Baltimore Orioles: Defensive mishaps make a huge difference

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Keegan Akin only lasted for two outs in the first inning. But please don’t take his stats and make assumptions as to how he pitched tonight. He was far from perfect. But he was done wrong by the defense behind him. Akin’s line: .2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

DJ Stewart stayed hot with a solo homer in the first inning. He was the lone bright spot for the Birds. I can’t stress enough how promising it is for the organization that he’s coming along. He’s been having a field day of late with major league pitching.

But again, that was the Birds’ line bright spot. New York immediately put two runners on with nobody out in the last of the first. Hicks flies out to left fielder Ryan Mountcastle. Now keep in mind that Mountcastle isn’t a natural outfielder. He’s being turned into one.

LeMahieu, the runner at second, decided to test Mountcastle and tag up to try to take third. Mountcastle’s throw was a bit under thrown, allowing New York an extra base. Frazier would eventually reach on a fielder’s choice, however the throw home from Jose Iglesias was off line, giving New York a 2-1 lead.

Later in the inning Andujar would add a two-RBI double. Later in the game New York would blow it wide open. Bout smacked two-run homers in both the fourth and fifth innings. Ten runs to the Orioles’ one appeared to be all they needed.

Granted you can’t blame two mishaps in the first inning for giving up ten runs. However those two mishaps (which for the record neither of which were errors) set the tone for the game. It also drove Keegan Amun’s pitch count way up, causing him to exit in the first inning.

It’s those types of mistakes that can be accepted from this team right now. But moving forward they need to keep that under control. If in the future they’re in a pennant race and this sort of thing pops up, that’s going to be a big league problem.

Look at it this way, if Iglesias’ throw (which wasn’t a tough okay) is online, the O’s gun down a run at the plate. Does the rest of the game unfold the way that it did? Tough to say.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall in game one of a doubleheader

Alex Cobb came off the IL to make the start for the Baltimore Orioles in game one of a doubleheader against New York in the Bronx. Cobb has trouble finding his way, but righted himself later. Cobb’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

New York got off to a quick start in this one. LeMahieu led off the last of the first with a solo homer. Gardner added a two-run shot later in that first inning. Before the non-existent crowd would have otherwise settled down, the O’s trailed 3-0.

Cobb didn’t fair much better in the second. Higashioka smacked a two-run home run in the second, running the score to 5-0. At this point if you’re the O’s you’re trying not to get yourself run out of the ballpark. But things stabilized.

Neither Cobb nor any other Oriole pitcher gave up another run. Save for a bloop RBI-single. They got very stingy, in fact. But the damage was done.

New York starter Cole made a no-hit bid. Mind you, the game was only seven innings long. But Hanser Alberto broke that up in the fifth inning. That was about as much offense as the Birds could muster in game one.

The doubleheader and the series continues later this evening at Yankee Stadium. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Masahiro Tanaka. Game time is set for about 40 minutes from now.

Baltimore Orioles fall, split with NYM

The Baltimore Orioles stayed hot at the plate last night against the NY Mets. Unfortunately New York’s bats got hot as well, however. And that happened slowly as the game went on. Jorge Lopez didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, but was victimized by the long ball. Lopez’s line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Renato Nunez and Ryan Mountcastle smacked RBI-singles in the first inning, and the Birds took an early 2-0 lead. New York would get a run back in the last of the second on an RBI-single flew by McNeil. But the good news was that the O’s were getting guys on base, which puts pressure on opposing pitching.

But the O’s were able to open up a bigger lead later on. Rio Ruiz‘s two-RBI double in the third have the O’s a 4-1 lead. Hanser Alberto would add an RBI-single later in the inning. And the Birds held a 5-1 lead.

But even with a decent lead, New York was only a couple of big homers out of the game. McNeil’s two-run home run in the fourth cut the lead to 5-3. Now the Orioles did tack on one more run an inning later. DJ Stewart‘s bar stayed hot, and he hit a solo homer. Stewart is really coming along and of late has really been clicking against big league pitching. That bodes well for the Orioles’ lineup.

But the last of the sixth saw the Orioles’ lead evaporate. Conforto smacked a solo homer, Cano an RBI-single, and Giminez a solo homer of his own. That tied the game at six.

Two innings later Alonzo added a solo homer of his own, giving New York a 7-6 lead, which turned into a 7-6 victory. The O’s had chances in the later innings, but couldn’t bring anyone in. They also should have had at least three additional runs. With two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth, Rio Ruiz hit what rightfully hooks have been a bases-clearing double…

…but Conforto made an amazing over-the-shoulder catch. That obviously ended the inning as well. That’s to Conforto’s credit, incidentally. At the time the O’s held a slim one-run lead. But it’s a moment on which you look back as a big one in the game. If that ball falls, the Birds sweep the series. Instead they split it.

The O’s now head to the Bronx for a four game set with the New York Yankees. Keegan Akin gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Big wheels keep on turning in Queens

The Baltimore Orioles got the best start of the season out of John Means this evening against the NY Mets in Queens. In fact, Means resembled his first half, 2019 self. Means’ line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Means qualified for a quality start, and in fact Oriole bats also posted up. That’s the other aspect of the game. You can pitch great but if your offense doesn’t score you runs you’ll end up a hard-luck loser. The Birds put it all together tonight at once.

DJ Stewart remained hot, smacking a two-run homer in the second inning. Keep in mind that between Saturday and Sunday Stewart homered in three straight at-bats. So he’s really starting to get with it at the big league level.

New York would get their lone run in the last of the second on a solo shot by Marisnick. Other than that, Means shut New York down. And the O’s just kept chugging along.

Ryan Mountcastle also stayed hot. He smacked a two-run homer of his own in the fourth. That was followed up later in the inning by an RBI-triple from Cedric Mullins. Again, that’s great to see. Both Stewart and Mullins have struggled at various times in the bigs. The fact that things seem to be clicking for them is welcome for this team.

Pat Valaika and Rio Ruiz would also homer later in the game. When the smoke cleared the Birds had themselves an 11-2 victory. But following a big weekend against the New York Yankees, the Birds turned in perhaps one of their most complete performances of the season. And that in and of itself is an excellent sign.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Citi Field. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Rick Porcello. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dean Kremer dazzles in debut as Birds take series with NY

The Baltimore Orioles finally got to see the first piece from 2018’s trade of Manny Machado come to the big leagues this afternoon in starter Dean Kremer. And he didn’t disappoint. Kremer carried himself and played like he belonged in the big leagues. He sent New York down 1-2-3 in the first inning, and his outing took off from there. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

Also for the Orioles, DJ Stewart picked up right where he left off last night. Stewart’s two-run homer in the first inning got the Orioles going. It was Stewart’s third home run in as many at-bats. New York would score in the second on an RBI-ground out, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 2-1.

But when your starter is as effective as a Kremer was today, that’s not an issue. In fact, the bases were loaded in that second inning. Kremer figured out a way to get out of the inning while minimizing the damage.

That thin 2-1 lead held until the sixth inning before the Birds broke it open. They would load the bases, and Bryan Holaday would draw a walk, extending the lead to 3-1. Andrew Velazquez‘s RBI-single would further the lead, and Ryan Mountcastle‘s sac fly-RBI in the seventh pushed it to 5-1, which was the final.

This game of course was played under the backdrop of the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking the consecutive games played record. Cal tossed out a virtual first pitch to his son, Ryan (the first baseman for the Bowie Baysox), and he appeared on the MASN telecast and the Orioles Radio Network. 2131 is a moment that no Orioles fan of a certain age will ever forget. It’s a moment that stands alone in time and marks a generation of Orioles fans. So in a sense, it’s poetic justice that the Birds won today.

The Orioles also very quietly took three-of-four in this series with New York. Mind you it was originally a three-game set, but one was a makeup game. Either way, they took three-of-four. While New York is at a reduced power level, they’re still New York. We went from talking about an epic losing streak to them, to the Birds taking the series. Also noteworthy for Dean Kremer’s first major league start, and his first major league win.

Baltimore Orioles: DJ Stewart breaks out in another win vs. New York

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Keegan Akin put the Birds in a position to win last night against New York. And that’s all you can ask a starting pitcher to do. The rest of the team has to kind of take it from there. And they did. Akin’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K.

Unfortunately Akin didn’t qualify for the win. He was lifted in the top of the sixth, and the score was still 0-0. So Akin was non-decisioned. But he pitched well enough to have gotten the win. It just didn’t work out accordingly.

This game was also a coming out party of sorts for DJ Stewart. Which is a good thing because with Santander suddenly on the IL, Stewart is probably going to be getting more playing time. However his solo homer in the last of the sixth broke the scoreless tie and gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

Later in that sixth inning Ryan Mountcastle‘s two-RBI single extended the Birds’ lead to 3-0. A two-RBI double would then run the score to 5-0, and the O’s were off to the races. After being held scoreless for nearly six innings, the runs came in buckets. This against a team that had previously won 19 straight games against the O’s.

Just to show he wasn’t kidding, DJ Stewart smacked an additional solo homer in the last of the seventh to extend the lead to 6-0. New York would get one back in the top of the eighth on a solo homer by Frazier. But in the end, the O’s won their second straight against New York. Hardly a 19-game winning streak, but hey you have to start somewhere.

The O’s will go for the series win this afternoon at Camden Yards. The Birds are yet to announce a starter, but they’ll be facing New York’s Masahiro Tanaka. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles snap skid in a New York Minute

The Baltimore Orioles had lost 19 straight games to New York coming into last night’s doubleheader night cap – including the first game of the doubleheader. However an offensive breakout and a nice starting outing by Jorge Lopez made quick history of that steak. While Lopez only pitched five innings, he did qualify for the win. Also when the game only has seven innings a five inning outing is akin to a quality start. Lopez’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Ryan Mountcastle got the party started in the last of the second when he blasted a two-run homer off into the night. Lopez allowed a base runner one inning later, who would take second on a wild pitch and third on a pass ball. Estrada’s ground out would score the runner, cutting the lead to 2-1.

And while that cut the lead, it exhibited that the Orioles could contain damage is a sense. As opposed to letting a mistake compound things further. They minimized the damage, and didn’t let a mistake turn into a barrage of runs for the opponent.

Although..:New York would take the lead in the fourth. Kratz’s two-RBI single gave them a 3-2 lead. For a brief moment it appeared that New York would continue their steak to 20 consecutive wins over the Orioles. But it wasn’t to be.

Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the last of the fifth would tie the game back up at three. Rio Ruiz‘s subsequent RBI-single would give the Birds the lead back at 4-3. And just for good measure, the O’s would get two all-important insurance runs to seal the win thanks to Pat Valaika‘s two-RBI double.

This is a big win for the O’s in the sense that it snaps the losing streak to New York. 19 straight games is a lot of losses. Not all of them were blowouts, mind you. The Birds battled in some of them – such as game one of the doubleheader. But it’s still losing 19 straight games to the same team, and a division rival at that. But that streak is now over.

The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles drop their 19th straight game to New York

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Thomas Eshelman didn’t make it out of the third inning this evening in game one of a doubleheader with New York. But keep in mind that he had just pitched in relief on Tuesday, and this game was only seven innings long. Alex Cobb was supposed to get the start, but he was sent to the IL before the game for an unspecified reason. Eshelman’s line: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R (2 earned), 3 BB, 1 K.

Cedric Mullins put the O’s on the board early with a solo homer in the last of the first inning. However one inning later New York had tied the game at one on a Sanchez homer. New York may be in a weakened state with all of their players on the IL, but they’re still the Bronx Bombers.

And in the third inning they loaded the bases due to an error. And before you knew it Gardner smacked a two-run scoring single. Tauchman would later walk with the bases loaded, giving New York a 4-1 lead. Incidentally, only two of those runs were earned.

And I’ve said this a lot this year, but other teams are holding the Orioles accountable. When mistakes are made in games, opposing teams are making them pay. They not only need to minimize the amount of opportunities that opponents can make them pay, but they need to find ways out of jams. So that other teams DON’T hold them accountable.

But the good news is that the Birds battled back. Rio Ruiz smacked a two-run homer in the fourth which cut the lead to 4-3. And one inning later in the fifth Renato Nunez smacked a solo shot, tying the game at four runs a piece.

The game went to extra innings. In reality, the teams played a full game (9 innings). But due to the league’s doubleheader rule where games are seven innings in 2020, it’s considered extras .

Similarly, the O’s had chances in the extra two frames. But they couldn’t push a run across to win the game. And New York toon advantage, pushing two across in the top of the ninth. The Birds would net one in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough. It was the Orioles’ 19 consecutive loss to New York.

The series continues with game two of this doubleheader this evening from Camden Yards. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Deivi Garcia. The game will begin in approximately 40 minutes.

Baltimore Orioles: 2131, 25 years later

This coming Sunday (September 6th) the Baltimore Orioles will celebrate the 25-year anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking the consecutive games played streak. Known to locals and to Orioles fans simply as “2131.” It’s a moment that will be seared into the collective memories of anyone of a certain age in Baltimore forver.

To those of us who are of the aforementioned age, we can put it into certain or specific terms. When you say 2131, numbers on the warehouse, the streak, or the lap around the field, we all know what you mean. The numbers on the warehouse were probably my favorite part of it in the lead up. As each game became official they’d add an additional consecutive game played to the tally. Obviously the big one being 2131.

But obviously the lasting memory of that night and the entire thing was Cal taking the lap around the field. At times Baltimore is called “Smalltimore;” in the sense that it’s either a small town in the form of a big city, or a big city in the form of a small town. A lot of people know one another, and it seems like no matter who you run into or meet, you can find a connection or a common friend.

Cal’s also unique in that he didn’t just “play here.” He’s from here. So when he took that lap around the field that night after breaking the record, he had a personal relationship with a lot of the people in the stands with whom he exchanged handshakes and high-fives. People across baseball talk glowingly about 2131, but that lap around the field was something special. It was a uniquely Baltimore moment.

And it’s tough for me to believe that it’ll be 25 years this Sunday. I remember watching the game that night with my family, and being so proud that my all-time favorite player and my boyhood hero was the one breaking the record. And frankly, it’s a record that belongs in a city like Baltimore. A tough old blue collar town in which people work hard everyday and put their best foot forward. That record represents the type of city Baltimore is.

A lot of people have different memories of that night, but mine will always be the lap around the field. And of course Cal’s home run. Who else, but Cal Ripken Jr., would homer not only in the game in which he tied the record, but also the one in which he broke it? There’s also another moment from that night which resonates with me: his Dad (Cal Ripken Sr.) watching from the box. Cal Ripken Sr. passed a few years following 2131, and I think we all have images of our deceased kind of watching us from above. That personified that image in my mind. And it’s powerful.

Now pushing 40, the memories of that night still give me shivers down my spine. I suppose I’m still a bit stunned when I hear people younger than I talk about 2131 as simply a historical moment. It’s not – it was “the moment” of my lifetime and in those of my contemporaries with regards to this team. Anyone of a certain age gets it! All Hall of Famers belong to the game and the fans – all fans. But Cal’s special. He’s the Iron Man. He belongs to all fans, but he belongs to Baltimore first. Baltimore of course being where he played, and his hometown.

Baltimore Orioles blow chance at big inning in loss

Baltimore Orioles’ starter John Means made into the sixth inning this afternoon against the New York Mets. Unfortunately he struggled with his control at the end, prompting his exit. And it was only downhill from there. Means’ line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

Means unfortunately fell behind right away, as he surrendered a two-run homer to Conforto in the top of the first inning. But the O’s fought back – or tried to at least. At first. Ryan Mountcastle‘s RBI-single in the last of the second cut the lead in half.

That second inning was a key moment in the at game. The O’s would eventually tie the game at two when Cedric Mullins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Obviously at that moment the bags remained juiced. But the O’s allowed New York off the hook, only tying the game.

The Orioles need to start taking advantage more when their opponents mess up. We saw Toronto hold the O’s accountable for pretty much 100% of their mistakes last weekend. The O’s need to start doing that also, because other teams are going to do it to them. Bases loaded would have been an opportune moment.

And it was Conforto again who put New York ahead in the fifth with an RBI-double. And the game snowballed from there. New York would put runs up here and there, before netting a four-run eighth inning. That put the game out of reach.

Jose Iglesias would add an RBI-single in the last of the ninth. An additional run would score on a throwing error, running the final to 9-4 in favor of New York. The teams split the short two-game set at Camden Yards.

Several of those runs in the eighth inning were scored on pass balls. And again, opponents are holding the O’s accountable for mistakes like that. It’s a reminder that when people get on base anything can happen. And often times it will.

But that second inning should stick out for fans. The O’s could have opened up a big lead. They could have had a big inning. And they let their opponent off the hook. That has to change.

The Orioles are off tomorrow, which is a good thing. They had to remove Renato Nunez after he struggled running out a ball up the first base line in the fifth inning. His status moving forward is unclear.