Baltimore Orioles: Jayson Aquino strong in loss

Jayson Aquino came up from the minors yesterday to make a spot start in place of Tillman (who was on paternity leave) for the Baltimore Orioles. If you’re judging him based on the result of the game, he was an apt failure. If you’re judging him on his stat line, he was so-so. However savvy fans will judge him based on how he pitched, and he pitched pretty well. Aquino’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H 4 R (3 earned), 0 BB, 7 K.

Aquino threw strikes, and while a few pitches were hung in the zone, that’s going to happen here and there. Milwaukee got on the board in the second inning when Broxton reached on a fielding error by Machado to take a 1-0 lead. That would be the unearned run given up by Aquino…

…however that’s not to say that the other runs were totally within his realm of control either. Santana’s RBI-single in the fourth was deflected by the shortstop Tejada and trickled into left field. Had Tejada come up with that, odds are it would have been a base hit because of the angle of the play. But it would have saved a run.

Later in that fourth inning Broxton smacked a two-run homer, attesting for the final two Milwaukee runs. Aquino and the Orioles’ bullpen held them down the rest of the way. The real story of the loss was that Oriole bats still couldn’t muster anything of note. And that’s something that I know is frustrating a lot of fans to death – the offense is supposed to be one of the strengths of this team.

But it’s fair to point out that this offense is in fact designed to function…when it’s functioning. There are some major pieces that are on the DL right now. The Orioles are missing the likes of Hardy, Flaherty, and Davis. (On the defensive side they just got Britton back last night.) The good news is that the Birds do in fact have depth. But when your depth is suddenly all on the field at the same time, that makes it tough to compete.

Also keep in mind that the players who are not on the DL have also had their nics and cuts. Jones has seemingly been nursing an injury for two months, and at one point he had to miss four or five games. Machado had to miss a few games with an injury as well. So this is a team that truly hasn’t had the opportunity to fire on all cylinders for some time.

Incidentally, the O’s let their opponent off the hook again last night. They had the bases juiced in the second inning with nobody out – and couldn’t score. It’s moments like those which are key in games. Not only do you come away with nothing, but it gives the opponent a bit of an inflated ego in that they got away with something. But that aside, the O’s aren’t being let off the hook for their mistakes in games. In fact, their mistakes are being magnified. So they need to start holding their opponents accountable, otherwise they can’t return to their winning ways.

The O’s will try to move on from being swept in Milwaukee as they open up a four-game set in Minnesota tonight at Target Field. Dylan Bundy will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Injuries pile up in another loss

While pitching has been part of the story of the Baltimore Orioles’ season thus far, you can also point to injuries as playing a factor. In yesterday’s 6-2 loss on the Fourth of July to Milwaukee, they had to lift Mark Trumbo mid-game after he fouled a ball off his calf. An MRI returned negative (which is obviously a good thing), but the O’s are being cautious.

Ubaldo Jimenez struggled, but not to the point of being blown out of the water in the game. Jimenez’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 7 K. The problem of course has been that the Orioles are literally held accountable for each and every one of their mistakes, while they can’t hold their opponents in the same accountability. Jimenez walked a man with two outs in the last of the second – relatively innocent in a way…

…but yet that’s a base runner for the opposition. That brought Vogt to the plate, and he smacked a two-run homer. Arcia added an RBI-single, and the O’s trailed 3-0. Milwaukee would add two solo home runs in the fifth as well.

Rickard’s RBI-single in the seventh and Schoop’s solo homer in the ninth attested for the Birds’ two lone runs. Milwaukee’s Thames would also add a solo shot in the seventh, and the Orioles fell 6-2. There’s something that’s just not clicking for the Orioles, and yes it begins with starting pitching. However as I said, the O’s are being held accountable for just about all of their mistakes. And their opponents are being let off the hook.

As an example, Trumbo sent a dying quail into right field in the second inning following an Adam Jones double. The ball was flat out dropped by Milwaukee’s Villar. He had a play on it, and he flat out dropped the ball. Jones, perhaps rightly, tried to advance to third base. Villar gunned the ball to third, and sure enough Jones overslid the bag and was tagged out.

Not only were the O’s not able to hold Milwaukee accountable for the dropped ball, but they literally found a way to turn Milwaukee’s mistake into theirs. Jones knew that the play was going to be close, so he came hot into the bag. And that was what caused him to overslide the bag. The Orioles’ aggression is often being used against them.

And again, the injury situation doesn’t help. Trumbo is only the latest Oriole to get nic’d up. Jones has battled injuries all year, Machado had to miss a few games earlier this year, Davis and Hardy are on the DL, not to mention Britton (who’s expected to be activated today), among others. It’s almost a miracle that the Orioles are close to .500 if you look at it in that light.

Chris Tillman would have stated tonight’s game, but he’s on paternity leave. He’s with his wife, who’s expected to give birth to their first child at any time. While it’s tough to lose a starter at any point along the way, we certainly send our best wishes to Chris and wife.

The O’s will try to salvage a game in this series this evening at Miller Park. Jayson Aquino was called up from Norfolk and will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Matt Garza. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Wade Miley rocked in loss

Milwaukee in theory is a team against who the Baltimore Orioles and Wade Miley should have stacked up well. Of late the Brew Crew’s been a power-hitting club, which is of course what the Orioles are. However for yesterday’s purposes they turned back into a small ball team, which enabled them to hand it to Miley and his teammates early on. Miley’s line: 1.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Milwaukee put four runs up in the first inning before the crowd had even settled in. Three came on RBI-singles, and one on a force out which scored a run. That pretty much set the tone for the game, and afterwards Miley to his credit admitted that he never gave the O’s a shot in the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

A loss is a loss, man. I didn’t give us a chance. I pretty much blew that one early on. The first and second inning, let them get out to a big lead like that and set the tempo for the other team. That can’t happen. It can’t continue to happen. Some adjustments have to be made. I don’t know.

Milwaukee would add a sac fly-RBI in the last of the second, followed by an RBI-double off the bat of Pina. Ironically, the Orioles’ lone run of the day came as a result of a third inning groundout by Jimmy Yacabonis, who relieved Miley in the second inning. Go figure that one out; a relief pitcher who in essence is a farmhand  tallied the Orioles’ only run. But having said that, it’s worth mentioning that it was Yacabonis’ first big league RBI.

Milwaukee got that run back however in the last of the third on Suter’s RBI-single. Yes folks, even the pitcher got into the act. But this was no ordinary RBI-single. First off Suter played the old “butcher boy” routine and feinted a bunt. Instead he rolled over a slow grounder in the infield, which he beat out for a base hit at first base. The Orioles then threw to third base to get the runner Arcia, who over slid the base…

…and the sick thing is that they had Arcia out – twice. Once at third (where a good throw would have nailed him), and then again when he got up and stupidly tried to go home. I say stupidly because he was dead in the water, so says conventional wisdom. However on one of the rundown throws, Yacabonis stepped in front of a ball that should have been caught by the catcher Castillo. The momentary confusion was just enough for Arcia to swing his way around the pack and score without nary a tag.

That’s pretty much how things went for the Orioles yesterday. My personal opinion was that they had a legitimate case that Arcia was out of the base paths, however that wasn’t contested. Now one very positive note is that after that play in the last of the third, Milwaukee was kept off the scoreboard. The Orioles’ bullpen was strong yesterday, albeit in a losing effort.

The Birds will try to even the series this afternoon on the Fourth of July. Ubaldo Jimenez will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Jimmy Nelson. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman gasses Tampa to death

If Kevin Gausman of the Baltimore Orioles was to go on and have a dominant second half, one might point to yesterday’s game as the moment he put the American League on notice. The Orioles may have gotten the best effort of Gausman’s career yesterday. Certainly and needless to say, it was his best performance of the season. Gausman’s line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

It’s tough to find any issues whatsoever with a starter that goes seven innings and gives up two runs. Luckily for Gausman however, things were clicking on the other side of the ball as well. Because the Orioles’ offense came out of it’s slight funk and put runs on the board.

The Birds took a 1-0 lead in the third when Smith reached base on a throwing error which allowed Joseph to score. And right there you do see the value of having guys on base. The Orioles base their offense around power (power which came later, I might add), and Tampa bases theirs on getting people on base. Sometimes fluky things happen, such as throwing errors. Now in Tampa’s case they kind of base their offense off of the assumption that fluky things happen. And when they don’t (which they didn’t yesterday), they’re kind of left high and dry.

But what did happen yesterday was that we saw the Orioles’ power. Following the run scored on the error, Manny Machado smacked his first homer in 41 at-bats – this one of the three-run variety. One inning later Mark Trumbo joined the parade with a solo shot, and the O’s led 5-0. Smith would add a two-RBI double in the seventh, and Tampa would get a run back on Sucre’s solo homer in the eighth to run the final to 7-1 in favor of the O’s.

However the story of the day was Kevin Gausman. He set the tone for the afternoon with an eight-pitch first inning. Think about that; eight pitches to record three outs. That doesn’t happen often.

As I said, if Gausman gets it together in the second half, you can point to yesterday’s game as a moment when it came together. And Gausman seemed to indicate that there was a chance that could happen after the game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

I think you only get confidence from success. You have to have that first. Feel like I’m throwing the ball well right now and just gotta keep it going. Had a great second-half last year and looking forward to that and knowing I’m the type of guy that gets better as the season goes on.

Well after the game ended it was also announced that Jonathan Schoop had been selected to represent the Orioles at next week’s MLB all-star game in Miami. It’s well-deserved by the second baseman, who for the moment is the Orioles’ lone representative. That could in theory change if someone can’t play or chooses not to.

After the brief homestand the O’s now travel to Milwaukee for the opener of a three-game set. Wade Miley gets the start this afternoon, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Brent Suter. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Dylan Bundy, worn down by Tampa

The Baltimore Orioles and Dylan Bundy looked exhausted by the end of yesterday’s 10-3 loss to Tampa. Keep in mind, Tampa used a walk (a fairly forgettable moment) to start their comeback to beat the Birds on Friday night. Yesterday they flat out just beat the O’s. Bundy’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

As I’ve said many times, Tampa will wear out your pitching staff. Their approach at the plate is absolutely relentless, and they refuse to give in. At one point Bundy had to suffer through a 16-pitch at-bat, where Tampa’s Ramos was happy as a clam just fouling off pitch after pitch. However their pitching will also wear out your hitting – so it’s a double-pronged attack.

Tampa took an early lead on Longoria’s RBI-single. Later in the first inning, Morrison smacked a two-run homer and the O’s trailed 3-0. However the Birds did fight back just a little at that point. Gentry’s RBI-single cut the lead to 2-1 in the second.

But one inning later Tampa hit two looooong solo homers to run the lead to 5-1. One off the bat of Morrison again, and the other off the bat of Souza. Two innings later the route was on, as Ramos smacked a three-run homer, putting the Orioles behind 8-1.

There was a brief moment however where it appeared that the O’s might try to at least make the game competitive. Jonathan Schoop‘s two-run homer in the last of the fifth cut the lead to 8-3. Tampa’s starter Odorizzi had a high pitch count as well, and quite frankly had struggled just a bit also. (Even though yes, he wore down Oriole hitters.) But when these Tampa hitters get on a mission, they really don’t give up…

…they were determined yesterday, and it showed. A throwing error by Gentry allowed an additional run to score in the sixth following a Smith double. Dickerson would then add an RBI-double, running the final score to 10-3. As I said, their hitting wears out your pitching, and their pitching wears out your hitting.

There was one feel-good moment at the end of the game, however. Tampa reliever Adam Kolarek pitched the ninth after making his MLB debut on Thursday in Pittsburgh. Kolarek is a Baltimore-area native, and still lives in the area. Naturally he grew up attending games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and the opportunity to now pitch there in a big league game had to be the thrill of a lifetime.

The O’s will try to salvage one game in this three-game set this afternoon at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Alex Cobb. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Attention to detail wins and loses games

The Baltimore Orioles are a power-oriented club who doesn’t put too much emphasis on small things in a sense. By that I mean a base hit here and a walk there don’t mean too much. However they say that if you get too close to the forest you can’t smell the trees. And smelling the trees is akin to paying attention to detail, which is what a small-ball team like Tampa is good at.

Chris Tillman only lasted five innings, however he turned in a fairly successful outing. Needless to say, he put the O’s in a spot to win. Tillman’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Tampa’s Ramos smacked a two-run homer in the second – and that’s it. One inning later the Birds would get a run back on an RBI-double by Joey Rickard, but Tillman kept Tampa and their offense based on bloops and seeing eye singles off the board after that.

Rickard had a great game, making two outstanding plays in the field in one inning. His solo homer in the last of the sixth also tied the game at two. One inning later Mark Trumbo‘s RBI-single would give the Orioles a 3-2 lead. You felt that was kind of a dagger for Tampa, and if not for those small details, it probably would have been.

With the O’s still leading 3-2, Brach Brach came in to get the save in the ninth. He struck out one, and induced another hitter to fly out. That brought Peterson to the plate, and he drew a walk. The Orioles’ attitude (and quite frankly mine as well) was that it was only one base runner. There were two outs, so get the next guy out and the game’s over.

That one base runner is a small detail that the Orioles probably overlooked. In Tampa’s case, they thrive off of small things, because small things can turn into big things. Brach was called for a balk, and suddenly that runner was in scoring position. One wild pitch later, he was at third base.

If you’re the Orioles, you’re still not totally in a panic. All you need is one out, right? Eventually they got that out – but only after Hechavarria’s RBI-single that tied the game. Hechavarria was down to his final strike, and he was able to ground an RBI-single to left. Tampa’s Souza connected with a three-run homer in the tenth, and although Trumbo would smack a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, that one walk had done in the Orioles and they fell 6-4.

And again folks, I’m kind of on board with the idea of overlooking that one walk in that instance. Obviously you don’t overlook it totally, however the point is that the Orioles’ attitude is what are the odds? Tampa’s attitude is hey we have a base runner – a shot to score! In general power will defeat small ball, however in a close game like that all it takes is one runner on base.

The series continues this afternoon at Oriole Park. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jake Odorizzi. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez dominates Toronto

Ubaldo Jimenez may have turned in his best performance as a member of the Baltimore Orioles last night in Toronto. He totally shut down a pretty potent lineup, all but suffocating them to death. Jimenez’s line: 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

This was the Jimenez that the Orioles thought they were getting back in 2014 when they signed him to a four-year deal. The funny thing wiht Jimenez is that it seems like it’s either feast or famine. He either exits in the second inning after having given up eight runs, or he pitches seven or eight shutout innings.

However one way or the other, on this night he was the toast of Baltimore. (Granted this was a road game, but work with me here, folks.) This is the type of game to which you point if the Orioles end up making a run of things this season. Perhaps they look back at this game and suggest that it started something. Needless to say, the Orioles have battled back to .500 and won two consecutive series’ – both on the road.

The Birds got a sac fly-RBI from Schoop in the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Two innings later in the sixth, Joseph’s RBI-single gave them a 2-0 lead. And that’s all she wrote! The rest was all pitching, and all Jimenez. Obviously the O’s couldn’t have won without those two runs, but Jimenez almost single-handedly won the game for them last night.

The Orioles did have two injury concerns coming out of this game, one of which manager Buck Showalter is blaming on Rogers Centre. Welington Castillo sprained his knee slipping on the steps just prior to the game, and was a late scratch. Showalter didn’t hold back when asked about it after the game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

He slipped right there on those slick stairs there. He was going down to warm up Ubaldo. This place is (treacherous). … It’s like that in a lot of places. He sprained his knee and he’ll see Dr. (Michael) Jacobs tomorrow along with Crichton, whose right shoulder is bothering him. I’m sure we’ll have somebody there in case he’s not ready to go. But we think, the initial thought is that we might be OK. We’ll wait and see what happens tomorrow

For his part Castillo said he feels that he’ll be ready to go tomorrow night. Showalter’s view of the visiting facilities at Rogers Centre is probably pretty poor. However I suspect he threw in that part about the conditions being slick in a lot of places so as to avoid controversy. Toronto is a team that’ll use the weather as bulletin board material if the situation presents itself. (However with that said I wouldn’t recommend anyone in the league getting into a tit-for-tat with the Orioles regarding who’s ballpark is better.)

Stefan Crichton is also experiencing shoulder discomfort. He’s expected to undergo an MRI today in Baltimore. So I would expect the Birds to make at least one roster move before tonight’s game. Luckily for them, Jimenez’s great night came when they had at least one reliever in the bullpen who as unavailable.

The Orioles will now open a three-game set and a three-game homestand with Tampa at Camden Yards tonight. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jacob Faria. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles blanked in Toronto

Wade Miley giving up four runs in Toronto last night is what will probably stand out for most Baltimore Orioles fans. And perhaps rightfully so, as it all begins and ends with starting pitching. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 earned), 4 BB, 5 K.

However when you can’t put any runs on the board at all, you literally have no shot at winning. Let me say it again; if you can’t score, you can’t win. It’s as simple as that. Miley could have given up four runs, one run, or twenty…and he still would have lost last night. It wouldn’t have mattered.

Now in fairness, Toronto’s Stroman was dealing last night and then some. The Orioles appeared lucky to even get on base. And it was pretty fortunate for them that they started the game with a base hit to be honest. Because the way that Stroman was pitching last night had he strung together a few no-hit innings the Birds might have been pressing and scrambling at the end of the game so as not to get no-hit.

Toronto led the game off with a Bautista solo home run in the last of the first inning which gave them a 1-0 lead. Smoak added a solo shot of his own in the fourth, which ran the score to 2-0. But the game was put out of reach on a strange play later in that fourth inning. Bautista reached with the bases loaded on a fielder’s choice to Janish at short with two outs…

…however there was no guarantee that a run was going to score. All the O’s needed to do was record a force out. Janish’s flip to second was wayward, which allowed a run to score and Bautista to reach. Schoop’s throw to first was then bobbled by Mancini, allowing a second run to score.

Toronto took advantage of the Orioles’ mistake there, which unfortunately came as a result of rushing the play. Janish made a great play and had one shot at getting the out. But then in trying to save another run, Schoop and Mancini mangled the second part of the play and the run scored anyways.

After the game Janish credited Toronto’s Pillar (the base runner) for hustling to second base, which caused the rush on his and Schoop’s part (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Obviously, the ball was smoked. My read on the play was as hard as the ball was hit, we had a force at second. You have to give credit to (Kevin) Pillar. Obviously, we’re not holding him on there and he has the ability to get a significant lead. And he beat the ball to the bag. It was a bang-bang play, kind of a split-second decision. I guess, in retrospect, it would have been good to pump fake to second maybe and go to first. But that is happening so fast, it’s a tough play. You have to give him a little bit of credit for beating that ball to the bag. Most guys are not going to do that.

The series concludes this evening at Rogers Center in Toronto. Ubaldo Jimenez will get 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: Kevin Gausman deals north of the border

Kevin Gausman far from pitched perfectly last night for the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto. However he dealt hard enough to put the Birds in a position to win the game, and that’s all you ask of your starter. Gausman’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Unlike previous Gausman starts and previous starts by other Orioles pitchers, Gausman pitched to contact last night. And Toronto right now it in a spot where the Orioles were a week or two ago. They’re trying to hit grand slams when nobody’s on base in effect. They know that they have the power to win games in a division that lives and dies by the homer, but at the moment they’re dying by it. The O’s just hope that trend continues until at least Friday.

The O’s did most of their damage right off the bat in the first inning. The had two runners on with two gone with Mark Trumbo striding to the plate. He sent a line drive to dead center, which went all the way to the wall. That ended up a two-RBI double, and it gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead.

Later in the game in the top of the third, Adam Jones smacked an RBI-single, and the Birds led 3-0. And the rest of it is pitching. Gausman looked good until the sixth inning when he was lifted due to a high pitch count. Obviously you want your starter to go a little longer than 5.1 innings if possible. However the Orioles will take an outing like that out of a starting pitcher everyday if they can get it.

The Orioles used Mychal Givens in relief of Gausman, and he actually got himself into some trouble early on. He didn’t seem to have much control, throwing a wild pitch and forcing the catcher Castillo to use acrobatics to prevent other wild pitches. He loaded up the bases with one down, and suddenly the Orioles’ lead appeared tenuous at best…

…however he induced Donaldson to line out to third, and Morales to strike out swinging. That ended the inning and the threat, and preserved the Orioles’ lead. Pitchers will often get themselves in trouble. It’s the nature of the position. But the good ones will also find their way out of trouble.

Toronto would get a run back with two down in the ninth on a solo homer by Tulowitzki, however at the end of the day that was all but meaningless. The Birds cruised to a 3-1 lead, starting off their trip to Canada the right way. The victory brings the Orioles back to the .500 mark on the season.

The series continues this evening at Rogers Centre. Wade Miley gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marcus Stroman. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles head to the great white north

The Baltimore Orioles don’t normally play well in Toronto. This much we know, historically at least. Granted they did take two-of-three north of the border back in April. But in general they just don’t play well north of the border.

And while the Birds have gotten themselves together a bit over the course of the past two games, it’s concerning that they’re heading up there now. I’ll be honest; I think that part of the issue is that Toronto tries as hard as they can to be disagreeable. And in general they succeed at it.

Ultimately this tactic antagonizes opponents, especially one like the Orioles – who try to be as professional as possible at all times. Unfortunately, the Orioles buy into this tactic at times, hook, line, and sinker. Yes Toronto’s tactics are at times despicable – staring people down, hot dogging on home runs, and boorish celebrations. But the O’s would do well to not let these things get to them, because that’s Toronto’s aim.

This is a big series for the O’s, because suddenly they’ve found themselves a bit on the uptick, whereas the rest of the division is a bit down. If they could pull two-of-three in this series they’d be in very good shape moving forward. But as always, it all comes down to starting pitching.

The series begins tonight at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Joe Biaggini. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.