Baltimore Orioles: Mike Wright helped to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t defeat the Tampa Rays this evening at Tropicana Field. I mean…they did, but they didn’t. Until they did again. If you’re confused, it was that type of game. And the unsung hero was Mike Wright.

Andrew Cashner turned in yet another quality start for the Orioles, but ended up with a no decision. Cashner’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 2 K. Overall, the defense failed Orioles’ pitching this evening. Yet as a team, the Orioles overcame their own shoddy defense.

The O’s led the game off with back-to-back home runs on back-to-back pitches by Tim Beckham and Adam Jones. However Tampa came right back and tied it at two in the last of the first on RBI-singles by Bauer and Wendle. Sandwiched between those was a throwing error, the first of five committed by the Orioles in the game. However the O’s got the lead back in the fourth on a solo homer by Mark Trumbo.

As is par for the course for them, Tampa thought small while the Orioles had eyeballs the size of quarters at the plate. But the Birds left two runners on base in the seventh, only to watch Tampa catch just about every break in the book in the bottom of the inning. Beckham committed an error by slipping on the infield dirt with a runner on and one out – a play that would have had the Orioles out of the inning had the double-play been turned. But you can never assume the double-play; so at worst, it should have been a runner on first with two outs.

Perez’s subsequent sac fly-RBI tied the game back up at three. One inning later, Gomez’s RBI-double (a softly-hit ball, I might add) gave Tampa a 4-3 lead. The speedy Gomez simply got around first base expediently, and was able to slide in safely at second. Needless to say, given the fact that it was late in the game, that felt like a death blow for the Birds in this game…

…that is, until it wasn’t. First off, Tampa had a shot at making that into a big inning. However Mike Wright shut them down to close out the inning, which as I said above made him one of the unsung hero’s of this game. He did give up a run, however Tampa’s runs can be so fluky that you can almost look past that. He got the Orioles out of the inning and kept the game at a one-run margin.

The Birds put two runners in scoring position with nobody down in the top of the ninth. Trey Mancini came to the plate, and proved to be clutch. His two-RBI double gave the Birds a 5-4 lead. The O’s did make it interesting in the top of the ninth. Through errors they allowed the go-ahead run to get on base, but they were able to record the final out and close out a 5-4 win.

Make no mistake that Wright’s effort in the eighth saved the game for the Orioles. Or won it for them – depending on how you look at it. Most game stories are going to talk about Mancini among others – along with Cashner. But make no mistake that Mike Wright’s effort shouldn’t go unnoticed.

The series at Tropicana Field concludes tomorrow night. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and Tampa is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ Alex Cobb dominates but Tampa bests Birds in the end

Everything was lined up for Alex Cobb to get the win for the Baltimore Orioles in his return to Tampa. Cobb of course pitched six solid years with the Tampa Rays, and this was his first start in gray at Tropicana Field. To top it off, Cobb even went seven innings as opposed to the six for which we could pencil him in to this point. Cobb’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Cobb’s lone run surrendered was an RBI-single to Bauer in the first inning. But after that he began mowing down Tampa hitters. Regardless of what he threw up, Tampa was fooled.

The O’s tied the game at one in the fourth with a solo homer by another former Tampa Ray, Tim Beckham. One inning later they had the lead at 2-1 off of a solo homer by Trey Mancini – a Florida native. And an inning after that, Mark Trumbo smacked an RBI-single, giving the O’s a 3-1 lead.

But the real story of this game was Alex Cobb. There was nothing that Tampa could do to solve him. And it appeared that the Birds were finally getting a strong pitching outing and enough run support to win. Heck, they even got an infield RBI-single from Adam Jones in the eighth…

…that is, until it wasn’t an infield RBI-single. Tampa challenged the play, saying that the runner was actually out at home plate. Replays seemed to back up their point, and the umpires agreed. What would have been a 4-1 lead remained 3-1.

Tampa doesn’t do things in a grandiose manner. Whereas the other teams in the division look for the big inning, Tampa patches a run here and there together by doing small things, until you realize that those small things end up equating big things. That reversed run was a small thing – at the time. But it became a big deal.

Cobb and Andrew Cashner seem to be penciled in at six solid innings. However on this night Cobb went seven, in an attempt to help the bullpen. But it turned out that he should have gone eight – or nine.

Cobb was replaced in the eighth inning by Evan Phillips, who of course came to the Orioles only recently in the trade with Atlanta. He managed to load the bases with nobody out in the eighth. While he allowed runners on and allowed runners to put the ball in play, the situation wasn’t helped by a potential ground ball double-play that was botched on a foul throw by Chris Davis. That would have recorded two outs and left the bases empty. But it wasn’t to be.

Phillips would uncork a wild pitch to cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-2. Tampa would later tie the score at three as Gomez grounded into a run-scoring double-play to tie the game at three. Tampa would make the comeback complete by Adames’ walk off home run in the last of the ninth.

Cobb deserved better in his return to Tropicana Field, and he definitely earned better. But this is what’s going to happen with a rebuilding team – and a bullpen that’s being rebuilt. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but games like these have to happen in order for things to get better.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. The aforementioned Andrew Cashner gets the start for the Orioles, and in their typical atypical and wiry fashion Tampa has not yet named a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Alex Cobb looks for a win in his old digs

Alex Cobb will start for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in Tampa, looking for his fourth victory on the season. This is somewhat noteworthy given the fact that Cobb spent six seasons as a starter in Tampa. This will be his first game pitching as a visitor at Tampa’s Tropicana Field.

It’s always interesting to see how players across sports react in situations like these. Cobb is far from a former superstar returning to his old digs per se, but he had some great years with Tampa. But needless to say, this isn’t Peyton Manning playing in Indianapolis as a visitor, or Brett Favre in Green Bay.

However I suspect that it’ll feel strange for Cobb. The mound and the view from it around the park will appear very familiar to him. Yet when he looks down he’ll see himself in road gray as opposed to home whites. And the usually sparse crowd in Tampa will be rooting against him, not for him.

However once players go between the lines, it’s game on. It’s just baseball – one way or the other. And the Orioles are certainly hoping to ride to victory behind Cobb, who as I said will be on a familiar mound.

This is game one of three in Tampa at Tropicana Field. As I said, Alex Cobb gets the start for the Orioles; he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Tyler Glasnow. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: August trades?

Conventional wisdom says that the Baltimore Orioles are done making trades – for now. Obviously a team that’s now devoid the likes of Machado, Schoop, Gausman, and O’Day is basically a team deconstructed. Again, conventional wisdom says that the O’s are done. But this season’s sent conventional wisdom on vacation.

My personal opinion is that the roster as it is now is pretty much the roster that will finish the season (withstanding September call-ups). But as we know, July 31st doesn’t necessarily end the trade season. Prior to that date, trades can happen at will. Afterwards (and up until August 31st at 4 PM), players need to pass through waivers.

Most teams put their players on waivers in August – it’s fairly commonplace. So when a player is placed on waivers, anyone can claim him for 47 hours. If a team puts in a claim on a player, the original team can either pull the player back, work out a trade with the claiming team, or just let the player (and his salary) go to the claiming team. Incidentally trades can still occur after the 4 PM August 31st deadline as well, however any player traded after that time is ineligible to be on a post-season roster.

So in essence, there’s some risk involved in these August waiver trades. Any team in theory could block teams from making trades. That’s not something that happens often, but it adds a bit of risk in a sense. While the trading team can still pull the player(s) back, obviously if someone else lays claim to a player they’re indicating that they aren’t going to let that player go to the new team.

I think that the Orioles would be amenable to trading a guy like Jones or Trumbo. That is if the opportunity presented itself. And that’s a big if. Obviously in Jones’ case he could block the trade by invoking his 10-and-5 rights, which is another story entirely. But if the Orioles thought they could get better and younger for the future, my gut tells me that they’d pull the trigger on a trade this month. Again, if the opportunity presented itself.

Baltimore Orioles: Mark Trumbo ensures not all power is lost in Birdland

Prior to beginning a rebuilding process just recently, the Baltimore Orioles were a power-hitting club. In fact, that’s what many people’s issue was with the Birds – all braun, which in essence failed them this year. I personally believe that once the rebuild is complete, the Birds will still be a power-hitting club; it’s the way or the world in the AL East. But Mark Trumbo‘s effort indicated today that even in the midst of the rebuild, not all power is lost.

Yefry Ramirez got the start in the Texas finale this afternoon, and struggled from the beginning. Ramirez’s line: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 1 K. Ramirez however owned his struggles after the game, through his interpreter (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to command the strike zone today, and when you’re unable to command the strike zone bad things happen throughout the game. Very happy for each one of my teammates. I’m always very happy when they do well, and the most important thing was we were able to win the game today.

Trumbo got things started in the first inning in a very non-power manner: an RBI-single to give the Birds a 1-0 lead (Trumbo was thrown out at second trying to extend it into a double). However Texas came right back, informing everyone that it was going to be a long day. Chirinos’ two-RBI single gave them the lead at 2-1.

But in what ended up being a motif for the day, the O’s battled back further. Austin Wynns, with his parents in attendance, offered a three-run homer in the second inning to give the Orioles the lead back. However Texas plated three runs in the last of the second, chasing Ramirez, and giving them a 5-4 lead.

Luckily for the Orioles, Trumbo came back up in the third. And with a runner on he smacked a two-run home run to give the O’s the lead back for good. Two innings later in the fifth, Jonathan Villar hit his first home run as an Oriole, this one a solo shot. And just for good measure, Trumbo duplicated his earlier feat with another two-run shot in the seventh. While Texas plated another run in the eighth, that put the Orioles over-the-top in a 9-6 win.

When rebuilding it’s important to have veterans such as a Mark Trumbo or Jonathan Villar in the mix. You’re still playing games that people are paying money to come and see, and you certainly want to try your best to be as competitive as possible. However guys like these also show younger players what it means to be a big leaguer – both on and off the field.

As an example, the Orioles announced after the game that Trumbo had fluid drained from his knee before the game. That’s something that might keep some players out of the lineup. But Trumbo played through it. It’s things as such which typify what it means to be a professional athlete. When the team needs a boost, you play hurt if need be (within reason, obviously).

The Orioles now head to Tampa, where they’ll have a day off tomorrow. They’ll open a three-game set at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

Baltimore Orioles fall short despite Dylan Bundy’s strong outing

The Baltimore Orioles got out of Dylan Bundy what they hadn’t gotten in the first two games of this series last night: a quality start. Admittedly Arlington Texas’ Globe Life Park isn’t an easy place to pitch, meaning quality starts by either home or visiting pitchers can be tough to come by. But the O’s got one out of Bundy last night, and it put them in a spot to win the game. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 6 K.

You notice the six strikeouts; as opposed to the first two Orioles’ starters in this series, Bundy pitched for the strikeout. Cashner and Cobb seemed to be pitching-to-contact. And in general that’s not a bad thing, that is unless the opponent is intent on making contact. And Texas hitters were.

They were also intent on making contact last night, however Bundy was fooling them. He was able to employ breaking pitches and late movement to keep the Texas lineup at bay. However after the game when Bundy was asked if he was pleased with the outing, he focused more on the result than anything else (all quotes courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

No, I got the loss. Not happy about it at all. But it was a little bit better. Only left one ball over the plate instead of three, it seems like the last two outings. Just trying to execute pitches one pitch at a time.

Unfortunately it was an E6 by Renato Nunez that helped the Orioles to this loss. Nunez airmailed a throw to first on what would have been a routine ground out by Beltre in the fourth inning. The ball went into the stands, and Beltre took second base. That brought Gallo to the plate who smacked a two-run homer on a line that barely curved around the right field foul pole.

That’s the type of error that Orioles fans (and coaches) will have to get used to for the time being. It’s one that you can tolerate in a sense because Nunez is a young player and he’s still learning. However this is what rebuilding is – my hope is that all of the people who over the years claimed they wanted the Orioles to go through a rebuilding process understand that.

The O’s would net a run in the seventh on Mark Trumbo‘s RBI-single to cut the Texas lead to 2-1. It was also Trumbo’s 1,000th career hit, a feat he addressed after the game:

That is pretty cool. I actually like this one a little bit more than some of the other things I’ve done. Unfortunate that it didn’t contribute to a win tonight, but it’s pretty special to me.

An Odor solo homer in the eighth would eventually put the game away for Texas, as the O’s fell 3-1, making Dylan Bundy a hard-luck loser. Ultimately that Nunez error was costly. However all things being equal the Birds still lose this game 2-1. The absence of Schoop and Machado in the order is obviously fairly plain to see.

The Orioles will try to salvage a game in this series this afternoon at Globe Life Park. Yefry Ramirez gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ newly-signed Drew Hutchinson. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ David Hess struggles in Texas

Baltimore Orioles’ fans are going to have to get used to the idea that the rebuilding process is going to be painful. David Hess struggled last night in Texas; as a young starter, Hess is part of the solution – not the problem. And personally I think he has a bright future with the Orioles. That’s just not necessarily evident now, or at least it wasn’t last night in Texas. Hess’ line: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R (5 earned), 1 BB, 4 K.

Texas took an early lead when Odor reached on a Hess error. Hess picked up a comebacker and threw it down the first base line – Odor scored from first. And again, it’s plays like that which Orioles fans will have to get used to. However in fairness, those are the types of plays we’ve seen all season – from proven veterans.

But it was the fourth inning that did in both Hess and the Orioles. In total, Texas smacked three homers. Gallo smacked a two-run shot, Chirinos a solo, and Odor a grand slam. The seven run inning was the end of Hess’ night, and similar to the second inning on Thursday it ended the competitive portion of the night.

The Birds did put a couple of runs on the board. Jonathan Villar (who of course was newly acquired in the trade with Milwaukee) smacked an RBI-single in the fifth that cut the lead to 8-1. Later in the inning Tim Beckham‘s RBI-single cut it to 8-2, and Chris Davis‘ RBI-double an inning later brought the O’s just a bit closer at 8-3. However three add-on runs in the eighth put it away for Texas at 11-3.

Hess of course kind of got off to a poor start with the run-scoring error. And again, it’s plays like that which will become more and more commonplace (more so than we’ve already seen this year) as time goes on. Spring training 2019 is going to be a really important time for this franchise. Hopefully by then there’s a bit more stability in terms of the lineup and in terms of which young guy is playing where. And hopefully some of this stuff gets worked out in Grapefruit League play.

It was good for the Orioles to see Villar contribute in terms of scoring runs. In all of the trades that the Birds made, Villar was the only player who came back that was big league ready. Obviously since then a couple of the other guys have come to the big leagues and contributed, however Villar was already at the major league level. I would expect him to play a big role moving forward – unless he’s traded in the off season in the name of getting even younger.

The series deep in the heart of Texas continues this evening. Dylan Bundy gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Mike Minor. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Is baseball logic biting the Birds?

The Baltimore Orioles couldn’t stay out of the big inning last night against Texas. Namely, the big inning was the second inning, which in fact basically ended the game. Andrew Cashner gave up seven runs – again, ending the competitive portion of the night. Cashner’s line: 1.2 IP, 7 H, 10 R, 3 BB, 1 K. Cashner was pitching-to-contact; and the Texas hitters certainly were making contact.

The O’s actually had an early lead when Mark Trumbo grounded out to yield a run in the first inning. However Profar’s three-run homer in the last of the first gave Texas the lead for good. Then came the second inning – where Texas put seven runs on the board. if you’re going to win games, that’s not a good way to do it. And unfortunately, there will probably be more games like this during the rebuilding process.

The third and fourth innings brought three more Texas runs, as the hits with runners in scoring position just kept coming. It’s tough to come back from 13-1 down. But to their credit, the Orioles tried. Trumbo smacked a two-run homer in the fifth. One inning later the Birds also got a solo shot off the bat of Caleb Joseph. Granted however, it didn’t help matters when Texas decided to put four more runs on the board in the wake of that.

The O’s would round out the night with an RBI-single by Chris Davis, and a two-run homer by Trey Mancini. When the game ended, the score was an ugly 17-8. The sad part is that if you remove the seven-run second inning, all things being equal the O’s still lose this game by two.

Obviously the pitching itself wasn’t up to snuff last night – both Cashner and subsequent relievers. However there was one play that really struck me about this game – Profar’s RBI-single in that big second inning. Let me preface this by saying that the Orioles are a pretty by the book team. And apparently that’s fairly well known across the league.

In the aforementioned sequence, Cashner threw a low-and-away curve ball to Profar on an 0-2 count. Incidentally there were also two outs. Traditionally, teams will in essence waste a pitch on an 0-2 count because the pitcher’s already ahead and so forth. Why not try to get the guy to chase a pitch out of the zone as opposed to throwing a pitch directly in the zone?

In effect, you’re trying to outdo the hitter. The problem here is that Profar seemed to know that low-and-away curve was coming. And for the record, Cashner didn’t throw a bad curve ball. But Profar seemed ready and willing to go down and get it. And he clubbed it into the outfield for an RBI-single.

I’m not accusing Texas of stealing signs. What I’m saying is that the book on the Orioles is that they’re by the book. In trying to outdo the hitter at that moment, Cashner and the Orioles were outdone themselves because the hitter anticipated that they were going to throw a pitch exactly where they did. And ironically, had Cashner thrown a fastball right down broadway on that pitch, it would have been strike three.

The sad thing is that the manner in which the Orioles do things (in this regard) is old school baseball logic. But it’s almost biting them in the behind at times. Again, because if you want to beat the Orioles, just read the book. For what it’s worth, the Orioles became the latest team to use a position player as a pitcher last night. Danny Valencia struck out a batter to end the eight.

The series continues this evening in Texas. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Ariel Jurado. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Alex Cobb hand New York a bad loss

Back during the Baltimore Orioles’ years in contention, they occasionally took a bad loss here and there. It happens. And today the Birds and starter Alex Cobb dished out a bad loss to the very much in contention New York Yankees. Cobb’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Cobb was masterful on the mound at “the stadium” this afternoon, doing everything in his power to limit the damage – and doing so successfully, I might add. Over the course of this season we’ve seen plenty of games where the Orioles would load the bases and only net themselves one run. This afternoon, they forced New York to accept that type of fate. And it’s a good thing they did, because they needed every run they got today.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Trey Mancini smacked an RBI-single to left. Renato Nunez followed later in the inning with a two-RBI double, and the Birds were in business. Tim Beckham finished things off in the inning with a two-RBI double of his own. New York would chisel away in the last of the second with a solo homer off the bat of Torres, and we stood at 5-1 after two innings.

Mancini would smack a solo homer in the third, and Breyvic Valera‘s RBI-single later in the inning put the O’s ahead 7-1. And after the conclusion of the third inning, the skies opened and we had a rain delay. A short one albeit, but a rain delay none the less. However the good news for the Orioles is that Alex Cobb was just as good after the delay as he was before. That’s not always the case with pitchers, which is why many managers change pitchers coming out of a delay.

The game remained at 7-1 until the last of the eighth when Andujar smacked an RBI-single to cut the Birds’ lead to 7-2. The O’s did get a scare in this game, however. With two outs in the last of the ninth Torres hit another home run – this one of the three-run variety. New York wasn’t about to be allowed to come back from six runs down in the ninth inning were they? And the answer is no; the O’s recorded the final out, and took home a 7-5 lead.

New York and Boston are battling it out for first place in the AL East. The Orioles are who they are, and we know they’re rebuilding. This is a game in which New York should have walloped the Orioles. Now they head to Boston for a four-game set this weekend, which could very well be a big factor in the final standings. That’s why this is a bad loss for them.

The Orioles now head to Texas for a four-game series in Texas starting tomorrow. Andrew Cashner gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Yovani Gallardo (himself a former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall short in the Bronx

As if today wasn’t tough enough for the Baltimore Orioles and their fans, the Birds took on the New York Yankees in the Bronx this evening. The suddenly devoid of big names Baltimore Orioles, that is. The O’s sent Yefry Ramirez to the mound at Yankee Stadium, and with mixed results at that. Ramirez’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Ramirez had some key moments with some good out pitches. He threw a couple of strike three’s on backdoor sliders that were fairly nasty. However he also gave up six runs. And that’s a problem.

New York won this game by getting runners on base. and that was done by being incredibly patient at the plate. They never allowed Ramirez to throw the pitches he wanted to throw, but they sat on the pitches that they wanted. Tough night for Ramirez, but that’s part of learning. And that’s what the Orioles are going to be going through for the foreseeable future.

New York took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Torres. True to form for the 2018 Orioles, this was partially due to a strange hop. The ball smacked off the mound and went into center field. How many run-scoring plays have the Orioles seen go against them this year with some strange little nuance as such?

Gregorius’ RBI-single in the third ran the score to 2-0, and two innings later it appeared that Ramirez was about to pitch out of a bases loaded jam with nobody out. Bird’s sac fly-RBI extended the lead to 3-0, however it was also the second out. However Andujar’s three-run homer closed the door on that, and the O’s trailed 6-0.

But the O’s did battle back. Jace Peterson‘s two-RBI single cut the New York lead to 6-2. Peterson would later score on a throwing error after stealing third. But that’s as close as they got, as New York’s bullpen closed the door.

Obviously however the news of the day was the Orioles in effect deconstructing the team almost in one fatal swoop. These are always tough days to stomach for players, coaches, and fans. Nobody embraces it’s players as theirs like Baltimore does. The trades made today and previously were necessary. That doesn’t mean that they were easy.

The series with New York concludes tomorrow afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Alex Cobb gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Sonny Gray. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.