Baltimore Orioles: Dylan Carlson homers as Birds’ win streak snapped

The Baltimore Orioles’ winning streak ended at six last night as they fell to the Athletics in Sacramento. So-so start for Dean Kremer, but it was a leadoff walk in the third that spiraled to do him in. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

The Athletics of course are playing their home games at Suter Health Park in Sacramento (in advance of their move to Las Vegas). Dylan Carlson grew up in the shadow of the park, and attended games there as a kid. Last night he played in his first game there as a pro, and he put the Orioles in the lead 2-0 with a two-run home run in the second inning. One inning later Ramon Laureano added a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds were out to a good start.

However Kremer walked the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the frame. That runner would score on Butler’s RBI-double. Before the inning ended, the Athletics had a 4-3 lead. Kremer on the inning (quote courtesy of Brendan Mortensen, MASNsports):

That was a mental error on the walk to lead off that inning, and it kind of spiraled from there. Butler hit a ball hard and Rooker hit a ball hard. Other than that, just some bad luck there.

But the O’s weren’t going quietly. Jackson Holliday tied the game at four with his fifth inning solo homer. But Rooker’s RBI-single in the hole half of the frame put Oakland back in the lead, culminating in a 5-4 Orioles loss.

There’s no shame in having a six-game winning streak snapped. The key is to start another one. The Orioles hope to begin one tonight.

The series continues later this evening at Suter Health Park. Charlie Morton gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by the Athletics’ Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The “Silent J” for the win!

Baltimore Orioles fans are riding the roller coaster at this point. And that’s a good thing. After an early season of INTENSE lows, we’re seeing a few highs now. Cade Povich got the start last night in game two in Seattle. Povich’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Povich surrendered a sac fly-RBI in the last of the fourth to Arozarena. However the Orioles weren’t about to go sleepless in Seattle. Pun intended! Adley Rutschman, originally of the Pacific Northwest, smacked a solo homer in the fifth to tie the game at one.

Seattle would get the lead back however in the home half of the sixth. Raleigh’s RBI-single gave them a 2-1 lead, with Raleigh out at second trying to extend it into a double. After Povich gave way to Yennier Cano, the Orioles registered perhaps one of the most unsung plays of the game. Rodriguez hit a ground ball to Gunner Henderson, who at first glance appeared to throw out the runner from third (Crawford) at home plate. However Crawford was ruled safe.

The Orioles challenged, and replays definitely showed it was close. Almost surprisingly, the call was overturned. And the Seattle lead remained at 2-1.

But not for long. Heston Kjerstad’s two-RBI in the seventh gave the Orioles the lead at 3-2. The ball appeared to be hooking foul, but it stayed fair at the last minute in the right field corner. Neither side threatened the rest of the way, and Felix Bautista closed it out in the ninth for a save. The Orioles, on the heels of sweeping Chicago, have now taken the first two games in Seattle.

Is it coming together? If a five-game stretch means anything, yes. But that’s only a five-game stretch. I said yesterday that Colton Cowser stabilizes the lineup. And I stand by that point. Kjerstad’s a guy who’s struggled this year, but suddenly now it’s coming together. Heck, even Adley Rutschman’s struggled, yet he’s coming out of it.

Many will say three runs generally won’t do it. And they’d be right. In general you’ll need more than that to win games. Especially in the AL East. But it was enough last night.

The series concludes this afternoon at T-Mobile Park. Zach Eflin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Bryan Woo. Game time is set for just after 3:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser homers in first game back as Birds win

The Baltimore Orioles have their first four-game winning streak of the season after last night’s win in Seattle. Tomoyuki Sugano was strong, and he set the Birds up for success. It all begins and ends with starting pitching, and that’s seemed to stabilize a bit of late. Ever so slightly. Sugano’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Aside from the starting pitching, the Orioles did something key that trickled down to success later in the game. They jumped on Seattle starter Kirby early. They didn’t score a plethora of runs out of the gate, but they drove his pitch count up and put guys on base. Granted that did pay off a little early on, as they took a 1-0 lead on Ramon Urias’ sac fly-RBI.

The only slight blip in Sugano’s game was a second inning solo homer by Tellez. And make no mistake, this is still a game played by humans. It’s never going to be perfect. Luckily this wasn’t one of those games where the margin of success or failure was that stringent,

The game remained tied until the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single put the Orioles back in the lead at 2-1. This game was also notable because it marked the return of Colton Cowser to the lineup. Cowser of course broke a finger in game four sliding into a base. I’ll maintain to my grave that losing him might have been the biggest blow to this season (offensively at least). But wouldn’t you know it…the old boy came through in the sixth with a solo homer.

That almost drives home my point; Cowser streamlines the lineup. I’m not even sure there’s a tangible manner to measure his value – aside from WAR, which I see as a made up stat. But the energy he brings combined with his prowess at the plate does something to this lineup.

And again, it’s not always a tangible effect he has on the lineup. Sometimes it’s just his energy. How many times have we seen the Orioles tack on insurance runs late this year? And how many times has it bitten them? Not last night. Heston Kjerstad added an RBI-double in the ninth, and Jackson Holliday an RBI-single. And again, the Orioles now have their first four-game winning streak of the season.

Is this a turning point? Is it too late? Nobody knows. But it COULD be. It could also be fool’s gold. But keep this time period in mind if the O’s find themselves stabilizing a bit.

The series continues late this evening at T-Mobile Park. Cade Povich gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Emerson Hancock. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles squeak one out, sweep the ChiSox

Charlie Morton turned in his second straight quality start this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. He deserved to win today in every manner possible, giving the Birds everything he had in the series finale against the ChiSox at Camden Yards. Morton’s line: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R (0 earned), 1 BB, 7 K.

Morton appears to have been done well by a brief stint in the bullpen, this following a rough start. The Orioles surrendered a couple of early scoring opportunities in the game, stranding runners at the corners in the first. But they came home to roost in the third, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Ramon Urias. While not a hit with RISP, Ryan O’Hearn added a sac fly-RBI later in the frame, and the Birds led 2-0.

That’s not to say mistakes weren’t made. Heston Kjerstad recorded a one-out triple in the last of the fourth, and was promptly picked off of third. That cost the Orioles a potential run, and it can’t happen. You have to take advantage of every opportunity.

And sure enough, Chicago made a run. Palacios reached in the sixth on an error by Jackson Holliday, allowing a run to score. That cut the lead to 2-1, but the O’s came back for another run. Dylan Carlson’s RBI-double in the bottom of the frame extended the lead to 3-1.

Chicago would close to within 3-2 on Tauchman’s seventh inning solo homer. But the Oriole pen was solid otherwise. Bryan Baker came on for the ninth due to Felix Bautista having pitched in two straight games. And he sent Chicago down 1-2-3, ending the game. It’s the Orioles’ first series sweep of the season.

All the games were close, but winning the games is all that matters. Two things that stuck out; one is Charlie Morton. This was an outstanding effort, and he was justly given a standing ovation when he was lifted.

The other was Coby Mayo. He’s had a rough start to his big league career, and he didn’t help matters with his comments when he was optioned after spring training. You never criticize your employer. But his hustle around the bases today earned what ended up being the winning run. A win’s a win. And a sweep is a sweep- even against the Pope’s team!

Baltimore Orioles: Saturday…in the park

Dean Kremer gave the Baltimore Orioles exactly what they needed this afternoon against the ChiSox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. With today’s win, the O’s have ticked slightly upwards – slightly. They’ve taken the first two games of this series, and they’ve won six out of their last ten. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Jackson Holliday led the game off for the Birds with a solo home run, the first leadoff homer of his career. But Kremer wasn’t about to let Chicago back into the game. He mowed hitters down, solidifying the Orioles’ position in the game.

With one out in the fourth Ryan O’Hearn smacked a double and got himself into scoring position. Then came a bizarre sequence that did yield the Orioles a run. Coby Mayo, who of course has struggled at the big league level, came up to replace Ryan Mountcastle on the roster (after the latter went on the IL), smacked an RBI-single – which on the surface was good to see.

However Mayo tried to extend it into a double, which was a mistake. He was caught in a rundown, and collided with Chicago second baseman Vargas. The two tumbled down, causing a bit of what I’ll politely call a “misunderstanding.” The benches cleared, but that was the end of it. And the result of course was the O’s led 2-0.

Chicago would get that run back in the fifth on an RBI-single by Benintendi. But in the home half of the inning the Birds got a big blast – and from an unlikely source. That being Jorge Mateo, who smacked a two-run homer. That turned out to be the big play, because Tauchman’s RBI-single in the seventh gave Chicago a second run.

With the Orioles leading 4-2, I was surprised to see Felix Bautista come through the bullpen door in the ninth. Especially after throwing 29 pitches yesterday. Most closers are only on point for up to 20. But Tony Mansolino obviously wanted to get Felix his work today, so the bullpen door opened and he walked out.

My point would be that if you go to someone else, you keep Bautista fresh for tomorrow’s game. With a day off Monday, in theory he would then be good to go Tuesday in Seattle if need be. And the fact is that he didn’t have a clean inning. He put two runners on base before retiring the side.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Charlie Morton gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Adrian Houser. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Risk-taking a double-edged sword

Zach Eflin engaged in a pitcher’s duel for the Baltimore Orioles tonight against the ChiSox. Or late this afternoon, more like. That’s another story. One way or the other, Eflin was strong, as was Chicago’s starting pitching. Eflin’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

The game was moved to a 4:30 start time from the previously scheduled 7 PM. This due to some vicious storms that were expected throughout the Baltimore area this evening. And both teams’ bats needed a little bit of time to get going.

The Orioles mounted the first real threat of the ballgame in the last of the sixth when Gunnar Henderson singled and Adley Rutschman followed with a double. That put two runners in scoring position, followed by an infield single by Ryan Mountcastle. But the runners couldn’t score due to the location of the ball – chalk it up as another hit with RISP without scoring a run. A statistical oddity.

It was a subsequent sac fly-RBI by Ramon Urias that gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle went to third on the play, leaving two outs with runners-at-the-corners. Then…a double-steal. O’Hearn stole second, and Ryan Mountcastle stole home. Both were safe, and the Orioles led 2-0.

Chicago briefly mounted a rally in the seventh, but to no avail. Felix Bautista shut things down in the ninth save for an RBI-double and putting the go-ahead run on base, and the O’s took game one of the series. This by a 2-1 margin. BUT…

…Ryan Mountcastle was lifted in the eighth, for what the Orioles are terming right hamstring discomfort. To be clear, it’s good that they took him out. You don’t want to further injure him.

But…did Mountcastle possible hurt himself on that steal of home plate? Most fans are going to say it was good that the Orioles took a risk with that play. And hey, it worked. But if in fact Mountcastle injured himself as a result of that play, was it worth the risk?

It’s unclear how much time (if any) Mountcastle will miss. But that’s a tough pill to swallow with all the other injuries the Birds have, especially Cedric Mullins (who went on the IL earlier today). You can’t even hope to be competitive (much less win games) with the caliber of players the Orioles have on the IL.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Davis Martin. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: People can read the book

Cade Povich was strong in the beginning for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Despite a 30 minute rain delay to start the game, Povich mowed runners down. Povich’s line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 9 K.

Ryan O’Hearn scored on an error in the wake of Cedric Mullins’ bunt base hit in the second. The Orioles would tack on a run on an RBI-groundout by Maverick Handley later in the inning, and Mullins himself would score on an RBI-double by Jackson Holliday. And the Orioles led 3-0 early.

However St. Louis would get a two-RBI double by Walker in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-2. In the home half of the inning however the Birds would tack on an extra run. Dylan Carlson’s RBI-single would run the lead to 4-2. However back-to-back doubles in the fifth would cut the lead back to one for the Orioles. Donovan’s two-run homer later in the inning gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead, and it would extend to 6-4 in the sixth with a solo homer by Herrera.

I noticed something in this game, that being that more than once St. Louis split defenders on hits, and that the ball would go all the way to the wall. And it’s something I’ve noticed a lot thus far this season. If it happens once or twice you chalk it up to luck or sleight of hand. But…it’s happened a lot.

The Orioles’ use of analytics is well-documented. Part of that is probability. So they position their defense in such a way that makes the probability higher that the opponent will hit the ball to someone’s glove. That seems like a winning formula.

But the computer can’t attest to the fact that opponents read those same stats and probability. Given that they know the Orioles are relying on only these analytics, they’re reading their own stats and tweaking their hitting just enough to change where they’re placing the ball. In short, analytics are an exact science. They have to be. But sports can’t ever be an exact science by their very nature. And we should never treat them as such.

Games are meant to be won on the field between the lines – not by a computer formula. That’s why opposing teams are able to consistently place the ball precisely where the Orioles aren’t standing. They’re using the Orioles’ use of the computer to outsmart the computer, knowing that the computer isn’t capable of adjusting on the Orioles’ behalf.

The same is true with pitching. How often do teams get caught looking on a full count? They know that the Orioles have an aversion to giving in. That being throwing a fastball on 3-2. So they’re confident that the pitch is going to be out of the strike zone. So they aren’t swinging. And thus they rarely get caught looking.

Analytics are a good thing, to be clear. I’m not a risk-taker in games. Play it safe, always. But this game is still played by men. By humans. It’s the same as relying on AI for anything. You might get exactly what you think you’re getting or are designed to get. But AI can’t predict any variation in the program. Which means it’s easily outdone.

Baltimore Orioles: Missed opportunities bite the Birds

Tomoyuki Sugano slogged into the sixth inning for the Baltimore Orioles. However to no avail. You have to take advantage of opportunities given to you, and the Orioles tonight did not. However Sugano still left the game with the chance to be the winner. Sugano’s line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Sugano gave up an RBI-single to Contreras in the first, and a two-run homer to Nootbar in the second. However Sugano stabilized himself after that. And the O’s did get him some run support.

The Birds would load the bases in the last of the fourth, thanks in part to an E3. Heston Kjerstad would reach on a fielder’s choice, scoring a run in the process. The O’s would put two runners on one inning later, bringing Ryan O’Hearn to the plate.

O’Hearn of course has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball of late. And he didn’t disappoint, smacking a three-run home run to give the O’s a 4-3 lead. And putting Sugano a shot to be the winner in the process .

However when it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. Back-to-back triples for St. Louis in the seventh tied the game at four. St. Louis would take the lead an inning later with an RBI-triple by Gorman, and tack on two additional runs as the inning went on. And the O’s fell, 7-4..

The key here isn’t the pitching, despite the bullpen having its struggles. No, the key was the O’s going 1-for-13 with RISP. That one was the three-run homer by Ryan O’Hearn. As I’ve said before, it’s good that they’re getting runners into scoring position. They just have to work on bringing them in.

The series concludes tomorrow evening at Camden Yards (weather permitting). Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Charlie Morton leads the day

Charlie Morton got the start in a Memorial Day mid-afternoon matinee for the Baltimore Orioles today against St. Louis at Camden Yards. Morton of course had been pitching out of the bullpen of late, and when he was in the rotation he wasn’t good. That trend ended today. Morton’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

That’s a quality start, sports fans. If you’re keeping track at home. The more important stat of course is who won on the scoreboard. And things went pretty good in that department also.

The Orioles took advantage of St. Louis mistakes today. Which is big in of itself, as that hasn’t always happened this season. Jackson Holliday led the game off with a single, and he went to third on a fielder’s choice and an error. Gunnar Henderson grounded into a force out, pushing that run across – and the O’s led 1-0.

Dylan Carlson got aboard in the third with a single, and promptly stole third base. That brought catcher Maverick Handley to the plate, who got Carlson to third on a sacrifice bunt that St. Louis didn’t see coming. Handley has of course struggled at the plate, but he got that bunt down flawlessly. Jackson Holliday’s RBI-single extended the Orioles’ lead to 2-0.

Dylan’s Carlson has had a few outstanding games since Ramon Laureano went on the IL. In fact, it’s seemingly stabilized the Oriole lineup – if a select grouping of games means anything. Carlson came up again in the fourth with two runners on in front of him, and he smacked his second homer in as many days…

…this of the three-run variety. And the O’s led 5-0 against one of the hottest teams in baseball. They were hot however with good reason, and they got on the board in the fifth with a two-run homer by Pages.

However Morton was too good. He tailed off a little at the end, but was able to make it out of the sixth inning, qualifying for a quality start. And the Oriole bullpen was as strong as it was the second half of that series in Boston over the weekend – which let’s face it, wasn’t an easy series logistically with all the delays and the rain outs.

This is the Birds’ first three-game winning streak of the season. The hope obviously is that it’s not too little too late. But one way or the other, it’s good to see them string together a few wins.

Adley Rutschman remained out of the lineup today after being hit in the helmet yesterday in Boston. It’s unclear as to whether this will be an IL situation. However head injuries are tough. So you never know.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by St. Louis’ Andre Pallante. Game time is set for just after 6:35.

Baltimore Orioles earn a split at the Fens

Dean Kremer came just short of a quality start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in the series finale in Boston. Simply put, he mowed ‘em down. And the bats backed him up in his effort on this Sunday fold Memorial Day weekend. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

This is the sort of game of which we were expecting more this year. After Friday, if you had told me the Birds would have split the series come the end of the weekend…well, I’m not sure what I would have thought. That first game was such a tough one, however fact is the O’s had a lead in all four games in this series. So there’s also that.

The O’s put two runners on in the fourth, and took a 1-0 lead on Ramon Urias’ sac fly-RBI. However Boston almost took the lead on top of the O’s in the home half of the frame. With a runner on second base, Hamilton sent a deep fly ball towards the Pesky Pole in right…a ball that was tracked down on a great hustle by Dylan Carlson. That’s as good of a play as you’re going to see in right field at Fenway Park.

And true to form, Dylan Carlson led off the fifth with a solo home run, extending the Orioles’ lead to 2-0. One inning later it was 3-0 on a second solo shot, this one by Ryan O’Hearn. Still nobody on base when these home runs were occurring, but the flashes of power are taking a tick towards promising.

And it was O’Hearn who put an exclamation mark on the day. Following a lead off walk by Gunnar Henderson in the eight, O’Hearn in essence smacked what used to be called a little league home run. Henderson scored when the relay throw his O’Hearn in the back going into second base. It ticked away, and O’Hearn went to third – where an errant throw allowed him to score, and the O’s led 5-0.

Boston would add a nominal run in the ninth, but the Orioles won it 5-1. The one downside was that Adley Rutschman had a ball fouled off his mask, and was eventually lifted. That’s a major concern, but time will tell how long he’s out – if at all.

The Orioles now head home to open a three-game set with St. Louis at Camden Yards. Charlie Morton gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by St. Louis’ Erick Fedde. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.