Baltimore Orioles: Walks haunt Chris Tillman

Chris Tillman posted a much better effort for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Yankee Stadium than last time out. He had his struggles in this one, but ultimately he put the Orioles in a spot to win following a marathon game on Friday night. Tillman’s line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

Again, he wasn’t perfect. The Orioles need him to go deeper into the games. But he pitched better than the numbers indicate. Tillman gave up two early runs in the second on a two-RBI single by Gardener, however had the ball not ticked off of Chris Davis‘ glove, odds are two don’t score.

But the Orioles came right back. Manny Machado smacked a two-RBI double in the third, and Pedro Alvarez an RBI-double in the fourth. And before you know it, Tillman and the O’s held a 3-2 lead.

However Tillman issued walks in the last of the fifth and the sixth. Both led to New York runs. Judge would bat in a run on a ground out in the fifth inning, and Andujar’s sac fly-RBI would give New York the lead on the last of the sixth. Both runs came off of walks, the one in the sixth inning coming after a lead off walk.

The Orioles have to cut down on free passes if they’re going to be successful this season. That’s been their bugaboo for some time. Now I will say that neither Tillman nor any subsequent Oriole pitcher was given the benefit of the doubt on borderline pitches. They were all called balls. But when you’re giving the impression of nibbling, you aren’t going to get those calls.

Romine would add an RBI-single later in the sixth. Judge’s RBI-double would then run the score to 6-3 in favor of New York. Austin would add a two-RBI single as well, running the final to 8-3. This is a tough game to lose for the O’s because of the quick turnaround after last night. However the good news is that they’re still in good shape to take the series tomorrow afternoon.

Incidentally, I made mention of a few borderline pitches that were called balls against Oriole pitching. First off keep in mind that balls and strikes are judgement calls. The idea is that you want the umpire to be consistent, and for the most part he was. But when you’re trying to hit the black on the plate, you’re leaving things open to interpretation.

The series finale is tomorrow from Yankee Stadium. Mike Wright Jr. gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Pedro Alvarez leaves the Empire State in his grand wake

Next time someone asks who won the most recent New York Marathon, you can say the Baltimore Orioles – thanks to Pedro Alvarez. This is obviously a play on words, but it was Alvarez’s grand slam in the 14th inning that lifted the Birds to victory for the second consecutive game against the New York Yankees. And this time around, they may have severely wounded their opponent.

Kevin Gausman was strong for the Birds on the mound, in what seems like ages ago as the starter. Gausman’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K. Obviously you want your starter going deeper than that. But with how this game turned out, it was really beside the point. Especially on a night that saw New York potentially lose both Sabathia and Chapman to injury, and one in which the O’s ripped through their bullpen.

The Orioles never trailed in this game, although it sure was tied for awhile. Manny Machado‘s solo homer in the first inning gave them the lead, although NY would immediately tie it in the bottom of the inning on a Stanton sac fly-RBI. However Machado would come up again in the third, smacking his second solo homer of the game, and giving the O’s the lead back at 2-1.

But again NY matched them. Judge’s RBI-single in the bottom of that third inning would tie the game once again at two. But wouldn’t you know it, the O’s were going off the grid in this one. Chris Davis seemingly decided to apparently break his slump with his first homer of the season, a solo shot of his own in the fourth. Of course, NY would tie it with a Gregorious solo homer in the eighth – and we played on.

But let me back up for a moment. I tell people all the time that when a game goes past the 12th inning it enters the twilight zone. This game definitely went into that realm, however I think it was there well before the 12th or 13th inning. Perhaps it entered the twilight zone when Sabathia had to exit with right hip soreness. Perhaps it was when Chapman almost had to leave with an injury, potentially further taxing NY’s bullpen. But my vote is that it entered the twilight zone with a bizarre sequence in the last of the sixth.

Long story short, with one out the Orioles caught Stanton in a rundown between third and home. Sanchez, who was previously on second, took third. Stanton was then tagged out down the left field line. Again, it was a bizarre play and in reality according to MLB Rule 5.09 clause (b)(9), it should have been a double-play.

Buck Showalter actually played under protest because the O’s weren’t awarded a double-play. However the next batter grounded out harmlessly, so the protest was dropped. However the scenario laid out in the rule almost exactly describes what happened in that play. To his undying credit, crew chief Jerry Meals basically admitted to a pool reporter after the game that his crew got this one wrong (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

OK, what we had on the field, what Ronny (Kulpa) had on the field, was as soon as Stanton ran by him into foul territory there, he had him out for abandoning his effort, which gave Sánchez the base, so when they tagged him he wasn’t out. That was our explanation on the field. We were incorrect.

That just doesn’t happen, folks. Umpires normally don’t go into that much detail on rules and situations to begin with. But they rarely admit they were incorrect. Jerry Meals is a good veteran umpire, and it takes a lot of guts on his part to say that.

So in the wake of that play in the last of the 11th with two outs and the bases loaded, Mychal Givens uncorked a wild pitch – that probably should have ended the game. Gregorious came in from third, however the ball bounced off the grandstand and right back to Orioles’ catcher Caleb Joseph – who flipped the ball towards Givens who was trying to cover the plate.

Givens blocked the plate masterfully like an old school catcher, disallowing Gregorious from touching it. Gregorious was called out, however the play was reviewed. We know that catchers aren’t allowed to block the plate…but are pitchers? Rule 6.01 covers blocking the plate, but makes no mention of a pitcher. The call was correctly upheld, and we played on.

But what would a long night that had just about every twist and turn in the world be without a grand finish. And Pedro Alvarez gave us that, with a grand slam in the 14th inning to lift the O’s to victory. And in “grand style” at that!

This game for some reason reminded me of the 2012 18-inning win at Fenway that has Chris Davis as the winning pitcher. Ultimately it was a wild game that sprang a life of it’s own, and it took heroics from an unlikely source for the Birds to win it. On a side note, make no mistake about the fact that the Orioles heavily taxed NY’s pitching, especially their bullpen. The Orioles’ pen was used heavily as well, but New York had to use theirs for longer and more in depth. That aside, I suppose that both teams could make roster moves in their bullpens before today’s game.

The teams will get right back at it this afternoon with a matinee at Yankee Stadium. Chris Tillman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Sonny Gray. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jonathan Schoop’s at-bat ends Birds’ losing streak

You can’t blame the Baltimore Orioles or O’s fans for thinking this night was going to end any differently than others of late. Not after Trey Mancini got thrown out at home plate on an aggressive send by third base coach Bobby Dickerson in the first inning. You could already feel defeat being snatched from the jaws of victory. But something funny happened…

…the Orioles ended up playing a superior ballgame this evening at Yankee Stadium. Andrew Cashner pitched a gem, that put the Birds in a spot to win the game. Cashner’s line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K. Cashner pitched out of a couple of mini-jams through those six innings, but for the most part he limited the traffic on the base paths. He becomes the first Orioles’ starter to earn a win in 2018.

Cashner matched New York starter Tanaka almost pitch-for-pitch. The one run he gave up with a solo homer in the last of the sixth by Judge. And that was actually the first run of the game. However if Orioles’ fans felt that it was predetermined to be the Birds’ sixth straight loss, they quickly found out that they were sorely mistaken.

Jonathan Schoop led off the inning, with an at-bat that ended in a solid single to center. That’s what the box score says. What it doesn’t say is what happened between when Schoop stepped in the box and when he reached first base. He worked Tanaka to the bone in that at-bat. Previous to then, Tanaka hadn’t really thrown that many pitches. But Schoop hung in there, with a Houston Astro-like at-bat. And eventually, he wore Tanaka down to the point to where he got a pitch he liked and lined it into center field.

That brought Adam Jones to the plate with a runner on first. And Tanaka, perhaps still reeling from the previous at-bat, grooved a pitch down the middle. And it only took Jones a New York minute to send the ball deep into the Bronx night, giving the Orioles the lead. Jones doesn’t need any help hitting home runs – he never has. But partially credit Schoop for that, as his at-bat set up what Jones did.

Anthony Santander would add an RBI-double to right later in the inning, which left two runners in scoring position. However Trey Mancini would clean up what was left on the base paths very quickly with a two-RBI double, giving the Birds a 5-1 lead. New York would add one more in the seventh, and they would push the likes of Givens, O’Day, and Brach in the remainder of the game. But the ‘pen remained true and held the lead, helping the O’s to break a five-game losing streak.

The Orioles also might have found their lead off hitter, as Mancini got the nod this evening, and got on base immediately. Whether he remains in that slot moving forward remains to be seen – but for one night he was strong. I can’t stress enough how big that Schoop at-bat was, even though the likes of Cashner, Jones, and Mancini will justifiably get the headlines for tonight’s win. That really set up the seventh inning to be a big inning, and the Orioles really took advantage of Tanaka being weakened a bit by that sequence. It’s the little things like that which can help to push you over the top in a close game (which at that point is what this game was).

The series continues tomorrow evening at Yankee Stadium. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s CC Sabathia. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles waste Dylan Bundy’s quality start in loss

The Baltimore Orioles need to figure out a way to win. Not in general, not this season, not anytime or anything other than one game. Teams go through good stretches and bad over the course of a season. However the Birds have started the year in a funk, which makes it feel like the dog days of August – when in fact fans should still be celebrating the return of baseball.

Unfortunately for the O’s, they wasted a quality start by Dylan Bundy this afternoon in Houston. For the second consecutive game, Bundy gave the Orioles a quality start, and for the second consecutive game, he left with a no decision. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 8 K.

Adam Jones popped into a force out when his pop fly fell at the feet of the Houston outfielders. However that came with a runner on third base, which gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Houston would tie it up one inning later on an RBI-ground out, however in the fourth Gentry would reach on an error with a runner at third, allowing the Birds to take the lead back at 2-1.

Houston would tie the game on a sac bunt-RBI in the sixth. And one inning later Bregman’s RBI-single would give them a 3-2 lead, which they never surrendered. At a certain point, you have to wonder if the O’s aren’t overly predictable. They look to bash the ball out of the park on every play. That’s their nature, and the fact is that in the division in which they play it has to be…

…but it also allows pitchers to know exactly what they’re going to throw. Houston ironically isn’t a team that bunts too often. That goes against the analytics that drive their game in terms of sacrificing outs. However they probably caught the Orioles off guard with that squeeze bunt. And it netted them a win.

Should bunting and playing the game one base at a time be the Orioles’ game plan? No. They’d get bludgeoned to death in their division. But it should be something that they do here and there. Because otherwise their offense remains predictable and stagnant.

Going back to Bundy for a moment, as I’ve said many times pitchers will usually have ten good starts, ten poor, and ten in between over the course of a season. Mind you, that’s not an absolute stat; but the O’s wasted a good start by Bundy today in a losing effort. That’s not something that can happen.

The O’s now head to the Bronx where they’ll open up a four-game series with the New York Yankees tomorrow night. Andrew Cashner gets the start tomorrow for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Masahiro Tanaka. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Did Buck Showalter mismanage the bullpen?

 The scoreboard says that the Baltimore Orioles fell 10-6 to Houston last night. However the facts say that the Birds were neck-in-neck with the defending champions last night. Oriole bats came alive, and the O’s got good starting pitching out of Mike Wright. It just wasn’t enough. Wright’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

The Birds had a lead almost right away, as Jonathan Schoop smacked a first inning solo shot to left. However if Houston doesn’t get you one way, they’ll get you another – there are times I wonder if teams like Houston don’t sit up at night trying to figure out new ways to score runs. Correa’s deep fly ball in the last of the first bounced and rolled around the outfield so much that it became a two-run inside-the-park home run, giving Houston a 2-1 lead. Correa would add a sac fly-RBI in the third to run it to 3-1.

The O’s almost got the lead back in the fourth, and in a big way. Trey Mancini was robbed of a three-run homer by Reddick. Again, if they don’t get you one way they’ll get you another. The O’s had to settle for a sac fly-RBI from Mancini, inching closer at 3-2. However the top of the sixth brought the O’s the lead they had coveted, as Adam Jones smacked the ball over the railroad tracks in left field, giving the Birds a 4-3 lead.

Buck Showalter at that point opted to pull Mike Wright – after 81 pitches. He opted to go to the bullpen, and I’m sure that he had his reasons. Personally I thought that Wright had at least one more inning left in him, and he had pitched well enough to get that nod. While I’d always defer to a manager like Buck Showalter in that situation, it was curious to say the least.

And in fairness, hindsight is 20/20. But sure enough, Reddick smacked a two-run homer almost immediately (in the last of the sixth). The O’s would tie it back up one inning later on Jones’ RBI-single, however unfortunately for them Reddick would get to come back up in the seventh with the bases loaded. And he took Nestor Cortes out of the ballpark with a grand slam. While a Sisco RBI-single brought the Birds back to within four in the eighth, it just wasn’t enough.

There were two curious aspects in terms of the bullpen. First off, could Mike Wright not have gone further into the game? Secondly, Why use a Rule 5 pick (Cortes) in that situation? I’ll address the latter point first; using a guy like O’Day or Brach would be a tough sell in that scenario, as those guys serve very specific roles in terms of setting up and closing – when the team has the lead. Castro could have been an option also, but he pitched the night before.

However the bigger issue in my mind was Mike Wright. We know that Showalter is loyal to his players to a T. And that’s a good thing. I suspect that the O’s had the lead, and Showalter wanted to get Wright the win. And ultimately it boils down to a difference in team cultures. In the AL East you try your best to bludgeon your opponent. Now while a one-run lead certainly isn’t a bludgeoning, normally there’s a point in games where a team takes a lead – both literally and emotionally.

That’s kind of how one could have viewed the Jones two-run homer. It felt like the Orioles had turned a corner and had control of the game. And ultimately Showalter wanted to get his starter the win…because his starter had pitched well enough to get the win, and deserved it. But Houston doesn’t quit. While in the AL East the opponent would still be trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark (and the Orioles’ bullpen could have pitched to the opponent’s aggression), Houston plays small ball. One stage at a time…

…and before you know it, the bases are loaded. And before you know it after that, someone hits a grand slam. And your little moment of taking the lead both literally and emotionally is then null and void.

Again, my personal opinion is that Showalter made a mistake in lifting Mike Wright when he did. But hindsight is 20/20. If given the same scenario again would he send Wright back out there? Probably. Houston’s also a tough team to predict, because they find so many creative ways to beat you. You know that the Orioles are trying to hammer you to kingdom come. With Houston, each guy is literally just looking to get on base. And somehow that small-minded mentality works in their favor.

The series concludes this afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Dylan Bundy makes the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Dallas Keuchel. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Brian Dozier speaks again

Last night I said that it wasn’t time for the Baltimore Orioles to hit the panic button. And I meant it. 1-3 isn’t a desirable start in any sport. However it’s much less of a problem in baseball than it is say in football. If you start 1-3 in the NFL, numbers are being run in terms of probability of making the playoffs. Your season is already on the line. Not so in MLB.

With that said, Minnesota’s Brian Dozier seems intent on continually dragging the Orioles through the mud off the field. His comments regarding Chance Sisco‘s bunt on Sunday afternoon were well documented. To me, it would have stood to reason that Dozier would have wanted this situation to go away as quickly as possible after seeing the backlash.

Instead, yesterday he doubled down on his comments and explained why (in his mind) what Sisco did was such an issue (quote courtesy of Ryan Fagan, Sporting News):

When they didn’t hold our runner on, they conceded to the fact they didn’t want us to steal, so we didn’t steal. We could have very easily stolen and put up more runs, so therefore in return you don’t bunt. That’s what everybody is missing in this whole thing.

One might at least see just a slight bit of logic in that statement. A slight bit. However Dozier’s conveniently leaving out one thing; Minnesota employed a shift against Chance Sisco. If the Orioles were in essence conceding the game by not holding a runner on, Minnesota should have seen that and not employed the shift.

Because otherwise what Dozier’s saying is it’s not okay for you to try to get in base in that circumstance, but it’s okay for us to use different methods to get you out. Somehow, that doesn’t seem fair. Furthermore, Dozier’s point initially was to the effect of how dare he bunt during our guy’s one-hitter. The concept of conceding the game didn’t come up until later.

The explanation to this is that Dozier’s just wrong. He made a big mistake in even mentioning this at all, and it’s blowing up in his face. However as I said, it doesn’t make sense that he would double down on his comments. One thing sports figures need to realize is that in the 24-hour news cycle, things like this will go away eventually. At some point someone else will put his foot in his mouth, or do something dumb. People will eventually move on.

But by commenting further, it keeps the scenario in the news. Dozier should have let it go and eventually it would have been just an unfortunate memory. Maybe the “veteran leadership” in the organization needs to step in and remind him of that.

Baltimore Orioles drop another as Chris Tillman falters

At some point you have to figure that the pendulum will swing back in the Baltimore Orioles’ direction. There’s A LOT of season to play – and by that, I mean there are 158 games left. However tonight wasn’t the time for the law of averages to even things out, and Chris Tillman apparently wasn’t the pitcher to do it. Tillman’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 0 K.

Tillman was up in the strike zone for most of the night. And that’s a really dangerous place to be against a team that’s perfectly happy hitting the ball where it’s pitched. And that’s what Houston does. Now one thing that isn’t Chris Tillman’s fault is the Orioles’ offensive output – which was non-existent for the second straight game.

Back-to-back doubles in the first inning set the tone for the game, resulting in an RBI-double by Bregman. However Tillman showed some flashes of settling down after that point. He was still up in the zone, however he was also able to induce guys to chase some of those pitches. Tillman put up goose eggs in the runs column in both the second and third innings.

However the fourth did Tillman in. A Gaonzalez solo homer, a Fischer RBI-triple, and a Springer RBI-single gave Houston a 4-0 lead. Altuve would add an RBI-double in the sixth, and Fischer a sac fly-RBI in the seventh. At the end of the day, the Birds  were almost shut out for the second consecutive game. I say almost, because the O’s did get on the board in the ninth on a Trey Mancini solo homer.

It’s tough to finger which is more pressing issue; pitching or hitting. I would submit…neither at this point. We’re four games in, folks. Consider that; four games in! Now I’m not going to suggest that those four games have been things of beauty (with the exception of perhaps the first one), however 2.5% of the year a season does not make.

This is not to say that the O’s don’t need to take notice of what’s going on. Four innings of shaky ball at best isn’t going to cut it out of the O’s. Now in fairness they did square some balls up against this Houston team tonight. The Houston defense just managed to make gold glove plays to rob the Birds of base hits.

Going back to Tillman, he needs to hit his spots. He also needs to work on his release point, which in my assessment was part of his issue. When he held onto the ball in his windup just a bit longer, he hit his spots perfectly. One positive point of this game was that at the tail end of the game we saw one or two things start to change. Chris Davis smacked his first hit of the season in the eighth, and of course Mancini’s aforementioned homer. But the Orioles will need more of this and then some to get things turned around.

The series continues this evening from Houston’s Minute Maid Park. Mike Wright gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Justin Verlander. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles ruffle Brian Dozier’s feathers in loss to Minnesota

Before being overly critical, Minnesota’s Brian Dozier might want to keep in mind that the Baltimore Orioles are at times perhaps overly cognizant of unwritten codes of baseball. This is a team that knows the codes, respects them, and enforces them if need be. Dozier made some comments in the clubhouse after his team beat the Orioles 7-0 to the effect that the Orioles’ Chance Sisco had broken an unwritten code. Quite the contrary; more on that in a moment.

The Orioles literally trailed for the entire game this afternoon. Kevin Gausman gave up a solo homer on the first pitch of the game. And that for sure set the tone for the afternoon. Gausman’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Perhaps part of the reason that Dozier felt the need and felt he had the ability to be so critical of Sisco and the Orioles was because he was the lead off hitter who hit that initial homer.  Literally on the first pitch of the ballgame. Keep in mind, Minnesota’s a small ball team, and in general teams as such give the Orioles fits. They stay very much in the moment, and are perfectly happy with one run – because the opponent has to then score two to beat them. Before the first inning ended, Escobar had plated a run on an RBI-double, Buxton one more on an RBI-single, and another run had scored on a wild pitch.

As much as I personally believe in getting runs in bunches (such as via three-run homers), runners on base does put pressure on the battery to produce strikes and outs. That can make guys nervous, which can lead to mistakes – such as a wild pitch with a runner on third. Before the afternoon ended however, Sano, and Escobar would add solo homers, and Dozier an additional one.

Many Orioles fans don’t know whether to be more critical of the pitching or the hitting. Last night the O’s were being no-hit until the eighth, and this afternoon they only had one hit until the ninth. The offense has started the season in a funk, which is concerning. But two of the first three games also showed starters struggling, which is a concern for the O’s. However, fans should take solace in the fact that we’re only three games in.

Going back to Dozier, Minnesota employed a shift against Chance Sisco during his at-bat in the last of the ninth. Sisco took the opportunity to bunt against the shift – which is incidentally something that Minnesota had done themselves earlier in the game. This during a one-hitter. After the game, Dozier made his impression of that decision well-known (all quotes courtesy of Tyler Conway, Bleacher Report):

Obviously, we’re not a fan of it. He’s a young kid. I could’ve said something at second base but they have tremendous veteran leadership over there.

Starter Jose Berrios (who incidentally pitched a gem of a ballgame) also felt the need to chime in:

I don’t care if he’s bunting. I just know it’s not good for baseball in that situation. That’s it.

Again, the Orioles are a team that abides by and enforces unwritten codes. Bunting in the later innings of a no-hitter (or perfect game) is a big no-no. And yes, guys do get plunked for that. However there’s literally no unwritten rule for bunting during a one-hitter. I mean…there’s NO RULE, written or otherwise on that. It’s never existed.

So let’s call this what it is, and that’s incredibly poor form by Dozier, Berrios, and the Minnesota Twins. If Minnesota was that worried about an unwritten rule (which again doesn’t exist) in that instance, they wouldn’t have employed a shift against Sisco. If you’re expecting the opponent to throw in the towel in the latter innings of a blowout, maybe don’t try to use a shift to get a hitter out.

Incidentally, do you know who did break an unwritten code? Brian Dozier, that’s who. I have no issue with teams enforcing unwritten rules, provided of course that the unwritten rule is actually a real unwritten rule. But you plunk the guy next time you see him. Nobody even has to know, although odds are the guy who gets plunked and a few guys in the opposing dugout will get the message. But you don’t go crying to the media after the game about it like Dozier did.

Granted, writers such as myself eat this stuff up, no matter what side on which they stack up. But this type of thing should be kept under wraps for the most part. Sure guys might hint at it and so forth, but in general you don’t come out and bluntly say things the way that Dozier did. Again, if anyone violated an unwritten code, it was him.

The Orioles now head out on the road for the first time this year – to Houston, where they’ll see the Astros’ World Series celebration. Chris Tillman will make his maiden start of the season, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Charlie Morton. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Should there be concern about the offense?

The Baltimore Orioles were almost no-hit this evening – almost. Jonathan Schoop‘s single in the last of the eighth inning gave the Birds their first hit on the night. More on that aspect in a moment. Andrew Cashner made his Orioles’ debut, and while there should be no doubt he’ll win with the Orioles overall, he was tagged this evening. Cashner’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 earned), 2 BB, 5 K.

This game in a sense turned logic on it’s head. They say that solo home runs won’t hurt you. That’s sound baseball logic – yet I suppose that if you give up three, that can make a difference. Sano smacked a first inning solo shot, Castro added one in the third, and Kepler in the fourth. Sano would also add an RBI on a ground out in the third, and he’d net a run on a double-play ball in the fifth.

Cashner would be chased after five, and the Orioles’ bullpen was fairly solid Minnesota would only score on one more occasion, with Mauer smacking an RBI-single in the seventh. The Birds would make a run of it late off of a two-run homer by Tim Beckham, however it was too little too late. The Orioles put up their first loss of the season, dropping this one 6-2 to Minnesota.

As I’ve said many times, Minnesota’s a small ball team. Teams like that rely on scoring runs by a drip-drip-drip type of methodology. They’re perfectly happy with one run here, and one run there. Obviously they hit the ball out of the ballpark three times – all solo shots. While a solo home run generally isn’t going to hurt you, eventually they add up.

Minnesota also had an answer for everything the Orioles did defensively – again, throwing logic on it’s side. If the numbers said that a guy wasn’t a pull hitter, the Birds would play the guy straight away in the outfield. Sure enough, he’d smack the ball down the line and into the corner. It’s frustrating to have happen, but it’s part of the game.

As I said, the O’s didn’t get their first hit until the last of the eighth. As we know in baseball, sometimes you just have to tip your cap. Minnesota’s pitching was great tonight – and it was great on Thursday. But this is the second game in which Oriole bats struggled. Is this something to worry about?

The short answer is that it isn’t – not yet. Certainly many fans are going to point out last September, and how the O’s went from being one game out of the final playoff spot to winning only four games the entire month. But are we really to believe that those are the real Orioles, and that what the likes of Jones, Davis, Machado, etc. have done prior to then actually makes no difference?

However the fact is that through the first game of 2018, Oriole bats have been tamed. They’ve run into some buzz saw pitching, and had some bad luck at the plate, but they’ve had their struggles. It’s something to watch, however again I would say that the guys on this team are too talented to not produce eventually. Perhaps that day is tomorrow.

And in fact, the series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman makes his season debut for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Never doubt Buck Showalter

Admittedly I raised an eyebrow when I saw Buck Showalter‘s Opening Day lineup. There had been rumors of Chris Davis hitting lead off, and in fact there was fact behind those rumors. I suspect that the idea was to get Davis some better pitches to see, but still certainly an unconventional move.

It was also interesting to see Craig Gentry get the start in right field as opposed to perhaps Colby Rasmus, who the Orioles had just signed. Obviously Gentry paid some immediate dividends when he saved a home run in the second inning of the game on Thursday. And as I said yesterday, the ball was over the wall. Gentry flat out robbed Minnesota, and brought the ball back into the ballpark.

For the record, Davis went 0-for-4 on the day. So if you’re looking at the immediate results of him batting lead off, I suppose they weren’t good. However also keep in mind that Thursday’s game was a pitcher’s duel. There were precious few guys who truly looked good in the game at the plate.

However here’s the point: don’t ever doubt Buck Showalter. We went through this a bit after the 2016 AL Wild Card game, in which he infamously left Zach Britton on the bench. I’m not saying that he’s perfect – NOBODY is. But the moves he makes or doesn’t make are done for a reason. Coming into the game Rasmus was a career 1-for-11 against Minnesota starter Odorizzi. And does Rasmus make the play that the fleet-of-foot Gentry made in the second inning? Does Gentry himself consistently make that play. We’ll never know, but we do know what happened with Gentry in there at that moment.

Buck Showalter knows more baseball than I do, along with all of the people reading this column combined. So while there were certainly some things about that lineup that were unconventional, I would give a guy like Buck Showalter the benefit of the doubt on something like that 100% of the time. Again, that doesn’t mean he’s infallible, nor should Orioles fans expect him to be. But the moves he makes are made for a reason, and that reason is usually something more than just trying to shake things up.

The disjointed opening series resumes this evening at Camden Yards. Andrew Cashner makes his Orioles’ debut on the mound, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.