Baltimore Orioles squeezed in twelve by Boston

It would be easy to suggest that the Baltimore Orioles wasted yet another quality start, this time by Dylan Bundy. And in fact they probably did. However they matched one of the best teams in the league point-for-point through nine innings plus. They held a very potent offense down for some time, and in fact this game was the longest that Boston had gone without scoring a run. Bundy’s line: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

This is one of those games whereby it’s a shame that someone had to lose. Manager Buck Showalter hesitated to refer to Bundy as “elite,” but needless to say he was as good as he could be against a world class lineup (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I think we’ve all felt like that he could. I think he kind of sticks out sometimes as one of those guys who can do that. And much of it’s got to do with his mindset and just his presentation. That’s why you pitch guys like that on opening day.

A lot of people, ‘OK, the club is struggling and you’re facing the Red Sox.’ He wants that challenge, he doesn’t back off from it. He’s always had that kind of elite mindset that you look for in all players, especially guys you want to be taking the ball every fifth day in a meaningful situation. But regardless of what’s going on, he’s so self-driven. He’s a baseball player that’s a pitcher. That’s as big a compliment that I can give him.

Bundy never really found himself in any trouble out of which he had to pitch in this game. He was as elite as elite can be. He just didn’t get any run support. But again in fairness to the Orioles, neither did Boston.

The game quickly moved along and went into extra innings. Mychal Givens allowed a single and a double in the top of the twelfth, and then hit a batter. Two sac fly-RBI gave Boston two outs but also a 2-0 lead. Many fans were upset at Adam Jones throwing home on the first sac fly as opposed to hitting the cutoff man. In fact, it allowed another runner to get to third and to eventually score.

However while that’s a mistake that Jones has made on a semi-regular basis throughout his career, it also is one made out of a yearn to win. Furthermore that ball was only medium-depth in the outfield. If you have an outside shot at cutting down a runner in a game like that, I think you take it.

The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Alex Cobb bled, then gnashed to death

Alex Cobb started off well enough this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. Heck the Orioles as a team started off well enough. Trey Mancini smacked a homer in the second inning which gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. And Cobb appeared capable of pitching around a few Toronto base runners here and there. But that quickly ended. Cobb’s line: 3.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Toronto had runners at first and second in the last of the second with two outs, when they started bleeding to death. It’s amazing to me how teams are able to consistently hit the ball either just past Oriole fielders or just soft enough to where they can’t get to them. Granderson did just that with a two-RBI single; it was a blooper, and Trey Mancini was just deep enough to where he was unable to catch the ball surging in from left field. The ball was hit so softly that the runner from first was able to score and give Toronto the lead.

As I’ve said, if you get runners on base good things can happen. And Toronto seemed to typify that this series. However my point is that the Orioles seem to be able to position their defense in anyway, and yet other teams can find ways to bleed them to death by a paper cut. That Granderson play personifies that.

However after just bleeding the O’s a bit, Toronto decided to gnash them as well. Morales smacked a solo homer in the third, and Granderson a three-run shot in the fourth. And on that three-run homer, Granderson had a 3-0 count. Cobb had to know that Granderson would have a green light – yet he hung a four-seamer on which Granderson jumped. In fairness to Cobb it did appear that the ball hung more than he meant it to. However anticipating that the hitter’s going to have a green light, that’s when you bury the ball in the dirt.

When the smoke cleared after the fifth inning, Toronto had a 13-1 lead. Whether it was an RBI-single deflected by the third baseman, or a cheap homer that barely made it over the wall, Toronto got exactly whatever they needed in this game. And believe me, it had it’s share of strange bounces and flicks off of bags and people’s gloves. One positive note was that Jonathan Schoop was able to perhaps break out of his slump with a solo homer in the seventh. Peterson’s RBI-groundout would close things out at 13-3.

The Orioles tomorrow will open up a three-game set at home with Boston Dylan Bundy gets the call, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Steven Wright. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Nothing good ever happens after a walk

The Baltimore Orioles’ current series in Toronto is really a microcosm of the season. The games have all been close, and they’ve all been there for the Birds to win. But each time someone on the other side has wanted it seemingly just a little bit more. Either that, or a mistake here and a mistake there – and before you know it you’ve lost a close ballgame.

Kevin Gausman provided yet another quality start for a team that’s really starting to rack them up. Gausman’s line: 6.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K. It’s fair to say that the Orioles’ rotation isn’t fool’s gold per se; they’re actually a good starting staff. And that’s something that should resonate with fans. If they were able to get offensive output consistently, this could be a good team.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead on a Solarte RBI-single in the third. Hernandez would add an RBI-double in the sixth, doubling their lead. But one inning after that the O’s started to fight back. Chance Sisco smacked an RBI-double to cut the lead in half. And Adam Jones finished the job in a sense and tied it with an RBI-single. That briefly got Gausman off the hook for a loss in a game in which he had pitched well enough to win.

However Toronto sees themselves as world beaters when they play the Orioles. Grichuk led off the last of the seventh with a solo homer, giving them the lead back at 3-2. But even in a losing effort ultimately, the O’s did hang in there and fight back again. They loaded the bases in the eighth, only to score a run on a wild pitch.

I said this during Friday’s game, but that right there should tell the Orioles that it pays to get guys on base. It doesn’t matter how you do it, who it is, or heck even which base at which they start off. Just get guys on base however you can. Because one thing can lead to another, and suddenly the bags are juiced. And you end up scoring a run to tie up a game in the later innings on a play such as a wild pitch.

Part of the issue overall is that the O’s are piecemealing runs together. Granted the bases were loaded with two outs, but that would have been an opportunity to tie the game, take the lead, and then take a more commanding lead. Granted the whole just get on base thing is in essence small ball. However when you load up the bases you want to start hitting for power. Heck, or at least hitting for average. All things being equal, had the O’s gotten more than one run in that sequence the game would have ended much differently.

As I said, if you just get guys on base, quirky things can happen. That’s what Toronto did in the tenth inning by loading the bases. And the worst part? The last runner got on via a hit batsman. That gives you no room for error. And true to form, Maile walked with the bases loaded and two outs, giving Toronto a 4-3 victory in extra innings – on a walk off walk.

The O’s will try to salvage one game in the series this afternoon at Rogers Centre. Alex Cobb gets the start, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marco Estrada. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Opportunities wasted equal chances for others

This is becoming far too predictable of a situation for the Baltimore Orioles. A quality start by a starting pitcher, and a loss – this time Andrew Cashner. At a certain point you have to wonder if the likes of Cashner and Cobb are going to wonder what they got themselves into by signing with the Orioles, who appear to be snake bitten this season. Cashner’s line: 6.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The O’s put two runners on base in the second inning, and Trey Mancini grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double-play. However the O’s put a run across on a Toronto throwing error, and led 1-0. And that’s something that’s noteworthy. When you put the ball in play, good things can happen – especially with runners on base. Unfortunately for the O’s, Toronto tied it up immediately on a Martin homer.

The Orioles would put a runner in scoring position in the fifth, but wasted that opportunity. And again somewhat of a motif for the season has been that the O’s waste chances to score, and the opponent picks right up and takes it from them. True to form, Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of that fifth inning on a Grichuk solo homer.

Toronto would net three more runs in the game, including a solo homer by Pillar in the eighth. Again, this year’s Orioles team isn’t one that can allow opportunities to go by the wayside. They should know that every opportunity wasted is going to come back to bite them. There’s no margin for error for this team or this pitching staff, something that Andrew Cashner addressed after the game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Yeah, I mean, you can definitely see the record, it definitely shows. But for me, I try not to look at that too much. For me, it’s all about executing pitches and giving my team a chance to win every night. I think that is kind of the one thing I’ve done over the course of my career. I’ve kept my team in the game and given us a chance to win every night. I still believe in all those guys and we’ve just got to turn it around.

The series continues this afternoon at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Anibal Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: At least David Hess didn’t take the loss

The Baltimore Orioles dropped yet another game that they had no business losing. The only saving grace is that rookie starter David Hess didn’t take the loss, as he ended the night with a no decision. However you can’t waste outings like that out of a rookie pitcher. Hess is quietly having a great rookie season, but the O’s are getting nothing to show for it. Hess’ line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The O’s took an early 1-0 lead on a Machado sac fly-RBI, but of course Toronto tied it on a Granderson solo homer in the last of the first. The story of the Orioles’ season thus far has been people basically saying anything you can do I can do better. And thus far at least for the Birds that’s unfortunately been the case.

This game was a pitcher’s duel for most of the night, with Hess and Toronto starter Garcia matching one another most of the way. It was only after Garcia left the game that things got pumping for Oriole bats. Austin Wynns smacked his first big league home run in the seventh to put the Orioles in the lead at 2-1. One inning later the O’s also got solo homers from Danny Valencia and Mark Trumbo, and they took what appeared to be a commanding 4-1 lead late in the game.

I say a “commanding” lead because in a pitcher’s duel if someone suddenly smacks three home runs that appears to be the death blow. But for this Orioles team the only death blow comes in the form of 27 outs. And those final three outs are tough to come by.

Brad Brach came in for the save in the last of the ninth, and promptly put two runners on base. Grichuk’s two-RBI double cut the Orioles’ lead to 4-3. But by that point it was fairly clear that Brach didn’t have his good stuff, and the Birds were on the ropes. Pillar’s RBI-single later in the inning tied the game at four – and we played on…for one more inning. Diaz’s RBI-single in the tenth won it for Toronto.

That’s a game on the road against a divsion foe, who I might add hates you just for being you. You had a three-run lead going into the ninth inning – it’s a game that you have to win at that point. Losing a game in that fashion is akin to having the lead in a football game late and your running back coughs the ball up going in to score a TD that would have iced the game.

David Hess will have days as a big leaguer that won’t be as good as this one. He’ll have days where he’s off his game and can’t get his fastball over for a strike. Yet on this day he was great, and walked away with nothing to show for it. The silver lining for the Orioles offensively however was that they got a homer out of Mark Trumbo. If perhaps his bat is coming to life that could mean good things ahead for the Birds in terms of run support.

The series continues this evening at Rogers Centre. Andrew Cashner gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s J.A. Happ. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep New York away behind Dylan Bundy’s outstanding outing

The Baltimore Orioles are still having trouble scoring runs – both for Dylan Bundy as well as for other pitchers. However last night and this afternoon they played a team in the New York Mets who have been having similar difficulties. And just as the did last night, the Orioles took advantage this afternoon. But it begins and ends with starting pitching; Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

The game was a scoreless tie until the eighth inning. After putting a couple of runners on base, Manny Machado‘s sac fly-RBI gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. And the bullpen took care of the rest.

Again, the concern is that the O’s are still struggling to score runs. However I would point out that in what ended up being the final game with New York last Saturday they put five runs on the board. It’s easy enough to call out Oriole bats, and that’s certainly part of it. But the opponent has something to say about it also. And the Birds ran into some good pitching in Queens this week.

Perhaps there is some irony in the fact that the Orioles had to surrender their DH for these two games, and while the offensive output wasn’t the greatest, they won. Mind you, that wasn’t due to the fact that they didn’t have a DH, and their pitchers didn’t add anything offensively. But it’s just a strange fact. For what it’s worth, the O’s will have to surrender their DH again starting June 19th for six games – three in Washington, and three in Atlanta.

The Orioles’ rotation has steadily improved over the past few weeks. Unfortunately that hasn’t translated into wins per se, but we’ve seen quite a few quality starts. Including in today’s game. That does and should stand for something, according to manager Buck Showalter (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It’s like I said earlier, pitching every fifth day and being the same pitcher every time out is really, really hard to do. Just the sum of the parts as far as the rotation, we’re starting to get a little depth in it now. Not only here, but down below, so down the road I still think this year and next year and years to come it’s got a chance to be strength of ours. And from within.

The O’s now head north of the border for the first time this season to open up a four-game set in Toronto. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Jaime Garcia. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles flush out a victory for Alex Cobb

The Baltimore Orioles started Alex Cobb this evening at Citi Field in Flushing Meadows. Cobb was dominant for six innings, and Oriole bats gave him exactly what he needed to win – although nothing more. Cobb’s line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

This was also an exciting night for the Orioles and Orioles fans, as newly promoted catcher Austin Wynns made his big league debut. Wynss was almost masterful behind the plate, blocking balls and controlling Cobb and subsequent pitchers like an old pro. True to form, his first big league at bat came in the second inning, and it resulted in his first big league hit. There’s nary a better moment than seeing a guy get his first hit as a major leaguer to the cheers of his parents and family in the stands. That’s one of the things that makes baseball great.

The Birds got on the board early, and almost often. The first two hitters reached base, which is not something we’ve seen out of the Orioles much this year. The Orioles took a 1-0 lead on Manny Machado‘s RBI-single. Danny Valencia would add a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds held a 2-0 lead.

New York would put a run across in the fifth on a sac fly-RBI by Bautista. But Oriole pitching across the board shut them down for most of the game. The concern is that New York pitching also kept the Orioles down after that first inning. And things were looking up in that inning, but that was all the Orioles were able to get.

All in all, the O’s smacked six hits and walked twice on New York pitching. So were they just lucky to get out of this game with a win, or did it take a certain skill to win it? The answer is both. In order to win a 2-1 game you have to tap dance out of various situations, and the Orioles did that – especially in the ninth inning when the winning run was on base. Perhaps that receded just enough pressure to give the Birds the moxie they needed to flush out a tight victory.

It’s also worth mentioning that the O’s hadn’t played since Saturday. Am I suggesting that they were rusty? Not really, I’m actually saying the opposite. I’m saying that perhaps with some time off they were a bit more relaxed in playing tonight. And perhaps that helped them when the going got tough.

This short two-game set concludes tomorrow afternoon at Citi Field. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Zach Wheeler. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles pick high school pitcher Grayson Rodriguez in draft

The Baltimore Orioles went really young in last night’s MLB draft, picking RHP Grayson Rodriguez of Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. At six foot five 230, Rodriguez is a bit of an imposing figure. His fastball is routinely in the mid-90’s according to scouting reports.

They also selected SS Cadyn Grenier. a junior out of Oregon State. Grenier was drafted mainly for his glove, because his bat is somewhat suspect. But he’s a plus fielder, which is exactly what the Orioles have been looking for.

Keep in mind folks, it’ll be awhile before we see these picks in Orioles’ uniforms. Part of drafting guys is bringing them through the minor league system and eventually to the big leagues. However they’re certainly names to keep an eye on as time goes on.

My only concern would be Rodriguez, who’s already committed to college. Is it safe to assume that the Orioles did their homework and that he’s going to sign as opposed to head to Texas A & M? Time will tell.

The Orioles this evening head to New York for a short two-game set with the Mets. Alex Cobb gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Jason Vargas. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Has the business of sport changed?

The Baltimore Orioles have embraced the Washington Capitals and their run to the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals. And in reality, Baltimore is almost ground zero for Capitals fandom. There’s a huge fan base in Charm City, and there always has been. I certainly grew up a Caps fan myself, so for me these are certainly exciting times.

However I look at the grousing going on among Orioles fans right now, much of it justified based on the record. And I’m reminded of the early days of the Washington Capitals. As most folks know, they played their games in Landover, MD’s Capital Centre until the late 1990’s. And I think that’s partially why Baltimore’s always embraced the team. First off they’re the closest NHL franchise. However if you were in downtown Baltimore it was probably easier for you to get to a Caps’ home game than it would have been from Northern Virginia.

But some of those early Caps teams were dreadful. When I was a kid in the 1980’s the games were on Home Team Sports, which also carried the Orioles. My parents refused to pay the up charge that was required to get HTS, as it wasn’t considered basic cable at the time. So I rarely got to see a Capitals’ home game on television (the road games were carried on local over-the-air stations). I spent many winter nights laying in bed listening to Ron Weber call games on the radio.

And as I alluded above, Weber called A LOT of bad hockey in the first few years. Really up until the late 1980’s. But keep in mind that the franchise still had a fledgling fan base at that time. Whereas I followed baseball, football, and basketball because older men (Dad, uncles, etc) played those sports in my family, I never really had a background with ice hockey. But I enjoyed the games and I enjoyed following the Capitals – and I kind of picked it up on my own (by reading a few books on the history of the sport, and some of the greats such as Bobby Orr).

While they had a fledgling fan base at that time, the fans were also loyal. The Caps routinely played in front of small Capital Centre crowds, but the fans that came were loud and proud. And as time went on the fan base grew. And anyone who’s seen the shots of the fans outside the arena nowadays knows that it’s now huge.

So I’ve covered a lot of real estate to get to this point. But here it is; could that have happened in the exact same manner now as it did then? The Capitals came to town as an expansion team in 1974. It took them a long while before they even thought about reaching respectability. Yet the fans were loyal and never really complained. They were just happy to have a team.

The Orioles of today seem to have more complainers than ever before. Everything they do is under the microscope, and if you believe some fans is just flat out wrong. Obviously with the record they have it’s hard to suggest people should cut them a break. However if this was the spring of 2014 and they were streaking towards the AL East title, would anyone be complaining that they were considering the act of signing Hanley Ramirez?

I would submit that social media has played a huge role in this. And it’s an industry-wide thing in regards to sports. Back in the ’70’s and ’80’s nobody had an outlet such as Twitter or Facebook to voice their opinions about the team – or about anything. Heck if you had a cable channel that cost an extra fee that you didn’t feel like paying and thus you couldn’t see your favorite team’s games, you’d be screaming on social media. Back then the youthful version of me just found another way – the radio.

I suppose the point is that things look a lot more bleak overall for a team like the Orioles with one million people on various social media sites thinking they know better. And thinking that their views and opinions are all correct. More correct than what the team thinks, in fact. So if the Capitals had been a contemporary expansion team and had started out their first decade as they did back then, people would have been up in arms. Especially now, when the Caps’ opponent in the Stanley Cup Finals is a Vegas team in it’s fist year of existence.

Baltimore Orioles: Will a different team take on the N.Y. Mets?

This afternoon’s Baltimore Orioles game against New York at Camden Yards has been  canceled due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Saturday August 25th. The makeup game will be at 1 PM, and the previously scheduled game will begin at 7 PM. A separate admission is required for each game.

So the O’s will have the rest of today, and tomorrow off. They’ll then head to New York for a two-game set against the New York Mets. Just a friendly reminder, the Birds will have to surrender their DH in those two games. And as a person who likes the National League game better BECAUSE the pitchers hit, I’m looking forward to that.

The question is whether or not the Orioles team that heads to Queens on Tuesday night is the same team we’ve known to this point. Reports surfaced yesterday that the Orioles have expressed interest in former Boston infielder/DH Hanley Ramirez, who was recently DFA’d by Boston. Ramirez is hitting .254 on the year, and has six homers. He also has 1.000 fielding percentage (over 25 games this year at first base).

Based on the twitter reaction, this would not be a popular move to Orioles fans. However let’s look at the facts; first and foremost, Ramirez was DFA’d. That means that the $15 million he’s due this year is going to be paid by Boston. As much as I talk about the Orioles not DFAing players because they’d still have to pay them, they could kind of do that process in reverse in this case.

However the fact is that while he struggled this year, Ramirez is a better option than Valencia or Alvarez. Odds are one of those two would be DFA’d if Ramirez were brought in. And given that both of them are here on minor league deals, it wouldn’t cost the Orioles but about $100K.

The drawback with Ramirez is that he has a clause in his deal whereby if he reached 497 plate appearances, he’s due $22 million for next year. And that would be picked up by the Orioles. He’s currently at 195 PA’s – so between there and 497, could the O’s not decipher if they want to keep Ramirez? Either that or limit his plate appearances so that he doesn’t get to that point.

Easier said than done, but possible. The other option is that Ramirez might be a guy who could be included in a trade at the deadline to perhaps draw a prospect. He wouldn’t net a massive haul, however he could bring the Orioles a farmhand that might help to re-stock their system. And if all else fails and he doesn’t work out, they can DFA him – and guess what? He’d still be on Boston’s payroll!

Nothing that has happened to the Orioles this year has made sense. The Orioles have played games and made moves in a very conventional manner – and in essence they’ve been outdone by teams thinking outside the box. So if nothing else, this would be the O’s thinking outside the box.