Baltimore Orioles: Did Brandon Hyde err with Tomoyuki Sugano?

When the Baltimore Orioles lose, it’s almost cliche that fans blame Brandon Hyde. When you start the season as the Birds have, you have to expect that. Hyde started Tonoyuki Sugano this evening at Camden Yards against Kansas City, in what one might term an odd game. Sugano’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Sugano, and Kansas City starter Bubic retired the side in the first. Then the skies opened up. The teams sat through a 57-minute rain delay before play resumed.

And when it did, Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Following a lead off double, Garcia’s RBI-single scored the run. This with two outs. On a softly-hit ball.

Kansas City would smack three additional home runs, all of which were of the solo variety. And tonight we saw one of the frustrating things about Kansas City. They won the game on softly-hit balls and solo home runs. This while the O’s did have guys on base. They just couldn’t plate them.

I would submit that Brandon Hyde made a mistake coming out of the rain delay. This in sending Sugano back into the game. Now granted, Kansas City sent Bubic back in as well. And ironically Sugano pitched to a quality starts. Given that Bubic only threw five innings, he did not.

The fact that Sugano pitched to a quality start says that Hyde didn’t err. Neither did Kansas City for that matter. However, you risk an injury to a pitcher by sending him back out after a rain delay like that. Now with that said, you also have to consider the bullpen going into tomorrow. You don’t want the bullpen having to cover eight innings.

It’s all a tough charade. End of the day in a loss it seems like whatever you did was wrong. Especially when the bats didn’t pick up the slack they needed to pick up in this one. But I think you do have to consider the player, and the last thing you want to risk is putting him in a position where he could injure himself.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Michael Lorenzen. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The game they needed last October

Dean Kremer turned in perhaps his best outing of the season for the Baltimore Orioles last night. He stymied Kansas City from the beginning last night, minimizing base runners for the most part. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Kremer did his thing last night by doing what’s gotten him in trouble this year: pitching-to-contact. And Kansas City was putting the ball in play. They just weren’t going far.

However the Birds couldn’t get much going offensively, which posed a problem. For awhile it resembled one of the games in last year’s AL Wild Card series. The O’s were were getting great pitching, but the bats weren’t coming through. It was a stalemate, but if it was going to be at all like last year, eventually Kansas City was going to punch one through, right?

If it was going to be like last year, yes. But in fact, there was one difference. It was the Orioles who punched through.

Adley Rutschman led off the seventh with a double, bringing former Kansas City Royal, Ryan O’Hearn, to the plate. And O’Hearn struck one for the heart of Birdland, smacking a two-run home run. The game followed a similar pattern as those ill-fated playoff games last year, but it was the O’s who got going first.

The O’s would load the bases later in the inning, and Emmanuel Rivera’s RBI-single extended it to 3-0. Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista were both solid in the eighth and ninth respectively, and the Orioles took game one of the series.

Last year would have been different had it been this game. Heck, some games this year thus far would have been different. But you can only move forward. And the Orioles are.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Kris Bubic. Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Backs against the wall, Birds win a “must-win” game

The Baltimore Orioles came into tonight’s game behind starter Cade Povich in what felt like a must-win game. Was the season going to spiral? Were they going to get it together? Ultimately it was a game and a series it felt like the Birds needed to have. Povich’s line: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

It started inauspiciously. Judge smacked a two-run homer in the first inning. And it felt like we were headed for a repeat of last night. But Povich doubled down, and got the Orioles out of the inning and back in the dugout.

Jackson Holliday led off the second with a single, and he scored on Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run homer. And before you knew it, the Orioles actually had the lead. Later in the inning Ramon Urias’ solo shot put them ahead 3-2. Adley Rutschman added on an RBI-single, and the O’s led 4-2.

New York closed to within one on a solo homer by Goldschmidt in the fifth. In the bottom of the frame the O’s began the inning by loading the bases. Jackson Holliday would drive in a fifth run as he grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI.

Grisham would drive in a run in the seventh with a sac fly-RBI. However the key part of the game was delivered by reliever Bryan Baker. After a leadoff walk he retired New York 1-2-3 in the eighth, setting up Felix Bautista in the ninth. He also retired New York 1-2-3 to close out the game, the win, and the series win for the Orioles.

This game had drama between the lines and otherwise. Heston Kjerstadsrole second base in the fourth, and he didn’t like the way New York’s second baseman Reyes handled his part of the play. Replays seemed to indicate that Reyes gave Kjerstad an extra little shove at the end. The benches cleared briefly, and order was restored.

It’s tough to say a game in April is a must-win. But this felt like that sort of game. The Orioles did what they had to do to win this game. Yesterday was ugly. But the facts show that the Birds took two-of-three in this series. Heck of a way to go into an off day.

Baltimore Orioles: You have to keep grinding until the end – no matter what

Kyle Gibson made his first start of the season for the Baltimore Orioles tonight against New York. And it ended up a game that resembled Easter Sunday against Cincinnati more than last night’s thrilling win. Gibson’s line: 3.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

In short, the first four hitters homered for New York. Volpe would add an RBI-single, and the Birds trailed 5-0 after one. Needless to say, there are better ways to spend an inning.

The onslaught continued. When the smoke cleared…well, it never really cleared. New York was either putting balls over the fence or manufacturing hits no matter where you looked. The Orioles didn’t get their first hit of the night until the sixth inning.

It’s easy to say that Kyle Gibson and the pitching was at fault. But it’s always a team effort. I mentioned the hitting woes above; the Orioles also made three errors in the game, including one by Gunnar Henderson late which gave New York an additional run. He literally just dropped a line drive out of his mitt.

The O’s got on the board finally in the sixth on an RBI-groundout by Dylan Carlson. Gunnar Henderson would add a solo homer one inning later. End of the day, it was a forgettable game, that the O’s dropped it 15-3 – after Ryan Mountcastle added a sac fly-RBI in the ninth.

Many people will say that Brandon Hyde should be fired. Heck, many of you reading this have been saying that for some time. It isn’t incumbent on me to call for a man’s job. Now, can I say what the issue is? Unfortunately, I cannot.

But end of the day, in baseball you have to keep grinding. That’s really the only way out of something like this. A lot of you are reading this and saying that’s a cop out and you’re weak. People like you are part of the problem. I get it. But ask yourselves, is changing the manager going to alleviate a 15-3 loss? Or is it just going to alleviate your thirst for…something?

Now I will say this; I question if there’s not something more going on with the Orioles. By that, I question if they aren’t too predictable at times, or perhaps if someone or something isn’t tipping pitches. Tomoyuki Sugano attacked the strike zone last night. It wasn’t a perfect start, but it was effective – he qualified for the win.

New York almost anticipated Kyle Gibson being tentative in the strike zone tonight. It was his first start of the season, and he was pitching against a formidable lineup. He went protectionalist. And it stood to reason. But they anticipated that.

On top of that point, are opposing teams seeing something that the Orioles as a team are doing that’s tipping off pitches? Make no mistake, that still falls on the coaches if so. And they need to figure it out quick.

End of the day, you still have to keep grinding. That was Buck Showalter’s line, and it’s very true. Incidentally, this game had a bright point. Of all people, it was Charlie Morton. He ate up some middle innings, surrendering only one run. That sounds bad and it sounds like a reach, but it’s a veteran acting like a veteran should act. I can’t tell you what the issue is with the team right now, but Charlie Morton did his job tonight.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Carlos Carrasco. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles hold on after Ryan O’Hearn’s homer

Tomoyuki Sugano turned in another solid start for the Baltimore Orioles. He didn’t go deep into the game, but he put the team in a spot to win. And he qualified for the win. And the bullpen held on, despite showing some signs of wear late/ Sugano’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

After a Jackson Holliday single in the last of the second with two outs, Ramon Laureano hit a sharp liner to center field. New York Center fielder Grisham misjudged the ball, and it went over his head. Holliday was running on the pitch given that there were two outs, and the Birds led 1-0.

Sometimes that’s all you need to start something. Yes, a play probably should have been made in the field. But it wasn’t. And it put the Orioles in the lead. Again, sometimes it starts in a moment like that.

New York walked the first two Orioles in the third. That brought Ryan O’Hearn to the plate, and his three-run homer extended the lead to 4-0. Going back to a moment ago – sometimes all you need is a moment like that. Or along moment like a three-run homer such as O’Hearn’s.

Well after Sugano left the game, Judge would drive in a run on a fielder’s choice-RBI in the seventh. One inning later with a runner on, Gregory Soto uncorked a wild pitch – sending the runner to second. Back-to-back New York doubles would cut the Orioles’ lead to 4-3.

That one wild pitch started a rally for New York. Which illustrates why you have to be so careful. However while the bullpen bent, it didn’t break. And that’s the good news.

With one out in the ninth we saw perhaps the most dramatic moment in the game, with New York’s Judge striding to the plate against the Oriole closer, Felix Bautista. However Bautista struck Judge out swinging, recording the second out in the ninth. Bautista would also strike out Bellinger to end the game, and the Birds prevailed, 4-3. Ending a three-game losing streak.

This win changes nothing per se. The O’s were still 1-for-7 with RISP, and they had their share of hiccups. But it was a win, and one in the division at that. Not to mention that it ended a losing streak. In the division. That’s big.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson makes his first start of the season for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Carlos Rodon. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Walks and taking extra bases

Dean Kremer pitched well enough to win this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. That isn’t to say that he pitched “well,” but well enough. But end of the day, it wasn’t enough to avoid the Orioles being swept out of Detroit. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

Kremer issued two walks in the second inning. They were sandwiched around two outs, so the inning wasn’t a total disaster. That is until Baez’s two-RBI double gave Detroit a 2-0 lead.

However Kremer did settle in after that. He started recording outs, and he seemed to stabilize. It served as a reminder however that Detroit and these other central division teams often pick you to death by paper cuts. Their attitude is we scored two, and that means you have to score at least three to beat us.

The Orioles once again struggled with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-9. Jorge Mateo stole two bases in the game, getting runners into scoring position. But they couldn’t bring him or anyone else home.

Kremer issued another walk in the fifth to Baez. With one out, Carpenter would fly out innocently to right field. On the pop out, Baez would tag up and go to second base. Something that seemed to catch the Orioles off guard. It certainly caught me off guard.

I thought it was an unnecessary risk to try to take the extra base. With one out, it seemed like a stretch because it was far from a given that he would make it – could have resulted in an inning-ending double-play. Instead, Torres’ RBI-single scored Baez, and the O’s trailed 3-0.

Kremer would surrender an RBI-single to Jung in the sixth before exiting. Jung would later score on an RBI-single by Dingler. Ironically the Orioles got off easy on that play. Detroit’s aggression worked against them at the tail end of the sequence. The trail runner attempted to score after oversliding the bag at third, and was easily thrown out at home plate.

But to show they weren’t kidding, Detroit challenged the play, saying that catcher Gary Sanchez blocked the plate. The call on the field was upheld, however it’s just another example of teams refusing to leave even one run out on the field against the Orioles. Even in falling short (on that play at least), Detroit was aggressive.

Torres’ two-RBI single in the seventh opened the game wide open, as Detroit cruised to a 7-0 win and swept the series. And even up 5-0 in the seventh, they still pressed. The first run got into scoring position on a steal. Detroit wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

The Jung RBI-single early in the game was soft contact. Which fits right into the motif of the Orioles trying to square balls up for solid contact, only to have them find a fielder’s mitt. This while opposing teams almost do less and get more. Needless to say, it’s frustrating.

Adley Rutschman was out of today’s lineup with a sore wrist after getting hit blocking a ball yesterday. Cedric Mullins was out after being under the weather for the better part of a week, and Jordan Westburg was out with a sore hamstring. Brandon Hyde said that all three could have been available off the bench.

The Orioles now return home to open a three-game set against New York at Camden Yards tomorrow. The Birds are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by New York’s Will Warren. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Matched up to death?

To be clear, I disagree with the concept of an “opener,” used by the Baltimore Orioles tonight. It’s too zaney and against the grain for an old school person such as myself, and I abhor spitting in the face of tradition like that. The Birds sent Keegan Akin to the mound in that capacity tonight, and in fairness it worked – for him, at least. Akin’s line: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

There’s little point in giving the starting pitching line if you’re going to make the starter merely the inverse of a closer. Charlie Morton of course has struggled, so I assume Brandon Hyde was trying to do something different. And again in fairness, Morton only had one bad inning.

However before that the O’s did have a lead. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-double gave them a 1-0 lead in the third. Rightfully, it should have been 2-0. Cedric Mullins was to be the second run, but he was thrown out at home plate. And that seemed to inspire Detroit.

Morton opened the third with a walk, a single, and an out recorded on a fielder’s choice. That brought Greene to the plate, who smacked a three-run homer to give Detroit a 3-1 lead. In reality, that was the only dust-up that Morton had. The home run hurt, but it came as a result of smaller things – that being a walk, a hit, and the inability to turn two. Or the ball being hit too softly to turn two, that is.

But that’s what teams like Detroit do. It’s fairly predominant in the central – both NL and AL. They paper cut you to death. Make no mistake, they were thrilled at the prospect of a double-play ball ending up a fielder’s choice. It gave them more life, this as opposed to a double-play. And they took advantage.

The Birds had their chances in this game. They started the sixth by getting two runners in scoring position with one out. Brandon Hyde then lifted Heston Kjerstad and pinch-hit Ramon Laureano. To be clear, there’s a certain methodology to that, as Laureano hits southpaws better. Detroit’s Hurter (who was in the game at the time) is a southpaw.

To be clear, Laureano did drive a run in on a sac fly-RBI – cutting the Detroit lead to 3-2. And that was a big moment. But it wasn’t enough. Detroit would put three insurance runs on the board in the seventh, again in a death by paper cut sort of manner. And the O’s dropped game two, 6-2. This after losing the first game of the doubleheader this afternoon.

Brandon Hyde matches up a lot. And overall, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But sometimes you wonder if it doesn’t shake things up too much. This to the point to where it’s detrimental.

Laureano was hitting .182 when he was inserted into the game. That isn’t to say that Kjerstad is hitting the world on fire – he’s hitting .210. But you get the point.

Sometimes you wonder if it’s not predictable that the Orioles are going to match up no matter what. Tarik Skubal, last year’s Cy Young winner, starts for Detroit tomorrow. My prediction is that the likes of Cedric Mullins and other lefty hitters are out of the starting lineup.

Now that said, keep in mind that the matchup numbers say that should be the case. But while stats don’t lie, sometimes reverse-locks happen. If you consistently allow a computer to determine your lineup and substitutions, you risk having things such as death by a thousand paper cuts occur.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Comerica Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s aforementioned Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 1:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sixth inning clips the Birds

The Baltimore Orioles played solid ball this afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader in Detroit. Starter Brandon Young had perhaps one tough inning. However end of the day, it was enough for Detroit to sneak their way into a win. Young’s line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 6 K.

There are two reasons the Orioles lost today, and one plays into the other. One of those reasons is hitting with runners in scoring position – the Orioles were 1-for-8 today. The other was the sixth inning.

Detroit put a couple of runners on in the second, and Baez’s RBI-double gave them a 1-0 lead. Young would later load the bases, and Torres would add a sac fly-RBI. Keep in mind, Detroit picks you to death by 1,000 paper cuts. They look at each base runner as not only a potential run, but the potential for a big inning. To Brandon Young’s credit, he stayed out of that big inning.

The O’s would cut the lead in half on Ryan O’Hearn’s solo homer in the fourth. But that’s all the Orioles would get. And Jung’s RBI-single in the fifth gave Detroit a two-run lead once again at 3-1.

The Orioles got back-to-back bass hits to open the sixth inning, the second of which sent Jordan Westburg from first to third. That brought Heston Kjerstad to the plate, who bounced a ball to the first baseman Torkelson. The Orioles had the contact play on, and Westburg broke for home on the crack of the bat…

…however it was just enough time for Torkelson to throw the ball home and nail Westburg at home plate. Detroit would induce a pop up snd a strikeout in the aftermath, ending the inning. And the Birds ended up with nothing despite getting a runner to third with less than two outs (heck, with nobody out).

That was the game right there. To be clear, it was the right play there to have Westburg running on contact. In that situation, you have to. However if you look at the play in depth, they would have been better off doing it “wrong” and not having the contact play on. It’s easy to say had Westburg held up he would have stayed at third, Kjerstad would have been out at first, and the O’s would have had two runners in scoring position. BUT…

…nobody covered first base. So had Westburg not run on contact, the bases would have been loaded with nobody out. It’s also worth noting that it was a bang-bang play at home plate. Meaning the Orioles forced Torkelson to make a perfect play. And he did.

And that’s one of the many stories of this season thus far. Detroit entirely anticipated the Orioles having the contact play on there. They put all of their eggs into that basket. And it worked. You have to do things by the book. But it doesn’t always work out. That sixth inning was the game.

Jordan Westburg would get on again in the seventh with an RBI-single, cutting the lead to 3-2. But the teams would swap homers again, with Torkelson for Detroit and Ramon Urias for the O’s (in the top of the eighth). And the Birds fell to 10-15 with the loss.

Not an awful game for the O’s, but that sixth inning stung. It was almost as if Detroit anticipated the actual swinging bunt to the first baseman. Needless to say, they anticipated that Westburg was running at third, and Torkelson made a perfect play. 1-for-8 in scoring position across the whole game is the key stat. But if Kjerstad just hits the ball out of the infield in the air as opposed to what happened, a run scores. And all things being equal, the game ends up in extra innings.

The series continues this evening at Comerica Park. Keegan Akin gets the start for the Orioles (presumably as an “opener”), and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Keider Montero. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Doubleheader tomorrow

The Baltimore Orioles’ game tonight was rained out in Detroit. The weather apparently wasn’t going to let up. The teams will play a split doubleheader tomorrow, with the previously scheduled game starting at 1:10 PM. Brandon Young will get the ball for the Orioles.

Game two will be the makeup of tonight’s game and start at 6:10 PM. The O’s will send Charlie Morton to the mound for that one. For the record, both the Orioles and Detroit will get an extra roster player for tomorrow given the doubleheader.

As I said, it’s a split doubleheader. All that means is it’s two separate admissions. Not that it matters from the perspective of Orioles’ fans, as most of them are at home as opposed to having tickets.

Baltimore Orioles: Cade Povich twirls a District gem

Cade Povich turned in perhaps his best start as a big league pitcher tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in D.C. The beleaguered Orioles limped in trying to salvage one in the Battle of the Beltways. And Povich gave them just the jolt they needed from the mound. Povich’s line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

A couple of games ago I wrote about Dean Kremer being in the strike zone too much. Povich was in the zone tonight just the right amount. And he was hitting his spots. When the ball was put in play, it was usually finding a fielder’s mitt.

The lone run Povich surrendered was an RBI-double by Bell in the second inning. That was the closest to a hiccup that he had, as Washington got back-to-back doubles to take the lead. However Povich quickly righted the ship by retiring the side.

With one out in the fifth Ramon Laureano smacked a double. That gave the Orioles a runner in scoring position, and they eventually cashed in. Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single would tie the game at one.

Later in the inning it was Cedric Mullins’ RBI-single that scored O’Hearn, giving the Birds a 2-1 lead. Luckily for the O’s, Povich and the bullpen were strong. Jose Bautista allowed the tying run to get to third in the last of the ninth, but the Orioles walked away 2-1 winners.

Brandon Hyde went to Yennier Cano to retire the last hitter in the seventh, and he retired him on one pitch. He then brought Gregory Soto out for the eighth, and I understand why. Washington’s first two hitters of the inning were lefties. Hyde matches up a lot – and sometimes it bites him. But this time it worked like a charm, to Hyde’s credit.

Again, I would submit that this was Cade Povich’s best start as a major league pitcher. And he picked a heck of a time to do it, as the O’s direly needed a win. And they fight on.

The O’s now head to Comerica Park for a weekend series with Detroit. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Casey Mize. Game time is set for 6:40 PM.