Baltimore Orioles: Another take on the Jon Heyman tweet

Yesterday I wrote about MLB Network’s Jon Heyman calling out the Baltimore Orioles on twitter. Heyman was…less than complimentary about the Orioles’ rebuild process:

The reaction was predictably poor, including that of this writer. My point is that Heyman didn’t react this way when the Houston Astros or Chicago Cubs went through this same process. Yet it’s the Orioles who not only get called out, but also are now in Heyman’s eyes the face of tanking in professional sports. (Whereas if you read my column – linked above – I say that there’s a difference between tanking and rebuilding.) I stand by what I’ve said on the matter; personally I think Heyman was out of line.

However there’s another take out there as well, and one that ever so slightly more benign at that. Heyman said that what the Orioles are doing isn’t good for the game. But is the criticism possibly coming from a better place than we think?

There’s no question that what the Orioles are doing is making things much easier on teams such as Boston and New York. The O’s of course are in Boston this weekend, but they finished their season slate against NY by dropping the final 16 games. Those games made New York look unstoppable – unnecessarily unstoppable. And they’ve had their share of games as such against Boston also.

Is it possible that Heyman’s point is that what the Orioles are doing is making things easier for teams such as Boston and New York? One could make that argument – I suppose. I’m not sure that I personally buy that, however it is in fact possible.

But if you buy into that mentality, my rebuttal would be what exactly are the Orioles supposed to do? Should they go all out just to get to 60-70 wins so that they come off as “competitive?” Because that’s in essence what they did from 1998-2011. And that famously didn’t really work out.

I would also say this to Jon Heyman and other naysayers; look at what the Orioles have in the minors. Their farm system was ranked 22nd by Baseball America last year. Fast-forward to last month after the Birds traded for so many prospects (in 2018) and replenished the farm system with a GREAT draft. Baseball America ranked them as having the 8th best farm system in baseball. Now that’s meaningless for the big league level in the here and now. However the Orioles are in this for the long game. And it’s evidence that the rebuild is working.

As I said earlier, the O’s head up to Boston for a weekend series at Fenway Park. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Rick Porcello. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles called out by national writer Jon Heyman

Jon Heyman of MLB Network is apparently not a fan of what the Baltimore Orioles are doing. Heyman tweeted late Tuesday night:

Reaction to this commentary was swift and sure; most people felt that this was an unfair take on Heyman’s part. And I agree with that sentiment. I’ll even take it a step further; saying what Heyman said is beneath the dignity of a national reporter.

First and foremost, both the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs have gone through this exact process of late. And both of those organizations won World Series’. (Also worth throwing in that the Orioles’ GM and manager were both respective parts of those two organizations.) Was Heyman complaining about the process then?

And the answer is no. Here’s another point; the Orioles aren’t tanking. They’re undergoing a full rebuild. There’s a big difference. Tanking means you’re all but trying to lose games. Various NBA seasons involving the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics come to mind. The Orioles may only be fielding a lineup which sports an all-star by default, but I feel you’d be hard pressed to argue that the guys on the field at any given time aren’t trying to win games. When you see guys diving around for the ball, running hard, etc, the fact is that they aren’t mailing it in.

And that’s why I say that Heyman’s comments are beneath his position as a national pundit. He’s accusing players and coaches of something that first off isn’t true, but also of something that he couldn’t possibly know. It isn’t for Jon Heyman or anyone else (myself included) to say whether or not the players are playing hard and so forth. But the efforts they put in indicates that they are.

Heyman’s job is to report the news – not become a part of it. But again, I do find it odd that nobody called out other organizations for doing exactly the same thing as what the Orioles are doing now. Apparently it’s just the Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles: The fine line between winning and losing

With today’s 6-5 loss, the Baltimore Orioles concluded the 2019 season series against New York by losing the final 16 games between the two teams. Starter Dylan Bundy pitched into the sixth, but couldn’t get the job done in full. However as has been the case in other games, the Orioles battled in this series. And if not for an unfortunate moment in the sixth inning, might have won it. Bundy’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Jonathan Villar‘s RBI-single in the first inning gave the O’s a 1-0 lead early. However Gregorius followed suit in the last of the first for NY, and later in the inning Urshela’s three-run homer put them ahead 4-1. Now on the flip side, that was the lone homer surrendered by an Oriole team who’s made it a habit of allowing multiple homers in games. Baby steps.

The O’s did battle in this game however, as I previously said. Pedro Severino smacked an RBI-single in the third to bring the Birds to within 4-2. Bundy exited in the sixth with two outs, two runners in scoring position, and Tauchman coming to the plate. The Orioles opted to bring Richard Bleier into the game to pitch to him – and it almost worked.

Bleier had Tauchman with a two-strike count, meaning one more and the inning would have been over. Bleier threw what he thought was a perfect pitch – right down broadway, as they say. And it was called a ball. Tauchman would end up walking, and a moment later Ford smacked a two-RBI double to give New York a 6-2 lead.

Television replays seemed to back up Bleier’s opinion of the pitch. The Orioles’ dugout was yelling out at home plate umpire Mark Carlson, as did Bleier. He yelled a couple sentences of protest, earning a glare from Carlson. However he wasn’t ejected.

Renato Nunez would bring the O’s to within two an inning later with a two-RBI double. Later in that seventh inning Jonathan Villar would score Nunez with an RBI-double of his own. The O’s would put the tying run on base in the ninth, but they could never quite make it over the hump and fell 6-5 this afternoon in the Bronx.

That wasn’t the only pitch that went against the Orioles this afternoon. Carlson didn’t have a consistent day behind the plate. However it was certainly the most poignant pitch to go against them. And moments as such in games can often represent the fine line between winning and losing. The Orioles did what they could to shrug it off, however it was ultimately something they were unable to overcome.

The folks who say never blame the umpires for the most part are correct. There’s always something else in a game that could have occurred which would have helped the team win or overcome a questionable call. However while that’s fair to point out, it’s also fair to mention that if that’s a called strike three, all things remaining the same the Birds would have won this game 6-4.

Baltimore Orioles: Turning to brass versus turning to gold

The Baltimore Orioles suffered yet another beat down at the hands of New York this evening. This time behind all-star pitcher John Means. While Means landed a couple of decent pitches for strikes, overall he was an ineffective as everyone else has been against New York this year. Means’ line: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Means surrendered a solo homer to LeMahieu on the first pitch of the game. Means, along with most Oriole pitchers it seems in this series, seemed intent on throwing almost exclusively fastballs. And those fastballs were hit a long way by one of the best lineups in baseball.

Now ironically, that was the only homer surrendered in the game by the O’s. So if there’s a silver lining, it’s that they didn’t allow a multi-home run game. And on the flip side, the Orioles themselves got homers from Anthony Santander in the fourth, Stevie Wilkerson in the fifth, and Renato Nunez in the ninth. And that as they say, is it.

Everything that New York has touched this year has turned to utter gold. It’s really amazing and semi-tough to believe. Every player they’ve brought up from their farm system or signed as needed has produced. And some of them have produced big time.

When the likes of Ford, Tauchman, or Maybin at being plugged into the lineup and producing at will in the stead of injured players (who in theory are more talented), to be blunt you know you’re screwed. It just seems that whomever put the pinstripes on this season turned into a superstar.

On the flip side, the Orioles seemingly have the fruits of their labor turn to brass. Alex Cobb‘s our for the season. Mark Trumbo‘s missed the entire year to this point. And even Means, the Orioles’ lone all-star representative, hasn’t lived up to his billing in the second half.

We can go back even further than this. The signing of free agent pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez was widely seen as a great move, according to many pundits. I myself thought it was a good move, and would help shore up the pitching staff. Jimenez was a veteran and he knew how to win.

But it turned to brass. Without showing any numbers, everyone remembers that. Jimenez just didn’t pan out as a positive for the O’s. And go back further than that; look at Glenn Davis. It just seems that whatever they touch goes by the wayside. And it’s uncanny.

The series concludes tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s J.A. Happ. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Should walks be used to stop the homers?

The Baltimore Orioles claimed Ty Blach off of waivers last week from San Francisco. Last night he started game two of a doubleheader for the Birds at Yankee Stadium. He did make some decent pitches, and perhaps had he been pitching against a different opponent the result would have been different. But in fact he was pitching against New York. Blach’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R (6 earned), 3 BB, 4 K.

The O’s only surrendered three home runs in this game, which is actually an improvement. However New York’s Gleyber Torres his three of them. That makes 13 for the season for Torres against the Orioles.

Despite being down early and down big, the Orioles did battle as best they could. Trey Mancini smacked a two-run homer im the third to bring the Orioles to within one at 4-3. Following Ford’s solo homer and Torres’ two, Hanser Alberto‘s three-run homer in the seventh got them to within 11-6.

Rio Ruiz added a two-RBI single in the ninth to bring the Birds back to within three. But they ended up falling 11-8. However as beleaguered as the Orioles looked in this game, it’s worth mentioning that they had the tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth. There’s no quit in this team.

That doesn’t mean they did everything perfectly, however. Gleyber Torres came up to bat again in the last of the eighth with two runners on base. Torres has already hit two homers in the game, and as I said above they were the 12th and 13th homers of the season for Torres against the Orioles respectively. Manager Brandon Hyde in that moment opted to intentionally walk Torres.

This wasn’t a strategic IBB given the circumstances. It was done with the specific idea to stop Torres from hitting another home tun. Hyde admitted as much after the game. And honestly, I’m not a fan of that methodology.

I get the point; the guy’s hitting to the moon and back against you. However I would submit that it’s better to find a way to beat someone as opposed to giving in and just giving him a base. It says that you’re adverse to even trying to beat someone as opposed to just taking the easy way out and putting him on.

I do understand why Hyde did what he did. And I’m not suggesting that this is some sort of unacceptable move that should cost people jobs. That’s a ludicrous thought. But I just think that putting a guy on instead of trying to beat him in one manner or another sends a bad message.

The series continues tonight at Yankee Stadium. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Domingo German. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Homers the Birds’ bugaboo once again

Gabriel Ynoa did the honors of reminding Baltimore Orioles’ fans what the Birds’ issue has been all season: the home run ball. As this afternoon’s starter, Ynoa gave up four home runs to New York. Therein lies the result of the game. Ynoa’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Here you see some of the effects of doubleheaders for teams. Ynoa probably didn’t pitch well enough to justify pitching six innings. However manager Brandon Hyde seemed to feel that he needed to protect his bullpen – presumably due to the second game.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead early on Renato Nunez‘s sac fly-RBI in the first inning. However Ynoa allowed two base runners in the last of the first before even recording an out. That brought Gregorius to the plate, and he smacked New York into the lead at 3-1 with a three-run home run. One inning later they would tack on a fourth run on Urshela’s RBI-double.

Trey Mancini would keep the Orioles close with a solo home run in the third inning, cutting the New York lead to 4-2. The teams would swap solo home runs in the fifth and sixth with Urshela hitting one out for New York, and Anthony Santander doing so for the Birds. So while the home run ball back back to haunt the Orioles again this afternoon, they weren’t the only team hitting them out this afternoon.

However Maybin would smack a solo homer in the last of the sixth, and Gregorius added a sac fly-RBI in the seventh. The O’s would cut the lead to 8-5 in the eighth however on Renato Nunez’s RBI-groundout and Jace Peterson walking with the bases loaded. The mini-rally forced NY to bring in former Oriole Britton, which could play well for the Orioles in game two.

In essence, if Britton’s already been used today, that might make them attempt to stay away from him in the night cap. A championship-caliber team such as New York may not quite look at it like that, however needless to say if Britton pitches tonight he won’t be fresh. Different game(s), but same day.

The O’s should be heartened by the fact that they put some runs on the board in this game. Granted they also left guys on base, but they were able to have guys cross the plate. However this further illustrates the issues that the home runs are causing. You can look at it from the perspective that the three-run homer in the last of the first by Gregorius in effect was the game. Solo home runs generally don’t beat you; three-run homers often do.

The series and the doubleheader continues this evening at Yankee Stadium. Ty Blach (who was claimed off waivers last week from San Francisco) gets the start for the O’s, and New York is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Rio Ruiz walks off a part of Orioles Magic

Every game has a different star, as the Orioles Magic song says, and this afternoon it was Rio Ruiz for the Baltimore Orioles. More on that later. But remember folks, it begins and ends with starting pitching. Asher Wojchiekowski put the O’s in a spot to win today’s game, and with a quality start at that. In fact, he left the game in line to be the winner. Wojchiekowski’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Wojchiekowski retired one of the best lineups in baseball 1-2-3 in the top of the first, throwing only nine pitches in the inning. Houston started perennial all-star Verlander, who was forced to throw 20 pitches in the first. And that included an RBI-double by Jace Peterson, which gave the O’s a 1-0 lead.

Verlander didn’t pitch poorly, just not as good as he normally does. And the Orioles took advantage. Wojchiekowski on the other hand set the tone for the Birds – save for one pitch. He allowed a three-run homer to Correa in the second inning which gave Verlander and Houston a 3-1 lead.

However Trey Mancini would foreshadow the Orioles’ coming heroics with an immediate RBI-single in the last of the second which cut the Houston lead to 3-2. Fans has to be thinking that after seeing the team lose in epic fashion last night, at least they were battling and putting up a fight this afternoon. Little did they know that the Orioles had only begun to fight.

Peterson would smack an RBI-triple in the last of the fifth which tied the game at three. Hanser Alberto would add a sac fly, and before you knew it the O’s had the lead back at 4-3. The O’s would later trade runs in the sixth and seventh with Mancini’s RBI-single, and Altuve’s RBI-groundout. But the Birds took a one-run lead to the last of the ninth.

Mychal Givens has been tapped in the eighth to complete a four-out save. Unfortunately, he began the ninth by putting the first two runners on base. Brantley then smacked one into the right field corner, which Santander bobbled in right. That allowed not only two runs to score, but it gave Brantley the chance to come around and score as well (ruled a triple and an error). Suddenly the O’s trailed 7-5.

As if it wasn’t enough that the O’s had been embarrassed at home by their division rivals all week, or that they had been embarrassed 23-2 the night before, now this. The O’s had a lead and basically at that point were going to lose the game in about as savage a manner as possible. Houston’s one of the best teams in baseball. If there were ever a coup de grace, it was going to be that moment.

But hold on a moment; surely…all was not lost yet, was it?! The O’s still had to come to bat in the last of the ninth. Was it possible that they could do what Houston did and put up three runs? Or would this beleaguered team with it’s beleaguered players and manager just fold up and head to New York for tomorrow’s games?

After putting a runner on base, the Birds came to within 7-6 on Chris Davis‘ sac fly-RBI. But that had to be it, right? They couldn’t come back further to win…not even after Chance Sisco was hit by a pitch and brought the winning run to the plate, could they?

That HBP brought Rio Ruiz to the plate with two outs. He ran the count to two strikes, bringing the O’s to the brink. And at that moment I’m sure that somewhere in this favored town, babies cry and children shout. And somewhere out there a cloud casts a pall; but Baltimore hearts were happy then, for Rio hit the ball.

And he hit it a long way at that – onto the flag court in right field. With that, the Orioles defeated Houston, one of the best teams in baseball, on a walk off home run. Winning the game (and in that manner at that) doesn’t erase the past week or it’s hardships. Heck, it doesn’t erase last night’s angst. But it’s nice to end all of that on a high note. A win counts as one win, margin of victory is unimportant.

With all of that said, Rio Ruiz has put his name in the record books as being a steward of Orioles Magic. He joins the Dempsey’s Ripken’s, Murray’s, Robinson’s, and DeCinces’ of the world in that. And wow did he ever do it with a bang.

The O’s now head to New York for the first game of a doubleheader with New York tomorrow afternoon. Gabriel Ynoa gets the fall for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s James Paxton. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Are pitches being tipped?

The Baltimore Orioles suffered yet another blowout loss this evening, this time to Houston. Starter Aaron Brooks certainly set the tone for the game, but he only gave up nine runs. When all was said and done Houston had put up 23. Brooks’ line: 3.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Most people look at that stat line and say that at the very least Brooks didn’t walk anyone. And that’s certainly true. However looks can be deceiving. That means that Brooks was putting balls into the strike zone. And in essence, getting too much of the strike zone. The same was true of every subsequent Oriole pitcher.

I admittedly fall into the mindset that a two-out base hit isn’t the worst thing in the world. It’s only one base runner; if they can just get one out the inning is over. However Houston routinely makes people pay for that attitude.

They also find ways to get on base. A couple of their runs came off of two very softly hit balls. Several more came when a ball dropped between three different fielder’s. They put the ball in play, and and they run. Incidentally, the lone Oriole runs in this game came on a sac-fly RBI by Jace Peterson in the last of the first, and a solo homer in the seventh by Rio Ruiz.

The O’s gave up five homers in this game – yet again. Often I wonder in stretches like this if pitches aren’t being tipped. Obviously both Houston and New York are gifted in terms of hitting. However it should be fairly telling that hitters seem to know exactly what’s coming. And where.

The where part of that could be the key. In this game specifically, we saw Correa hit a home run over both bullpens in left center. Unofficially, that’s a new Camden Yards homer at 474 feet. I’m not suggesting that Oriole pitchers are doing their job in deceiving opposing hitters – that fact speaks for itself. But in order to hit balls that far, you’d have to know where the pitch is coming in. And maybe even how fast.

Mind you, I’m NOT accusing anyone of stealing signs. We all know that happens in baseball (not that it should), but that isn’t what I’m saying. I’m wondering if the Orioles themselves aren’t doing something to tip pitches. Something subtle, on which opposing teams are picking up. Perhaps positioning of a fielder, or something along those lines.

Again, to me the telling part is that the balls are traveling as far as they’re going. It’s not so much about speed. Stevie Wilkerson proves that when he pitches – as he did again tonight. He pitches very slowly. That actually throws off hitters trying to make contact. But if a hitter knows where the pitch is going, he can position the bat to make contact.

It might behoove the Orioles to take a long hard look at how their pitchers are winding up among other things. Because if pitches are being tipped, it’s going to continue happening. And that’s certainly not the goal.

One thing that is worth mentioning is that Houston decided it was appropriate to challenge a call of safe/out at second base up by 14 runs or so in the sixth inning. My personal opinion is that it’s probably poor form to be that nit-picky when you’re winning in a blowout.

In contrast, Houston recorded a double down the left field line in the ninth inning (against Wilkerson). Replays seemed to show that the ball was foul. There were two outs and the Orioles trailed big – no challenge was lodged. Similarly, I fee that’s appropriate. That call isn’t going to affect the outcome of the game. Of course…That runner at second base allowed Houston to score three more runs in the game. Not sure what to say about any of that.

The series and the home stand conclude tomorrow. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the call for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Justin Verlander. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall to Houston as 1989 team looks on

The Baltimore Orioles were their 1989 throwback jerseys this evening in honor of the 30th anniversary of the 1989 why not Orioles. Houston, the evening’s opponent, followed suit and wore their uniforms from 1989 as well. Dylan Bundy got the start for the Birds, and put the team in a spot to win. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

For a split second, you could pinch yourself and say you were in 1989 with the uniforms being what they were. However if that were true, this game would have been played at the long since razed Memorial Stadium. You would also be reading this game recap in tomorrow morning’s Baltimore Sun as opposed to this evening online. (“Online” didn’t exist back then!) And for the record, I wouldn’t be the one writing it; I was eight years old in 1989!

But with the 1989 team looking on, the Birds went toe-to-toe with Houston, one of the best teams in baseball. Houston put two runs on the board in the first, on Bregman’s RB-double and Albarez’s RBI-single. However Bundy settled in nicely after that, turning in a quality start and putting the O’s in a spot to win the ballgame. That’s all you can ask of a starter.

Jace Peterson would keep the Orioles in it with a two-run homer in the fifth. However Altuve would extend Houston’s lead with an RBI-triple in the seventh. This game ultimately ended up just another case of the Birds battling, but not being to quite making it over the hump.

Houston hitters are notorious for working your pitching to the ninth degree. Which makes it all the more impressive that Bundy turned in a quality start. It was the Orioles’ first quality start in eleven games. The last one occurred in Anaheim.

Stevie Wilkerson would smack a solo homer in the last of the seventh, but that wasn’t enough. Ultimately it was too little too late. But again, Houston is one of the best teams in the league. They’re running away with their division. The fact that the Orioles were competitive in this game after the most recent NY series is a good sign.

The series continues tomorrow night from Camden Yards. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the Birds, and he”‘m be opposed by Houston’s Aaron Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Return of the ‘Why Not’ Orioles

Baltimore Orioles fans are in for a treat this weekend, as it’s the 30-year reunion of the “Why Not” Orioles. As so many fans of my generation and older recall, the O’s were horrible in 1988. They started the season 0-21. The outlook wasn’t much better for 1989, either.

But a funny thing happened; the slightly re-tooled 1989 roster jumped out of the gate. They were in the race until the bitter end, falling out on the last day of the season. However their moniker became why not? A popular music video was also recorded (link here) and played throughout the season. But in the ballpark and on the radio.

That was refreshing to see after the horrors of 1988. Nobody does nostalgia like the Orioles, and this is a great opportunity for fans to get to see some of those old players return. Some of them we still know day in and day out. Obviously Cal Ripken Jr. is always around town. And Dave Johnson, Gregg Olson, and Ben McDonald are all a part of the Orioles’ broadcast teams. However when’s the last time Orioles fans saw the likes of Mike Devereaux, Bob Milacki, and others?

That’s part of what these types of celebrations are about. And obviously there’ll be a semi-pall hanging over the event, as the 1989 team’s skipper, Frank Robinson, passed away before the season started. But in the end, it’s the memories that counts. And as I said, nobody does nostalgia like the Orioles. And we’ll see it this whole weekend.

The Houston Astros will be the opponent this weekend during the festivities. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Birds tonight, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Wade Miley (himself a former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 7 PM.