Baltimore Orioles dodge a bullet on Trey Mancini

The big news for the Baltimore Orioles yesterday wasn’t the 9-2 loss – although that’s a problem in and of itself. Dan Straily got the start in the game, and lasted only four innings. Straily’s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

More on that in a moment, however. Seven pitches into the game a pitch ran inside on Trey Mancini, clipping his finger. The home plate umpire didn’t call a HBP, and Mancini ended up getting on board with a bloop single.

When he arrived he got to first base, Mancini called for the trainer. He was in visible pain, and eventually came out of the game. This could have symbolized a big problem for the O’s, as Mancini’s been one of their lone bright spots. Consistently, at least. A DL trip for Mancini would really represent a big problem for the Birds.

Luckily however, X-Rays came back negative after the game. Mancini was diagnosed with a contusion, and is listed as day-to-day. I wouldn’t expect to see Mancini in today’s lineup, but the Orioles really dodged a bullet.

With Minnesota already leading 1-0, Rio Ruiz‘s RBI-single in the fourth inning tied the game at one. One inning later the O’s took the lead on Handed Alberto‘s RBI-single. Was this game to be different against Minnesota?

The answer is no, as the homer parade continued off of Oriole pitchers. Cron smacked a two-run homer in the sixth to give Minnesota the lead back at 3-2. One inning later Kepler added a three-run shot. Ultimately when the smoke cleared, Minnesota had themselves a 9-3 victory over the O’s. This due to multiple home runs. In a game that almost cost the O’s their best player.

The concern with Mancini is how this injury affects his play. Soon enough he’ll be back in the lineup, but does he play at the same level? You’ll recall last season he was playing at a similar clip in the first week of the season, before crashing feet-first into the left field wall trying to catch a foul pop. He was never really the same, that is until spring training this season. Hopefully he’s able to remain at the same level of play for the remainder of the season.

The series concludes this afternoon at Target Field. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sometimes solo home runs do actually beat you

The Baltimore Orioles were once again the exception to the rule last night. The common saying is that solo home runs don’t beat you. In general, I’m going to believe that 100%. However Minnesota smacked five solo homers last night, four of which came off of starter Alex Cobb. Cobb’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 earned), 1 BB, 2 K.

Minnesota hammered Oriole pitching last weekend at Camden Yards. Part of that was a start by Cobb, but they smacked around pretty much all Oriole pitchers that they saw. And the home runs went a long way. We also saw that continue last night – lots of homers, and they went a long way. How is that explained?

I’m not sure it can be, other than saying just that Minnesota’s really kicked in on the Orioles. Heck, they’re so locked in it seems that everyone’s hitting home runs. They aren’t bothering with singles or doubles, meaning that all the homers are coming with nobody on base. Which turns that long-standing rule (solo homers don’t beat you) on it’s side.

Cruz, Rosario, and Cron homered back-to-back-to-back in the first inning. That in essence put the Orioles on notice that this game was in essence going to be a continuation of last weekend’s series. And Minnesota was off to the races.

Cobb settled down in the second, however Minnesota struck again in the third with a solo homer by Kepler. One inning later (after Cobb had exited the game) Cruz smacked a second homer. Go figure, also a solo shot. They would put up a fifth run off of a Rickard error later in the inning. The only run they scored on the night which wasn’t a solo homer.

Dwight Smith Jr. would get the Birds on the board with an RBI-single in the sixth. But it would only be a token run, as Minnesota wasn’t relenting. Part of the issue offensively is that the O’s were 1-for-9 with RISP. That was also a big issue last weekend, as the Orioles left a small army on base.

Ironically, Minnesota’s numbers with RISP were worse – 0-for-6. But when you’re hitting all of those solo homers, you don’t have to have to worry about hitting with runners in scoring position. And again as I said, Minnesota managed to find the exception to a long-standing rule.

The series continues this afternoon at Target Field. Dan Straily gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: How healthy is Alex Cobb?

The Baltimore Orioles will start Alex Cobb in tonight’s series opener in Minnesota. Cobb you might remember came off the Injured List last weekend just in time to get run out of the ballpark by the same Minnesota team he’s facing tonight. So the question is how healthy is Cobb?

Perhaps the bigger question should be how much rehabbing has he done, and how effectively at that? When Cobb came off the IL (due to a lumbar strain) he didn’t spend any time in the minors on a rehab assignment. He said he felt good, but his rehab was pitching simulated games. Again, this as opposed to a rehab assignment.

Just as spring training games are important to get guys ready for the season, I really feel that rehab assignments are important for injured players. Even if the player’s been out of commission for a short period, it still helps you to get your timing back a bit, and to see live game action. Simulated games are fine, but they aren’t live bullets. There’s a big difference.

Cobb could have taken that type of beating in a minor league game, and then perhaps been ready to come back to the Orioles when he was right. At the end of the day, they opted to do a simulated game – certainly their choice. But the question is whether or not that was the right choice. Tough to say.

The series in Minnesota begins tonight at Target Field. The aforementioned Alex Cobb will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Martin Perez. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

On a personal note, you can still follow the Birds here on http://www.birdlandcrush.com, and via my Twitter feed. However you might notice some oddities regarding the timing of the columns and in-game tweets. Unfortunately for you, the Orioles aren’t my first priority this weekend – I’ll be attending my sister’s wedding over the weekend. So again, you can expect game recaps as normal, just well after the games have ended. Sorry folks, this is kind of a big deal!

Baltimore Orioles deal Mike Wright to Seattle

Prior to last night’s 4-3 victory over Chicago the Baltimore Orioles announced that they had consummated a trade of pitcher Mike Wright to Seattle. Wright of course had been DFA’d on Monday, and had been in limbo ever since. Manager Brandon Hyde had hoped that Wright would have cleared waivers and remained in the organization, but it was not to be.

In return for Wright, the Birds acquired infield prospect Ryne Ogren, who was immediately assigned to single-A Delmarva. In his first year of pro ball last year, the 22-year old Ogren hit .250 with an OPS of .700. He saw time at second, short, and third.

The Orioles got to a point with Wright where they couldn’t sustain him in the rotation. Given that he was out of options, they had no choice but to DFA him. So given those things, they got a good return for him. Wright now becomes a candidate to be a “change of air” type of guy. For his sake, I hope that Orioles fans join me in wishing him well.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means business, Birds take series from ChiSox

The Baltimore Orioles came into tonight’s game with a shot at taking the series with the Chicago White Sox. And that they did, behind the birthday boy, starter John Means. You really have to hand it to Means; he worked hard and made this team out of spring training, and he’s been superb in the games in which he’s appeared – especially as a starter. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

I’ve said so many times that the main job of a starting pitcher is to put the team in a spot to win the game. Means did that tonight. Means put Chicago out of their comfort zone from the get go, which again put the O’s in a spot to win.

The O’s got on the board right away on an RBI-single by Renato Nunez in the first inning. Rio Ruiz would single Nunez home later in the inning, and the Birds led 2-0. Hanser Alberto‘s sac fly-RBI in the second ran the lead to 3-0.

Chicago would fight back, however. Abreu would smack an RBI-double in the third, but msolo homer off the bat of Stevie Wilkerson in the fourth have the Orioles a 4-1 lead. However as I said, Chicago battled back. They threatened a few times, but most poignantly in the sixth. They loaded the bases with nobody out, but the Orioles managed to minimize the damage. Cordell got hit by a pitch, cutting the lead to 4-2. But other than that, the O’s minimized the damaged (whatever that means).

Chicago threatened again in the ninety, but the Orioles’ pen shut them down after Abreu accounted for one run on a RBI- double. They clamped down, for the final outs, and headed home for the night.

This was the first series win for the O’s at home in 2019. And that’s noteworthy because there has to be chemistry in an organization. If everyone’s not on the same page, things won’t mesh properly. And in order to win series’ things have to be meshing. This was a good team win for the Orioles, and as I said it marked their first series victory at home this year. They’re certainly hoping for many more.

Baltimore Orioles to ChiSox: Turnabout is fair play

Andrew Cashner turned in one of the better starts for the Baltimore Orioles this far in 2019. However the O’s could have gotten away with “just an okay” start this evening, as their bats finally came alive. But nevertheless, Cashner pitched a good game. Cashner’s line:

The ChiSox, you’ll remember, took the Orioles to the woodshed last night. However the O’s has a certain look in their eye out of the gate tonight. You felt that they were ready to break out, and ready to make someone lay for their struggles of late. That “someone” was the Chicago White Sox.

Chris Davis singled up the middle in the on second inning with Joey Rickard already on first base. Rickard was able to score on an errant throw, and the O’s took a 1-0 lead. For what it’s worth, while that’s a run-scoring single it isn’t an RBI for Davis – if you’re keeping score at home.

Little did we know at that moment that the Orioles were off to the races. Renato Nunez would smack a two-run homer in the third to extend the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning none other than Chris Davis would smack his first Camden Yards home run of the year – this of the two-run variety.

But the O’s wanted more. After all, tonight was all about purging the memory of the past few games, and showing the ChiSox that turnabout was in fact fair play. They weren’t the only team who could pile runs on against a hapless opponent. And Dwight Smith Jr. drove that point home with a three-rum homer in the fourth. As did Joey Rickard, who smacked a two-run shot later in the inning.

Chicago would net a token run on a sixth inning RBI-single by Anderson. But this was the Orioles’ night. The Birds has really taken it on the chin the past few games – especially last night and Saturday night (game two of the doubleheader). But tonight they flipped the script and really took it to Chicago.

And for a group of young guys, that’s good to see. This isn’t to say that they won this game and it’s going to be smooth sailing the rest of the way. It may be for all I know. But the Birds served notice this evening that they’ll only take so much.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Ervin Santana. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Teams and players are getting fat on the O’s

David Hess pitched a solid game for the Baltimore Orioles…through four innings. However he seemed to fall apart after that, allowing ChiSox runs to score off the long ball. And that was a popular motif all night. Hess’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

I think that the bigger issue right now facing the Orioles as opposed to wins and losses is that teams are in essence getting well on the Birds. Struggling players come away with more confidence after facing the Orioles. That’s not what you want.

Chicago’s Abreu came into tonight’s game five for his previous 26. He had two hits and three RBI tonight against Oriole pitching. All-in-all, Chicago was allowed to bat around twice this evening. How does that happen?

Orioles’ pitchers are getting too much of the plate. Now that works against you two fold. The first way is obvious; if you get too much of the plate too often, big league hitters are going to hit the ball a long way.

However it also works against you because it allows hitters to sit on a fastball. When you do throw a pitch out of the zone, the hitter won’t even flinch. Then you get into having a sense of urgency to throw strikes, so you throw pitches in the zone primed to be hit.

McCann’s three-run homer in the fifth gave Chicago a 3-0 lead this evening. Now in fairness, McCann came in swinging a hot bat. But the O’s couldn’t keep him (or his teammates) off the board. Abreu’s RBI-single later in the inning ran the lead to 4-0.

In the bottom of that fifth inning the Orioles would get on the board. Trey Mancini‘s RBI-double cut the lead to 4-1. However Chicago got another three-run homer in the seventh by Abreu,and they would score on an E6. McCann’s RBI-single later in the inning and Abreu’s two-RBI single in the eighth would close out the scoring for the evening – save for one more two-RBI single in the eighth.

Oriole pitchers simply need to change up their pitches. Now that’s a lot harder to do than it sounds. Reason for that is that Oriole pitchers (both starters and relievers) need to trust their stuff. If you don’t trust your stuff you’re going to make mistakes. So yes, it’s as much mental as it is anything else. The O’s would also get a garbage-time homer from Severino, running the final to 12-2.

Ultimately this is a ChiSox team that was struggling overall coming in. The left the game feeling like they were the ’27 Yankees. That can’t happen moving forward.

It’s also interesting to note that teams are hitting consistently against the Orioles’ shift in games. You play a shift because spray charts indicate that this player favors hitting the ball to such-and-such location. However it seems that often times guys are hitting the ball right to where the players would have been if not for the shift. Basically, teams are hitting them where “they ain’t” on a much more frequent basis than the Orioles are doing that to opponents.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Andrew Cashner gets the fall for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Ivan Nova. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Are robot umps the solution?

Lots of people were talking about the strike one call in the ninth inning of yesterday’s Baltimore Orioles loss to Minnesota. I wrote about it myself, in fact. Needless to say, it was a horrible call. That should have been ball four, and the game should have been tied.

I think the most frustrating part was that the Orioles had been trying to get that exact pitch location called a strike all day. And Oriole pitchers had been hitting that spot consistently – and it was consistently called a ball. But then Minnesota hits that spot, and it’s a called strike. With the game on the line.

A lot of people tweeted me saying that robot umpires would take care of this problem. And I couldn’t disagree more. Granted you’d still need a home plate ump to operate the machine, and to call things such as safe/out. However I’m squarely in the camp which says robots calling games aren’t the answer. And quite frankly, my reasons are cliche.

People who are all in favor of this method say they want to hear why there shouldn’t be robot umpires, and they don’t want to hear because that’s not how it’s always been. Well…humans umpiring games is just how things have always been. And that is in fact as good a reason as any. Do folks really want to change the game THAT much?

But you’re asking for a better reason than that – I get it. So here’s one; could those robots not be hacked? In the age of computers and technology, everyone’s account for anything could be hacked. So does MLB really want to run the risk that someone could hack a robot and perhaps influence game outcomes? As big as gambling is becoming, do we think someone might not try to do that?

My personal opinion is that umpires just need to buckle down and be more consistent. Maybe longevity of service should be looked at more stringently. This in the sense that perhaps some younger umpires should be calling more games. Furthermore, what happens if a manager for instance were to prove that even a machine isn’t calling the game properly? Where do we turn then?

Part of my point is that not everything has to change. I recognize that MLB wants to do what it’s audience thinks it wants to see. But…does the game have to fundamentally change in order to do that?

Baltimore Orioles: An error and two unearned runs doom Dylan Bundy

No matter how you spin things, the Baltimore Orioles got a decent start this afternoon out of Dylan Bundy. He put the Orioles in a spot to win the game, and as I’ve said many times that’s all you can ask of a starter. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R (two earned), 1 BB, 4 K.

The Orioles in theory should have sent Minnesota down 1-2-3 in the first. Polanco led off the game, and a few seconds later had induced a pop up to left field. Routine play, right? Not so much.

Dwight Smith Jr dropped the ball. Just a lazy routine pop up, and he dropped it. Mistakes do happen, and while Smith has given the team a shot in the arm since getting here, that error allowed a runner to get to third base. Astudillo proceeded to turn in an RBI-double, and Cron an RBI-single.

Those two runs while charged to Bundy, were unearned. It’s tough for a starting pitcher to know he did almost everything right, but still got charged with two runs. It’s usually more than just one thing which tells the overall game story, but that one blip on the radar loomed large all afternoon.

Cave would smack an RBI-single in the third to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead. However the Birds has a run in them. Dwight Smith would take those two unearned runs back with a two-RBI single. That cut the Minnesota lead to 3-2 l, however they tacked on an additional run of n the fourth on a sac fly-RBI by Astudillo.

Again, it’s more than just one moment which tells the story of a game. The Orioles would load the bases in the last of the eighth, attempting to make a run at taking the lead or tying. But Minnesota pitched their way out of that jam, not allowing the Orioles to score even one additional run that inning.

However the Orioles did mount a rally in the last of the ninth. With runners at the corners and two outs, Jonathan Villar‘s RBI-double cut the lead to 4-3. Following an intentional walk, the Orioles has the bases loaded, and bought up Pedro Severino as a pinch hitter.

Severino worked the count to 3-0. He then got a fastball on the fourth pitch, and took a slight step towards first base. Ironically, Oriole pitchers had been trying to get that pitch location called a strike all day long – and with no luck at that. However Minnesota got the call, and Severino would later pop out to end the game.

Again, one thing doesn’t make or break the ballgame. But the Dwight Smith Jr error, and that ball call on the 3-0 pitch in the ninth sticks out. The pitch was a good inch-and-a-half off the plate. It has to be frustrating from the Orioles’ perspective however, as they had been throwing to that location all afternoon. And the only time it was called a strike was that final time with the Orioles at the plate. Dwight Smith Jr had to leave the game after coming up lame on the base paths, and the Orioles will update his status as soon as they are able.

The Orioles will open up a series with the Chicago White Sox tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Manny Banuelos. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: And some days you’re the bug

Former Baltimore Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter used to harp on the old saying that some days you’re the windshield and some days you’re the bug (which obviously gets squished). The Orioles today we’re definitely the bug; after dropping the first game of a twin-bill, Alex Cobb and the Birds fell 16-7 in the nightcap. Cobb’s line: 2.2 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

If there’s a silver lining for Cobb, it would be that he didn’t walk anyone. He was pitching-to-contact in the strike zone, and Minnesota hitters were making contact. And with that, the balls were traveling far.

Cruz and Cron homered in the first, with Cruz’s being of the two-run variety. In fact, most of the homers hit in this game were two-run shots. Following a second inning Garver RBI-double, Rosario would follow up in the third with his third home run of the day (he of course smacked two in the first game), and the O’s trailed 6-0.

And it only snowballed from there. Even former Oriole Jonathan Schoop got into the act with a two-run homer. Renato Nunez would ensure that the O’s weren’t shut out in the fourth, smacking a two-run homer of his own. Hanser Alberto would add a two-run shot of his own in the sixth – the first homer of his career. The Birds would also score three runs in the eighth, including a second Renato Nunez homer.

It’s worth taking an opportunity to remind fans after this one that the current regime of GM Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde have been up front with the Orioles’ fan base about how tough of a process this is. As has ownership. These types of games are going to happen. They already have, and they probably will so again this year.

One thing that remains of interest to me is that many of the homers and other RBI occurred with two strikes. That’s been happening all season, and quite frankly even dating back to last year. It makes you wonder if Oriole pitchers aren’t just a bit too predictable at times. In fact, I often call pitches myself in my head – and I find that I’m correct more often than not.

Ultimately you have to “keep grinding” (another Buckism). If you allow yourself to become an automatic win for teams, you will be. And I don’t think that to this point the Orioles have done that. They’ve battled in games and played until the end. Now granted it’s tough to battle and keep your head in the game when you’re getting your brains beaten in. But ultimately as I said, you have to keep grinding.

An otherwise lackluster game did have one exciting moment. The O’s called up RHP Branden Kline to the major leagues from Norfolk – as their 26th man for the doubleheader. Kline sent Minnesota down 1-2-3 in the seventh. Kline would give up two solo homers in the eighth, but don’t let that get in the way of what’s ultimately a great story. For the record, Kline’s the 27th Maryland native to play for the O’s.

Kline is a Frederick, MD native, and he grew up an Orioles fan. He missed most of three seasons following Tommy John surgery, and battled hard to make it back to the point that he was in a position to come to the big leagues. That combined with being in the big leagues with his hometown team (which he grew up watching) and in the park where he had attended games his entire life…needless to say it was a special moment. It’s also a reminder of how cool baseball can be.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the fall for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.