Baltimore Orioles: Lucky since 2012?

Alec Asher pitched a decent game for the Baltimore Orioles last night, despite the final score and his stats. Asher’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 1 K. Asher kept Chicago at bay for the most part, that is until the sixth inning. Needless to say, he turned in the best starting performance the O’s have had in a week or so.

The Birds even had a lead in the game, due to Manny Machado’s RBI-single in the first inning. However that’s as far as they got. Furthermore the Orioles left seven men on base over the course of the game. And when you only put one run on the board, you’re asking to be beat.

Chicago took the lead in the fourth with a two-RBI double by Garcia. And while Asher surrendered the lead and thus took the loss, he did pitch out of a jam there and minimized the damage. However a walk, a base hit, and a hit batsman in the sixth loaded the bases with nobody out. Davidson followed suit with a grand slam, giving Chicago a 6-1 lead and a 6-1 victory.

Again, my personal opinion is that Asher pitched fairly well. Yes he gave up the fatal blow, however for the most part he kept the Orioles in the game. As I said above, when you can’t score runs you can’t expect to win.

So with the recent struggles, the natives aren’t happy in Birdland. Granted the pitching is different; however for the most part this is the same Orioles team that’s been together since 2012 – the nucleus, that is. Sure some names such as Trumbo are different, and others such as Markakis and Wieters are gone. But the likes of Jones, Machado, Hardy, Davis, and Tillman are all still there. What gives?

There are those in the national media who would have you believe that the Orioles got lucky in 2012. From then until now, we heard that the Birds were defying logic by having winning records and so forth. Is it possible now five years later that those people…were and are right?

I would say no. Furthermore I would ask Orioles fans who now say the Birds should sell and sell big to calm down. In essence, we have to look past the tips of our noses. Please tell me that you know and understand that Jones, Machado, Trumbo, Davis, et al have not suddenly just lost the touch of everything that they had before.

I maintain that this is still a good team, but one going through something. And that happens over 162 games. Toronto went through something similar right at the beginning of the season, and Boston lost some luster in early May as well. Does it really make sense to say that someone “got lucky” for five years but now we’re seeing their true colors? No, it doesn’t.

The O’s will try to break out of their funk tonight in Chicago. Dylan Bundy will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by former Oriole Miguel Gonzalez. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis injured as Birds struggle on

The Baltimore Orioles may have lost first baseman Chris Davis last night in yet another loss – 10-7 at the hands of lowly Chicago. Make no mistake about the fact that while they’re struggling, the Orioles are a good team. They have too much talent to be playing the way that they are. And they will snap out of it; they just might have to do it without Davis for awhile.

Wade Miley struggled yet again, becoming only the latest Oriole starter to make an early exit. Miley’s line: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 0 K. Chicago was able to take a 2-0 lead on the last of the second on a two-run homer by Smith, and an inning later it was 3-0 after Abreu’s RBI-single. Add in an RBI-double and another RBI-single, and the Birds trailed 6-0 after three.

However the good news for the future is that the O’s put up a fight at the plate. They did score seven runs in this game, which indicates some life in their bats. They just need to compliment that with decent or even passable pitching. Smith’s RBI-double in the fourth cut the lead to 6-1, which was followed by an RBI-single by Jones.

However Chicago quickly put two more runs on the board, and a third in the last of the seventh on a Davidson homer. Just to show how badly the Orioles are struggling right now, one of the aforementioned runs came as a result of Smith flat out whiffing on a line drive hit to him in right field. He was in line to catch the ball, and the lights obstructed his vision and he missed it – runner ended up at third base.

But again, the O’s tried to get back into the game. Kim’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the lead to 10-3. Mancini then smacked a three-run homer later in the inning which brought the Birds to within 10-6. An RBI-single by Schoop in the ninth brought it to 10-7, but the O’s couldn’t complete the comeback any further than that.

Again, this team will snap out of their funk. Right now people are marveling at how a team like New York can be doing what they’re doing and so forth. ALL teams go through periods like this over the course of 162 games. At some point the Orioles might find themselves clicking on all cylinders and New York might struggle. That’s how the season ebbs and flows, and it’s part of the game. Even though they fell, the Birds put seven runs on the board, which indicates that perhaps the offense is coming around.

Before the game even ended the Orioles announced that Chris Davis had a strained oblique. He’s getting an MRI today, however don’t be surprised if he lands on the DL. It’s never a good time to have injuries, however they all seem to be hitting this team at once. But again, that’s part of the game.

The series continues this evening on the south side of Chicago. The O’s will send Alec Asher to the mound, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Derek Holland. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: No joy in Mudville

Kevin Gausman‘s rough first inning led to the Baltimore Orioles in essence being boatraced once again yesterday afternoon in the Bronx. Gausman’s line: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 BB, 0 K. Seven walks are what stands out in this case; when you hand out free passes, you give the opponent a shot to score. And when that opponent is hitting anything within the zip code, it’s a recepie for disaster.

NY got a two-RBI single from Castro in the first, and then a three-run homer from Sanchez. It seemed that New York knew what was coming – seemingly before Gausman. However the O’s did try to make a run of things. Tehada’s RBI-double in the third cut the lead to 5-1, which was followed by RBI-doubles by Smith and Schoop. But that’s as close as the Orioles were allowed to get.

However make no mistake about the fact that this doesn’t all fall upon Gausman. The Orioles committed a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes in this game and this weekend, such as Schoop botching double-plays, and balls falling in the outfield square between two players. Part of a game like this and quite frankly a series like this is momentum. The Orioles were seemingly listless from the first moments of the game and of the series. And it translate into the results that we saw.

NY would proceed to put nine more runs on the board before all was said and done – including two homers by Judge. Whereas the Orioles seem to be playing a knotch below everyone else right now, New York is a step ahead. Now with that said, savvy fans also know that at some point the pendulumn swings back the other way. History says that there’s no reason to believe that this Orioles team won’t be in the race until the end.

However the O’s do need to get it together – and quick. The hope is that this week’s trip to Chicago will act as a get well type of series. Yes that sounds somewhat arrogant; however mind you that the Orioles are a much better team than the ChiSox (who they swept a few weeks ago).

Time will tell, however it’s an opportunity for the O’s to get some momentum under their wings. Hopefully they’ll also be able to get Machado back in the lineup, as his absence has been felt on both offense and defense. One way or the other, they’ll be glad to get out of New York.

The Chicago series begins tonight at US Cellular Field. Wade Miley gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Mike Pelfrey. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Is Chris Tillman healthy?

Needless to say, Chris Tillman didn’t get the job done last night for the Baltimore Orioles. Tillman’s line: 1.1 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 3 BB, 1 K. That tells anyone all that they need to know about the game in general.

Tillman’s first inning was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. He recorded the first out on a strikeout, and then induced the second hitter to ground out to first. Admittedly you’re already thinking that it would be a clean inning, however I was literally about to tweet that if the first inning was any indication Tillman had his good stuff last night.

The third hitter was Judge; and he smacked a solo homer. Sanchez also hit a two-RBI single, and Gregorious a two-run homer. Throw in a Carter RBI-single, and the Birds trailed 6-0 after one.

And it only got worse from there. Before Tillman’s book closed early in the second inning, it was 9-0. But how did Tillman go from being so good for the first two hitters to totally falling off the map?

There’s some speculation that perhaps there’s some sort of injury that’s still nagging him. However the onus at this point is on Tillman if he isn’t feeling right to say something. And I have to believe that Tillman along with every other guy on the roster is enough of a pro to where they would do just that.

With all of that in mind, it’s worth mentioning that if you send a player to the DL, the opposing team’s doctors have the right to examine him first. So it’s very easy to suggest using the DL as a de facto demotion to the minor leagues for anyone, however that could backfire.

I suspect it’s kind of an unwritten rule that unless the guy is truly healthy with no issues whatsoever you kind of don’t say anything. However do fans really think that a team like New York, a division rival, wouldn’t try to exercise any advantage they could?

I’m not suggesting that Tillman isn’t injured – or that he is. I’m just saying that you have to be careful when you send people to the DL. I do think it’s worth looking into his health in between starts, because what happened last night isn’t going to win you many games.

When the smoke cleared, the Orioles had given up 16 runs total. Again, not going to win you many games. They did get solo homers from Davis and Rickart in the seventh and eighth, and an RBI-single by Joseph.

The O’s will try to salvage one game in the Bronx in this afternoon’s series finale. Kevin Gausman will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Chad Green. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles waste a good start by Dylan Bundy

The Baltimore Orioles got a solid start out of Dylan Bundy last night. In fact, his numbers in the game probably don’t do him as much justice as they could. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

I say all the time that pitchers will have three types of starts over the course of the season; 10 good, 10 bad, and 10 in-between. I’m not sure where this one would rank for Bundy (good or in-between), but the fact is that he turned in the definition of a quality start. And when you’re losing games that are quality starts, it’s really tough to point at pitching as the reason why.

In this case, the O’s actually had an early lead against New York in the Bronx. Jonathan Schoop smacked a two-run homer in the second inning which put the Birds ahead 2-0. At that point of course it appeared that it would be a good night for the Birds. Not to be in the end.

The one fatal flaw that Bundy showed was the inability to have a shutdown inning. The O’s took to the field in the last of the first, and Bundy promptly allowed the lead to be cut in half by giving up a solo homer to Castro. Later in the inning New York tied it on Headley’s sac fly-RBI. Now Bundy did limit the damage to just two runs, but when the offense only had two runs on the board at the time it’s like a game reset.

Hicks led off the sixth with a solo homer, which gave New York the lead for good. So Bundy did end up taking the loss, however without a doubt he pitched well enough to win. He just didn’t get the run support on this night.

Hicks would smack a second homer in the seventh, this one of the two-run variety. Holliday would also add an RBI-double, and Romine a two-RBI single in the last of the eighth. All in all, this spelled an 8-2 loss for the Birds in the Bronx.

Injuries are starting to turn into a problem for the Orioles, although they did get Jones back last night after he sat on Thursday in D.C. However Manny Machado remained out of the lineup last night after being accidentally spiked on Wednesday evening. At some point the Orioles would in theory have to make a decision to send him to the DL if he continually can’t play. He apparently felt a little better prior to last night’s game.

The O’s also had to send reliever Darren O’Day to the DL prior to the game, as he’s had continual shoulder soreness. The move is retroactive to Wednesday. However mind you that with O’Day down along with Britton, the O’s are now without two major pieces in their bullpen. Worth perpetual consideration.

The series continues this evening at Yankee Stadium. Chris Tillman will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Luis Severino. Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall in D.C.

The Baltimore Orioles seemingly had the big advantage going into last night’s makeup game in D.C. Washington was coming off of a long west coast swing, which culminated on Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. They then had to fly across the country to get home to play the Orioles on what was supposed to be an off day (for both teams).

Instead, it was the Orioles who seemed to play like they were coming off of such a trip. And Washington took advantage of almost every mistake they made. Alec Asher had a rough first inning. And in this particular case, that was the game. Asher’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R 4 BB, 6 K.

Asher threw 41 pitches in the first inning, and gave up four runs. Harper lined an RBI-single which gave Washington an early lead, which was followed by an RBI-single by Drew. Taylor would later drive in two runs with a double, and the O’s trailed 4-0 before most of the crowd had even settled down.

Asher was hanging pitches in the zone for most of his outing, which doesn’t bode well for a team being able to win. Now in fairness, Oriole bats were held at bay by Washington’s Ross. The Birds however were without Adam Jones and Manny Machado. Jones was simply given the night off following two extra innings games in a row, and Machado of course is suffering from the effects of being spiked on Wednesday night. Combine losing those two with also being without a DH, and you have an offense that’s totally not itself.

Asher was able to settle down after that first inning, giving up only one other run, a sac fly-RBI in the second. He was relieved after the fourth inning by Ubaldo Jimenez, who promptly gave up a solo homer to Drew in the fifth. But that’s the only run Jimenez gave up, and once again he did a big service for his team and his fellow bullpen mates. He pitched three solid innings, allowing the O’s to use only one other reliever. As they head into a weekend series in NY, that makes a big difference.

The O’s did net one run, off of an RBI-single by Trumbo in the seventh. However all in all, it appeared that Showalter wanted to rest his bullpen as well as Jones and Machado. Granted every game is important, however the New York series more so than this one game.

That New York series begins tonight at Yankee Stadium. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini made something magic happen

Trey Mancini would visit Maryland every summer to visit his grandparents when he was a kid – his grandfather was a Baltimore Orioles’ season ticket holder. His mother was a Maryland native, giving Trey Maryland roots. So he probably followed the Orioles a bit, and perhaps even went to a game with his grandfather once or twice. Needless to say, he was probably familiar with what’s known in these parts as Orioles Magic.

What he didn’t know at the time was that he would end up being a part of that very magic of which I speak. However first the O’s had to get to the end of last night’s game, which in fact was largely dominated by Pittsburgh. Wade Miley was ineffective, evidenced by his early exit. Miley’s line: 2.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

In essence, Miley was getting too much of the plate – evidenced if anything by his four strikeouts. Many of his pitches were hanging right over the meat of the plate, which can be a recipie for disaster. Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead on Moroff’s two-RBI double in the second inning. The Birds cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning on Kim’s sac fly-RBI.

Pittsburgh extended their lead to 4-1 an inning later on an RBI-double by Diaz, and then they got what they thought were two insurance runs on a two-run homer by Osuna in the seventh. In general, I’m the first one to tell you that comes across as a safe lead. But as Lee Corso says on ESPN’s College Gameday, “…not so fast!”

Adam Jones began the comeback bid in the last of the eighth with a solo homer that cut the lead to 6-2. As the game progressed to the last of the ninth, the Birds trailed by four. From Pittsburgh’s perspective they needed three outs before the O’s could score four runs. In general, I’ll take those odds every time – but not last night.

Rickard cut the lead to 6-3 with a sac fly-RBI, and Hardy drove in a fourth run with an RBI-double. That brought Mancini to the plate as a pinch hitter with two down, one on, and the O’s trailing by two. And that’s where the early strains of Orioles Magic began to resonate throughout Camden Yards.

Mancini’s two-run home run was perhaps the most improbable thing that could have happened. But it did, and it tied the score at six. And if you want something even more improbable, look at his next at-bat. Mancini came up with two on and two out in the last of the eleventh. A base hit would have won the game; instead, Mancini turned the Orioles Magic song on full blast and won the game with a walk off three-run homer to left field.

It’s moments like this which make baseball great. Not only did he save the day with his pinch hit homer previously, but he won it with a walk off shot. Good times for the Orioles, and good times for Trey Mancini.

The news wasn’t all good for the Birds however, as Manny Machado was forced out of the game with a gash on his wrist after being accidentally spiked on a stolen base attempt. X-rays were negative, however the Orioles are trying to get an MRI set up for today. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to play tonight in Washington, or when he’ll be available. If I were a betting man, I would expect to see him tonight.

When one player does so much to win one game like Mancini did last night, other contributions can often be overlooked. Mike Wright played a huge role in this game, keeping the score right where it was in the middle innings. Wright gave up one hit and struck out three over 3.1 innings of work. That kept Pittsburgh from extending their lead, and set the tone for the comeback later in the game.

The Orioles will now head down the pike to DC for a makeup game this evening. Alec Asher will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Joe Ross. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles cutting it close with 11th hour heroics

The Baltimore Orioles certainly waited until the 11th hour last night to make their move. We had seen this movie before; the Birds give up a couple of ticky-tack runs, and the opponent even tacks on an insurance run late to ensure their victory. The O’s even attempted a comeback earlier in the game but were unable to come all the way back – until late.

Kevin Gausman wasn’t perfect, but he put the O’s in a position to win the game. Gausman’s line: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K. Gausman was getting ahead of batters in the count, however often when he had them right where he wanted them he was letting them off the hook in a sense.

The O’s took an early 1-0 lead when Smith led the first inning off with a solo homer. However Pittsburgh established quickly thereafter that they were going to be a force to deal with. McCutchen’s RBI-single in the second tied the score, and Jaso’s RBI-double later in the inning gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead. That was extended to 3-1 on Mercer’s RBI-groundout.

Pittsburgh’s repetoire on the night even included a solo homer, off the bat of Freese in the sixth. They were pitching well and keeping the Orioles at bay, and they led 4-1 going into the later innings. But the Birds were only getting warmed up.

The O’s cut the lead to 4-3 and re-energized Camden Yars in the last of the seventh on back-to-back home runs by Chris Davis and Jonathan Schoop. They still trailed by one, however they had suddenly swung momentum. But Pittsburgh didn’t go quietly. In the top of the ninth they got an RBI-triple from Harrison, which gave them an insurance run to extend their lead to 5-3. That probably should have been the back-breaker from the Orioles’ standpoint.

But as we all know, the home team hits last. Schoop’s turn came up in the order in the last of the ninth, with a runner on base. And Schoop saved the day with a two-run homer that tied the game back up at five. Again, talk about your 11th hour heroics – you really can’t cut it closer than that!

Jones got aboard in the last of the tenth, and Machado almost ended the game a moment later with a deep shot to left. Had it fallen, Jones would have scored. And obviously had it gone out the game would have been over – but it was caught right up against the wall. However Jones very astutely tagged up and went to second base.

That brought Mark Trumbo to the plate, needing a base hit to end the game. And Trumbo didn’t disappoint, smacked an RBI-single to center which scored Jones. So from the depths of defeat, the O’s came back for a hard-fought 6-5 victory.

The O’s have had a few improbable losses this year, and this was one that they “got back” in a sense. And you’re going to have your share of games like this over the course of 162 games each year. Kevin Gausman obviously had a bit of a rough second inning, which is why the O’s trailed to begin with. But manager Buck Showalter as always sees things through a different lense. Gausman was making quality pitches, they just weren’t working out in the manner they were designed (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASN sports):

You know, I’d say rough, statistically. I’ll say this: He gets a chopper anywhere else and it sneaks through the infield, then he gets a broken-bat flare the other way off the end of the bat, then McCutchen fights a ball off and may have broken his bat in right. I think he gave up one hard-hit ball that inning. So, I kind of take that with a grain of salt. But it’s what happened after that. He kept us engaged in the game.

The big story of course was Schoop and Trumbo’s late-inning heroics. There’s really not much left to say other than the fact that power wins games. Being able to tack runs together here and there is fine, but if your team can hit-for-power you’ll never be out of a game. And we saw that with the Orioles last night.

This quick two-game set concludes this evening with Pittsburgh at Camden Yards. Wade Miley gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Chad Kuhl. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Disjointed three games in interleague play

Kevin Gausman heads to the mound tonight for the Baltimore Orioles as they open a two-game set with Pittsburgh. I’m not a fan of these two-game series’, be they interleague play or not. In my view they just don’t make much sense. I suppose that we condition ourselves to believe that series’ are supposed to be three games, and in some instances four. But…two?!

However in terms of balancing an otherwise unbalanced schedule, this is what the Orioles have to do. For what it’s worth, they’ll make a two-game swing through Pittsburgh to complete a home-and-home this year during the final week of the season. Perfect time for interleague play, right?

Speaking of which, the Birds were supposed to have two days off this week, however that’s been trimmed to one (that being yesterday). On Thursday they’ll head back down the pike to take on the Washington Nationals in a makeup game rescheduled from last month. The red-hot Washington Nationals, I might add.

Pittsburgh’s struggled this year, and Washington has thrived – all of that is unimportant for the most part. You still have to play the games in a sense. However the difficult part for the Orioles is having to condition themselves to play one floating game this week under National League rules. It appears that Bundy will get the start on Thursday, and he’ll be hitting in the order as well.

At least if you’re looking at an entire series or even a stretch of games where you’re playing under National League rules, you can perhaps better condition your lineup to deal with the loss of a Mancini, Trumbo, etc. for a game. But one game makes it tough to do – you almost have to just sweat through it and hope for the best.

Of course tonight and tomorrow night’s games against Pittsburgh will be played under American League rules since the games will be at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. So no problem there. It’s just that one floating NL game on Thursday night which will pose an issue. But the Orioles will deal with it – they always do.

Of course there is one way around this type of thing in the future. The American League could outlaw the DH and go back to pitchers having to hit in the order just like everyone else. Yes folks, I recognize that there’s next to no chance of that happening, and that at some point the NL will probably adopt the DH instead. But I’ve always preferred the National League game because I believe that pitchers should in fact take a turn at the plate while they’re in the game. It also provides for more strategy late in games. But that’s another story for another day.

The aforementioned Kevin Gausman starts tonight for the O’s in game one of two against Pittsburgh at Camden Yards. He’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall on two-run error

Chris Tillman had his faults in yesterday’s game, however in my personal view he pitched better than the numbers indicate. Tillman’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 earned), 4 BB, 3 K. Tillman had a bit of a rough first inning, but then settled in. Again in my view, he put the Orioles in a spot to win the game.

Tillman did give up two early runs which in a way set the tone for the game. Bradley’s two-RBI single in the first inning gave Boston a 2-0 lead. The Orioles were able to garner an out on the play however, as Moreland was tagged out at third base trying to advance – ending the inning.

But it also appeared that Boston’s Sale was going to struggle on this day as well. Before anyone knew it, the game was tied following Chris Davis‘ two-RBI single in the last of the first. Later in the inning Jonathan Schoop would double Davis home, and the O’s held a 3-2 lead.

And it appeared that Tillman was settling in on this Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately he gave up a solo homer to Benintendi in the third, which tied the game. However he did continue to record outs, and looked good in doing so. For the most part, base runners which he did allow were erased – until the sixth.

On one hand, it’s nary impossible to blame a pitcher when runs score due to an error…especially when said error comes as a result of a ball that wasn’t even in play. However it could also be said that had runners not been on base, nothing would have happened. You just never know what can happen, so when guys get on base they could end up getting home in any fashion.

Sure enough in the sixth, Boston had two runners in scoring position. Catcher Fransisco Pena had a shot at picking off Sandoval at third. In fact, he probably had him picked off…if not for the fact that the throw was errant and ended up in left field. Two runs scored on that E2, and Boston had a 5-3 lead. Benintendi would homer in the seventh, and smack an RBI-single in the ninth and Boston took the game 7-3.

So as seems to be the case in many four-game series’, the Orioles split this one with Boston two games a piece. Again, anything can happen when guys get on base. While those two runs are unearned, they are charged to Tillman. Yet they didn’t score as a result of anything that he did. That’s baseball sometimes.

Yesterday’s game was also the last one in the career of Orioles’ radio voice Fred Manfra, who is retiring and moving to Tampa, FL. It’s the end of a 50-year career in broadcasting for Manfra, which took him to NBA Finals, NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Triple Crown Races, and to the Orioles broadcast booth. He began with the Orioles in 1993, and has been a fixture in the radio booth ever since, being paired with the likes of John Miller, Jim Hunter, and of course Joe Angel.

Manfra will be missed, both by fans and by his co-workers. Angel said it’s been like calling games with his best friend for all the time they’ve worked together. Manfra’s a Baltimore native, and attended Patterson High School. And as I said, he will be missed.