Baltimore Orioles: Dylan Bundy closes 2018 with a quality start

Dylan Bundy closed a disappointing 2018 with the Baltimore Orioles in the same manner that he seemed to spend much of 2018. Bundy turned in a quality start, but yet the Birds managed to fall. Bundy didn’t get tagged with the loss mercifully, however he certainly pitched well enough for the team to have won. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Bundy and Houston starter Verlander pitched to a scoreless tie through five innings. And that’s a testament to Dylan Bundy, to go toe-to-toe with one of the best pitchers in baseball over that period. However Bundy allowed a two-run homer to Springer in the sixth, giving Houston a 2-0 lead. Correa would tack on a solo homer, and the O’s trailed 3-0.

Bundy in essence threw two bad pitches. That’s the sad thing, and as I said it’s largely indicative of Bundy’s season (and that of other Orioles’ starters). There were numerous games this year in which the starting pitcher did exactly what he was supposed to do: put the team in a spot to win the game. In many cases pitching to a quality start. Only to lose or not get a decision. This season the margin for error was literally none. One bad pitch, and it seemed the Birds were doomed to failure.

The Orioles did battle back, however. DJ Stewart smacked a three-run homer in the last of the seventh which tied the game at three. Orioles fans should be excited at the prospect of Stewart in the lineup going into next year. He’s shown a lot of immediate promise both in the field and at the plate. He’s definitely someone to watch in Sarasota next year.

However Houston also showed why they’re the defending champions. Correa haunted them again in the eighth after a two-out walk, smacking an RBI-double. The Orioles threatened in the ninth, however Houston came up with a big double-play and then a strikeout to end the game. However it shouldn’t go unnoticed that these Orioles played Houston tough once again, taking them all the way to the end of the game.

Does that mean anything in the here and now? Not in the least. This season’s realistically been over since mid-May. However it does say something going into next season. Obviously it remains to be seen how the roster is made up and who’s leading the team in the dugout, but the spirits remain strong.

The series will continue in the blink of an eye with Game Two of this traditional doubleheader at Camden Yards. Yefry Ramirez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Dallas Keuchel. The game starts…let’s just say in short order!

Baltimore Orioles: David Hess finishes 2018 strong

Baltimore Orioles fans had to be encouraged by what they saw out of starter David Hess last night – albeit in a losing effort. Hess’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K. And that’s a great manner for Hess to close his rookie season, which of course began back in May when he started the first leg of a doubleheader.

These final outings are important, because one way or the other it’s the lasting memory of this season for all of these guys until they report to spring training next year. Let that sink in for a moment; the next time you’ll see these guys in action will be in the Florida Grapefruit League. And who knows what the roster and/or coaching staff looks like at that point.

The O’s took an early 1-0 lead on Adam Jones‘ RBI-double. That lead held up until the sixth inning, when Hess gave up a solo homer to Reddick. However Hess came back out and pitched an additional inning, ending up non-decisioned on the day. Houston would later take a 2-1 lead on Gonzalez’s RBI-single in the eighth, sending the O’s off to defeat yet again. They almost tied it in the ninth, however a diving catch in center field robbed Nunez of a game-tying hit. I’m not sure how many times I’ve said this, but Houston flat out doesn’t give up.

Manager Buck Showalter spoke after the game, and had many of the same impressions that I expressed here regarding David Hess (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

He was really good. That was fun to watch. It was good to see him end on a good note. I really wanted him to have a good outing. That was good to see. I told him that. I didn’t want to push it any more than that. Anytime you see a young pitcher go against a good team for a third time around the batting order and still be able to get outs, that’s good to see.

Don’t downplay the affect of having an outing like that be the final look a player gets this season. Indubitably Hess will spend a lot of time analyzing his various outings this year in the off season. But when he gets to the end of the line, this is what will cross his mind.

The O’s will have a long day today with a single-admission doubleheader against Houston at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start in game on for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Justin Verlander. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Disjointed final weekend

The final weekend of Baltimore Orioles’ baseball for 2018 would have in theory kicked off last night, however the game was postphoned due to rain. And rain that wasn’t looking to let up at that. Even though this weekend’s opponent, the Houston Astros, have already clinched their division title, seedings for home field advantage are still on the line across baseball.

So last night’s game does in fact need to be played, and it will be – as part of a traditional doubleheader tomorrow. Game one begins at 4 PM, with game two starting approximately 20-30 minutes after the completion of the first game. It’s a single-admission event, so if you already had tickets for Saturday’s game you’ll get two for the price of one. If you had tickets for Thursday you could certainly exchange them for Saturday.

I can only imagine the Orioles’ view of having to play that game, and in the form of a doubleheader at that. But that’s how it works sometimes. You have no choice but to deal with it. Regardless of anyone’s record, it’s also somewhat fitting in a year that’s seen so many cancellations and postphonements due to weather across the league.

One thing of interest that did come from yesterday was Buck Showalter‘s comments about his contract situation. He outwardly isn’t worried about his situation, even with his contract ending at the end of next month (quote courtesy of Brit Ghiroli, mlb.com):

It won’t be difficult. In the whole scheme of life, it shouldn’t be. Shame on me if it is. Do you know how good they’ve been to me? I’m not ever going to forget that, regardless of what happens.

Interesting perspective to say the least. His underlying point is that there’s more to life than just this job – or any job. And before Orioles’ fans call out ownership or management on anything, I would recommend they heed what Showalter said about how well he’s been treated. He has no incentive to say that aside from the fact that it’s probably how he truly feels.

So the series with Houston will open tonight at Camden Yards. David Hess gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Gerritt Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Blowouts can go both ways

The Baltimore Orioles fell big in game one of yesterday’s doubleheader. But they made up for it in the nightcap. While their margin of victory wasn’t as large as Boston’s in the day game, it was still plenty, although starter Jimmy Yacabonis wasn’t able to go deep into the game. Yacabonis’ line: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 earned), 4 BB, 2 K.

The Orioles got an early RBI-triple out of Trey Mancini, and a sac fly-RBI out of Renato Nunez to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Boston would tack one back on in the bottom of the frame on a Villar error, but the good news was that the O’s had an early lead. However that only lasted until the fourth when Boston’s Lin smacked an RBI-triple to tie the game at two.

But it was the Captain, Adam Jones, who gave them the lead back. Playing perhaps for the final time in Orioles’ road gray, his fifth inning RBI-double gave the Birds a 3-2 lead. That is until Boston’s Swihart’s RBI-single tied it back up at three. It looked like it would be that type of game for the Orioles, who actually stood a chance in this game as opposed to in the first one. As it turned out, it wasn’t destined to be “that type of game.”

Mancini’s seventh inning two-RBI single gave the O’s the lead for good. Nunez would later add an RBI-single of his own, and the Birds held a semi-safe 6-3 lead. However for good measure, they’d tack four runs on in the ninth. Again, just for good measure. That brought the game into that “blowout” type of territory, similar to Boston’s win earlier in the day.

Buck Showalter spoke to the resiliency of the team after the game, in coming back after being blown away in the first game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It’s tough. It was an ugly game. I just wish we had scored nine more runs and beat them 19-3. It’s a crazy game. It’s a great club over there and come out and score a couple runs.

Adam had a big day. For a guy who doesn’t like DHing, he was pretty good tonight. I was kidding him, ‘You’re showcasing all the different things you can do – left field, right field, DH, run.’ It was a good win. That’s satisfying to see, especially, the young players respond like that.

Cedric (Mullins), here’s an example of a guy that’s struggled with the bat but really impacted, I thought, both games defensively, especially this one.

So for what it’s worth, the O’s won their final road game of the year. An incredibly small feat in a forgettable season for sure. But it does provide a cleaner finish to 81 games in gray than it otherwise would have been. So there’s that.

The O’s now head for home to close out the season against the Houston Astros. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Gerritt Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jace Peterson pitches in blowout loss

You have to have some respect for Jace Peterson of the Baltimore Orioles. He ended up pitching the eighth inning of this afternoon’s blowout 19-3 loss at the hands of Boston. Yes, a position player. What’s worse? It was game one of a doubleheader.

Baltimore area native Ryan Meisinger got the start, and fared about as well as every other Orioles’ pitcher in this game. Meisinger’s line: .1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 0 K. Not exactly how any player wants to look, but especially when pitching for his hometown team.

Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer in the second inning for the Orioles. Renato Nunez followed later in the inning with a two-run shot of his own. And that was the Orioles’ scoring on the afternoon. On the flip side, anyone who could score in every which manner for Boston, did so. It’s been that kind of season for the Orioles.

Apparently Peterson had been in Buck’s ear for some time wanting to pitch in a game. And I feel like we’ve seen more position players pitching this year than ever before. Managers obviously don’t want to burn through relievers, and it’s especially understandable in a case like this. The game was out of control as it was, and it was the first leg of a twin bill.

The Orioles have obviously done this before, famously with Chris Davis at Fenway. However again, I feel as if we’ve seen this type of thing more often this year across the league than ever before. I understand the yearn by position players to get a shot at pitching, however it’s an artform that should only be tried by capable people.

Then again, perhaps this is one of those things similar to the new concept of an “opener” in games. This of course instead of a closer at the end. Maybe it’ll be something that more and more managers will attempt so as to save bullpen relievers. Who knows…I just feel there are a lot of things which appear up for debate as we go on in the story of baseball.

The series concludes this evening at Fenway Park (also the final road game of the 2018 season). The Orioles have not yet named a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Chris Sale. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Who’s the next manager if Buck Showalter is out?

One thing we know for sure: the Baltimore Orioles will have a manager next year. Reports say that it won’t be Buck Showalter, although nobody knows for certain as of yet. I’m on record as saying that I think Buck should be at least offered a contract to manage next year – if he wants the opportunity. And even if the next guy far surpasses Showalter’s accomplishments in Baltimore, that’s a stance I’ll take to my grave.

But let’s assume for just a moment that Showalter in fact isn’t the manager next year. Who is? Speaking for myself, the three candidates that make the most sense are former St. Louis manager Mike Matheny, former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, and former Boston manager John Farrell. At least two of those names are going to make Orioles’ fans uneasy. (And Girardi’s turned down an opportunity to manage the Orioles in the past.) But the fact is that all three are accomplished managers and are available.

Notice however that I said the candidates that make the most sense. I didn’t say that those were the best candidates. In general, I like coaches and managers who have done the job before at a high level. I get it that at some point someone has to take a risk on a guy in terms of elevating him to the top spot. I’ve just never wanted to be the person to roll the dice. I’d rather know what I’m getting in someone who’s proven he can do the job at this level.

But I really think that would be the wrong approach for this team – and I don’t say that lightly. A full rebuild is no joke, and it’s not for the faint of heart. The Orioles might really want to consider finding a young manager in the form of someone’s bench coach or a base coach so as to help bring these young Birds along. And here’s the other thing; whomever the manager is (presuming it’s not Showalter) might not be here long. By that, I almost mean he could be a placeholder.

Most guys would jump at a shot to manage a big league team. So if a Sandy Alomar Jr. (currently Cleveland’s first base coach) or if a Kevin Long (currently Washington’s bench coach) were offered a two or three-year deal to manage the Orioles, they might consider taking it. (And incidentally the Alomar family already has some ties to Baltimore.) It would come across as perhaps a provisional type of move. However it would give Dan Duquette and the Angelos brothers a chance to see what they have both in players and in a manager

Obviously if the organization is going in the right direction on the field towards the end of that contract, they would consider extending the manager. Again, in general I like experienced managers – such as Buck Showalter, who again I maintain should be the manager next year in my view. But the Farrell’s and Girardi’s of the world are going to want a big contract both financially and tenure-wise. If after two or three years the rebuild isn’t going as smoothly as the Orioles would have liked, they would either have to eat the remainder of the contract or continue plugging along at that pace.

With last night’s rain out, the O’s will play a split doubleheader today at Boston’s Fenway Park. Ryan Meisinger gets the start for the Orioles in the first game, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s David Price. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Did Buck Showalter tip his hand?

The Baltimore Orioles were unable to get it together again in Boston last night the way that they did in New York on Sunday afternoon. Dylan Bundy couldn’t keep Boston bats at bay, and they took advantage of the Orioles’ starter’s short outing. Bundy’s line: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Boston got back-to-back doubles in the second inning, culminated by Holt’s RBI-double to give them a 1-0 lead. Holt would later score on Vasquez’s RBI-single later in the inning. Even further into the inning brought Betts, an MVP candidate, to the plate, and his two-run homer gave Boston a 4-0 lead.

Buck Showalter said after the game that he felt Bundy never really got a fair shake on borderline pitches throughout his short outing (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

This is going to sound like excuses and everything and I’ve got it. A lot of people in our situation and rightfully so. There’s about six to seven pitches … The difference between a 3-1 count and a 2-2 count, I mean, 2-1, 1-2.

Dylan couldn’t catch a break with the borderline pitches. I’m going to be nice when I say borderline. It’s one of those things I’ve learned through the years, go back and take a look at yourself and you end up going, ‘I’d want that pitch,’ or, ‘I wouldn’t want that pitch.’ I thought it was kind of a little one-sided.

I felt that was a really interesting take from a manager. We’ve all heard the rumors about Showalter not returning next season. Coaches and players alike have to be careful when talking about umpires because the league will fine you at the drop of a dime if you’re overly critical. While Showalter did parse his words a bit there, it seemed like he went a bit further than he otherwise would have.

Boston would get RBI-singles by Benintendi and Bogaerts in the fourth to run the score to 6-0. But the Orioles’ bullpen also pitched a solid five innings to close the game, not allowing even a run. The O’s would also net two runs, with Tim Beckham scoring on a fifth inning wild pitch, and Adam Jones providing an eighth inning sac fly-RBI. But the Birds fell in game one at Fenway Park, 6-2.

Going back to Buck Showalter, I really was struck by that quote. Quite frankly I think he probably wanted to go much further than that at various times this season, but again had to keep quiet. Now maybe he’s letting it fly a bit more because he knows anything that comes down from the league can’t hurt him for the most part. That’s purely speculation on my part.

The series continues this evening, weather permitting (it’s supposed to rain all day in Boston). Jimmy Yacabonis gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s David Price. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles win finale vs. New York

Let the record show that the 2018 Baltimore Orioles won the season finale against New York – at Yankee Stadium. That’s small consolation in a season in which New York was only one of the teams that pushed the Orioles around, however you take small victories however you can get them. The only downside of this victory was that starter Alex Cobb left the game after throwing four pitches (and statistically having pitched no part of an inning) – after re-aggravating a blister on his throwing hand. I would assume that Cobb’s done for the year.

So enter Mike Wright Jr., who promptly gave up three runs. But the comeback started immediately for the Orioles, as Tim Beckham smacked a solo home run in the second inning. He replicated the homer in the sixth, this time with a runner on base – tying the game at three. Renato Nunez would follow suit in that sixth inning as well with a solo homer, and DJ Stewart would add a sac fly-RBI.

When the smoke cleared after that sixth inning the O’s had a 5-3 lead. Stewart would also tack on an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI-double. And that’s something that’s very important, as these young players are starting to see the light when it comes to insurance runs. Are they always necessary? No. But you never realize that they were necessary until after the other team’s re-taken the lead.

Alex Cobb’s suffered from that blister for the better part of a month-and-a-half, but to his credit he never wanted to totally shut down for the season. Even in a lost season. Cobb on the blister (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It’s nothing that’s going to be career-threatening or anything like that. You feel fortunate about that. You obviously want to finish on a better note, deeper in the game, come back and be healthy for two starts, but we tried pushing it. We tried pushing it because we could. We knew that the risk wasn’t that great that we were taking, that it wasn’t going to cause any further injury.

Second baseman Breyvic Valera is also done for the season after breaking his left index finger trying to dive into home plate in the fifth inning yesterday. There’s no indication that Valera won’t be ready for spring training next year – whether he figures into the Orioles’ long term plans or not. But it certainly personifies how this season’s gone for the Orioles.

The Birds now head to Boston for the finale road series of the season. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Another valiant losing effort

The Baltimore Orioles seem to be playing New York tough regardless of the circumstances or situation. And given that these two teams will meet 18 times next year, that bodes well for the Birds and their fans. While New York eventually won yesterday afternoon, they probably shouldn’t have had to resort to extra innings to beat a team with 44 wins.

David Hess got the start yesterday, and in essence he threw two bad pitches. Hicks and Voit smacked solo home runs in the second inning to give New York a 2-0 lead. Hess’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K. While he only pitched five innings yesterday, Hess said after the game that he believes that he and the team have improved (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Overall, I think we’ve improved. You look at where we started when I first came up to where I am now, I think the past month or two, there’s been a lot of improvements and I think that shows with the numbers. But more than anything I think just the overall feel and the comfort that I’ve grown into more out there, I think that reflects and going forward we want to continue to grow in that and be as competitive as possible.

The O’s battled back an inning after those two homers. Cedric Mullins reached on a New York throwing error, allowing a run to score. DJ Stewart‘s fifth inning RBI-single would tie the game at two. And that’s where the score remained…for some time.

The game went to extra innings, and the O’s had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the tenth. The Birds put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. However they also managed to record three consecutive outs without netting a run, keeping the score tied at two.

And unfortunately for the O’s, teams have made a habit of getting fat on what they’ve left behind this season. Especially a good team like New York. One inning later in the eleventh, Hicks’ RBI-double gave New York a walk off 3-2 win in extra innings.

You obviously want to win the game, however the fact is that many of these young players are scrappy guys. They played New York tough, and that bodes well for the Orioles’ future. And that’s what we’ve really been talking about since about May – the future.

The O’s will try to salvage one game in this afternoon’s series finale at Yankee Stadium. Alex Cobb gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s J.A. Happ. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Young Birds didn’t mail it in when they could have done so

If last night’s game at Yankee Stadium is any indication, the Baltimore Orioles may well be on the right track in terms of their rebuild. Offensively, that is at least. The O’s found themselves behind early in New York behind starter Yefry Ramirez, but battled back valiantly. Ramirez’s line: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s spotted New York six runs, two of which came on a Gregorius two-run homer in the first inning. It was 6-0 after four innings. Conventional wisdom indicates that when you have a situation like that, maybe you mail it in so to speak. New York’s a contender, they’re home standing, and you have a group of young players on the team. Nobody would have blamed the O’s for “mailing it in.” But they didn’t do that.

Adam Jones started the comeback attempt with a two-RBI single in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 6-2. Two innings later Austin Wynns smacked a solo home run, and Jonathan Villar added an RBI-single. Before you knew it, the score was 6-4 in a game where New York had previously been coasting.

But New York added on, which should have been expected. McCutchen’s RBI-single in the last of the seventh ran the score to 7-4, and Voit’s two-RBI single later in the inning should have closed the door at 9-4. Notice I said should have closed the door. It didn’t totally close the door.

Renato Nunez‘s two-run homer put the Orioles right back into the game in the eighth inning. Later in the inning DJ Stewart added a two-run shot of his own, and the Birds were to within one at 9-8. However Judge’s RBI-single in the last of the eighth finally did close the door, and the O’s fell 10-8 in New York.

This isn’t a game which had to make New York happy to win. They’re a contending team, and they had to battle and scrape to win a game against a group of guys most people have never heard of. I think most people, including the New York players, thought the game was over at 6-0. Most people except the Orioles, that is. And that’s a welcome sight, because these young players showed last night that they don’t give up.

Prior to the game there were rumors floating about that the Orioles would not be retaining manager Buck Showalter after the season. In the same breath, there were rumors about Vice-President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette getting a new contract for 2019 and beyond. Both men’s deals are up after the season.

First off keep in mind that these are only rumors. And one thing that most people who disseminated them got wrong is that they said Showalter would be “fired” after the season. That’s incorrect, as his contract’s up. Granted the ends are the same, however it’s important to note that.

I’ve said this on twitter and I’ve at least alluded to it here in print in an indirect manner. But I feel it would be a huge mistake for the Orioles to not retain Showalter. There are few managers in the game who insist on the attention to detail and professionalism in the manner that Buck Showalter does. You rarely see Orioles’ players pulling some of the unprofessional stunts that players on other teams do; that’s because Buck runs a tight ship.

Buck Showalter’s been good for the community and good for the Orioles. In my view he at least deserves to be offered a chance to stay if he wants it. And I say it in that manner because for all we know if in fact he’s out after the season it’s more mutual than we know. Buck became a grandfather last year for the first time, and I have to believe that’s somewhat of a game-changer in life. So there’s every chance that perhaps he’s ready to not be in the dugout any longer at this stage of his life.

Again, I think he should be at least offered a contract. That’s not to say that there’s nobody else out there who could manage the Orioles. I’m sure that if in fact the front office finds itself looking for a manager after the season, they’ll have a plethora of very qualified candidates from which to choose. But there can be no doubt that Buck Showalter will be remembered in Baltimore fondly for some time – whenever the time comes that he’s finished.

The series in New York continues this afternoon. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Lance Lynn. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.