Baltimore Orioles: Something magic…

The Baltimore Orioles set a record last night – one of the positive sort. They became the first team in major league history the hit multiple homers in ten straight games. That’s right…the team that everyone pens in as the worst team in baseball simply by default. Aaron Brooks got the start, and while he had his struggles he also put the Birds in a spot to win. Brooks’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

The O’s took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on Pedro Severino‘s two-RBI single. However Anaheim decided to be feisty in this game, and at least gave the Orioles a fight. Trout’s two-run homer in the last of the first level tied the game at two.

One inning later, Anaheim took a 4-2 lead on Fletcher’s two-RBI single. Earlier in the season that might have ended the game in a sense. But the Orioles didn’t back down. Anthony Santander‘s RBI-double in the third brought the O’s back to within one at 4-3. Pedro Severino would later smack a two-run homer, giving the Orioles a 5-4 lead.

The only issue is that there was still some game left to play. Ohtani tied the score at five in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run. The teams traded solo homers (resulting in a six-all tie) in the sixth, with Jonathan Villar connecting for the O’s and Pujols for Anaheim. And it was that Villar homer which set the record. With that home run, the Birds has officially tallied another multi-home run game – their tenth in a row. A new major league record.

However the Orioles wanted a win more than a record. While the record personifies how much better this team has played of late, they wanted to win this game to guarantee a series win. They wanted to go into Sunday with a shot to sweep.

And ultimately, they will. Hanser Alberto‘s two-RBI single in the eighth day inning gave the O’s an 8-6 lead. Fletcher would get Anaheim to within one at 8-7 with an RBI-single in the last of the ninth, however it wouldn’t be enough. The Orioles took the trifecta last night; they won the game, set the record, and won the series.

This team isn’t going to magically find itself in playoff contention come the end of September. However the O’s have taken a positive turn in the month of July. They’ve looked crisper and they’ve won some very intense games in which they would have stood no chance in April or May.

And something struck me in the wake of that 16 inning marathon the other night. In the past we would have used a very specific term to describe what we’re seeing of late. And that term is ORIOLES MAGIC. That’s probably not a term we thought we’d hear in 2019. Maybe it’s not really time for it to re-emerge…yet. But we may very well look back to this time as when the seeds were sewn for the next generation of Orioles Magic.

So let’s put it this way; is something magic happening? No, not yet. Maybe still not for awhile. But something’s happening. And somewhere down the line, that something could turn into something magic happening.

The O’s will go for the sweep this afternoon at Angel Stadium. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Felix Pena. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Asher Wojchiekowski strong in win

Asher Wojchiekowski turned in his second strong outing in as many last night for the Baltimore Orioles. It was also his second win in as many outings, and the Orioles’ second consecutive win. Wojciechowski’s line: 7.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

The Birds took an early 1-0 lead on a sac fly-RBI by Anthony Santander. And that came in the wake of a hit batsman, a stolen base, and an additional sacrifice to get the runner to third. A true “team run.”

The second inning however effectively ended the game. Or at least the competitive portion thereof. Stevie Wilkerson added to the Orioles’ lead with an RBI-groundout. The aforementioned Santander added a two-RBI single, leaving runners on base. But they were soon brought home by Renato Nunez when he smacked a three-run home run.

That second inning left the O’s with a 7-0 lead. That’s tough to overcome, however the saving grace for Anaheim was that it was early in the game. But the fact is that Wojciechowski and the Orioles’ bullpen wasn’t allowing a comeback on this night. They took the lead and ran with it, despite Anaheim netting two runs on Thaiss’ two-run homer in the last of the fifth.

The teams would swap homers in the ninth as well. Trey Mancini for the Orioles (of the two-run variety), and Upton’s solo homer for Anaheim. But when you’re ahead big and it’s the ninth inning, you don’t sweat a solo homer. The O’s ended up 9-3 winners on this Friday night in Anaheim, their second consecutive win.

Incidentally, the Orioles only used two relievers in the game. Wojciechowski’s strong outing did a huge favor for the tired Orioles’ bullpen, which pitched a 16-inning game on Thursday. Nobody would have blamed the Orioles for losing this game had they done so after Thursday’s marathon. But they took the bull by the horns and went out and won them the game. That type of grit shouldn’t be lost on fans.

The series continues tonight at Angel Stadium. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the O’s, and Anaheim is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 9 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Were the Birds aided by an incorrect replay call?

The Baltimore Orioles almost lost last night. Granted that almost happened several different times in their 10-8 16-inning victory in Anaheim. But at one point it really appeared that the game was over. But instant replay stepped in.

Anaheim loaded the bases in the last of the 15th with the O’s leading by two. Mike Trout smacked what could have been a bases-clearing double, which would have been a walk off. However the trail runner (from first base) was gunned down at home plate. Dwight Smith dug the ball out of the left field corner, threw it to Jonathan Villar, who relayed it home. Pedro Severino tagged the runner out in a bang-bang play at the plate, and we played on.

However Anaheim challenged the play, saying that the runner was safe. The umpiring crew looked at it for a long time, and manager Brandon Hyde admitted later that he was just holding out hope that they would uphold the call on the field:

The only thing, because they called him out, I was hoping that it would stand. I had no idea.

Quote courtesy of Joe Trezza, mlb.com

Here’s the thing…the umpires in theory got the call wrong. In Theory. The ball didn’t beat the runner to the bag. Severino tagged the runner high, which was the correct thing to do. However the runner appeared to drag his hand across home plate at the exact same moment. And while not an official rule, a tie is supposed to go to the runner.

So should there be an asterisk by this win because of that? Is it tainted? Not really. Because – get this – the umpires were 100% correct in upholding the call on the field. The rule is that in order to overturn a call, there needs to be clear and concise evidence that the call on the field was INCORRECT. But it was a tie – I just said that there was clear and concise evidence that it was a tie, right?

Yes, but notice what I also said above: …while not an official rule, a tie is supposed to go to the runner. Is there clear and concise evidence that there’s a tie? Yes. But is that in and of itself clear and concise evidence that the call itself was incorrect? No.

There’s nothing in the MLB rule book which addresses a tie. You’re either out or safe. Now that’s a rule of thumb that’s been adapted over the years (a tie going to the runner), but as I said above it isn’t an official rule. So by the standards set forth in instant replay, there is evidence of a tie, or evidence of the play being nebulous. But a tie isn’t clear and concise evidence that the call should be reversed. Thus the umpire correctly upheld the call.

Could or should the umpire have called the runner safe from the outself? Maybe, maybe not. If we’re going by tie goes to the runner, then the runner probably should have been called safe. But it was a bang-bang play, and as quickly as the game moves one can understand how the guy made the call that he did. However upholding the call on review was the right thing to do. Because while it’s fashionable to say and believe, a tie doesn’t go to the runner given that in accordance with the MLB rule book there’s no such thing as a tie.

Baltimore Orioles: Stevie Wilkerson for the win…!

Jimmy Yacabonis started for the Baltimore Orioles last night, but that’s almost irrelevant. Almost. Yacabonis was in essence the opener. Yacabonis’ line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R 2 BB, 1 K.

Anaheim took a 1-0 lead on a sac fly-RBI in the second inning. However that runner made it into scoring position by virtue of a wild pitch. Just another example of a small thing that hurt the Orioles in a game. Attention to detail is important.

The teams exchanged runs here and there, but Calhoun’s seventh-inning bases-clearing double gave Anaheim a 4-2 lead. The Al’s closed to within 4-3 on a sac fly-RBI in the eight, and later in the inning Stevie Wilkerson‘s RBI-double tied the game back up at four.

The Orioles thought they had the game won – several times over at that. But Trey Mancini‘s solo homer in the ninth would have been the winning run. If not for Godwin’s solo homer in the last of the ninth tying it at five.

And…we played on. I suppose it was destined that this game would turn into a marathon. I’ve said this before, but once a game goes past the twelfth inning, it goes into the twilight zone. You never want to be a part of a marathon game, but being in the midst of a west coast swing where it’s tough to call up another reliever and so forth…not ideal for the O’s. But you have to play the hand you’re dealt.

Newly-acquired Jace Peterson smacked a two-RBI single in the 15th, and later in the inning Hanser Alberto added an additional run with an RBI-single of his own. A three-run lead in the 15th should be safe – one would think. However to their credit, Anaheim didn’t quit. Even at that late hour. They managed to tie the game back up in the bottom of the inning. And on we played.

But it wasn’t tied for long. Jonathan Villar‘s two-run homer in the 16th gave the Birds a 10-8 lead. But the O’s still had to play the last of the inning. And they were out of pitchers.

Stevie Wilkerson has of course appeared in relief, and he’s been decent at it. Perhaps there’s a method to the madness of having position players pitch here and there, because Wilkerson was ready when called upon. For the record, I wouldn’t have used Wilkerson in that spot. It’s one thing when the game’s out of hand. It’s another when going for a save. I would have used a starter.

But the Orioles called on Wilkerson, and he delivered. He retired Anaheim 1-2-3, and the O’s went home with a 10-8 victory in a six hour plus long game. In doing so, Wilkerson became the first position player to ever record a save. And that’s it for now…on the twilight zone.

The series continues tonight at Angel Stadium. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Griffin Canning. Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Is accountability starting to creep up?

You know it’s a slow news day when Jace Peterson returning to the Baltimore Orioles is the headline. But them’s the breaks when the team’s on the west coast sometimes. Peterson of course was with the Orioles all of last year, and now finds himself back with them at the big league level.

Peterson takes the roster spot of Rio Ruiz, who was sent to the minors after yesterday’s game. Ruiz had been hitting .238 on the year. This comes after they opted to keep Anthony Santander, when he in theory could have been sent back to the minors. Since being called up to replace an injured player, Santander had been playing at a frenzied pace. And that pace has continued.

Those are two very different, yet similar situations. During the first half of the year Orioles’ brass said many times that they didn’t want to pull the rug out from anyone prematurely. Basically, they wanted to give guys the utmost opportunity to prove that they belong in the big leagues. This is both fair to the player(s) and the organization. Because the last thing the organization wants is for a guy to walk and then hit it big elsewhere.

But the fact that Ruiz was sent packing and Santander is staying tells you that perhaps some of those opportunities have started to run out. At a certain point, you need to put your best foot forward in terms of winning games TODAY. And by that, I’m talking about the roster itself and the makeup thereof. This as opposed to the effort being put forth. Because I would never question that.

At the beginning of the season I suggested that success would look resemble winning more games than they did last year. So that’s 15 wins for the rest of the season at a bare minimum. Do we think they can do that?

Baltimore Orioles: Anthony Santander stays hot in Birds’ loss

Baltimore Orioles’ all-star starter John Means has a rough outing this afternoon in the series finale in Arizona. Now in fairness the Birds did have the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning. But should of, could of, would’ve in a sense. Means’ line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

The best news out of the game for the Orioles is that Anthony Santander stayed hot. The O’s took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on his solo homer. Now some folks will point out that Santander’s ball barely cleared the wall in center. However the distance is 413 feet from home plate. That’s all you need to hit it out. Santander got those 413 feet.

Santander’s currently hitting .299, and he’s staying hot. That’s really good news for the O’s. Now they’re starting to see what they have as an organization, and while the early returns may not have been great, things are looking up.

However the last of that fourth inning brought tough times for Means. He walked a batter and surrendered a base hit. He then proceeded to give up a three-run homer to Kelly, giving Arizona a 3-1 lead.

The O’s would get a sixth inning solo homer from Trey Mancini, who’s also remaining hot at the plate after breaking out of a slump last weekend. We’re starting to see the Orioles having the ability to put runs on the board, which is a good sign.

However Arizona tacked on two insurance runs, including a bases-loaded walk in the last of the seventh. The O’s would put the first two runners on base in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate. However following a pitching change, Arizona would record three quick outs and take the finale. The O’s dropped two-of-three in Arizona, however we did in fact see some promising signs.

The O’s now head to Angel Stadium in Anaheim for a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Tom Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and Anaheim is still yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 10 PM tomorrow night.

Baltimore Orioles’ bats alive, Dylan Bundy solid in desert win

The Baltimore Orioles got a solid start out of Dylan Bundy last night in Arizona. This was Bundy’s first start since coming off the IL after having tendinitis. However Bundy was solid in his first start back on the roster, and given that it begins and ends with starting pitching, his outing helped propel the Orioles to victory. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo homer by Renato Nunez in the top of the second. Nunez has very quietly had a great year at the plate. That was his 24th home run of the season. He’s been given an opportunity not afforded to many in terms of playing consistently at the big league level. And to his credit, he’s taken full advantage.

The Birds would extend their lead to 3-0 later in that second inning after a two-run homer by Anthony Santander. And he’s another guy who’s really maximizing his potential in the opportunity he’s being given. This is almost a fun part of rebuilding in a way. Because part of the process is that eventually a couple of guys grasp the fact that it’s really up to them whether or not they make it in the majors. Santander and Renato Nunez are really grabbing the bull by the horns and making it nary impossible for the Orioles to not play them. And that’s a good sign.

Arizona would get to within 3-2 in the last of the second after a two-RBI single by Kelly. But that was merely a blip in the radar in a sense. Nunez added an RBI-single in the third which extended the lead to 4-2. That was only one run, but it’s a good sign. The Orioles weren’t phased by Arizona’s two runs. That was a moment when they could have just resigned themselves to the fact that Arizona was fighting back. But instead of folding up, they counterattacked further.

Later in the third inning, Dwight Smith smacked a three-run homer to extend the lead to 7-2. Again, it begins and ends with starting pitching. But a great amount of it is also the bullpen. Bundy went the aforementioned six innings, while the Orioles’ pen pitched three. Between Bundy and the bullpen, Oriole pitching threw seven shutout innings to close out the game. And with a win at that.

The series in Arizona concludes this afternoon at a Chase Field. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Arizona’s Taylor Clarke. Game time is set for just after 3:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds fall in the desert

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Aaron Brooks was unable to play off of the momentum the O’s had from the day before last night in Arizona. It begins and ends with starting pitching, and Brooks seemed on the ropes from the beginning. Brooks’ line: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 earned), 1 BB, 1 K.

Arizona got at it early and often. Escobar’s RBI-triple in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. That was followed up by an RBI-single by Walker (a former Oriole). Ahmed would add an RBI-single of his own.

And before the crowd had even settled in the desert, the O’s were in a 3-0 hole. However they were able to push a run across in the second. Richie Martin smacked an RBI-single, cutting the lead to 3-1. However the Orioles were unable to rally past that one run at that point.

Arizona would tack on two runs in the third, and former Oriole Adam Jones added an RBI-is game in the fourth. It was strange seeing Jones line up against the Orioles, but that’s the situation in which we find ourselves. Obviously it’s not a situation that’s uncommon across sports, but it still looked and felt strange.

But one thing that the new Orioles seemed ready to show Jones and company was that they still had a few power sources at their disposal. Hanser Alberto and Renato Nunez each added fifth inning solo home runs. However unfortunately for the Birds, the Arizona bullpen kept them off the board for the rest of the way. It begins and ends with starting pitching. But the bullpen is important. That goes without saying.

Again, this game shows you the importance of said starting pitching. This isn’t to say that Brooks has no future with the Orioles. However it didn’t work out well last night. And obviously that set the tone for the game.

The series continues tonight at Chase Field. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Arizona’s Merrill Kelly. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Old Friends

The Baltimore Orioles will be in Phoenix this evening opening up a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks. And patrolling right field for Arizona is a familiar face: Adam Jones. I don’t need to tell you about Jones, as he was the face of the Orioles for ten years. Needless to say, he meant more to the Orioles and the city of Baltimore perhaps more than any player since Cal.

So it’ll certainly be odd to see him facing the Orioles tonight. However this happens all the time – it’s part of sports. What’s interesting to me is that there isn’t really much fanfare involved in the Birds facing their former star. Why is that?

First off this series is at Chase Field in Phoenix as opposed to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. When Manny Machado (who the Orioles will also see in San Diego as part of this trip) faced the Orioles last month, it was a much bigger deal because the games were in Baltimore. If these games were going to be in Baltimore, I think there would be a much bigger deal being made. Players changing teams after years and years of being with one team and then returning to their former home stadiums is a huge deal.

However it’s also worth mentioning that the Orioles team that heads into Chase Field tonight to face Jones and Arizona is vastly different from the Orioles teams of which Jones was a part. There’s no Machado, Markakis, Wieters, Hardy, etc. Now having said that, Chris Davis and Trey Mancini both played with Jones, so those are familiar faces.

However that aside, this is a totally different team than what Jones knew. It’s also a different coaching staff. One has to believe that regardless of the fact that he now plays for Arizona, it’s going to be strange for Jones to see the Oriole uniforms on the field, and then look in their dugout and not see the venerable figure of Buck Showalter pacing around. Things do change; that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look strange when they do.

I wrote last September about Jones and Showalter, as their time with the Orioles was wrapping up. That was a very reflective day for the Orioles (the last game of the 2018 season), as I chronicled here. And as I said in my game recap following that final game in 2018, it was a day that was tough for a lot of people – myself included. But in a beautiful way.

Before referencing it above, I went back and read the game recap from that final game, in which I described how Buck Showalter lifted Jones in the top of the ninth so the fans could pay homage. I also said that both Jones and Showalter were a part of the larger “Baltimore story.” And I stand by that. They’ll be a part of it forever.

But for the first part of this week, the O’s will have to face Jones as an opponent. He’s hitting .262 on the year, with 13 homers. Should be a fun series.

Baltimore Orioles: Asher Wojciechowski makes no-hit bid in win

Asher Wojchiekowski turner in perhaps the best pitching performance for the Baltimore Orioles this year. Wojchiekowski took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning before Boston finally got their first hit of the game this afternoon, this under sweltering conditions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Wojciechowski’s line: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K.

Despite the heat and despite Boston’s outstanding lineup, Wojciechowski thrived on this Sunday afternoon. In fact, Orioles’ pitching as a whole thrived. The lone seventh inning hit surrendered by Wojchiekowski was the only hit the O’s gave up all game. When Brandon Hyde went out to get him (Wojciechowski), he applauded along with the fans.

And the best news is that Oriole bats didn’t waste the effort by the pitching staff. Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer in the first inning, and the Birds were off to the races. One inning later Chris Davis‘ RBI-double gave the O’s a 2-0 lead.

Davis was starting to get on base more frequently as the all-star break hit. He struggled a bit after the break, but is now slowly working his average up again. Is it possible that Davis could have a semi-respectable second half? What would that look like, and how could it positively impact the O’s?

Mancini came around again in the order in the third, and smacked his second home run of the game. This one of the two-run variety. That put the Birds up 4-0, a lead that got an insurance run when Jonathan Villar hit a solo homer in the eighth.

And it’s a good thing they did. Boston put Betts on base in the ninth inning against Mychal Givens, who felt that the strike zone suddenly got smaller in the ninth. In a situation as such (up five or more runs in the ninth), teams generally don’t hold runners on base. The idea of course being that a team isn’t going to attempt to steal down that much that late.

However Betts decided to steal second base. Given that Givens and the Orioles weren’t ready for that, he took second base. That put the O’s on notice that Boston wasn’t looking to go quietly into the night – unwritten codes be damned. How it looks scrimping and fighting for getting one run into scoring position down that many in the last inning is another story. But they made the Orioles work to get out of the inning and get the win. And they did.

The Birds now head to Arizona for a three-game interleague set against former Oriole Adam Jones. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Arizona’s Robbie Ray. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.