Baltimore Orioles willed to victory by Chris Davis – in the twilight zone

The Baltimore Orioles went onto victory last night (or should I say eary this morning) squarely on the bat of Chris Davis. However this game in Detroit entered what I call the twilight zone, which is my term for games which go past twelve innings. And don’t tell me that the theme music from the show isn’t reverberating in your head now that you’ve read this!

Wade Miley put the Orioles in a spot to win last night, but Detroit had already started it’s comeback prior to his departure. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K. Part of the recent issues with the bullpen are that starters aren’t going deep into games. Miley ends up throwing a lot of pitches (partially due to guys fouling balls off), which makes for exists after five innings. And that affects the bullpen.

Miley allowed a run on a fielder’s choice in the first, but the O’s tied it in the third on a solo homer by J.J. Hardy. Then Oriole bats exploded. Manny Machado‘s RBI-double later in the inning gave the O’s a 2-1 lead, which went up to 3-1 after another RBI-double by Chris Davis. Tack on an RBI-single by Castillo, and the Birds held a 5-1 lead.

That lead actually grew by two more runs after an infield RBI-single by Mancini, and Hardy grounding into a force out which scored a run. So when the smoke cleared after the top of the third, the O’s led 7-1. Comfortable lead, right? Well sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other guy too, because they can also score runs. Martinez’s two-run homer in the bottom of the inning cut the lead to 7-3, which was followed by a solo homer by J.D. Martinez. Again, when the smoke cleared the O’s led 7-4.

And that’s how Miley left things. But the Oriole ‘pen showed it’s wear once again. Mychal Givens loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, and the Orioles went to Brad Brach. The first hitter he saw was J.D. Martinez, who promptly gave Detroit the lead with a grand slam. And just like that, the Orioles trailed.

One positive about the Oriole bullpen in this game was Darren O’Day, who pitched for the first time in a week. He sent Detroit down 1-2-3 in the eighth, and looked crisp in doing so. The Birds were unable to muster much of a rally after that grand slam. It appeared that it would go down as another gut-wrenching loss in which they had pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. But this game was destined to enter the twilight zone…wild things were about to happen!

The Orioles couldn’t muster a rally – until two outs in the ninth inning. When you’re down by one all it takes is one swing of the bat. And the Orioles got that one swing from Mark Trumbo, who’s solo homer with two down saved the Orioles from a loss for the moment. It tied the game and sent it to extras.

So with the Birds having new life, onward we played. And as I said above, it was Chris Davis who was the big hero. But in true hero fashion, he had to do it twice. He led off the top of the twelfth with a solo home run, which gave the O’s a 9-8 lead. The O’s would tack on two more runs in the inning as Hardy would ground into a force out that scored a run, and Jones would add an RBI-single.

The Davis homer alone felt like the fatal blow, but the O’s were feeling pretty good about themselves after a three-run twelfth. The issue was that Detroit wasn’t about to go quietly. Would you believe that they came back to tie it in the last of the twelfth?! Three RBI-singles will do that to you, and we played on…into the twilight zone.

But luckily we didn’t have to play deep into the twilight zone, but we were certainly there. And what better way to get out of the twilight zone than with another home run by Chris Davis? This one, in the top of the thirteenth and of the two-run variety, was the fatal blow. Thus it propelled the Birds to a 13-11 victory in the motor city.

Whatever rest the bullpen might have gotten with an off day Monday was probably spent last night. Showalter indicated after the game that more roster moves are coming today, and I would bet that the bullpen will figure into that somehow. The Orioles were a heartbeat away from having to send a starter in last night, which is liable to happen when you play games in the twilight zone.

But at the end of the day (or perhaps more poignantly at the beginning of the day since the game ended well after midnight), a win’s a win. And especially when you’ve lost a few games straight, you take wins however you can get them. Despite the recent bullpen struggles, we saw the resiliency of this Orioles team in this game.

The series continues tonight at Comerica Park in Detroit. Ubaldo Jimenez (who was almost spent last night) heads to the mound, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Michael Fulmer. Game time is set for just after 7 PM. And that’s all for now…on the twilight zone.

Baltimore Orioles: Should the Birds re-think their roster?

The Baltimore Orioles limp into Detroit tonight in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Over the course of that time, the bullpen has turned into a bit of a disaster zone. Needless to say, yesterday’s off day benefited everyone – and in more than one way.

The Birds are carrying six relievers, which also means that they have an extra bench player. For the sake of conversation, let’s say that extra bench player is Hyun-Soo Kim – who can’t get off the bench. This has been said more than once, and on various outlets; do the O’s really need an extra bench player?

The bullpen had become incredibly over-taxed going into the off day. It still may be to a certain degree for all I know. However what was originally a strength on this team has suddenly turned into a question mark. And as I’ve said, they aren’t at full strength.

Kim’s given value to this Orioles team in the year plus he’s been here. However he is a free agent after the season. So if the Orioles were to DFA him, they’d be on the hook for his salary for this year – and nothing more. Obviously if the O’s could work out a trade for him, that would be ideal.

At the end of the day, I suspect that it will be Kim who goes in some manner – at some point. Possibly today, for all I know. He isn’t serving the Orioles any purpose just wasting away on the bench. Yes, granted he’s someone opposing teams have to think might be used at some point for sure. But the track record this season indicates that he’s barely even a decoy.

And I don’t say this to beat up on Kim per se. In fact, I think the Orioles should have tried to work out a trade for him well before now – and there’s every chance that they’ve been trying to do just that. But what I’m saying is that the Orioles need an extra bullpen slot, and they have an outfielder who nary ever plays taking up a roster spot. It’s simple math in my book.

The Birds find themselves in Detroit for the opener of a three-game set this evening. Wade Miley gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Matthew Boyd. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman gives up five-run lead

The Baltimore Orioles had a five-run lead in the fourth yesterday, and Kevin Gausman gave it back in one fatal swoop. But please folks, let’s not blame one player or one thing for yesterday’s loss, or for the Orioles being swept over the weekend in Kansas City. Every game’s a team effort, one way or the other. You rise and fall as a team.

Gausman had a tough day however, and was unable to make it out of the fourth inning – despite being gifted a big lead. Gausman’s line: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Kansas City also used several epic-type at-bats which drove Gausman’s pitch count up. As the Orioles found out in the 2014 ALCS, Kansas City’s a pesky team that in essence forces you to play their game.

In order to give back a five-run lead, you have to have one in the first place. And the Orioles built that five-run lead off of a Chris Davis solo homer in the second. The Birds also got a two-RBI double from Flaherty in the fourth, followed by a two-run homer by Joseph (who quietly had a great series in Kansas City). Things seemed to be falling right into place…

…but part of Kansas City’s game is that they’re fearless. And whereas the Orioles look for the big inning, they’re fine with keeping things small. Because in their minds, sometimes small things can turn into big things. And they did, in this case.

They got an RBI-single from Butera and Escobar in the last of the fourth. Incidentally, the inning began with a walk. Again, power-hitting teams like the Orioles see that as one mere base runner, Kansas City sees it as a potential run. Later in the inning Moustakas came up with two runners on, and with one swing of the bat the game was tied after his three-run homer.

One inning later, Kansas City took the lead and wasn’t about to give it back. And it happened in the most shocking of ways: a Machado error. Machado had a potential play at third on Escobar’s sac bunt, however inexplicably he threw the ball to second base. The problem was that nobody was covering second; so it went as an error which gave Kansas City a 6-5 lead. That lead almost immediately went up to 7-5 on Moustakas’ RBI-ground out, and an inning later they opened it up to 8-5 on a Soler home run.

But the Orioles weren’t going down without a fight, even still. Davis’ RBI-single in the seventh drew the Birds to within 8-6, and Rickard would ground into a force out which scored a run and brought them to within 8-7. So the O’s never saw themselves as out of it, although Kansas City’s Butera would smack a solo shot in the last of the seventh. The O’s brought the go-ahead run onto the base paths in the ninth, and Joseph’s RBI-double brought them to within 9-8. However the rest of the runners died on base, and the Birds fell once again.

This was a strange game, and a strange series. Really funny things happen when the Orioles go to Kansas City. The Kansas City players seemingly become superhuman, and make amazing catches in the field no matter how hard the Orioles hit the ball. Then they find themselves getting on base via bloopers and softly-hit singles.

In one instance, the Kansas City pitcher sprinted off the mound and managed to catch a foul pop near the third base dugout to end a threat. How often does that happen? There’s something about the Orioles that brings that type of effort out in Kansas City, but it’s unclear why that is.

The Oriole bullpen took a bit of a beating this past weekend, however today is also the first day off that the team will have had since April 27th (not counting the rainout in Washington). So it’s fair to say that there are some tired arms out there. This day off (in Detroit) will do the bullpen, and the entire team a lot of good.

The main story of the game is probably Gausman losing the lead. However keep in mind that this was a one-run game. If not for the Machado error, this game is tied (all things being equal). While one might argue that error cost the O’s the game, you can accept that from someone like Machado; he’s going to win you more games than he’ll lose.

Again, the off day today will do a lot of people some good. Some of that is physical, but a lot more mental. Often times teams find themselves with a day off after dramatic series’ in which they’d just as soon as keep their momentum going. In this case, the hope from the Orioles’ perspective is that the day off will cleanse their collective souls.

Baltimore Orioles: Death by 1000 cuts – again

In 2014 the Baltimore Orioles were swept in the ALCS by Kansas City. However from the perspective of the power-hitting O’s, Kansas City barely had to try. They scored runs on bloops, flukes, and broken bats so it seemed. Death by 1000 cuts, as the title indicates.

And we’re seeing that same phenomenon this weekend so it seems. Somehow the Orioles get dupped into playing Kansas City’s small ball game, and they get beaten with experience. Well, perhaps not exactly; the Birds did hit three home runs last night. However all three came with nobody on base. Kansas City smacked one out also, for what ended up being the winning run.

The stats show that Chris Tillman struggled last night, however I would submit that he was better than the box score indicates. Tillman’s line: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K. Tillman had a couple of epic at-bats which were upwards of 8+ pitches, which got his pitch count elevated. After the game Tillman said he felt good throughout the outing, but that he might have tried to do too much (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

I felt pretty good. I think early on, I physically felt good and as the game went on I tried to do too much because I was feeling good. I kind of got out of my delivery and started falling behind guys and staying behind them as opposed to making my pitch early on and getting into a count that favors pitchers. I don’t think it was a step back. I think every one going forward is a step forward as long as you physically feel good. Mechanically, I got (in) my way this start. I was trying to do too much later in the game.

The Orioles trailed after the last of the second when Perez’s soft RBI-single to left field found a hole and brought in a run. Again, Kansas City doesn’t hit the ball hard and they don’t try to. But they get the most out of what they are able to do – and them some. But the Orioles did try to show Kansas City how AL East baseball is played one inning later, as Francisco Pena smacked a solo homer to tie the game.

The rumor is that before the game Pena said that he was going to homer, and then wish his Mom a Happy Mother’s Day in the dugout. Whether he said that beforehand or not, he got the opportunity to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day after his home run. He also got to do it again after his second home run of the game, which game in the top of the fifth. And that home run gave the Birds a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately for the O’s however, both of these homers came with nobody on base. The old saying is that solo home runs don’t beat you – and from Kansas City’s standpoint that was certainly true. Tillman got himself into trouble in the last of the fifth, and Cain’s sac fly-RBI tied the game back up at two. Kansas City would take the lead back later in the inning on a sac fly-RBI by Bonifacio.

I mentioned that the O’s hit three home runs. The third came in the top of the sixth off the bat of Chris Davis. He muscled a pitch the opposite way that carried it’s way out of the ballpark and tied the game at three. So it appeared that the O’s were rising in the game in a way, however for the second consecutive night it was a solo home run by Moss that did them in – this time in the last of the sixth. And the Birds fell 4-3.

Above I said that solo home runs normally don’t beat you. But Kansas City turns stats on their heads sometimes. When you’ve sac flied and blooped your way into runs for the whole game, sometimes solo homers can beat you. Either way, the Orioles need to find a way to flip the script and hit for power in today’s game if they’re going to avoid being swept. Because getting dupped into playing Kansas City’s game isn’t working.

The series concludes today at Kauffman Stadium. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Chris Young. Game time is set for 2:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles allowing other teams to impose their will?

The Baltimore Orioles found themselves to be hard-luck losers for the second consecutive game last night in Kansas City, despite a fine effort from starter Dylan Bundy. The Birds tangled in a pitching duel with the home standing Kansas City club, which allowed the Royals to play their type of game. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

You can’t ask much more of a starter than that. Neither Bundy, nor Kansas City’s starter (Duffy) figured into the decision, but they pitched to a stalemate. The Orioles left a few runners on base in the first inning, and they paid for it when Kansas City came to bat as Cain’s RBI-single gave the home team a 1-0 lead.

Whereas the Orioles couldn’t get their runners home, it took two swings for Kansas City to take the lead (back-to-back doubles). But the Birds ammended their ways one inning later when Caleb Joseph tied the game with an RBI-double. And on we played in a 1-1 tie until the fifth when Moss’ solo home run gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead.

But the Birds weren’t going quietly – they were going to find a way to tie things up. And it was a Kansas City mistake that did it. Duffy uncorked a wild pitch in the seventh which allowed Joseph to score from third. But one inning later it was another RBI-double, this time by Hosmer, which eventually did the Orioles in for good. And that’s your ballgame.

This game reminded me a lot of any one of the 2014 ALCS games with Kansas City. Somehow, no matter how hard they tried, the Orioles ended up playing Kansas City’s game of small ball. But the fact is that they couldn’t keep up in a sense. The Orioles, like most AL East teams, are a hard-throwing and hard power-hitting club. One piddly run in the first inning off of back-to-back doubles a game does not make…

…unless you’re a small ball club like Kansas City. On Joseph’s second inning RBI-double, Kansas City brought the infield in – in the second inning! Because in their minds (in the minds of small ball teams), every individual run is precious. In a way, it’s somewhat of an endearing way of looking at things. The Orioles would never bring the infield in like that in the second inning to cut off a run at the plate (so as to preserve the lead). Eighth inning, different story – but not the second. They’d surrender the run if necessary and then try to score more runs in bunches.

Yet it seems that every time the Birds go up against a small ball team, that club seemingly has the ability to con the Orioles into playing their game. And almost predictably, they’re beaten with experience. Somehow it seems so simple in the sense that big ball teams should in theory run small ball clubs out of the park. But that’s not how it seems to go.

Some might say that I’m being unfair to small ball teams a bit, especially when it seems they have somewhat of an upper hand. Maybe I am. But keep in mind that I cover an AL East team…! The style of baseball that I see is one where you try to beat your opponent down as hard as you can. This game whereby an individual run is celebrated and worth something is foreign to me. And it’s foreign to the Orioles, which is why they struggle against small ball teams.

What they need to do is find a way to flip the script and force Kansas City to play their game. They weren’t able to do it in the 2014 ALCS, and they weren’t able to do it last night. When you’re only playing for one run here and there, you aren’t going to be able to keep up against a team that can hit every pitch out of the ballpark. If the O’s can impose their will instead of the inverse, they’ll beat Kansas City.

The series continues tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Chris Tillman will be on the mound for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Nate Karns. Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles rained out in D.C.

If you made the trek down to Washington D.C. yesterday to see Dylan Bundy pitch for the Baltimore Orioles, you kind of lost out. The game ended up being a wash out, and will be made up on Thursday June 8th (one of the two common off days the teams have). Bundy and everyone else in the rotation will move back a day.

This is actually a good thing for the Orioles, who’s bullpen could have probably used a day off. It also allowed the to get to Kansas City well before they otherwise would have. And here’s the other thing; while they now lose an off day in the future, that’s not even a huge deal. The Orioles are scheduled to be off on Monday June 5th, before Pittsburgh comes to town for a short two-game set. Then they were set to be off on Thursday June 8th. So they’ll still have an off day that week.

As I said above, the entire rotation will simply move back a day as the Orioles open a three-game set in Kansas City. The aforementioned Dylan Bundy starts tonight, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Danny Duffy. Game time is set for 8:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Brad Brach walked off by an old friend

It’s probably unfair of Baltimore Orioles fans to stack Brach Brach up against the likes of Zach Britton. When healthy, Britton’s the best closer in the game. I know that as a writer I wouldn’t want to be put up against the likes of Tony Kornheiser or the late Shirley Povich. But I digress – the point is that Brach isn’t Britton; and furthermore pitching the ninth inning is vastly different than pitching the eighth.

Wade Miley gave the Orioles a gritty outing in Washington last night, and while it wasn’t perfect he left in line to be the winner. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K. Not only did Miley find a way out of numerous jams, but he even managed to add to a rally that was starting by laying down a bunt for a base hit at one point. In a National League game that’s when you know your offense is firing on all cylinders – when your pitcher is participating.

The Birds got on the board in the top of the second when Caleb Joseph smacked an RBI-single. Seth Smith would add a sac-fly RBI later in the inning, and to top it off Adam Jones would tap an RBI-single to center. The O’s had seemingly picked up right where they left off on Tuesday, and they led 3-0.

Washington would get one back on a Taylor RBI-single in the fourth, but the Orioles kept the pressure on. Mark Trumbo‘s two-run homer one inning later ran the score to 5-1, although Miley found himself in a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the last of the fifth. Washington would get one on an RBI-groundout by Murphy, but that was it. Miley did a masterful job of in essence trusting his stuff, despite his tank being on empty after well over 100 pitches. He got the Orioles out of the inning and as I said was in line for the win.

The Birds tacked on what appeared to be an insurance run in the seventh when Manny Machado joined Trumbo in the homer parade and sent a solo shot to left field. The O’s led 6-2, and appeared to be in the driver’s seat. But even the best bullpens in baseball, of which the Orioles are one, have off nights. It’s unfair to blame Brach in entirety for a loss, although he’s the guy who gets most of the heat. But any game is a team effort – the Washington comeback started in the eighth with a two-run homer by Taylor, leaving the score at 6-4.

That’s important because unless the Birds put more runs on the board (which they didn’t), the game no longer was a save situation. That meant that Showalter in effect didn’t have the ability to “let the bullpen coast” a bit, perhaps by letting the likes of Hart or Nuno close out the game. Instead, he had to use Brach in the ninth inning.

The inning was led off by Werth, who smacked a ball that barely cleared the wall in right center. The Orioles’ lead was down to one, and Brach was already on the ropes after one hitter. That homer also came after 11 pitches to Werth, in which Brach made quite a few quality pitches that were fouled off – as Brach discussed after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Looking back at it, I threw some really good pitches. He got the upper hand there toward the end and just was able to drive one out to right-center field.

That’s what pitchers are reduced to after 11-pitch at-bats; saying that they made good pitches over the course of the time. Washington would load the bases as the inning wore on, but with one out all Brach needed was a ground ball double-play to end the game. But of course, the situation called for none other than Matt Wieters to come to the plate for Washington…

…and his two-RBI single ended the game in a 7-6 loss for his former team. Do the Orioles view this as Wieters should have never been allowed to walk? Or if someone had to beat them are they glad it was in essence “one of their own?” It’s tough to say, but the fact is that you never want to lose.

The epic Werth at-bat set the tone for the entire inning, and in fact it seemed to make Brach nervous in a sense. But again before you criticize him too much or criticize Showalter’s handling of the bullpen, keep in mind that if not for the two-run homer by Taylor in the eighth this wouldn’t have even been a save situation. The Orioles had a four-run lead, and the bullpen would have been used differently.

While they were struggling coming into this series, also keep in mind that Washington has a good team. The likes of Werth, Harper, Zimmerman, et al, are professional hitters that can do a lot of damage. The unfortunate victims last night were Brad Brach and the Orioles. Some other day it’ll be someone else.

The series in Washington and the Battle of the Beltways overall concludes tonight at Nationals Park. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s A.J. Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The case for crying in baseball

THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!!! – …is a line that’s probably pretty familiar to most Baltimore Orioles fans. It was made famous by Tom Hanks’ character in the movie A League Of Their Own. And it’s kind of a rallying cry for old school baseball folks.

But unfortunately, old school as an institution across the board is coming under attack in America. I’m the first one to tell you that I’m a traditionalist; so yes, in my world there’s just no crying in baseball. But in an era where any amount of success at anything begs the question of what shadiness did the person commit to get to that point and so forth, old school mentality is being weeded out.

However that aside, we’re seeing it in MLB as well. Commissioner Rob Manfred is constantly trying to tweak and tug at the game so as to “improve” it. In some instances perhaps he’s succeeded. However in others (such as the intentional walk sign), it just makes no sense.

The game has always evolved, and that’s natural. However is it really the same game as it was years ago after awhile? Could one imagine managers like Stengel, Weaver, Martin, etc. simply flashing four fingers and a hitter taking his base? For the record, when I say I’m old school, I still believe that the majority of games should be during the day. That’s impossible in the current world and so forth, but the roots of baseball are games played at 1 PM – not 7 PM.

The newest idea is to start instituting ties as a modus operandi in baseball. Honestly, I can’t think of a worse idea in any sport. First off, ties are un-American and have no place in our sports landscape (it kills me that they’re still allowed in the NFL). There has to be a winner and a loser. But the idea is that at least it would avoid 18-inning marathons like what we saw on Sunday night in Chicago.

I’ll be honest; I’m not a fan of games like that myself. Once it gets past twelve innings, it goes into the twilight zone in my view. But occurrences like that are few and far between. One of the ideas I’ve heard floated is that if there’s no winner after twelve innings, it goes as a tie. So extra innings would still occur, just not indefinitely.

Take last year’s Orioles team; if they didn’t win even one of their games, they wouldn’t have been a playoff team. Is it really fair for deserving teams to lose out because the league wants to regulate even wins and losses? Again, I can’t think of a worse idea that would potentially ruin the game as we know it.

As I said, I’m not a fan of games that enter the “twilight zone” in a sense. So I do have a better idea than ties, which would in my view preserve the sanctity of baseball as we know it. I have no issue with stopping games after twelve innings; however as opposed to declaring it a tie, why not just suspend it? We see suspended games only a bit more regularly than marathon games, but they are a thing. My question is, why not?

If you suspend a game after twelve innings and allow for it to be resumed the next day, a month later, or whenever, you at least avoid ties. You allow for there to be a conclusion to a game. I’m sorry, but at a risk of sounding like an old fart, there just has to be a winner and a loser. There has to be.

But the fact is that everything in life is apparently moving towards new. Whatever’s new has to be better than whatever was old. And before you know it, crying in baseball will be not only acceptable, but encouraged.

Baltimore Orioles: Mark Trumbo supplies another Beltway victo

At the end of the day, it wasn’t a Mark Trumbo home run that rallied the Baltimore Orioles to a victory over Washington. It was an RBI-single with the bases loaded. But when you’ve managed to make it to the last of the twelfth inning, that’s all you really need. The bigger story of the game however is the fact that we made it that far to begin with.

The Birds got all they could ask out of Ubaldo Jimenez last night. Jimenez’s line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K. If you didn’t watch the game that line doesn’t look as stellar as it should. Jimenez made two bad pitches, both of which left the ballpark. But he kept a very dangerous Washington lineup at bay for most of the night.

Murphy smacked a solo homer in the second inning to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for Jimenez and the O’s however, Washington’s Scherzer was dealing as well – big time. Scherzer took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and it was broken up by Smith’s solo home run which tied the game. While both starters were in the game it reminded me of the finale of the DC series last year when these two pitchers squared off. Jimenez was excellent, but Scherzer was superior.

With the score tied in the eighth, Lind smacked a three-run homer as a pinch-hitter, giving Washington a 4-1 lead. At the time, you figured that might be the back-breaker for the O’s in this game. Jimenez certainly deserved better, but he was on track to be the loser. However “The Captain,” Adam Jones, willed his team back into the game in the bottom of the inning with a solo homer, cutting the lead to 4-2.

Washington’s bullpen is a maligned staff, which has struggled to protect leads over the course of the season. And it showed again last night. Schoop’s RBI-double in the last of the ninth cut the lead to 4-3, which was followed by an RBI-single by Hardy to tie the game. And…we played on.

Both teams had their chances at various points to win. However in extra innings, you can all but always give the advantage to the Orioles with their bullpen. Joseph tried to score from second on a single in the last of the eleventh, but he was thrown out at home plate. And Washington basically ran itself out of an opportunity, when Goodwin got doubled up at first on a pop fly in the twelfth. That marked the second time in as many games that Washington had committed all but inexcusable base running gaffes.

The O’s had the bases loaded and one out in the last of the twelfth when Trumbo came up. In a situation like that, the odds of scoring are greater than they are of not scoring. And Trumbo delivered, with an RBI-single to left field which ended the game. This goes as a series sweep for the Orioles, as each leg of the Battle of the Beltways is seen as a separate series. They also finished the homestand at a perfect 6-0, and gauranteed themselves at minimum of a split with Washington this year.

This had the feel of a game on which one might look back when all’s said and done as a key win. Not because of the Orioles’ beltway opponent, but because of how things unfolded. The Orioles never give up until the final out. And that modus operandi served them well last night. When it was 4-1, yes things looked bleak. But as a familiar scene from Animal House tells us, it wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!

The Orioles did get some sobering news before yesterday’s game. The estimation is that closer Zach Britton might be down for 45-60 days. Britton was as surprised by this as anyone, however he’s hoping it’s the short end of that range. Britton is now in Sarasota, which in a week or two he’ll begin throwing.

The Orioles now head down I-95 or the B/W Parkway (whichever route suits you best!) to open a two-game series with Washington at Nationals Park. Wade Miley gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Stephen Strasburg. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman stellar in Beltway victory

Game one of the Battle of the Beltways went to the Baltimore Orioles last night, in a game that featured about as solid an outing by Kevin Gausman as you’re going to see. Gausman’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K. Gausman had retired Washington in order in the first inning before many of the fans had even settled in. As you may recall, Gausman of course is coming off his first career ejection last last week in Boston. If you’re going to bounce back from that, this is how to do it.

The big storyline coming into the game of course was Washington catcher Matt Wieters returning to his old stomping grounds at Camden Yards. When he came up to bat for the first time, the Camden faithful didn’t let him down. Wieters received a “Standing O,” to which he waved and gestured to the crowd in thanks. That moment was well deserved by Wieters, and well done by everyone all around.

Oriole bats also got off to a hot start, with three home runs in the last of the first inning. Joey Rickard led off with a solo shot, which was followed later in the inning by an additional solo homer by Mark Trumbo. But you really knew that the Orioles were in business when Trey Mancini smacked a two-run shot that was about as deep as any home run I’ve seen at Camden Yards, giving the O’s a 4-0 lead after one.

Caleb Joseph also had a hot game, turning in four hits for the first time in his career. One of those was an RBI-single in the fourth inning, giving the O’s a 5-0 lead. Later in that inning Joey Rickard would reach on a throwing error which allowed an additional run to score, and the Birds opened up a 6-0 lead.

But this is the Battle of the Beltways; it’s never easy. Washington would get an RBI-double by Taylor in the fifth, and an RBI-single by Harper in the sixth. Harper would also smack a solo home run in the eighth to cut the Orioles’ lead to 6-3. No harm, no foul – right?

Yes and no. Washington quickly put a couple of runners on base in the ninth against Brach, bringing none other than Matt Wieters to the plate representing the tying run. And Wieters almost haunted his old team. He doubled to center field (and was lifted for a pinch-runner), however the runners didn’t get a good read on the ball. Only one run was able to score, leaving Washington with the go-ahead run coming to the plate and one out.

That brought Goodwin to the plate as a pinch hitter, and he swung at the first pitch – rolling it over to first base. After Chris Davis fielded the ball and stepped on first, he realized that the runner at second was off the bag. First the Orioles had him in a rundown, and it was then continued with the runner at third who had tried to get home during the rundown, and who was eventually tagged out to end the game.

The Orioles did get a bit fortunate there, because as I tweeted out after the game, that was one of the worst executed rundowns I’ve ever seen from an offensive standpoint. I suspect what happened was that the runner at second base missed a sign, and thought he was supposed to run on contact. Maybe he was for all I know. But either way, from Washington’s standpoint it’s an unfortunate way to end a game in a loss. But the Orioles will take it.

The series at Camden Yards (as well as the homestand) concludes tonight. Ubaldo Jimenez will be on the mound for the Orioles. He’ll be opposed by Washington’s Max Scherzer. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.