Baltimore Orioles: John Means closes his season in fashion

John Means was one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 season for the Baltimore Orioles. Not that it matters, but he probably goes into spring training next year as the staff ace. That aside, he closed his 2019 season this afternoon with a decent outing against Boston at Fenway Park. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

The Birds took an almost immediate lead in this one. Jonathan Villar got aboard almost right away with a base hit, and he scored a moment later in a two-run homer by DJ Stewart. And the O’s appeared off to the races…

…save for the fact that Means surrendered a two1run homer to Bogaerts in the last of the first. Immediately following that homer Martinez would give them the lead at 3-2 with a solo shot of his own. But this day belonged to Means and the Orioles, and that brief blip on the radar wasn’t about to stop them.

Sure enough, Richie Martin‘s solo homer in the second tied the game back up at three. One inning later Renato Nunez‘s solo homer gave them the lead back. Incidentally, Richie Martin is another success story of this season. Of course the Orioles got him in last year’s Rule 5 draft. He had to be on the roster all season, and now moving forward he’s a member of the Orioles in full, meaning they can move him up and down the organization. Whether he’s a major leaguer next year or not remains to be seen. But I think he has a bright future at this level.

The O’s blew the lead open in the sixth. Austin Wynns‘ RBI-single extended the lead to 5-3. Martin would smack an RBI-double, making it 6-3. Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini would each add RBI-singles as well, giving the Birds an 8-3 lead.

Boston would put up an additional run, and they threatened in the eighth. They had the bases loaded and one out, but the O’s turned a double-play to end the inning. Trey Mancini would also hit his 35th homer of the season to cap off the Birds’ 9-4 victory.

And that brings us to tomorrow – the end of the line. It’s kind of hard to believe that we’ve been doing this since spring games began – back on February 23rd. But the Orioles have now played 161 regular season games. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for following along to this point…

…and beyond. And yes folks, there is a beyond – Birdland Crush covers the Birds 365 days a year! The world certainly doesn’t end tomorrow. Just the season. The Orioles are already closing 2019 in a positive manner by taking a series from Boston at Fenway Park. Tomorrow they’ll try to make it a sweep.

So for the last time this season…the O’s will close the year tomorrow at Fenway Park. It’ll be a bullpen game for the Orioles and they’re yet to announce a starter, however whomever he is will be opposed by Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles win at Fenway behind Asher Wojchiekowski

When the Baltimore Orioles pocked up Asher Wojchiekowski this season on waivers, I figured that it was just one of those moves that teams make for depth. But to his credit Wojchiekowski proved to be a competitor. And a tough one at that. At the very least, he cemented his status as a potential starter going into spring training next year last night at Fenway Park. Wojchiekowski’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

GM Mike Elias has to feel good about picking up Wojchiekowski during this season. That isn’t to say that he’s guaranteed a starting role next year. However I think he’s won the right to compete for a starting job.

Renato Nunez smacked a three-run homer in the top of the third. It was a deep line drive-type shot, which barely made it over the green monster in left field. But it made it over, giving the O’s a 3-0 lead.

Nunez is a guy who may well fall into the same category as Wojchiekowski (although Nunez has been here all year). He’s exceeded expectations, and has earned the shot to compete for a starting job next year. And this is true of a lot of people.

Nunez would also smack an RBI-single in the ninth inning, and the Birds took the series opener, 4-0. Speaking of spring training, back in spring training 2019 I made note of the fact that the Birds seemed to tack on insurance runs in games here and there. That struck me at the time…

…mainly because it was something with which the 2018 Orioles struggled. Obviously there’s no stat out there which measures how often a team tacked on a late run with a lead, but it’s something that this year’s team would do from time to time – again, dating back to spring training. And at the time I remember writing that it wasn’t something that would be necessary every game (last night’s game, for example). However it was a good thing to do her me and there.

The series continues this afternoon at Fenway Park. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Jhouly’s Chacin. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: 158 down, three to go

We’ve almost come to the end of the line for the 2019 Baltimore Orioles. Mind you, the goal that I set forth for this team in my season preview back in March was for them to better the record of the 2018 Orioles. Standing now at 52 wins, they’ve done that by five games already.

So in that sense this was a successful season. Granted the bar was set very low, but the fact is that it had to be. As time wore on over the course of the final five to six weeks however, this team turned it up a notch. Maybe that wasn’t necessarily seen in the win/loss column, but guys really seemed to come together. That’s a good sign going into spring training next year.

However that’s irrelevant – for now. There are still three games to play, and the Orioles find themselves closing the season in Boston at “the Fens.” Surprisingly, this series is meaningless. It was a given that it would be meaningless for the Orioles. However I’m quite frankly surprised that Boston’s in a position whereby it’s meaningless for them as well.

Nevertheless, the series begins tonight at Fenway Park. Asher Wojciechowski gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM this evening.

Baltimore Orioles battle but fall is in Toronto

Gabriel Ynoa made his penultimate start of the year for the Baltimore Orioles last night in Toronto. It was a short outing and far from perfect, but it’ll serve as our last look this year at Ynoa, a pitcher who had his struggles but also surprised a bit this year. Ynoa’s line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Ynoa will finish the year at 1-10, but didn’t pitch horribly in all of those ten losses. Last night he gave up a solo homer to McKinney in the first inning, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead. He also gave up a solo homer to Tellez in the fourth. He was lifted after four.

Tellez would homer again in the sixth, extending the Toronto lead to 3-0. But the Orioles battled back in the eighth inning. One thing led to another, and suddenly the bases were loaded…

…and the O’s tried to take advantage. Rio Ruiz grounded for into a fielder’s choice-RBI. That cut the Toronto lead to 3-1. It also left a base open with two outs. That is until Toronto hit a batter, re-loading the bases.

And with the bases loaded again, DJ Stewart walked. That cut the Toronto lead to 3-2. Unfortunately however, that was the furthest the Orioles would get. They ended up falling 3-2 and dropping two-of-three in Toronto.

The O’s are off today before they open up a three-game set in Boston tomorrow night. That will be the final series of the year. The Orioles are also guaranteed not to finish with the worst record in baseball, as Detroit has clinched that dubious honor. So the Birds will pick second in next year’s draft.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini spearheads win with five hits

The Baltimore Orioles evened the series in Toronto last night behind a five-hit effort by 2019 Most Valuable Oriole Trey Mancini. Dylan Bundy left his mark as well, tossing a gem for the O’s. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

The Birds hit the bats early and never looked back. Renato Nunez‘s two-RBI double in the first gave them a 2-0 lead. Tack on an RBI-single by Dwight Smith Jr, and it was 3-0.

Fisher’s solo homer in the third got Toronto on the board, however this was the Orioles’ night. Toronto’s made a habit of coming back against the Orioles. Not on this night. The Birds ended up building an insurmountable lead.

The O’s got that one run right back in the fourth when Dwight Smith Jr. smacked a solo homer. Austin Wynns followed suit with one of his own. And the rout was on. DJ Stewart hit a two-run homer in the sixth, and Mancini added an RBI-single. The Birds would also put three runs up in the eighth inning.

As I said, Toronto seems to love coming back against the Orioles. They were able to put a few runs across in the ninth, but it was too little too late. End of the day, the Birds defeated Toronto 11-4.

The end of the season should give Orioles fans hope. No, not because the season’s over which ends the pain of the 2019 season. But because some of these young players really started to gel, and made some big time contributions in games. That includes Mancini, who while only having three full big league seasons under his belt, is the team leader.

However plenty of guys have made big splashes – the Hays’, Nunez’s, and Alberto’s of the world. This franchise is in a much better position going into spring training in 2020 than it was going in this year. That should give Orioles’ fans a lot of hope.

The series in Toronto concludes this evening at Rogers Centre. Gabriel Ynoa gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Jacob Waguespack. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays is a keeper

Chandler Shepherd got the start for the Baltimore Orioles last night in Toronto. However no pitcher on either side was worth the price of admission last night. Shepherd’s line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

The Orioles trailed 5-0 before they could even get started. However once they got started, they were really in business. And that was due to the efforts of Austin Hays – among others.

Hays smacked a three-run homer in the third to cut the Toronto lead to 5-3. While Toronto would extend the lead to 6-3 later on, Hays also took extra bases away from them with a leaping catch at the center field wall. He would add a solo homer in the fifth, which followed a solo shot by Jonathan Villar. Add on a two-run shot by Rio Ruiz, and the O’s had a 7-6 lead.

After Toronto tied the score at seven in the seventh, the O’s got RBI-singles from Hays and Villar in the eighth to take a 9-7 lead. However Toronto would tie the score back up in the ninth inning at nine, and to extra innings we went. Yet again.

This game showcased the future for the O’s in Austin Hays, as well as a bit of the past. Chris Davis homered in the twelfth to give the Orioles the lead back. However Toronto came back with a sac fly-RBI in the last of the twelfth, and we played on. Finally Alford’s walk off homer in the 15th won it for Toronto.

The Birds walked off losers last night, but the real story of the game was Austin Hays. The guy’s done nothing but play hard and make big plays since he’s been called up. Now I will caution fans that often times you don’t want to put too much stock in both Spring Training stats and those from September. They can be very deceiving.

However as deceiving as those stats can sometimes be, the effort Hays has put in can’t be questioned. Neither can the results. He’s been a shot in the arm to the team and to the fan base. All they can hope is that it continues.

The series in Toronto continues this evening at Rogers Centre. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Anthony Kay. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis homers Birds to a win in home finale

Baltimore Orioles’ fans got to see John Means on final time at home this year in the last home game. While we still have a week to go in the season itself, it’s kind of amazing that we’ve now completed 81 home games. Then again, it’s amazing that we’re almost to the end of the line. And Means this afternoon reminded Orioles fans about why he was the biggest surprise of the season. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

It’s been a long road in those 81 home games. A lot of bad baseball, learning experiences, and even a dugout fight. However while I shouldn’t get too far into this type of mode given that we still have a week to go, Orioles fans should also be proud. Towards the end, this team really started to come together. And that was the sentiment today.

The O’s did briefly have to play from behind however, as Crawford’s first inning RBI-single gave Seattle a 1-0 lead. But things got tied up fairly quickly; Renato Nunez‘s RBI-double in the last of the first tied the game at one. And there it remained for quite awhile.

The fans were treated to a pitching duel in the final home game. John Means was spectacular in mowing Seattle hitters down. The Orioles really may have found something in Means. Speaking for myself, I’m excited to see him going into spring training next year.

Chris Davis is a question mark heading into spring training however. Many fans seem to think that he’s going to retire, however that would forfeit him a lot of money. He has three years left on his deal. GM Mike Elias said before the game that he expects Davis to be back.

However at least for one day, Davis got to play the hero once again. You have to respect the guy’s work ethic and the fact that he never seems to give up. And it was that never say die attitude which propelled Davis to smack a solo homer in the seventh inning.

That was the go-ahead run, and it propelled the O’s onto victory in the final game at home this season. This is a year that hasn’t been easy on Chris Davis. We all remember the slump in which he started the season. But at least on this day, he directly won the game for his team.

The O’s now embark on their final road trip which will close out the season, as they head to Toronto tomorrow night. The Birds are yet to name a starter, but they’ll face Toronto’s Clay Buchholtz. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays continues to impress for the Birds

Asher Wojchiekowski got the start last night for the Baltimore Orioles. However he didn’t figure into the final outcome for the most part. Wojchieowski’s line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 earned), 2 BB, 4 K.

The Birds took a 3-0 lead in the second on two RBI-doubles. One by Stevie Wilkerson, and then a two-RBI double by Richie Martin. One inning later Seattle would get on the board with a solo homer by Long, cutting the Birds’ lead to 3-1.

But Seattle kept the pressure on. Crawford’s RBI-single in the fifth cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-2. An additional run scored later in the inning on a passed ball. And we were tied.

But we weren’t tied for long. Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-single in the last of the fifth gave the Orioles the lead back. However the Orioles’ bullpen coughed up the lead again, this time in the eighth. Crawford smacked a three-run homer, and for a moment Seattle led 6-4.

But the Orioles’ newest potential star came to the rescue. Austin Hays smacked a two-run homer to tie it up at six in the last of the eighth. While the game went to extras, it just wasn’t meant to be last night for the Orioles. Reliever Tanner Scott committed an error in the top of the 13th, which led to Lopes’ run-scoring single. And Seattle won this one 7-6.

However the takeaway should be Austin Hays. He’s been with the team since early September, and at the very least he’s earned himself a solid look in spring training next year. Whether it’s been in the field or at the plate, Hays has brought positive energy, solid play, and a great attitude to Baltimore with him.

The series concludes this afternoon in the Orioles’ final home game of the season at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Marco Gonzales. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The opener worked

The Baltimore Orioles used Richard Bleier as an opener last night against Seattle. I’m not a fan of the concept, as I’ve said previously. However last night it worked flawlessly. Bleier’s line: 2.0 IP, 3 H 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

Aaron Brooks then proceeded to pitch seven innings of one-run ball. However Bleier had somewhat of a rough start before settling in. He gave up a two-run homer to Lewis in the first inning. However the O’s trailed for a very short time. Anthony Santander‘s three-run home run in the last of the first gave the Birds a 3-2 lead.

Later in the inning Austin Hays would ground into a fielder’s choice-RBI, extending the Orioles’ lead to 4-2. Nola would cut the lead to 4-3 in the fourth with a fielder’s choice-RBI of his own, however that didn’t rattle the O’s. The bottom of that fourth inning brought a solo homer by Hanser Alberto, extending the lead to 5-3.

And as I said, Brooks was superb in relief of Bleier all night. But again, I’m not a fan of this strategy. People ask me why not all the time.

First off it goes against the grain of traditionalism in a traditional sport. However pitching has always been about trying to get complete games. This makes it nary impossible to do so.

It takes the emphasis off of starting pitching. It also takes emphasis off of the concept of relievers. It devalues both roles in a way. However needless to say, it worked for the Orioles last night.

This was the Orioles’ 50th won of the year. While this far they’re only three wins better than next year, that does show progress. I would submit that getting out of the 40’s and into the 50’s in terms of overall wins is a psychological benefit for the O’s. And that’s one of the goals.

The series with Seattle continues tonight at Camden Yards. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Justus Sheffield. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays dazzles in the field in Birds’ loss

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Gabriel Ynoa did what he could to put the O’s in a spot to win last night. He ended up taking the loss, however he also pitched well enough to win. Ynoa’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

The Birds took a 1-0 lead in the third o. Trey Mancini‘s RBI-double. However back-to-back homers by Toronto one inning later would give Toronto a 2-1 lead. The O’s would tie the game back up at two in the fifth when Anthony Santander hit into a fielder’s choice with a runner on third. Which is also scored as an RBI.

However Toronto’s trademark this entire series has been the big inning. Last night they won the game with a six-run seventh inning. And the scary thing is that this is as young a team as the Orioles.

It seems that no matter who’s played for Toronto over the years, they’ve always had big innings against the Orioles in them. They could get shut out by any other team, but they’ll have a big inning in them to beat the O’s. Trey Mancini would smack ah RBI-double in the seventh, and Austin Hays would homer in the ninth to cut the deficit to 8-4 as the final.

But the big story of the game was Austin Hays in center field. I mentioned above that Toronto smacked back-to-back home runs in the fourth. That was almost back-to-back-to-back homers. And it probably should have been. In fact, it definitely should have been.

Guerrero (Jr.) sent a deep shot to center field – this after two straight home runs. Hays tracked the ball all the way to the wall, timed his jump perfectly, and brought the ball back into play as it sailed over the wall. He flat out robbed Guerrero of a homer.

To his credit, Guerrero tipped his cap to Hays as he ran off the field. As they say game recognizes game. That was one of the best catches of the season, league-wide. And Hays knew immediately that he had done something special, as he pumped his chest with his fist. Now I’m not a huge fan of that sort of thing, as I feel like it could be deemed as showing up the opponent. (Which is part of why I was almost surprised to see Guerrero tip his cap.) However I digress – it was a special moment, and one that we’ll see again on highlight reels in the coming years.

The Orioles will now welcome Seattle into Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the final hike series of the season. Richard Bleier will get the start out of the bullpen, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.