Baltimore Orioles: #RIPFlanny

This is a day that will live in infamy for Baltimore Orioles fans of a certain generation. It was on August 24, 2011 that we found out of the untimely death of former pitcher Mike Flanagan. At the time I said I’d never let today pass as long as I penned this column without commemorating it.

We all know Mike Flanagan’s story. He was an Oriole through and through. I would submit that was never more on display than when he famously was the last Oriole to pitch at Memorial Stadium. Flanagan retired the side, and the Orioles moved to Oriole Park at Camden Yards the next season. When later asked about his slow walk in from the bullpen that day, Flanagan said had he gone any faster he would have fallen over.

Flanagan pitched for the Orioles (with a short stint in Toronto after a trade), he served as a pitching coach, broadcaster, and executive. This franchise was his life’s work. However on this day, we should also think of his family. They’re the ones who suffered when his journey ended. It’s my hope that Birdland keeps them in their thoughts and prayers today and always.

Baltimore Orioles: With everything on the line, it was Anthony Santander

Cade Povich had one rough inning for the Baltimore Orioles tonight against Houston. He was adequate, needless to say. He just didn’t figure into the end. Povich’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The O’s actually had an early lead in this one, as Ramon Urias reached on a fielder’s choice due to an errant throw on what should have been a double-play ball. That allowed a run to score, and the O’s led 1-0. But it was short-lived.

Cade Povich had one bad inning, that being the third. Houston’s Altuve smacked a two-run homer, giving Houston a 2-1 lead. Pena and Meyers would smack an RBI-double and a single respectively, and the Orioles trailed 4-1.

But the Birds tried to make a game of it. Colton Cowser led off the last of the third with a solo homer, cutting the lead to 4-2. However that’s all the Birds could muster up. The offense is really struggling right now, and there’s no explanation as to why. It didn’t help that Pena added a solo homer in the sixth.

Povich left the game with a run in and two on in the sixth. However Burch Smith came on and retired Houston without any further damage in the inning. Not only that, but he retired them 1-2-3, including having a runner being thrown out at home plate. That was big, although we didn’t know it at the time. We also didn’t know at the time that Craig Kimbrel not surrendering a run in the top of the eighth was big. But then the last of the eighth happened.

Following singles by Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson reached on a fielder’s choice. Houston reliever Abreu fielded a comebacker, and threw to third. Cowser dove back in after taking his lead, and was ruled safe. The play was upheld on instant replay, and the O’s had the bases loaded with nobody out. This while being down by three. You see where this is going…

…for starters, Anthony Santander was coming to the plate. Keep in mind, bases loaded and nobody out isn’t guaranteed to yield any runs. Abreu could have struck out the side from that moment forward. But part of the Orioles’ struggles of late has come from not taking advantage of the opportunities they’ve had.

And Santander put an end to that. Oh did he ever. With one swing on a 2-1 count, he sent the ball deep into the Baltimore night. It could have landed in Waverly. Or Canton. Federal Hill…you name the neighborhood. It doesn’t matter. It cleared the fence for a grand slam, and the Orioles led 6-5.

The Birds would tack on yet another run later in the inning on an RBI-triple by Ramon Urias. Seranthony Dominguez was ice cold in the ninth, and somehow, someway, the O’d defeated Houston, 7-5. The series evened now at one.

You won’t find a more improbable win than that. The headline of course is Santander, but don’t diminish the role Burch Smith and Craig Kimbrel played. Kimbrel of course who got the win. And make no mistake, it was a big win. One that depending on how things end up this year, we might look at as a turning point.

The one downside was Cedric Mullins leaving the game with a strained left quad. After striking out on a pitch that appeared out of the zone, he was seen talking to head athletic trainer Brian Ebel – he was later pulled. You have to hope he doesn’t have to miss any significant time. After the game Brandon Hyde said he was day-to-day,

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Albert Suarez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Frambler Valdez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Houston always pushes the envelope

The stat line doesn’t indicate that Corbin Burnes pitched well for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. I’ll put it this way; he wasn’t awful. He came unraveled at the end, but make no mistake that he pitched well enough to win. Burnes’ line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R (5 earned), 2 BB, 2 K.

One of those two walks came to Houston’s Altuve in the fourth. This after Altuve took multiple close pitches, and multiple close calls that were ruled to be out of the strike zone. Altuve, much like Houston overall, loves to push the envelope. He knew Burbes struggled to keep runners on…

…Burnes threw over twice, which of course is all that’s allowed under the new rules. That is unless you pick the guy off, which Burnes didn’t when he immediately threw over again. So Altuve went to second on a balk.

And Altuve scored on Alvarez’s RBI-single later in the inning. Mind you, in theory Altuve might not have been in scoring position if not for the balk/disengagement violation. Granted he may well have swiped second – because he always pushes the issue. But you get the point. Gamel would add an RBI-single (his first hit as a member of the Houston Astros), and the Birds trailed 2-0.

Gamel would record his second Houston hit in the sixth with an RBI-single. Meyers would come up with runners at the corners later in the inning. And with two outs…

…and Meyers would lay down a bunt. It raised my eyebrows as it happened. A two out bunt? Given the number of outs, you’re all but taking the bat out of someone else’s hands, as you’re obviously bunting for a base hit.

But…it worked. Corbin Burnes ran off the mound to the third base side infield the ball, and uncorked an errant throw to first. Whitcomb’s two-run single later in the inning extended the Houston lead to 6-0.

End of the day, the fact that the Orioles only mustered three hits mattered as much as anything else. However again, Houston does anything and everything. Burnes got deeked into wasting his pickoff attempts on Altuve, as Altuve knew that Burnes knew that he (Burnes) struggled to hold runners on. And perhaps Burnes (among others – including myself) was so shocked that Meyers threw down a bunt, that he hurried the throw. This printing the error, and the run.

Houston takes a lot of risks in their games. They’re almost ill-afraid of losing or failing. And somehow they’re rewarded for it. They push the envelope, and it works.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Hunter Brown. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles hold on despite Dean Kremer’s strong outing

The Baltimore Orioles sent starter Zach Eflin to the IL before tonight’s game with shoulder inflammation. He’s not expected to miss too much time, but it’s a tough spot and a tough pill to swallow (especially with Eflin set to start tomorrow). With the possibility of tomorrow being a bullpen game, the Birds needed a good start tonight out of Dean Kremer. And they got it. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

There are two sets of positives in this game. The first part was Kremer. the second were Oriole bats, which came alive tonight with an exclamation point. Kremer had a 2-0 lead tonight before he even took the mound thanks to a two-run homer by Anthony Santander.

But the runs didn’t stop there. James McCann’s sac fly-RBI in the second ran it to 3-0. That came as a result of Colton Cowser technically hitting a ball off the outfield wall. Instant replay reversed what had originally been an out, but upon further review it was ruled a triple given that the ball ticked off the outfielder’s glove and hit the wall.

One inning later New York made a veiled attempt to get back into the game on an RBI-double by Vientos. That third inning is the only mini-struggle Dean Kremer had tonight. He walked two guys and had two strikes with two outs before allowing that double to Vientos. It was the only ball that was put in play that inning, but Kremer shut things down from there.

And the Orioles pressed on. Ramon Urias reached in the fourth on an infield single that got by the pitcher and was bobbled by the catcher. Colton Cowser scored from second base, as nobody covered home plate. a mental lapse by the New York infield on what amounted to a swinging bunt single. And the O’s took advantage.

But they weren’t finished. James McCann came back up in the aftermath of that run, and sent a two-run homer into the grandstand that might still be flying. Keep in mind, the O’s traded for McCann with the New York Mets over the 2022-‘23 off season. You know he had (that traded him) to feel good homering against his former team in his former home park.

Eloy Jimenez would tack on an RBI-double in the fifth, and it’s probably a good thing that he did. With a man on second and one out in the eighth, Vientos reached on a Gunnar Henderson error. Nimmo would double home a run, bringing Martinez to the plate.

Mind you, Martinez has hit the Orioles well over time. And that’s a trend which continued, as he hit a three-run homer. That cut the lead to 7-5.

Luckily the Birds got out of it without further damage. They also had one more turn at bat. Following a single and a walk, Gunnar Henderson made up for his earlier error. He dropped a blooper off the left fielder Nimmo’s glove that was ruled a hit…

…two throwing errors later both runners had scored. And Henderson stood on third base. That gave the Orioles some much needed breathing room, and they closed out the game.

But you have to take outs when they’re given to you. Unfortunately it was Gunnar Henderson who committed the error, but reliever Burch Smith who suffered as a result. On a positive note, Brandon Hyde went to Craig Kimbrel with one down in the ninth, who closed things down nicely – two outs in seven pitches. Not a save situation, but hopefully it gives Kimbrel some confidence and keeps him fresh.

However the big story was Dean Kremer. The O’s needed a deep start tonight. And he provided it. Also his second straight quality start. What happens tomorrow is certainly a concern. But for tonight, a win’s a win.

Kremer’s strong outing, combined with Oriole bats coming alive tonight is a good sign. The injury bug hasn’t been kind to the Orioles this year. Especially of late. Which means they need to conserve their bullpen as best they can. Things got hairy unnecessarily in the end. But Kremer did his part.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Citi Field. Cole Irvin will come back up to make the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Sean Manaea. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Not how you wanted to start the series

Trevor Rogers “sustained” this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. He surrendered three runs, but didn’t sell the farm, this in a proverbial sense. Meaning he didn’t light up the scoreboard with K’s, but he kept the O’s in the game. That’s all anyone can ask. Rogers’ line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Martinez’s two-run homer in the first inning gave New York a 2-0 lead. However that was one of the only bad pitches Rogers made. He allowed an RBI-single to Taylor in the fourth, extending New York’s lead to 3-0.

However what hurt the Orioles the most in this game was the “progressive strike zone” held by home plate umpire John Tumpane. Opposing hitters routinely had balls called on the corners. Meanwhile Oriole hitters had balls in the dirt called strikes. There was no rhythm or reason. And it did affect Oriole hitters. They ended up swinging at pitches that were well out of the zone, as they figured they’d be called strikes. Balls they had no prayer of reaching.

At one point late in the game Orioles’ starter Corbin Burnes let Tumpane have it, and appeared on the verge of being run. That combined with the fact that the Oriole bench seemed to be making comments all night made for an interesting game. Jackson Holliday’s RBI-groundout in the fifth got the Birds on the board.

And they tied the game in the seventh in a bizarre sequence. With Ryan Mountcastle on third, New York’s Peterson was called for a balk. That plated Mountcastle, cutting the lead to 3-2.

The very next pitch was to Ramon Urias, and it was a solo home run which tied the game. Needless to say it was a strange sequence of events. And as much as the Orioles were angered by the strike zone, my impressions were that New York didn’t appreciate that call.

However they got the win. Alvarez smacked a solo walk off homer in the last of the ninth to win it, 4-3. It’s a tough way to lose, however it was also against a National League opponent. And that lessens the blow slightly.

The series continues tomorrow at Citi Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jose Quintana. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Albert Suarez got his thirds

You can’t say enough of the job Albert Suarez has done for the Baltimore Orioles. This over the course of the season, and of late. He’s picked the team up when it’s needed him most. Including today, with the Birds desperately needing a win. Suarez’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

This was a pitcher’s duel from the beginning with Boston starter Crawford. Who was almost equally as outstanding this afternoon. If anything, he gave up less early on than Suarez did. But Suarez pitched out of every mini-jam he got into.

Suarez had two keys this afternoon; one was fastball command. His fastballs were coming in fast and furious. And they were going by Boston hitters all afternoon, sending them back to the dugout.

The other key was what I’ll call “the thirds.” The Orioles have struggled for years with two strikes and two outs. How many times have we talked about pitchers getting to the brink of retiring a hitters the side, or both, only to give up a base hit or home run? How many rallies have started on that brink?

Not today. Suarez got his man every time. It’s easy to say that‘s what you’re supposed to do – and it is. But when you’ve consistently struggled with it like the Orioles have, you notice things like that. It shuts down rallies before they can get going.

Adley Rutschman broke a scoreless tie in the last of the fifth with a solo homer. Rutschman of course gwllhas been out of the lineup a couple games due to a back strain (despite making a pinch-hit appearance last night). It wad a great way for him to welcome himself back to the starting lineup.

However with how this series has gone, one run might not have cut it. This is a Boston team which peskily doesn’t quit. So one inning later with Crawford tiring quickly, the Birds put runners on first and second with nobody out. Ryan O’Hearn would have grounded into a double-play, however the throw back to first was wide. That allowed Ramon Urias to score from third, giving the O’s a 2-0 lead.

You’ve seen other teams get fat off of Oriole mistakes here and there. Finally the reverse became true. And none other than Gunnar Henderson gave the Birds even more insurance, with a two-run homer later in the inning.

And it’s a good thing Henderson smacked that homer. True to form, Boston rallied. They loaded the bases in the eighth, and Rafaela’s RBI-single cut the lead to 4-1. Refsnyder also smacked a solo homer off the left field foul pole in the ninth, before Devers struck out to end the game.

That’s a big win for the Birds. Not just to split this series, but it also guarantees that they’ve won the season series with Boston. This with an entire series between the two still to go at Fenway next month. So it’s almost two wins in a sense.

The O’s head to Citi Field tomorrow night to open up three with the New York Mets. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s David Peterson. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall despite Cade Povich’s strong outing

Despite the game starting in an hour and twenty minute rain delay, Cade Povich turned in his best outing as a pro last night for the Baltimore Orioles. The record shows he took the loss, and to some people that’s all they know. But make no mistake that he was a superstar last night. Povich’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Povich of course came up not too long ago – in the middle of the season. However as I’ve said many times, a starter will have ten great outings, ten poor, and ten in between. You need to be able to put W’s in ink next to those games when a pitcher throws a game like that. Last night, the Orioles couldn’t do that.

Povich gave up an RBI-single to O’Neil in the sixth, giving Boston a 1-0 lead. The frustrating thing is it was a softly hit liner. The Orioles are looking to hit the cover off the ball when they come up to bat, yet that soft liner was all it took for Boston.

The Birds didn’t get their first hit until the bottom of that sixth inning. But it was a big one. It came in the form of a solo homer by Gunnar Henderson, tying the game at one.

Povich was lifted after recording an out and surrendering a base but in the seventh. And the crowd gave him an apt reaction, which Povich acknowledged after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Obviously been up and down, had some struggles up here overall with the last few starts, so having another opportunity to come up here and coming into the seventh and then leaving. That crowd, I had the chills coming off a little bit. Still kind of in game mode, but I guess a little bit trying to fight off a smile. It was special.

However that runner that Povich put on came around to score on Duran’s two-RBI single later in the inning. That means that Povich, after the best start of his career, was in line to be the loser. Devers’ two-run homer in the eighth extended the lead, and the O’s fell, 5-1.

For what it’s worth, it should have been 5-2. Eloy Jiménez would have hit a solo homer in the last of the ninth, but Boston’s Duran climbed the wall and saved the ball. He robbed Jimenez of a homer. He also made sure that the crowd and everyone watching at home saw him puffing out his chest and seeing his exuberance at having made a great play. This while Jimenez raised his cap in the air towards Duran as a sign of respect and appreciation for the moment. You can judge for yourself whether the arrogance or humility is more becoming.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Albert Suarez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kutter Crawford. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles drop a whale of a game

By the end, nobody remembered that Corbin Burnes turned in his worst outing as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. For the first time this year, Burnes failed to complete five games innings. And he got tagged pretty good. But again, by the time the game finally ended, it was probably forgotten by most who saw it. Burnes’ line: 4.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

Boston jumped out to an early 2-0 in the first, which was a harbinger. Ramon Urias’ RBI-single in the second got the O’s on the board, but then Devers’ two-run homer in the third extended the lead back to 4-1. However the game was still young.

The Birds tied the game briefly in the last of the third. Eloy Jimenez’s RBI-double cut the lead to 4-2, and Jackson Holliday’s RBI-triple trimmed it down to 4-3. He would later score on a wild pitch.

However an RBI-single and a three-run homer by Yoshida in the fourth chased Burnes and put Boston back in the lead at 8-4. The devastating part of that is the homer came on a two/out curve ball. Again with two outs. It’s almost as if the Orioles start pitching to contact with two down, and opposing teams are catching on.

The Orioles weren’t done, however. Ramon Urias’ RBI-single and James McCann’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth brought them to within 8-6. However Boston countered in the seventh with two home runs, running the count to 11-6. Yet again it started with Ramon Urias – the Orioles’ comeback attempt, that is. His two-run homer cut the Boston lead to 11-8 in the seventh. Gunnar Henderson grounded into a force out, netting an additional run, and the Birds were within three at 11-9.

Boston would add an insurance run on an RBI-single by Yoshida. Ramon Urias added a sac fly-RBI in the last of the eighth, but couldn’t muster much in the ninth. And they fell 12-10 in a wild one.

Ten minutes before game time Adley Rutschman was scratched with lower back discomfort. You hope that it’s a one-game thing, but time will tell. Needless to say( Ramon Urias picked up the slack tonight. Three hits and five RBI speak for themselves.

It’s easy to look at one pitcher or another and place blame. Craig Kimbrel, for instance. However this was just one of those games. Bats were flying and making contact on both sides. Some of Boston’s early contacts came on softly hit balls. But that ceased to be the case shortly thereafter. Sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Albert Suarez is listed as the starter for the Orioles (despite rumors that it might be Cade Povich), and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Brayan Bello. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles slug their way past Boston

Zach Eflin pitched a gem for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in the first game of four against Boston. Mind you folks, this was a division game. Against a team that in theory is chasing the O’s. Needless to say, the Orioles came up big tonight. Eflin’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

Eflin struck out eight, which is great. That also means he was getting a decent amount of the plate, and the one bad pitch he made ended up being a solo homer to Abreu in the fourth. That gave Boston a 1-0 lead. But that was the lone highlight for Boston over the course of the entire game.

The Orioles tied the game immediately. Following an Anthony Santander walk, Gunnar Henderson smacked a two-run homer, and the Orioles led 2-1. It was to almost the same part of the park as last night’s shot, and almost just as deep.

One inning later in the fifth, Cedric Mullins’ solo homer extended the lead to 3-1. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the sixth ran it to 4-1, and Colton Cowser capped it off with an RBI-double in the seventh, sending the Birds home 5-1 winners. The O’s now move back into a first place tie with New York, who was idle tonight.

This felt like the first game in some time that was just “clean.” If anything, it was borderline boring. The most drama in the game was the infield single Yennier Cano gave up in the ninth. But it was for naught, as Cano shut things down after that.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and Boston is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dean Kremer leads the day

The Baltimore Orioles needed a win tonight against Washington. Not because of the Battle of the Beltways, but to keep pace in the standings. They needed someone to step up, and Dean Kremer was that man. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Kremer sent Washington down 1-2-3 in the first inning. For the most part, that was a harbinger of things to come. With a runner on in the last of the first, Gunnar Henderson hit a ball that maybe hasn’t landed yet – this for a two-run homer, and the Birds led 2-0.

However Washington came right back, providing Kremer with his only hiccup. Call’s RBI-double in the second cut the lead to 2-1. It was a high liner that grazed off of Anthony Santander’s glove on right field as he collided with the wall. However that Henderson home run stood up for the Orioles for some time. But they needed more.

And eventually, they got it. First off, Coby Mayo recorded his first major league hit in the last of the fifth. That’s always a big moment when someone’s able to do that, and it had been some time coming for Mayo. Nice that he was able to do it in front of the home crowd at Camden Yards.

Both Dean Kremer and Washington starter Herz were outstanding tonight. It was the sort of game that someone had to lose. However it was Oriole bats who responded late, and the Oriole bullpen who was able to step it up a step.

Jackson Holliday’s one-out RBI-single extended the Orioles’ lead to 3-1. Later in the inning Adley Rutschman’s sac-fly RBI would extend it further to 4-1. And the Oriole bullpen took the bull by the horns from there and shut Washington down. With the win, the O’s split this series and the season series with Washington.

It’s easy to say that those last two runs weren’t even necessary. However would the bullpen have been as locked down with only a one-run lead? End of the day we’ll never know. But we do know how it turned out, and the score said the Orioles won.

The Orioles now welcome in Boston tomorrow, opening a four-game series at Camden Yards. Zach Eflin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nick Pivetta. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.