Baltimore Orioles haunted by errors in extras

The good news for the Baltimore Orioles is that they were in all four games of this series against Seattle. The bad news is that they found ways to lose all four of them. And it was in different manners in each game. In the case of this afternoon, it was a Colby Rasmus error in center field. (Jones had the day off.) This game can play some nasty tricks on you if you allow it to.

The Orioles started Jimmy Yakabonis, who made his first big league start. And with semi-favorable results; Yakabonis’ line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K. You might ask why Yakabonis only went four innings; keep in mind that this was in essence a bullpen game for the Orioles given that Bundy is on the DL. And the two runs Yakabonis gave up? A two-run homer by Cruz in the fourth. He’s done that to a lot of people.

But the O’s battled back Manny Machado smacked a solo homer in the fourth. Later in the inning Chris Davis followed with one of their own. And we played on, with a tie score. The Orioles brought in Yefry Ramirez in relief of Yakabonis, who was incredibly impressive. Ramirez pitched three innings and gave up three hits – striking out three hitters as well. Between him and Jakabonis, they put the O’s in a spot to win the game.

But they couldn’t do that, because they couldn’t get a clutch hit. And they were playing against seemingly the most clutch group of guys of all time in Seattle. Segura’s single in the tenth shouldn’t have scored a run. It just shouldn’t have. However Rasmus bobbled the ball, allowing a run to score. Cruz would also send a run-scoring single into the outfield later in the inning, giving Seattle a 4-2 victory and a sweep.

The Orioles can’t seem to get anything right one way or the other. Adam Jones is their leader, he’s having a great season, and he got a well-deserved rest today. And it’s his replacement in the lineup who commits the error which loses the game for the O’s. However we also have to be fair to Rasmus. He certainly didn’t commit that error purposely.

Seattle had a few ducks on the pond in that inning, so the odds of them scoring were already pretty good. But the fact remains that the Orioles find different ways to lose. And again, they were playing a team that only needs a small opening in order to win. Give them a small window, and they find a way to jump through it, make a play, and win a game. And that’s pretty much what they did in all four games in Baltimore.

The Orioles will open a three-game set with Anaheim tomorrow at Camden Yards. David Hess gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Felix Pena. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Defeat from the jaws of victory

You had to believe that the baseball God’s were smiling on the Baltimore Orioles for once when Chris Davis smacked a three-run homer to give the Birds the lead in the last of the eighth. It felt like the type of death blow that AL East teams can often shove in your face, and furthermore all the Orioles had to do was record three outs to win the game. But they forgot one thing; they were playing baseball’s newest version of the comeback kids who refuse to lose.

Alex Cobb got the start for the Orioles last night, and with somewhat mixed results. Cobb’s line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K. That stat line doesn’t look great, and it isn’t. But Cobb recorded some quick outs in his outing. He was pitching-to-contact – and it just so happened that Seattle was all about making contact.

The Orioles took an early 2-0 lead off of another Danny Valencia home run in the first inning – this one of the two-run variety. But in a harbinger which pointed to the end of the game, Seattle inched back in with a second inning solo blast by Healy. One inning later Span’s RBI-single tied the game at two. Seattle’s the type of team that you really have to put away good in order to beat. But they’re also the type of team that refuses to be put away. Kind of a catch-22.

The Orioles did get the lead back, however. Mark Trumbo‘s RBI-single put them ahead 3-2. A second run scored on an errant throw, and Trumbo took second. When the smoke cleared, it was 4-2. Not only that, but the Orioles caught Seattle in a mistake. Surely since the Orioles can’t seem to shake their mistakes, Seattle must be the same – right? That mistake must stick in the backs of their heads and make them crazy…they’re only human, right?

That’s the thing about teams like Seattle. They put things like that out of their minds fast. Whereas the Orioles would probably let a little thing like that linger in the backs of their minds for the rest of the game, Seattle shook it off quickly. Healy’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth cut the lead to one, and Zunino’s two-RBI single later in the inning gave them a 5-4 lead.

Interestingly, Buck Showalter walked Gamel to get to Zunino – who had been struggling at the plate. It was the smart move with two outs, even though it loaded the bases. Yet it backfired. This isn’t a reflection of Showalter, who mind you is a brilliant manager. As I said, walking Gamel was the smart thing to do from a baseball perspective. However it was also a look back at the 2014 ALCS in which the Orioles “wheeled and dealed,” while the opponent (Kansas City in that case) just sat back and literally did nothing. They let the Orioles make the moves. And while all of those moves showed baseball savoir faire, they didn’t work. Point being, is it better to just let the game develop as opposed to wheeling and dealing your way through games with IBB’s, matching up, etc?

With Seattle still leading 5-4, Davis’ aforementioned homer gave the O’s a 7-5 lead. And it was a blast, folks. The only question was whether it would stay fair. It curved around to the left of the foul pole, and landed well past the right field grandstand onto Eutaw Street. Davis actually had a good night at the plate (and a great night in the field), producing a base hit against the shift earlier in the game. But that home run was as big as they come…

…until it wasn’t. With Britton on for the save, surely this game was in the bag, right? It certainly looked that way. That is until Seager’s two-run homer tied the game at seven. There was a sense of are you kidding me? written on the face of almost everyone in the ballpark. Usually you get a dramatic home run like what Davis produced in the end of a game and it’s over. Not with Seattle. It’s one thing to play until the last out. It’s another to literally know that you’re going to win regardless of what the opponent does.

And sure enough, Span’s sac fly-RBI in the 11th won it for Seattle. I don’t want to say that this type of game is typical for the Orioles, although they once again let an opponent take what was theirs. But in reality it was typical of this Seattle team. This is how they win games. They aren’t flashy or powerful. They probably wouldn’t have smacked that three-run homer like Chris Davis did. But they find one small opening to win a game, and they find a way to leap through it.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. The Orioles will start Jimmy Yacabonis, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Mike Leake. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles lose game, possibly Darren O’Day

The Baltimore Orioles lost perhaps more than just another game this evening; they may have lost reliever Darren O’Day. The sidearm thrower had to leave the game in the top of the eighth after appearing to injure himself after coming off the mound to field a bunt. It was later revealed to be a hamstring injury.

Kevin Gausman gave the Birds another quality start, and another one in which they couldn’t get the job done at that. Gausman’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K. Danny Valencia smacked a solo homer in the second inning, which gave the Orioles the lead. However two innings later, Oriole-killer Seager smacked a solo shot of his own which tied the game at one.

The O’s did get the lead back later, but not under the greatest of circumstances. They loaded the bases in the sixth with nobody out, and Manny Machado at the plate. The Birds had a similar circumstance last week in Washington – and similarly this week to last, he grounded into a double-play. Of course that did net the Orioles a run, but in my view that’s a win for the defense.

The Orioles aren’t Seattle. They aren’t this small ball team that readily accepts one run here and there. They look for the big inning. Seattle would be a team that would readily accept that one run on the ground ball double-play. From the Orioles’ standpoint, it’s a win for the defense.

The other issue was that Machado didn’t run out of the box. It wasn’t that he lollygagged out of the box, he flat out didn’t run. I’m nor sure if he was confused or what he was thinking, but unless there’s a legitimate reason for this it’s a fairly inexcusable offense. And it’s not just the obvious point from the outset – not running and thus not playing hard…

…it goes beyond that. The Orioles are shopping Machado. Scouts from numerous teams are at the Orioles’ games on a daily basis looking at him. A move like that won’t make it easier for the Orioles to get what they’re looking for in terms of a return on Machado. This isn’t the first time he hasn’t hustled in a game – so whispers about this are already out there. For him to do it now when he’s really under the microscope…just makes things all the more tough on the Orioles.

But there is one slight flip side to this. Would Orioles fans, many of whom boo’d Machado as he walked off the field, rather he run full throttle to first base, get called safe, and pull up lame with a torn ACL? He’d obviously be untradable at that point, and quite honestly it would set the Orioles back years in terms of prospects for their farm system.

There has to be a happy medium. I would totally agree that running full throttle on what was a routine ground ball double-play would have been dumb – and for reasons stated above. However it’s not unreasonable to expect a player to run out of the box at half or three-quarter speed. Or to run out of the box at all. I can’t tell you what his response will be, but it should be interesting.

And that brings us to the O’Day situation in the eighth inning. With a runner on first, Segura laid down the aforementioned bunt and O’Day injured his hamstring trying to field it – forcing him from the game. Seager would later come back up, and smack a two-RBI single to win it 3-2 for Seattle.

The Orioles were decimated by injuries – today. Before the game they had to send Dylan Bundy to the DL with a sprained ankle, which occurred while he was running the bases in Atlanta over the weekend. (I’m still not a fan of the DH, but that’s another story for another day.) After the game they announced that he would be joined on the DL by Craig Gentry, who was hit in the ribs over the weekend. And now presumably O’Day.

You never know why injuries occur, and you can never really blame anyone for them. They just happen. However the O’Day thing makes me wonder if in fact there isn’t a correlation with the balk call last night. While Stu Scheurwater wasn’t calling balls and strikes last night, he was still on the field and perfectly capable of calling O’Day for another phantom balk. Is it not possible that O’Day tinkered with his delivery to avoid that, causing him to pull up lame?

I’m not a doctor, but I do know that injuries can occur for reasons like that. My personal opinion was that O’Day didn’t balk last night. If one umpire is the only guy who’s seeing the “transgression,” odds are he isn’t the only one who’s right.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Orioles had a run wiped off the board early when Schoop was ruled out at home plate. He was initially ruled safe, but Seattle challenged. Replays seemed to at best confirm the call of safe, as it didn’t appear that the catcher tagged him. But at worst, there didn’t appear to be evidence to overturn the call on the field. In what ended up being a one-run game, that’s a call that to me shouldn’t have been overturned against the Orioles.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Alex Cobb gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Wade LeBlanc. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Christmas in July for Seattle

The Baltimore Orioles and starter Andrew Cashner were beaten this evening by the Seattle defense. And squarely by the Seattle defense, mind you. Granted Seattle scored more runs than the Orioles, which played a role. But I’m not sure how many times the Birds hit ’em where they ain’t, only to find that a Seattle defender was nimble enough to get there to make the play.

And mind you folks, we weren’t talking routine plays. We’re talking plays that would have either netted the Orioles a run or two, or put an additional runner on base to give them a shot at an additional run. And some of these plays defied logic. But this entire season defies logic for the Orioles.

Cashner put forward another quality start, although he had a lapse in the second inning which played a huge role. Cashner’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K. Cashner recorded the first two outs of the second very quickly – as quickly as he sent Seattle down 1-2-3 in the first. And then suddenly he couldn’t find the strike zone. Before you knew it the bases were loaded, and then Seattle had a 2-0 lead after Gordon’s two-RBI single.

However in between failing to get on base due to another fine defensive play by Seattle and Seattle putting more runs on the board, the O’s did battle back. Jonathan Schoop smacked a solo homer in the last of the fifth, cutting the lead to 2-1. However in a sense Seattle had the Orioles right where they wanted them; this is a team that always seems to win one-run games.

Span’s homer in the sixth would give Seattle their two-run margin back, however the Birds came back and tied it in the last of the sixth. They loaded the bases with nobody out, and Trey Mancini and Jonathan Schoop grounded into a run-scoring force out and fielder’s choice respectively. You might recall last week in Washington the Orioles had the bases loaded with nobody out, and only netted one run on a ground ball double-play. This result was only marginally better, however needless to say that got more than one run out of the deal.

Seattle would take the lead right back however when they loaded the bases in the seventh and Heredia scored on a wild pitch. Later in the same count Haniger would smack a sac fly-RBI, which gave Seattle their final score of 5-3 in defeating the Orioles. I can’t stress enough however, on “halfway to Christmas night,” the Orioles seemed to give Seattle gifts all night. Many of those balls would have been outs any other time. But somehow they found Seattle mitt’s and became outs.

There was a bizarre sequence towards the end of the game, with Seattle hitting in the top of the ninth. Darren O’Day was called for what might be termed a phantom balk by home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater. O’Day became incensed, and was eventually ejected (first ejection of his career). Buck Showalter came out of the dugout to continue the argument, and he was promptly shown the door as well – the 32nd ejection of his career, and first of this season.

Replays seemed to back up O’Day’s point that what he did wasn’t a balk. He didn’t do anything more than he usually does, and yes he has a hurky-jerky windup. However, Scheurwater actually called O’Day for a balk last season as well. So either Scheurwater’s the only one who’s right, or he’s seeing something that isn’t there. But needless to say, he himself was consistent with how he’s called O’Day’s windup in the past. But again, not many people saw anything there.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s James Paxton. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles unable to complete the sweep in Atlanta, take two-of-three

The Baltimore Orioles couldn’t complete the sweep in Atlanta this weekend with a win this afternoon. Now that said, the weekend in the south for the Birds was an overall success as they took two-of-three. But Atlanta’s a contending team, and you’re only going to hold them down for so long – if for no other reason than pride.

David Hess struggled on paper for the Orioles, although he made quite a few very good pitches. Hess’ line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 K. You can make quality pitches in games, but often times those quality pitches are those that get hit. Atlanta got on the board almost immediately on Freeman’s RBI-single in the first, but the Orioles tied it two innings later. After sitting for a couple of games due to a knee problem, Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer in the third to tie the game at one.

However Atlanta took the lead right back in the bottom of the inning on Markakis’ RBI-double. Markakis has had a good series against his former team, although perhaps with the exception of today he hasn’t torched them to the point of beating them. Personally I thought it was tragic that a lifelong Oriole who had been through so much and who cared so much for the organization was allowed to walk. However Orioles fans should also keep in mind that Markakis was having major issues as a result of a procedure done on his neck at the time. And in reality, this is the first season he’s had with Atlanta in which he’s really been tearing the cover off the ball.

Culberson’s two-RBI double later in the inning would run the Atlanta lead to 5-1. However the O’s did make a run of it. They were going to lift Hess after the fourth inning anyways, and sent Mark Trumbo up to pinch hit. And Trumbo, who previously had been given the day off with a slight injury, smacked a two-run homer to cut the Atlanta lead to 5-3.

And that’s another reason that I love the National League game. First off I’ve always believed that a pitcher should have to hit. It’s part of the game, and he’s a part of the lineup. However National League baseball allows for moments like that, where a guy’s used only in the one at-bat and he comes through in the clutch. I suppose American League teams could do that as well, but it would be a waste of a potential field player or DH. So it’s squarely a National League phenomenon; of course, moves like that used to be prevalent in both leagues.

However Atlanta would extend their lead to 7-3 on a two-run homer by Swanson in the last of the eighth, which sealed the deal. However make no mistake about the fact that the Orioles had a good weekend down in “hot ‘lanta.” And while they struggled at times in D.C., they also now come home after a .500 road trip. That’s not going to get you back into contention, but it’s a start. Had this exact road trip happened a month ago, they would have headed home after either a 1-5 trip or after two sweeps.

The O’s will open up a four-game series with Seattle tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Andrew Cashner gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis heating up as Birds take Atlanta series

Chris Davis only had one hit this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles in Atlanta. However it was a big one, a bases-clearing double with the bases loaded. Davis of course was out of the lineup for eight games, only returning last night. But he does seem to be taking a different approach at the plate, being much more patient and taking what the defense gives him. It just so happens that in that span the defense has given him a homer and the aforementioned bases-clearing double.

The O’s got another quality start today, this time from Dylan Bundy. Bundy’s line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K. I’m not sure that there’s been any pitcher for the Orioles in recent years who’s been as consistent as Bundy’s been through the first half of the season to this point. He had a few real clunkers (the Kansas City game comes to mind), but for the most part he’s been consistently solid.

The Orioles caught a break today, as Atlanta’s starter Teheran did not have a good day. He loaded the bases before even recording an out, bringing Mark Trumbo to the plate. Trumbo sent a high drive to right center, which carried all the way over the wall and out of the ballpark, giving the Orioles a 4-0 lead. Atlanta would get one back on a Markakis RBI-single, and before the crowd had even settled in the Birds led 4-1.

Bundy actually led off the fifth inning with a seeing-eye single, the first hit of his career. One thing led to another, and the Birds had the bases loaded again with Davis coming to bat. And Davis’ aforementioned bases-clearing double broke the game open at 7-1.

But keep in mind, Atlanta’s a division-leading team. It was natural that they were going to make a run at things. Albies’ RBI-single in the fifth cut the Orioles’ lead to 7-2, which was the score when the rains came. The delay lasted twenty minutes, after which Markakis once again made the Orioles regret letting him walk with a two-RBI double. Mychal Givens would also make an errant pickoff throw to first in the last of the eighth which plated a run, but the Orioles closed things down after that.

This was only the second series that Atlanta had lost at home this year, as the Orioles took the first two games. However the story of the game to me is Davis’ resurgence. Again, it’s only two games. But he’s been much better and much more patient at the plate. That’s not to say that he isn’t going to strike out, because that’s the type of player that he is. But if his bat could get back on track just a bit along with Mark Trumbo heating up, the Orioles could at least be more competitive moving forward.

The series concludes tomorrow in Atlanta as the O’s go for the sweep. David Hess gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Brandon McCarthy. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Nothing says good morning like a Manny Machado game-winning homer

The Baltimore Orioles have had a way of having nearly everything go wrong that could go wrong thus far in 2018. Granted they’ve usually not helped their own cause by controlling what they could control, their luck has usually had a way of being poor. That trend in fact continued last night – it wasn’t technically until early this morning when things turned. And that occurred when Manny Machado stepped to the plate in the 15th inning.

Alex Cobb gave the Orioles yet another quality start, yet wasn’t rewarded with a win. Cobb’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K. Cobb’s had a rough first half, but he’s also looking like he’s turned a corner. And that’s why I think things could be slightly different for this team in the second half, because the starting pitching has really started to come together in the last month – win or lose. That’s not to say they can get back in the race, but I think things will improve.

We also saw the return of Chris Davis after eight games on the bench. Davis had reportedly been working on a few different approaches over that time. Whatever he was doing seemed to work, as he broke out of his drought and smacked a solo homer in the fifth to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Atlanta would tie it in the seventh on an RBI-double by Camargo, and then take a 2-1 lead on another RBI-double by Culberson in the eighth.

Atlanta had their closer on in the ninth, but keep in mind that the Orioles still had three outs with which to work. Danny Valencia‘s RBI-single tied the game at two, making it a new ballgame. And we thought the Orioles were ending the game as we spoke at that moment. The Birds took the lead later in the inning on Jonathan Schoop‘s RBI-double. Chris Davis added a sac fly, followed by an RBI-double by Caleb Joseph. Steve Wilkerson‘s first big league hit and RBI came in the form of a double in that ninth inning, followed by an RBI-single by Craig Gentry.

When the smoke cleared, the Birds had a 7-3 lead. They appeared poised to win this game over the upstart Atlanta Braves. But then the last of the ninth hit. Atlanta took it all back, plating four runs in the inning to tie it at seven. And into extra’s we went.

Throwing the records and what’s at stake out, the Orioles were the definite underdog going into extra innings. They had just played a late game in Washington on Thursday, and had some travel issues which didn’t get them into Atlanta until about 4 AM on Friday. Yet they battled on into and through extra innings.

I always say that once a game gets past twelve innings it goes into the twilight zone. Strange things start happening. But seeing that as this conventional Orioles team has seen no sunshine yet this year and watched teams who don’t do things so conventionally find ways to beat them, perhaps they needed a few strange things to happen. And by strange, I mean that they somehow found the clutch gene once again.

With Gentry already on base, Machado came to bat and sent a deep shot to left in the top of the 15th. While Atlanta had to come to bat in the bottom of the inning, the game effectively ended at that moment. And just for good measure, Schoop added an RBI-single giving the O’s a 10-7 lead – and a 10-7 win.

Win or lose, the fact that this game went into the 15th inning and featured a 9th inning that saw the teams combine for ten runs made it the most wild game of the year thus far. And in many cases it’s games such as this one which is why people come to the ballpark in the first place. But after playing 15 innings, the Orioles quite simply stated, that’s it for now…on the twilight zone.

With everything else that happened in this game, I don’t want the fact that Steve Wilkerson had a great moment to get lost. Your first big league hit is a notable moment, but his came in the form of an RBI-double which was a part of a major ninth inning rally as well. Nice moment for a promising young player who looks to be aiming to stay at this level.

The series continues this afternoon in Atlanta. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Julio Teheran. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Colby Rasmus homers in return but Birds fall

Before last night’s series finale in Washington the Baltimore Orioles activated Colby Rasmus from the 60-day DL. He of course was placed on it way back on April 6th with a hip flexor. Was the hip flexor all that ailed Rasmus, or were there other issues? Those were questions that the Birds hoped would be answered with him back in the lineup.

Kevin Gausman got the start for the O’s, and at times appeared poised to surrender several runs at a time. However the fact is that Gausman pitched out of almost every jam in which he found himself. And very quietly, he pitched himself to a quality start. Gausman’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 1 K.

The Birds got some answers on Rasmus almost immediately in the game. In his first at-bat, he sent a deep shot to center that just kept carrying. It eventually carried it’s way out of Nationals Park, and the Orioles led 1-0. To be clear, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be hot dogs and apple pie with Colby Rasmus the rest of the way. But needless to say, he looked a lot more spry than he did before going on the DL – when he was flailing at pitches all over the place.

Washington was able to put two runners in scoring position against Gausman in the last of the third, but as I said Gausman pitched out of it. Not before Harper’s sac fly-RBI however, tying the game at one. However Washington had runners at second and third with nobody out, and Gausman yielded only one run. It’s not only impressive, but it kept the Orioles in the game.

And by virtue of keeping the Birds in the game, it allowed them to take the lead in the fourth on Mark Trumbo‘s solo homer. It’s worth mentioning that Trumbo’s bat is starting to heat up. He’s hit four home runs in as many games, dating back to Sunday against Miami at home. Of those four games, three were obviously in D.C. So it seems he likes hitting at Nationals Park!

Even though three runs stood up for the O’s on Wednesday night, two were never going to get the job done against a team like Washington. Rendon’s homer in the sixth tied the game at two, which played an eventual role in chasing Gausman. They pinch hit for him in the last of the sixth to attempt to push across a go-ahead run, but to no avail. And as I’ve chronicled, when you let opportunities go by the wayside your opponents will usually take advantage. And they did, as Soto smacked a two-RBI double in the eighth to give Washington a 4-2 lead, which stood up as the final.

Colby Rasmus has a history against Washington’s Scherzer, as the two have faced one another numerous times over the course of their respective careers. They also know one another very well, and Rasmus indicated that he actually got a kick out of facing Scherzer last night, and that his experience against him worked in his favor (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Man, it was fun. Like I said, we go way back. So I’ve faced him for a long time and it was fun. To face the best is always a good time.

The Orioles will remain in interleague play and in the National League East as they head to Atlanta for a three game series starting tonight. Alex Cobb gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Sean Newcomb. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles ignited by thunder and lightning in D.C.

Little did the Baltimore Orioles know that all it was going to take to get back on track after Tuesday’s loss was a little thunder and lightning…off the bat of Mark Trumbo, that is. Of course I sprinkled a little bit of Shakespearean double-entendre in there, as the O’s had to wait out a rain delay in Washington last night. And a long one at that, of well over two hours.

Andrew Cashner came off the DL to make the start last night, and was outstanding. Cashner’s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. Cashner would have been outstanding I suppose is probably the better line. When the rain delay hit he had a 2-0 lead after four. The crew chief tried to get the teams through five to make it an official game, but between the fourth and fifth innings the rain and the ominous forecast became too much. When play resumed, both teams switched pitchers; and while Cashner had the lead, technically he didn’t make it through the necessary five innings to qualify for the win.

Jonathan Schoop led off the second with a rare thing indeed: a bunt. He dragged one down the third base line that was incredibly well-placed. Washington never saw that coming, and Schoop was safe at first. Bunting for a base hit – a new trend, perhaps?

That brought Trumbo to the plate, and on an 0-1 count suddenly the Orioles had a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer. And that right there illustrates one thing of many that the Birds’ offense has lacked this year. Get one or two guys on base, and then have someone hit one out. It worked to perfection in that inning, and it gave the Orioles the lead.

Going back to Cashner for a moment, I do believe that the five inning rule is something that should be looked at. Maybe not overall, but just in some circumstances. Cashner obviously would have continued in the game if not for the rain delay. We obviously don’t know how things would have played out, however it doesn’t seem right tha Miguel Castro gets credited for the win. Nothing against him, as he was great in the game also, but perhaps that’s a rule that should be amended to say that in a scenario like we saw last night the starter gets credited with the win.

That said, it’s something that’s technically possible now. The official scorer can credit anyone he wants with the win if he thinks they should get it. This would have been a textbook case of a scorer doing the right thing and giving Cashner the win, however that didn’t happen (it could still be changed). And rarely if ever does a scorer take it upon himself to do something like that.

When play resumed just prior to 11 PM with most of the fans long gone, it was just a matter of pitching for the Orioles. Adam Jones smacked a double in the sixth, and was later plated on a Valencia sac fly-RBI. But the Orioles’ bullpen held the line. Washington was able to load the bases in the last of the ninth, but the Birds made it through to the end and took the win for theirs.

Buck Showalter echoed the sentiments I just made on Cashner getting the win after the game, while not seeming too thrilled about waiting out a long delay and then continuing the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

There was that infamous window that was coming out of New York. It’s supposed to rain here in a little while. But it’s another rule that should be changed. Cashner should get the win. … Obviously, I thought Castro was key, too.

The league has been asking teams to put a focus on completing games on the day that they begin this year if at all possible. Technically however that didn’t happen, as the game ended well after midnight! But it was in fact completed, and it goes down as an Orioles’ win.

The series concludes tonight at Nationals Park. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Max Scherzer. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Fifth inning did the Birds in

I’m not sure how many times I’ve said that when the Baltimore Orioles don’t take what’s theirs, other teams have no problem doing it. The Birds led 4-1 in the fifth last night in D.C. And it wasn’t the four-run fifth off of starter David Hess which cost them the game. Hess’ line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

Granted Hess gave it all back at once, and that didn’t help. However the Orioles had the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the fifth. They were facing a pitcher just up from the minor leagues who appeared on the ropes. Yes they had a three-run lead, which is fairly sizable. However a big inning would have effectively ended the game. Instead, the Orioles settled for one run. And that one run came on a double-play ball. THAT’S what lost them last night’s game. They left the door open just a bit, and sure enough they had an opponent in Washington who managed to wiggle through.

Now there were some very good points to this game for the O’s, namely that the bats really churned out some big hits and some runs – even with the inability to get the clutch hit there in the fifth. With Washington leading 1-0 after a Turner solo homer, Jace Peterson gave the Orioles the lead at 2-1 with a two-run homer. Peterson’s bat has started to heat up of late, which could do wonders for the batting order overall from the top of the lineup.

The Birds extended their lead to 4-1 two innings later on Mark Trumbo‘s two-run shot, his second homer in as many games. And yes the O’s took it one step further an inning later as Manny Machado grounded into a run-scoring double-play in the aforementioned scenario. But again, with things going the way they have this year, that’s a situation in which the Orioles absolutely have to bust the game open. In fact, by scoring that one run in perhaps the most meager of fashions, the Orioles actually allowed Washington to take momentum by pitching out of that situation.

And in fact, Washington got to Hess in the bottom of that fifth inning. They managed to load the bases, granted on a couple of softly hit balls and walks. And in their bases loaded nobody out situation, they predictably weren’t as charitable as the Orioles. Eaton’s softly hit bloop two-RBI single cut the lead to 5-3, and Rendon’s sac fly-RBI cut it to 5-4. Washington would tie it at five on Harper’s RBI-double.

But again, the bats did come alive in this game. The O’s fought back, which in the long run is good to see. Corban Joseph plated a run in the sixth on a force play, but one inning later Rendon’s two-RBI double did the Orioles in for good. Washington would put four runs across in the last of the seventh, and when the smoke cleared they led the Orioles 9-6. Joey Rickard would add a solo homer in the ninth to cut the final to 9-7.

Again, your opponents get fat and happy on what you leave behind. As soon as the Orioles only got one run in that top of the fifth, I made a mental note in saying that their inability to get a clutch hit could come back and haunt them. And it did. On Sunday they rose up and forcibly took what was theirs (against Miami). Last night they aw shucks’d their way out of it, and Washington took it from them.

Buck Showalter did mention after the game how it seemed that few if any of Washington’s hits in that fifth inning were squared up, and one of the things to which he attributed it to was the fact that Hess had to swing the bat. They all count, but it hurts just a bit more when someone’s bleeding you to death (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I’m not taking credit (away), but I think there was eight hits that weren’t hit hard at all that kind of trickled through. It’s just one of those things where everything that if they did get hits, they seemed to have found holes. They hit some balls hard, too. I thought he (Hess) was the victim of a lot of that, too. The game’s not always fair.

You are looking for reasons why, we always do. He was on the bases twice on a sticky night. Stuff-wise, he’s one of our best-conditioned guys. I don’t think that was it. It just got away from him. Some of the good pitches he made ended up going for base hits. Some things are just not fair sometimes.

The series continues this evening from Nationals Park. Andrew Cashner will be called up off the DL to make the start, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Gio Gonzalez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.