Baltimore Orioles fall to Toronto

The Baltimore Orioles had their seven-game win streak snapped last night at the hands of their division rivals, Toronto. All good things must come to an end, folks. Jeremy Hellickson was battered around over the course of his start, but even the Orioles’ bullpen yielded four runs. Hellickson’s line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 2 K.

Adam Jones got things started in the first inning with a two-run homer. One inning later Tim Beckham‘s RBI-single gave the O’s a 3-0 lead. However Toronto wasn’t about to be outdone, as they have some power as well. They got a two-run homer by Morales in the third, bringing them to within 3-2.

The Orioles were in fact able to extend their lead to 5-2 on a groundout and an RBI-single, but Toronto chipped away. Morales came up again in the fifth and smacked an RBI-single, which was followed by Montero’s two-RBI double. Suddenly before you knew it the game was knotted at five.

Montero came home on Pillar’s two-RBI double, and before you knew it Toronto had the lead. Chris Davis would add a solo homer in the last of the fifth, however Toronto wasn’t through yet. Another at-bat by Morales, and another homer – again of the two-run variety. And would you believe that he also hit one in the eighth?! While that one was a solo shot, it was also the backbreaker for the Birds.

The O’s however did attempt to come back, as Beckham added an RBI-single in the eighth. He took second base on a fielding error, and was plated by Schoop’s RBI-single. It begins and ends with starting pitching however, and the O’s couldn’t get the job done last night. Usually when you score eight runs you win. However it’s also true that usually when you surrender 11 you lose.

Timm Beckham is certainly sad to see the calendar turn to September, as he finished August with 50 hits. He talked about that after the game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Yeah, man, it’s wild, it’s wild. It’s a blessing. Everything that’s happened. I thank God above for that. We need to keep it going and get this team to the playoffs.

Needless to say, Beckham’s provided this Orioles team with a shot in the arm since arriving at the trade deadline. As much as Dan Duquette’s moves are criticized, this was a good one.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Joe Biagini. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Seattle sleepless at the yard

What would you have said a month ago if I had told you that the Baltimore Orioles were going to rattle off seven straight wins? Heck, what would you have said a week ago?! While none of this means that the Orioles will finish the regular season with a birth in the playoffs, they are in fact coming on strong at just the right time. To draw a comparison, basketball for instance is a game of runs. Whomever has their run last generally wins.

You know that we’re starting to get down to crunch time when starters are being pulled at the first sign of trouble Ubaldo Jimenez didn’t last long in this game, however the fact is that we’re at a point of the season where results mean more at the end of the day than does how a starter looked. Jimenez’s line: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took the lead in the last of the second on a Mancini solo homer. Welington Castillo added an RBI-double, and the O’s held a 2-0 lead. However one inning later Jimenez got in trouble as Seattle loaded the bases. Jimenez appeared to induce Cruz into a ground ball in the infield which would have ended the inning, however as I’ve said many times funny things happen when guys get on base…

…the ball hit second base itself. And I’m not sure you could do that if you tried. Nevertheless that tied the game at two. Seattle would plate four more runs in the inning, and when the smoked cleared Jimenez was on the bench and the Birds trailed 6-2.

But when you’re in a pennant race you don’t let things like that phase you. Castillo smacked a two-run homer in the fourth to bring the Birds back to within 6-4. Gentry added a solo shot of his own, and the O’s were within one. And an inning later in the fifth, we had a tie game once again as Jonathan Schoop smacked a solo homer of his own.

The O’s took the lead back in the sixth on Machado’s sac fly-RBI, however a solo homer in the eighth off the bat of Haniger tied things up once again at seven. There have been times over the course of the year where the O’s struggled to put teams away, however while the Orioles earned a series sweep in this instance Seattle just didn’t want to go away – until the very end.

And it was an RBI-single by Schoop in the last of the eighth that put Seattle away for good. The 8-7 win gave the Birds a series sweep, and their seventh straight victory. Mind you that the winning streak at some point will have to end. But it’s made the O’s a very dangerous team in terms of the wild card race. While they’re still 1.5 games back, if they keep winning you have to assume that they’ll be in.

The Orioles now open a four-game set with Toronto at home. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the O’s in game one, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marco Estrada. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dylan Bundy blanks Seattle as Birds soar

Dylan Bundy certainly picked an opportune moment to pitch his best game as a pro to date. The Orioles of course find themselves in what amount to a pennant race for an AL wild card spot. Due in large part to Bundy’s effort last night, the O’s are now better than .500 and only 1.5 games back. Bundy’s line: 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K.

I mean…you just aren’t going to get a better outing than that. A complete game on-hit shutout. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! As I said, this was Bundy’s best game as a professional by far, and it came right at a moment when the Orioles needed it most. Does this mean that the Orioles will end up in the post season? Not necessarily. But they won their sixth straight game last night, and as I said they’re getting hot at just the right time.

Ironically, this game was a pitcher’s duel in a sense. The Orioles used four solo home runs to win this game. Jonathan Schoop got things going and gave the Orioles an early 1-0 lead with his solo shot in the first inning. And in effect, that lead held up for the entire game – because Bundy was so good.

Manny Machado smacked his first solo homer of the night in the last of the sixth, and one inning later Welington Castillo joined the parade. Just for good measure, Machado gave the Orioles an insurance run in the eighth with his second solo shot of the game. However not even Manny Machado hitting multiple home runs in the game could overshadow Dylan Bundy, who threw 116 pitches on the night to get the complete game win.

While speaking to the media after the game Buck Showalter sung Bundy’s praises, and with good reason. He also reminded people that Bundy had a few things working against him in this game, such as a short rain delay and the fact that he had just come off the bereavement list after dealing with a death in the family (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

He was outstanding, obviously. That was fun to watch. Especially when you think about everything that was at stake for both clubs. Everybody’s operating … Also, he flew in late last night and landed about midnight. Had to work through the rain delay, too. There were a lot of things that could have been a challenge for him and he doesn’t let it be, he’s so strong mentally. That was outstanding, obviously.

If you would have told a lot of people a month ago that the O’s would be right there in the thick of the race at the end of August, I’m not sure a lot of folks would have believed that. Granted to move up the standings the right teams have to lose on your behalf, and some of that has happened of late. But the O’s have also gotten it together at the right time. A lot of teams have surges over the course of the season. Teams such as Minnesota, Seattle, etc. had stretches where they could do no wrong earlier. The O’s are picking the right time to have theirs.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Ariel Miranda. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Big wheels keep on turning

The Baltimore Orioles continued their hot ways of late, returning home last night and besting Seattle in game one of three. As I said yesterday, this might well be the most important series of the season given the wild card standings. The O’s now stand 1.5 games out of the final wild card spot, and only a half game back of Anaheim at that.

Chris Tillman got the start, and with mixed results at that. His final stat line wasn’t much to write home about, however he battled – as did the entire Orioles team. Tillman’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 1 K. Seattle didn’t want to go away – and the fact is that they knew the stakes also.

And Seattle actually had the lead early in this game, as Valencia smacked a soo homer in the second inning. However that didn’t last long. Welington Castillo‘s two-RBI single in the last of the second gave the O’s the lead at 2-1. Jonathan Schoop added an RBI-single of his own, putting the O’s ahead 3-1.

However as I said when the Orioles were on the west coast, many of these western teams don’t buy much into the concept of a coup de grace. In an AL East game the Birds would have taken that 3-1 lead, maybe added a couple more, and perhaps the opponent would have added a run or two. These western teams are scrappy and they don’t take no for an answer. Gamel smacked a three-run homer in the fourth, putting the Orioles behind suddenly, 4-3.

However in the bottom frame of that fourth inning the Birds took control back. Gentry lined an RBI-single which tied the game and loaded the bases. Beckham was then hit by a pitch, and the Birds had the lead again, 5-4. As I’ve said many times, funny things can happen when guys get on base. One inning later Adam Jones gave the O’s what we thought was some padding in their lead with a solo homer.

But again, Seattle didn’t go away. And again it was Gamel. His two-RBI single tied the game at six in the sixth inning. However it was Chris Davis who ultimately gave the O’s the coup de grace for which they had been looking against Seattle. His RBI-double in the seventh put them ahead 7-6, which was the final.

While this game was a win, Seattle put the Orioles on notice that they’re going to be in a dog fight every game along the way this week. And that’s what a pennant race (or wild card race) is all about. Needless to say, the O’s got off to a good start last night leapfrogging Seattle in the standings.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Erasmo Ramirez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep Boston away at the Fens

If you would have told me that the Baltimore Orioles would have put two runs across in yesterday’s game and that Wade Miley would only go five innings, I would have assumed that the Birds would have lost. But I’d be wrong. Furthermore, those two runs came in the first inning; Miley and the Orioles’ bullpen really did a great job keeping Boston at bay. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Adam Jones opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI-double that gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Trey Mancini would then hop one over the wall for a ground-rule double, which scored Jones. Before you could blink the O’s had a 2-0 lead.

But little did we know that would be all they’d put across. It’s somewhat surprising given the way that the other two games in this series went, however on the flip side a pitcher’s duel is also a nice change of pace. This is not to say that Boston never threatened. Devers’ RBI-single in the sixth cut the Orioles’ lead to 2-1. Boston would later load the bases, however Betts struck out to end the inning.

The win puts the Orioles right back at the .500 mark for the season. They’ve struggled to get back there, yet all it took was a weekend trip to Fenway. They’re also two games back of the final wild card spot. The team immediately in front of them? Seattle. And they come to Camden Yards starting tonight. This could be the most important series of the year.

Make no mistake about the fact that this was a big win for the O’s, and a big series sweep. Nobody would have blamed them for dropping the finale and going back home after taking two-of-three. That’s kind of the modus operandi in baseball. But this team was determined to get the sweep, and they did.

Buck Showalter opined afterwards on the atmosphere and feel of the game, and how it felt like a pennant race (quote courtesy of Rock Kubatko, MASNsports):

It felt like a game we were going to try to … We had first and third and nobody out in the fourth and didn’t push a run across, and that usually bites you here. We walked eight of their guys. That usually bites you. We were lucky to catch them with some of their key people hurt. Sometimes, you catch a break there. But our guys did what it took. As far as the atmosphere, they’ve done great things this year and we’re fortunate today. You usually don’t win those types of games.

The O’s now head home for the aforementioned huge series with Seattle. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Marco Gonzales. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Coming on when it counts?

The Baltimore Orioles and Kevin Gausman are in the spot in which they find themselves due to a lackluster May and June. Some might not even call it lackluster; they’d say the O’s flat out were poor. But had the O’s won more games in those months, odds are they’d be in the playoffs right now if the season ended today.

But mind you that three games is all but meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But are the Orioles in the midst of coming on when it counts the most? They won a hard-fought game on Wednesday against Oakland, they bludgeoned Boston on Friday night, and they really took it to the same Boston team yesterday. (And had that Oakland game been back in May or June, odds are the O’s would have lost simply by default.) So are these three games the beginning of something memorable? We don’t know right now. However if the O’s are able to muscle into the post season, you might look back at this point in the schedule.

Gausman dominated the Boston lineup yesterday, keeping them off the board and for the most part off the base paths. Gausman’s line: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Again mark this down in your minds; this was the Orioles’ third consecutive quality start. And it begins and ends with starting pitching.

The story of the game was in essence the second inning. Mark Trumbo and Craig Gentry got the Orioles on the board with RBI-singles to start things off. However the big blast came off the bat of Tim Beckham, who smacked a three-run homer and gave the Birds a 5-0 lead.

And if you want to go back even further, perhaps Beckham supplied the Birds with a shot in the arm also. He’s streamlined the offense because now they have a bona fide lead off man at the top of the order. He’s also incredibly fast, which makes the offense even better. And since he’s been here, he’s done nothing but get on base.

After that second inning Boston seemed to settle down a bit. However the Orioles had already done their damage. And Gausman was dealing, which made it tough for Boston to come back. And the fact is that they went away with nary a whimper. Gausman and the bullpen were that good.

Just for good measure, the O’s got a solo homer by Jonathan Schoop in the eighth, and another RBI-single by Trumbo in the ninth. While Boston mustered no offense in this game, it never hurts to have a few insurance runs. Again, does this mean that the O’s are on the way for a historic run to the post season as we move into the final five weeks of the season? No. But it doesn’t mean that they aren’t on their way towards that also. This is just a point in the season to which one might look back if they make a run.

The series in Boston concludes this afternoon at Fenway Park. Wade Miley gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Doug Fister. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: That aside Mrs. Lincoln how was the play?

Something along the lines of that aside Mrs. Lincoln how was the play is probably not what the Baltimore Orioles would have wanted to ask Boston fans after last night’s game. Because in the immediate aftermath of paying top dollar to see the home team get bludgeoned by a division rival, many of those folks probably could have sympathized with Mary Todd Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865. But I digress in a way.

Jeremy Hellickson set the tone in a sense, but the fact is this night wasn’t about pitching – even Orioles’ pitching, which was strong. It was about the bats. Yet Hellickson turned in a quality start for the Orioles in a winning effort. Hellickson’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 earned), 0 BB, 2 K.

Interestingly enough, this game wasn’t all just the Orioles laying wood on the ball. Boston committed five errors in the game. Now in fairness, the Orioles committed three as well – but those are in essence forgotten because of the final score. For once, the O’s held a team accountable for their mistakes. And similarly, for once the Birds didn’t seem to have to pay the piper ten fold for theirs.

With the Orioles already leading 2-0 in the second inning, Mark Trumbo smacked a solo homer. However that was only a harbinger of what was to come. Manny Machado added an RBI-single, and an additional run later scored on a throwing error. However keep in mind that a 5-0 lead in the early innings at Fenway is hardly safe. And in fact, Boston closed to within 5-2 in the last of the second with a two-run homer.

And many Orioles fans probably figured that it was a foregone conclusion that Boston might come back at that point. But the Orioles continued along in the third, as Davis smacked a solo homer as well. But after that, Hellickson settled in and seemingly shut Boston down for the majority of the rest of his outing. Then came the fifth inning.

The O’s put up a seven-spot in the fifth. Yes folks, seven runs on top of what they already had. That included RBI-singles by Trey Mancini, Jonathan Schoop, and Adam Jones, and two-RBI singles by both Beckham and Smith. Again, this was a game in which the Orioles finally seemed to hold the opponent accountable for their mistakes. Whereas in past games if the Birds loaded the bases they might score a run on a sac fly and only net one in the inning. In this case the hits just kept on coming, putting two across at various points in the inning.

Mancini would triple home a couple of runs in the seventh as well, and at the end of the day the final score was 16-3 in favor of the Birds. Buck Showalter basically “offered up and excuse” after the game as to why it got so out of hand, almost blaming Boston’s schedule (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It looks like Chris and Trum are getting ready to … We caught Porcello on a down night. He’s been pitching well. And we also had the benefit of them having a night game in Cleveland. We’ve had that a lot, it seems like, where we’re playing a game and the other team’s already in the hotel. It’s just part of the schedule you don’t like to see, so I felt fortunate we caught them in a tough travel day. We know they’ll be back again tomorrow. They’re a good club and we just caught them on a down night. They’re a really good defensive team. We made a couple errors, too.

And that’s one of the reasons why Showalter is a good leader. He doesn’t make excuses for any loss or malady regarding his own team. But publicly at least he kind of winks at people when they win a game like that by finding a way to actually call out his opponent in a positive manner. Basically, it wasn’t really because the Orioles were good, it was because they caught Boston after a tough travel day.

The series continues this afternoon at Fenway Park. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

 

Baltimore Orioles: Zach Britton on the Boston trip

Zach Britton blew his first save in 60 attempts for the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. However all’s well that end’s well – the Orioles overcame that and won. I suspect that had the Birds fell to Oakland that day it would have been a much bigger story.

After the game we found out that Britton was going to undergo an MRI for some knee soreness. Britton later admitted that it had been there for a couple of years. However the results of that MRI boded well for Britton, although it’s unclear how long he might be sidelined – if at all.

Britton is on the current three-game road trip, in essence a series in Boston. Britton told the media that he’s had this soreness for the past two or three years, likening it back to the turf in Toronto in 2014 (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Gosh, I probably had it since like 2014,” Britton said. “I got my cleats stuck one time in Toronto on their turf and it’s something that was kind of bothering me. I think I pitched through it the last three or four years. So, (Dr. Michael Jacobs) kind of wants me to get it checked out.

The aforementioned series with Boston begins tonight at Fenway Park. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Rick Porcello. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Rest in peace, Mike Flanagan

It’s probably fitting that today is an off day for the Baltimore Orioles, as the franchise marks an anniversary that it would rather not remember. In 2011 I was penning the Birds Watcher column, and the Orioles were in Minnesota on a Tuesday night. Just prior to game time that evening news started to spread of a body found on the property of former Oriole great Mike Flanagan.

And you know the rest. As the game went on it was confirmed that in fact the body was Flanagan’s, and that he was a victim of his own hand. This is a story that affected me very deeply. It’s something that I unfortunately had to write about and cover, but it was about as tough as anything I’ve ever seen as an Orioles writer.

Mike Flanagan was on the Oriole teams that I grew up watching as a child in the 1980’s. He was still of the generation where you played for a team and you moved your family to that city and became part of that community – raising your kids there and all. And until his dying day, Mike Flanagan was proud to call Baltimore home. He was a proud New Englander as well, but he loved Baltimore and he was very much a part of this community.

And that’s part of why it was so tragic that he died the way he did. Part of his issue stemmed from his belief that he had done irreparable harm to the franchise when he was the VP years ago. He felt that he had let Orioles fans down in a sense. Orioles fans, the very people who in reality loved him more than he ever knew.

It would be unfair of me to go into any more detail than that. You all know the story – we all do. However on that day six years ago I swore that so long as I covered this team, I’d always mark the day that Mike Flanagan died with a special article. Few will ever forget the so very honest and sorrowful reactions of his MASN associates that night, or the outpouring of support and love from the Baltimore community in the aftermath.

But there’s a slight redemptive spin on this story as well. 2011 was a lost year. However one year later in 2012, the Orioles returned to glory and returned to the post season for the first time in 14 years. Two seasons later, they won the AL East pennant. And there’s no team with more wins since 2012 than the Baltimore Orioles. Flanagan loved this franchise and this city. He would have been so proud.

Mike Flanagan’s death was tragic. But mind you that the real people who suffered were those who knew and loved him. Not the fans or the people who follow the team. Nevertheless, death is a part of life. And if the number of people who loved Mike Flanagan is any indication, he made a huge impact in this world. Rest in peace Mike, we miss you.

Baltimore Orioles win a frustrating game on Manny Machado’s walk off homer

The Baltimore Orioles were pushed to the brink yesterday by Oakland. That team seriously wouldn’t quit, and they never saw themselves as out of the game. Remember what I wrote about yesterday; if you don’t rise up and take what’s yours, don’t be surprised when someone else who may not be as good but is hungrier than you does. That almost happened again yesterday – almost. Then Manny Machado stepped to the plate.

Dylan Bundy was dominant for six innings yesterday. He lost it a bit in the seventh and was eventually pulled. But he dominated a pesky Oakland lineup who’s attitude was that they weren’t going to be denied. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

The O’s had the lead from the third inning on (until the end) in this one. Mancini’s three-run homer in the third inning gave them a 3-0 lead. And honestly, it appeared that they were off to the races and weren’t looking back. Flaherty, who returned from the DL yesterday, made an immediate impact in the fourth with an RBI-single as well.

Oakland would get a run back in the sixth on an RBI-single, however Welington Castillo would provide what appeared to be the coup de grace for Oakland. His two-run homer in the bottom of that sixth inning gave the Birds a 6-1 lead. The O’s appeared to be on cruise control.

And ultimately, that was the problem. They felt that their jobs were done for the day, and in fairness at 6-1 going into the later innings that may not have been a bad feeling. But Oakland just doesn’t give up, and they ended up pushing the Orioles to the brink by just chipping away here and there.

They put three runs up in the seventh against Bundy, which seemed easily explainable because Bundy was tiring. However they also got a two-run homer by Joyce in the eighth, which brought them to within 6-5. The Birds also got one back on a Chris Davis home run in the last of the eighth, and again it appeared that could have been a fatal blow.

But as I said, these guys just refused to quit. They put two runs up in the ninth against closer Zach Britton, tying the game and ending his streak of games without blowing a save at 60. It’s a shame that happened, but the fact is that it’s a footnote since the Orioles ended up winning. The downside is that Britton is getting an MRI on his knee today due to some discomfort he’s been feeling. That’s obviously not good.

Luckily for the Orioles however, the home team bats last. Neither team seemed able to put anything across in the first two extra frames. But Manny Machado led off the last of the twelfth and smacked the ball out of the ballpark for a walk off homer and an 8-7 victory.

Oakland pushed the Orioles as far as they could have without beating them yesterday. This is something on which the Orioles really need to work – in terms of taking what’s theirs. You can be the greatest team on earth, however if you hit the cruise control button and you’re playing a team with the mentality that they’re world-beaters, you’re going to find yourself in trouble. But at the end of the day, the O’s took two-of-three from a subpar Oakland team. And maybe this game is the launching point of an epic September for all we know.