attacked Judge. Yes many pitches were off the plate. But it was almost setting Judge up for that final pitch. And with a full count, Judge swung through Dominguez’s final splitter, ending the inning.

But it wasn’t meant to be today. Chisholm struck again – perhaps in more than one way. His two-RBI double in the eighth gave New York a 3-2 lead. Chisholm would end up at third on the throw, and he scored on LeMahieu’s fielder’s choice – combined with a Gary Sanchez error. It was a bouncing ball in the infield that was fielded by Gunnar Henderson, who threw home. Catcher Gary Sanchez dropped the ball…

…the runner (Chisholm) was originally called out, but the umpire overruled himself at home plate. It’s debatable whether or not the Chisholm would have been safe without the ball having been dropped. But you have to wonder if Sanchez wasn’t seeing Chisholm bearing down on him and remembering what happened to his “counterpart” (Maverick Handley) earlier in the game. Perhaps the baseball equivalent of hearing footsteps – a term we hear often in the NFL. End of the day it was only an insurance run, as the Orioles couldn’t score in the ninth.

That Handley play sticks out. You do see runners colliding with catchers (like Pete Rose and Ray Fosse). You don’t often see a base runner lunge into a catcher like that up the line. That play resulted in Handley helicoptering the other way, and New York getting on the board. Again it wasn’t a dirty play. Just against the grain of what you normally see.

Handley’s status going forward is unknown. It’s assumed that he’s in concussion protocol. Meaning the Orioles could need a catcher – this after putting Adley Rutschman on the IL yesterday. Stay tuned.

Before the game the O’s also optioned Yennier Cano to Norfolk. They also have Jordan Westburg who injured his finger yesterday, and could potentially be hitting the IL. Potentially. That would allow them to recall Cano right away due to an injury. What happens with that or with Handley is unknown.

The Orioles now head home to open a three-game set with Texas at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Patrick Corbin. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Allowing themselves to outthink themselves

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.

Baltimore Orioles never allowed things to balloon wayward

The Baltimore Orioles saw good Charlie Morton last night in the series finale in Tampa. This in a game the Orioles almost had to win – after blowing an eight-run lead the night before. Morton’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

Tampa struck first, in the third. Morton hit Caballero to lead off the inning, he stole second base, was sacrificed to third, and then scored on Jansen’s RBI-single. However he shut Tampa down after that, minimizing the damage. And perhaps that was the first indication that the Orioles would have no carry-over from the night before. The inning didn’t balloon into something larger.

Similarly, a HBP yielded the Orioles a run to tie the game in the fourth. Gunnar Henderson was hit by a pitch, and he later scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single. After Tampa took the lead, the Orioles countered immediately. Also a good sign.

This was a big game, mainly because of the night before. Not only did they blow an eight-run lead, but they didn’t get a hit the rest of the game following their eight-run second inning. That’s the sort of loss that can morph into an elongated losing streak. The Orioles showed early they were on it.

And Morton was eventually rewarded for his prowess. Colton Cowser smacked a three-run home run in the sixth, giving the Orioles a 4-1 lead. That felt like a decisive blow in a sense, but as we saw on Wednesday, Tampa’s a pesky beast that never quits.

They put two runners ins scoring position with nobody out in the seventh following a wild pitch from Seranthony Dominguez. However he struck out the following two hitters, and got the third one to ground out to end the inning. In the eighth Gregory Soto left two on when he departed with two out, and Bryan Baker walked a hitter to load the bases. He then induced a fly out, ending the inning.

Felix Bautista sent Tampa down 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the game. Again make no mistake that this was a huge win. And it wasn’t easy. Tampa had two golden opportunities to not only take the lead, hut to do so in a big manner in the seventh and eighth. And the bullpen came through. On the heels of a big loss, the O’s didn’t allow for any carry-over.

The game was stopped briefly in the seventh inning when Adley Rutschman sent a liner foul into the Tampa dugout. It was immediately evident that someone in the dugout had been seriously injured. A stretcher and a cart was brought to the scene, and reliever Hunter Bigge (currently on the IL) was taken away. He flashed the “thumbs up” to the crowd several times as he was wheeled away. After the game Tampa manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Bigge was coherent and undergoing tests at a local hospital. Best wishes to Hunter Bigge.

The Orioles now open up a three-game weekend series against the NYY this evening at Yankee Stadiun. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Riches to rags

The Baltimore Orioles should know never to sleep on Tampa. Over the last 20 years that’s been proven time and again. Who would have thought that Trevor Rogers would have existed early after getting a huge lead? Tampa willed that to happen – that among other things. Rogers’ line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Colton Cowser’s three-run homer in the second inning gave the O’s a 3-0 lead. Cedric Mullins added a solo shot later in the inning, and Gunnar Henderson added a run-scoring single. Ramon Laureano’s three-run homer capped off the inning, and the O’s led 8-0.

You kind of felt the game was over. Not so far as Tampa was concerned. They threatened in the second, causing Rogers to throw over thirty pitches. But he got out of it without surrendering a run. They fouled off pitch after pitch, drawing either walks or eventually putting the ball in play. Even down eight, they refused to give up at-bats.

Tampa had already dipped into its bullpen, which boded well for the Orioles moving into tonight’s game. However the Birds would lift Rogers in the third and he was charged with three runs. Whereas the Orioles scored their runs primarily with power, Tampa just happily chipped away. Piece by piece.

Little by little they chipped away tacking on run after run. Lowe’s three-run homer in the fifth tied the game at eight. Caminero’s RBI-single in the seventh gave Tampa a 9-8 lead. They would go on to tack on there’s more, and the Orioles fell 12-8. This after spotting themselves an 8-0 lead.

Sometimes games like this happen, but that’s a tough loss to swallow. The Orioles have had issues with the strike zone – over a span of years. This being they don’t easily adapt to it. Home plate umpire Shane Livenspargen had a “less than generous” strike zone. There were various pitches on the black that were called balls. This frustrated Oriole pitching.

While those frustrations were well-founded, the zone was consistent. However Tampa was able to adapt. The Orioles weren’t. Oriole pitching tried to live on the fringes of the plate, and kept throwing pitches that appeared to nick the strike zone, but were consistently called balls. As the game went on, Tampa decided to attack the strike zone. And it worked. The Orioles either struck out, or put the ball in play and recorded an out.

A game like this also may have featured someone tipping pitches. Mind you, I didn’t say stealing signs. When you see an eight-run barrage in one inning, it makes you wonder if Tampa wasn’t somehow tipping pitches. OR, if at some point the Orioles didn’t START tipping pitches.

But again I go back to the strike zone more than anything else. It was consistent both ways for the most part. The difference was that Tampa played to the umpire’s zone – and it worked. The Orioles kept trying to pound the fringes of the plate so as to steal strikes. And that didn’t work.

The series concludes this evening at Steinbrenner Field. Charlie Morton gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Drew Rasmussen. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A solid win

Dean Kremer wasn’t his best tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. But he certainly wasn’t his worst. He hung around long enough to qualify for the win. And win he did. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The Orioles should have taken the lead early in the second inning. Jordan Westburg appeared to homer to lead off the second. But it was ruled a double, and upheld on replay. The ball appeared to hit off the top of the wall – the umpires on review ruled that it was in play, and ruled a ground rule double. Westburg would later score on Ramon Laureano’s RBI-single.

Tampa would tie it up in the fourth with an RBI-single by Caninero. But the O’s would get the lead back quickly. Colton Cowser’s solo homer in the fifth gave them the lead back at 2-1.

And the O’s added on. Ramon Laureano’s RBI-single in the sixth ran the score to 3-1. Gunnar Henderson added an RBI-single in the sixth, and Jackson Holliday one in the ninth. End of the day the O’s evened the series at one game apiece.

The series continues tomorrow at Steinbrenner Park. Trevor Rodger’s gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Taj Bradley.

Baltimore Orioles, Zach Eflin see why Tampa has a dome

Zach Eflin was the unfortunate Baltimore Orioles’ pitcher who got the start at Tampa’s makeshift home – Steinbrenner Field. End of the day, Tampa seemed to deal with with the conditions well. Eflin and the Orioles did not. Eflin’s line: 5.0 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

The heat and humidity was harsh in Tampa today. Luckily the game was a night game, but Tampa seemed right at home. As well they should have been – because they were at home. Their makeshift home. The Orioles on the other hand – struggled. This despite being semi-familiar with the ballpark, playing there in spring.

Lowe led off the game for Tampa with a solo home run. It was only 334 ft to right, and barely made it over the wall. But it counted. Morel’s RBI-single in the second, and Mangum’s in the third extended the lead to 3-0.

Adley Rutschman led of the fourth with a solo homer – which was shorter than Lowe’s. The right field wall is short in this park, so in that sense both teams took advantage. For what it’s worth, I think this is fine in spring. But to have a park like this in play for the regular season? Poor form on the part of baseball.

With two outs in the fourth Eflin walked Lowe. But he did so on a pitch that was way outside. And I mean it slipped, and the Oriole trainer came out to check on him as a result. That shows how humid it was tonight, yet it only played into Tampa’s success.

Lowe would later score on a two-run homer by Lowe (same spelling, different pronunciation). For the record, the two Tampa home runs came off of off speed pitches. And Eflin threw a lot of them tonight. Which is only a problem if they’re being hit. And they were being hit.

Tampa would add one additional two-RBI double by Mangum in the last of the fifth. One positive note was the Orioles’ bullpen, which successfully stemmed the tide. This especially includes Colin Shelby, who was recalled before the game when the O’s put Cade Povich on the IL (shoulder inflammation). What that does to the rotation remains to be seen.

The series continues tomorrow at Steinbrenner Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Littell. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep Halo’s with a Gary Sanchez grand slam

The Baltimore Orioles used Scott Blewett as an opener today in the final game against Anaheim. Blewett went deeper than some openers before giving way to Cade Povich, who was the “bulk pitcher.” Blewett’s line: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

It was almost a deficit that Blewett handed off to Povich. Schanuel hit a solo home run in the first inning. This after a bizarre sequence after the first pitch, which Anaheim challenged claiming a HBP. They lost the challenge. If you challenge on the first pitch, you’d better be right. They weren’t.

Jordan Westburg led the game off by reaching on a fielding error and ending up at second base. That brought Ramon Urias to the plate, and he gave the O’s the lead with a two-run homer. Blewett exited in the third after a runner got to third and later scored on a wild pitch. One of my arguments against the concept of an opener is it puts a traditional starter such as Cade Povich in a potentially odd situation. Hence wild pitches occurring.

But Ramon Laureano’s RBI-single in the fourth gave the O’s the lead back. With two outs in the sixth and Gary Sanchez at third, Cedric Mullins laid down a bunt. He would not only reach first on a throwing error, but he would make it to third base. Which means Sanchez scored, and the O’s extended their lead to 4-2.

Coby Mayo, whose bat is slowly coming along, would tack on a run-scoring double before the inning ended. Anaheim would threaten in the seventh. They loaded the bases, prompting Cade Povich to give way to Seranthony Dominguez. But Dominguez struck out the last two hitters to end the inning, preserving the Oriole lead.

Anaheim had a chance. And to channel the Orioles’ opener, they “Blewett.” But the Orioles made them pay. They intentionally loaded the bases by walking Gunnar Henderson. Following a Ramon Laureano strikeout, Gary Sanchez came to the plate. Gary Sanchez, who just came off the IL…

…and Gary Sanchez who put the game out of reach with a grand slam. That was huge. Tack on a two-run homer by Jordan Westburg in the eighth, and the O’s went home 11-2 winners on Father’s Day.

With the sweep of Anaheim, the O’s finished the home stand at 4-2. It feels like things are different. Needless to say, they’re back to Feb games below .500. That’s something. Whether it’s too little too late remains to be seen.

The O’s now head to Tampa to open a four-game set tomorrow at Steinbrenner Field. the Birds are yet to announce a starter, but Tampa’s starting Ryan Pepiot. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.