Baltimore Orioles upended by Tampa, rain

Asher Wojchiekowski was pitching a decent game last night for the Baltimore Orioles. However an hour and 45 minutes into last night’s games, the rains came. And in saying that I mean a torrential downpour. Two hours and 15 minutes later, the game resumed – with Wojchiekowski out of it. Starters usually don’t return after rain delays of that magnitude. Wojchiekowski’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

The O’s took a 2-0 lead in the last of the first on Trey Mancini‘s RBI-double. However the double itself only attested for one of those runs. Mancini would come around to score on a two-base throwing error by Tampa.

However Tampa would chip away. Meadows smacked a solo homer in the third. Adames would follow suit in the fifth, tying the game. It’s important to note that the rain delay came during the last of the fifth with the game tied. If not for that second Tampa homer, the game would have been official. But since the game was tied, in essence it had to be completed. And it would be completed very late at night as a result.

Play resumed after 11 PM, and Tampa took the lead in the sixth on Adames’ two-RBI single. That seemed to break the game wide open in a sense. Oriole bats were seemingly quieted for the remainder of the night. Meadows would score in the ninth on a wild pitch, and the Birds dropped this one, 5-2.

Tampa’s in contention. The Orioles are not. So that’s one reason that they Birds were quiet offensively after the delay. However that’s compounded by the fact that they were sitting for almost three hours waiting to resume the game.

You can’t use that as an excuse, mind you. The conditions and the circumstance was the same for both teams. It’s unfortunate given that the rain knocked Wojchiekowski out of the game, and you just don’t know how it would have played out, but it can’t be an excuse. And given that Tampa’s in contention, this game could be important to them. Otherwise it probably would have been canceled and perhaps not made up.

The series continues this evening at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Ty Blach gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Trevor Richards. GMe time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: These Birds are royal

It doesn’t begin to pay Kansas Coty back for the 2015 ALCS, but the Baltimore Orioles walloped Kansas City this evening to take two-of-three. The Birds got a decent start for the second in as many games, this evening out of Aaron Brooks. Brooks’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

For the first time in what feels like forever, the O’s put up some wayward – or caddywampus – numbers. I thought that perhaps this past Sunday in Boston was going to be a game like this, however Boston came back and beat the Orioles handily. But Kansas City aren’t the BoSox. And this wasn’t Fenway Park.

Jonathan Villar got the party started in the second inning with a two-rum homer. Stevie Wilkerson would add an RBI-double later in the inning, and the O’s led 3-0. They jumped out to a lead, and never looked back.

Kansas City did however make a slight motion to get back into the game. Merrifield smacked a solo homer in the third inning. However that would be as far as they’d get. While Kansas City takes it’s team name from a color, the true colors of this game and this series were orange and black.

The Orioles would net back-to-back homers in the last of the fifth, which in effect blew the game wide open. Anthony Santander smacked a two-run shot, and Renato Nunez a solo homer. The Orioles at that point led 5-1.

And they also put out a few add-on runs. Probably unnecessary with the way this game ebbed and flowed, but always nice to have. And in fact with how this season’s gone for the Orioles, you can never have enough runs. Hanser Alberto hit a three-run homer in the sixth, and the Birds went into win by the score of 8-1.

The add-on runs are a good sign. As is the fact that the Orioles continued the momentum gained from the previous game. In fact, Jonathan Villar hit the walk off homer last night, and picked right up where he left off this evening. He of course hit the first home run in this game. Again, these are all good signs.

The Orioles will now open up a four-game set with Tampa at Camden Yards. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Ryan Yarbrough. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Hanser Alberto slugs Hunter Harvey to his first big league win

First and foremost, the Baltimore Orioles snapped an eight-game losing streak this evening. Dylan Bundy pitched an absolute gem for the Orioles tonight. Yet he was unable to get the win. Instead it went to Hunter Harvey in relief – note worthy because it was his first big league win. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

In a season where more and more balls are flying over the fence, tonight we had the pleasure of seeing an old fashioned pitcher’s duel at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. To some of us, it was a refreshing sight. Let’s face it, home runs are exciting. But the game’s always been more than just the long ball. Pitching and defense have their place also.

The Orioles allowed a single to Gordon in the second inning, which wouldn’t have happened if not for the shift. The ball was hit right to where the second baseman would have been had the O’s played their defense straight away. An additional base hit an a Villoria RBI-single later, and the O’s trailed 1-0.

And that one-run lead held up for Kansas City for some time. For awhile it looked like their pitching was going to do all they could not to even let the Orioles on base. However on the other side the Birds still had Bundy dueling right there with Kansas City’s starter. And he was let off the hook for a loss when Rio Ruiz smacked an RBI-single in the seventh.

However they lifted Bundy after the seventh, and Harvey pitched the eighth. A flawless eighth I might add – striking out two. That was the top of the eighth. Then came the last of the eighth.

Trey Mancini led the inning off with a walk. However it was a heads up play that he made while on first which made a huge difference a in theory. An out was recorded on a foul pop, sending the Kansas City third baseman into the Kansas City dugout on the third base side. While he made the catch, he did so falling into the dugout and with his back to the field. Mancini alertly tagged up and went to second base.

Hanser Alberto came to the play following an additional walk, and send a three-run homer into the Orioles’ bullpen in left center field. That gave the Orioles a 4-1 lead, which translated into a 4-2 victory. Harvey of course was the pitcher of record when they took the lead, so he gets the win. Again, his first as a big leaguer.

The reason I say that Mancini’s heads-up base running made a huge difference IN THEORY is because they took the lead on a homer. However Mancini got himself into scoring position, and was ready to score on a base hit. Small things like that win you games.

The O’s will go for the series win tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Mike Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Mental lapses cost you wins

John Means have the Baltimore Orioles five incredibly solid innings this evening against Kansas City. The issue of course was that he seemingly fell apart in an abrupt manner – before the O’s could get him out. While an error certainly helped things along in that sequence, Means tired quickly. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 earned), 2 BB, 4 K.

Again for five innings, Means looked good. And the O’s had a lead. DJ Stewart‘s RBI-double in the second inning gave them a 1-0 lead.

However a base hit and a botched fielder’s choice and an error in the top of the sixth gave Kansas City runners at the corners. Before the O’s could get someone ready in the bullpen Merrifield’s RBI-single would tie the game at one. Later in the inning Dozier’s two-RBI single gave Kansas City a 3-1 lead.

I’ve said this before but teams are holding the Orioles in account for 100% of their mistakes. Now the Orioles are in some instances starting to do the same, but if you get into games which are decided by the team that commits the fewer errors and so forth, generally a rebuilding franchise is going to lose that.

However the Orioles don’t quit. That’s certainly to their benefit. Jonathan Villar‘s solo homer in the last of the sixth cut the lead back to one. However the Orioles managed to run themselves out of that inning, with two runners being well off the bases in the end trying to advance. With two outs. Kansas City had both runners in a run-down, only needing to nail one of them. And they did.

And again, they made the Orioles pay for that. They led off the seventh with back-to-back home runs. That broke the Orioles’ back in a sense. Again, the Birds managed to run themselves out of the previous inning. And Kansas City held them to account.

But turnaround can also be fair play. As I said, the O’s are starting to do that also. Stewart would smack a run-scoring single in the last of the seventh which scored a run due in part to an error. Rio Ruiz would smack a solo homer in the last of the ninth, but it was too little too late and the O’s fell 5-4.

Those mental lapses, whether they show up in the scorecard or not, cost the Orioles the game. Think back to that unearned run in the sixth. Think back to the O’s running themselves out of that inning. If things break differently this could be a win instead of a loss.

However that’s part of rebuilding. Lesson learned, in a sense. These games will happen, and as I’ve said many times the organization all but promised fans that at the beginning. It’s a painful process. You just have to hope that if the process is administered properly it culminates in the organization being in a good spot.

The series with Kansas City continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Brad Keller. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ball always bounces for Boston at the Fens

I would say that Ty Blach‘s day for the Baltimore Orioles was slightly more good than bad. However he certainly had an interesting game, getting six runs and then giving them back. Blach’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Some of the runs Blach surrendered behooved he and the Orioles in that they had a lead and they gave them outs. But they all add up. The O’s took an early 3-0 lead on Renato Nunez‘s three-run homer in the first inning. It looked like it might be a good day for the O’s at that point.

Trey Mancini‘s second inning two-RBI single extended the lead to 5-0. One inning later Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-double extended it to 6-0. But that’s a dangerous position in which to find oneself at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. It’s perhaps the quirkiest park in the majors, and those quirks usually play to the advantage of the home team.

Comebacks always start innocently enough. Boston better two runs in the last of the third on RBI-groundouts. And as I said, it somewhat behooved Ty Blach to surrender those runs. The Birds got outs out of the deal, and they were only one run at a time. Speaking for myself, as a coach I would take that 100% of the time. But in retrospect, Boston was piecemealing their comeback together.

The turning point of the game came in the fourth inning. Jonathan Villar was called out in an inning-ending play on the base paths when he contacted the Boston shortstop. The umpires ruled that he had impeded the fielder’s ability to field the ball.

My point would be what is he supposed to do, run around the guy? Either that or allow the fielder to make the play and then potentially tag him out? It’s a judgement call, but one that went in Boston’s favor. And as I said, the game all but changed on that moment, especially seeing that the bottom of that fourth inning brought a solo homer by Travis (cutting the Orioles’ lead to 6-3).

The last of the sixth was the nadir of the game. Vazquez’s RBI-double cut the lead to 6-4, and left runners at second and third. Moreland then sent a pop into shallow center field. And…the ball fell in the “Bermuda triangle.” This allowed both runners to score, tying the game at six. The ball always bounces Boston’s way at Fenway Park.

I did have a question about the tying run, however. The runner nic’d catcher Chance Sisco as he went by, making it tough for him to field the incoming ball and have a shot at tagging the runner out. Earlier in the game Villar had been called out on the base paths for contacting a fielder. Apparently that rule isn’t universally applied. Sisco would later leave the game after taking a ball to the groin. Again, the ball bounces Boston’s way at Fenway Park.

Bogaerts would smack a two-RBI single later in the inning to give Boston a lead, and they never looked back. Trey Mancini would smack a sac fly-RBI in n the ninth, but the Birds ended up falling 13-7 in Boston. They went 0-for-7 on the road trip.

Many of the tack on runs Boston scores came on singles which were either just slow enough, or against the shift. Oriole pitchers put out several good pitches which justifiably should have gotten them out of the at-bat. But Boston hitters managed to find the holes. Far too often the Orioles are using the shift and opposing teams are either finding a hole, or hitting the ball right where a fielder otherwise would have been had there been no shift on.

And there’s no science to that. It just happens. And it happens a lot to the Orioles. Ultimately it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t, regarding a shift. The ball just bounced the other way a lot today – and the bounces always go Boston’s way at Fenway Park.

The O’s now head home to open a three-game set with Kansas City. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Jorge Lopez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Hunter Harvey makes big league debut in loss

For the second straight game in Boston, the Baltimore Orioles had a starting pitcher who pitched much better than his numbers indicated. You might remember last Sunday against Houston that Asher Wojchiekowski certainly pitched well enough to win (in a game the Birds eventually won in walk-off fashion). Again his numbers tonight weren’t great, but they also aren’t indicative of how he pitched. Wojchiekowski’s line: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

When I say those numbers don’t look great, I’m basically talking about the innings pitched. Boston hitters worked Wojchiekowski in this game. But while that led to his early exit, he also got out of some big jams in the early innings. He showed an incredible amount of composure, and has attested for himself very well of late.

If you’re Wojchiekowski, you have to think that these are two consecutive starts in which you looked decent. We’re almost back in the spring training mentality at this point in that results are meaningless. I won’t go that far because these are still regular season games and yes they do count. However bigger than wins and losses is guys paving a way for themselves for the future. And it appears that Wojchiekowski is attempting to do just that.

Wojchiekowski started to struggle in the fifth when his pitch count creeped up. Holt smacked a solo homer, and Bradley would later score on a wild pitch before Wojchiekowski would leave the game. But again, a very decent effort by Wojchiekowski.

Boston would tack on two more on a two-run homer by Devers in the seventh. The frustrating thing about that for the Orioles was that the Birds allowed a double with two outs prior to the homer. The ball would have hooked foul, if not for Hanser Alberto making a valiant attempt at catching the ball, and having it tick off the top of his glove – making it fair.

Again, Alberto made a valiant attempt at catching the call on the fly. But had he not tried, that would have been a foul ball. Sometimes it comes across as circumstances taunting the Orioles. Had Alberto mailed it in, there.’a no two-run homer.

Perhaps the biggest moment for Orioles’ fans was Hunter Harvey pitching the eighth inning tonight, and making his major league debut. Harvey retired Boston without surrendering a run, and looked good doing it. (He gave up one walk.) He of course has struggled his way to the big leagues, between surgeries – among other things. However fans and personnel alike should be happy that he’s here now.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Neither team has yet announced a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Could Aaron Brooks be an opener?

The Baltimore Orioles were unable to break their losing streak this evening at Fenway Park. They had dropped four straight (to New York) going into the game. Now you can make it five. Aaron Brooks got the start at Fenway Park this evening, but in my view he pitched much better than the numbers indicate. Brooks’ line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Brooks gave up an RBI-single to Devers in the first inning. Then he buckled down and kept their potent lineup off the board for awhile. There was a stretch where he was mowing Boston hitters down, allowing the O’s to tie the score at one on Trey Mancini‘s RBI-double in the third inning.

However an inning later Boston took the lead back on Benintendi’s RBI-triple. Moreland would add an RBI-triple of his own later in the inning, running the score to 3-1. At first it appeared that DJ Stewart had a play on the ball. However he misplayed it, and it fell in for a triple. However even in that inning, Brooks was able to limit the damage.

It didn’t unravel for Brooks until he hit a batsman in the sixth, and allowed an additional single. A sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position, and Owings’ pinch-hit two-RBI double opened the game right up. Boston would go on to tack on four additional add-on runs, defeating the O’s 9-2 at Fenway Park.

However keep in mind, Brooks was very effective after he settled in. He did however seem to fall apart all at once. That was due in large part to fatigue, however it was more abrupt than the Orioles would have liked.

So…might Brooks make an effective “opener?” I’ve said before that I’m not a fan of the concept of openers, only because I’m a purist and it’s foreign to me. However it’s not something that’s going away anytime soon. It’s probably a concept that’s here to stay.

And the idea is to bridge tougher innings to pitch; in this case opening innings. So if he continues to do what he did tonight, he could very well morph into an opener-type role. At this point, the Orioles don’t have much to lose.

The series continues tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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.