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.

Baltimore Orioles: Renato Nunez starts the party and provides insurance

The Baltimore Orioles finally got a starter to go deeper than four innings. Asher Wojchiekowski pitcher five tonight against the NY Mets at Camden Yards. It may only be one more, but it’s something. It’s a start. Wojciechowski’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Renato Nunez put the Orioles ahead early with a three-run homer in the last of the first inning. However New York chopped away. A sac fly-RBI and an RBI-single in the second got them to within 3-2. Luckily for the O’s in that moment, Anthony Santander followed suit in the last of the second with an RBI-single, and Jose Iglesias pushed another run across on a fielder’s choice. The O’s appeared to be in the driver’s seat…

…until they weren’t. Cano smacked a solo homer in the third. That was innocent enough; it came with two outs and solo home runs generally aren’t going to beat you. But Gimenez’s two-run homer in the sixth suddenly tied the game at five.

This was a big moment in the game for the O’s. Mind you that they just came home from a series in Toronto in which they surrendered several leads, and lost games at the eleventh hour in walk off fashion. Psychologically that can grate on a team. But the Orioles battled back.

Pat Valaika immediately got the Birds the lead back with an RBI-double in the last of the sixth. And that was a big moment all and of itself. Because the O’s didn’t string things out and waste any time. They jumped on the horn immediately and took the lead back.

Anthony Santander would add a two-run homer later in the inning, as the Orioles started to pull away. And for good measure, they added on an insurance run in the seventh. This on Renato Nunez’s solo homer – his second homer of the game.

And that Nunez home run was important also in terms of exorcising the demons of that Toronto series. The Orioles took several one-run leads, only to settle for that one run. And it would more often than not end up not being enough. This time around they were having none of that, and they padded the lead – which turned into a 9-5 win over the New York Mets.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Michael Wacha. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles break skid with extra innings win

Keegan Akin had a solid outing this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. It was still a shortish outing, however he put the O’s in a position to win the game. And that’s all you can ask of your statrting pitcher. Akin’s line: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, (0 earned), 2 BB, 6 K.

The Birds took the lead early. Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-single gave them a 1-0 lead. And that lead stood up for awhile. Unfortunately for Akin however, it was surrendered on yet another botched play by the Oriole infield.

Toronto had one out and two runners in scoring position in the last of the fifth. However Biggio reached on a throwing error by Hanser Alberto at second base, allowing both runners to score. And giving Toronto a 2-1 lead.

This sort of thing has PLAGUED Oriole pitching this entire road trip. And the sad thing is that both Tampa and Toronto have taken full advantage of the Orioles’ mistakes. That’s certainly an incentive not to make mistakes like that, but sometimes they happen. But the Orioles have allowed those mistakes to kill them.

But the good news is that this time the Orioles fought back. And right away at that. Anthony Santander smacked an RBI-double in the top of the sixth, tying the game at two. This of course also letting Akin off the hook for the loss. And keeping the Orioles in the game.

And of course it was Santander who did it. As I’ve written previously, he’s quickly turning into a stud. And a fan favorite at that – if twitter mentions mean anything. He’s been the right guy at the right time in the lineup over various games this season, and today was no different.

However the game remained tied at two and went to extras. Just what the Orioles wanted after the way this road trip has gone. But Bryan Holladay‘s two-RBI double in the top of the eleventh gave the Birds a 4-2 lead. Toronto would net one in the last of the eleventhC but for once it wasn’t enough. And the O’s took the finale.

The infield play does need to be cleaned up. Now perhaps some of the miscues can be chalked up to playing this series on a minor league field. But those mistakes need to be fixed so that games aren’t in essence being given away.

The O’s also executed a trade before the deadline came and went today. They traded reliever Miguel Castro to the NY Mets in exchange for minor league pitcher, Kevin Smith. New York of course will be at Camden Yards playing the O’s for the next two days following today.

The O’s now return home to open the aforementioned short two-game set with the NY Mets. Neither team has announced a starter for tomorrow. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle homers but victory snatched from the O’s

In his debut as a Baltimore Orioles’ starter, Jorge Lopez looked pretty strong at first. However after having seen him once or twice, Toronto batters started to catch up. Lopez’s line: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The Birds gave Lopez an early lead. Ryan Mountcastle smacked his first major league home run in the first inning, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. It was a no doubter, and it landed out towards the highway on the other side of Sahlen Field. Luckily a Good Samaritan retrieved the ball and it was saved for Mountcastle’s private collection.

Toronto would tie the game at one on an RBI-single by Guerrero in the last of the fourth. One inning later Biggio’s RBI-single would give Toronto a 2-1 lead. Grichuk would later add a sac fly-RBI, chasing Lopez.

However the O’s seemed to regain their never say die outlook this afternoon. Pedro Severino‘s sixth inning RBI-single in the sixth cut the lead to 3-2. That brought Ryan Mountcastle back to the plate. With his first big league homer out of the way, he decided it was an opportune moment to hit his second. Except this one was a two-run shot, and gave the Orioles their lead back at 4-3.

But Toronto wasn’t done yet either. The Birds recorded two quick outs in the eighth, before Toronto put two runners on via a base hit and a walk. Tellez’s RBI-single then tied the game at four.

However the O’s came back again. With two outs in the top of the ninth, the Birds had runners at the corners and Jose Iglesias coming to the plate. A base hit would give them the lead. Iglesias hit a slow swinging bunt to short…

…it was so slow, it gave Iglesias a fighting chance of reaching base safely and scoring the run. Iglesias hustled out of the box, and ran down the line – HARD, down the line. And he was called safe at first, allowing the run to score and giving the Orioles a 5-4 lead.

Unfortunately for the O’s and closer Cole Sulser however, the game wasn’t over. They had two runners on in the last of the ninth with two outs and a full count. Sulser threw what everyone, including the hitter, Shaw, thought was strike three. Replays showed it was clearly on the edge of the batter’s box.

Everyone except home plate umpire Sean Barber thought it was strike three and that the game was over. He ruled it ball four, loading the bases. Hernandez’s subsequent two-RBI single won it for Toronto.

Now Sulser did put a couple of guys on, which didn’t help. When you put runners on base anything can happen. And umpires are in fact human. But it does sting to lose a game like that, when in fact the game should have been over. But to the victors go the spoils.

The Orioles also announced two trades before the game. Tommy Milone was dealt to Atlanta for a Player to be named later (PTBNL). Reliever Mychal Givens was also sent to the Colorado Rockies. In return, the O’s got infield prospects Terribly Vavra and Tyler Nevin. They also are receiving a PTBNL.

The series with Toronto concludes tomorrow at Sahlen Field. The Orioles haven’t announced a starter as of yet, and Toronto will throw Chase Anderson. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.