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.

Baltimore Orioles: You have to put teams and hitters away

Trevor Rogers and Baltimore Orioles’ pitching struggled in a very poignant part of the game tonight against Washington. Starting with Rogers, Oriole pitchers couldn’t put Washington hitters away. This with two strikes. Rogers’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Washington is an extreme small-ball team. That means they don’t mind hitting with two strikes. And when they get on base, they’re looking to steal a base. Not a good combination when you can’t put guys away from the Orioles’ standpoint.

Following a double and a walk, Washington had two on and two out in the first. Wood’s RBI-single gave them a 1-0 lead. The Orioles were able to pick wood off first to end the inning, but not before a second run scored. Wood caught himself in a rundown, allowing the runner from third to score, and putting the O’s in a 2-0 hole.

Many of those runners got on base in two-strike counts. Again, you have to put hitters away when you get to that point. Especially on 0-2 or 1-2. And again specializing in small ball, Washington finds ways to score runs. What Wood did on first base was certainly unconventional, but it worked.

The Orioles would tie the game in piecemeal manner in the second and third. Ryan Mountcastle’s second inning RBI-single, and an inning later Anthony Santander’s solo homer did the trick. And if you’re counting, that’s 36 home runs by Santander this year, a team record for a switch-hitter (previously held by Ken Singleton). When you consider that Eddie Murray is on the list of Oriole switch-hitters as well, needless to say Santander’s in rare company.

However Washington came right back and put two runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth. Vargas and Garcia would clear the bases on two separate sac fly-RBI, giving Washington a 4-2 lead. Again, small ball. They put runs on the board however they can.

Vargas added an RBI-single in the sixth, followed by a two-RBI single by Young. The Orioles sat on waiting for the big knock the entire game. Which is tough to do when you don’t have anyone on base. Part of playing in the AL East is the big innings, but they never came for the Birds tonight.

But the runs did come for Washington, due in large part to their ability to hit with two strikes. Chaparro would add an RBI-double in the eighth, which is tough because this was his first big league game. And he devoured Oriole pitching. Ruiz added an RBI-single in the ninth as well, and the O’s trailed 9-2.

End of the day, again you have to put guys away. It’s the same problem as two-out rallies that have plagued the O’s for years. And the only way out of the problem is to pitch your way out of it. Just like on the flip side of the coin, the only solution is to hit your way out of it.

And the good news is that the Orioles had some solid at-bats in the ninth inning. It was certainly “too little too late,” but they can hopefully take that slight amount of momentum and bring it forward into tomorrow. And part of that momentum was the Orioles scoring a third run, with Cedric Mullins scoring from third on a fielder’s choice and an error. Again, you have to bring even the smallest amount of momentum forward.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s DJ Herz. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles welcome beltway rival

Following an off day, the Baltimore Orioles are back in action tonight. And back at Camden Yards at that. This evening the Washington Nationals come up the pike for the second installment of the Battle of the Beltways.

I’m not a fan of the two-game series. It feels very non-traditional, almost like a glorified doubleheader. However it’s also good for the fans in this region to have games in both parks between the two teams. The O’s split the first series in Washington back in May, a series that included a thrilling extra innings win.

The Birds enter play tonight alone in first place due to New York falling last night in Chicago. These are two games with Washington that the Orioles should win. But we all know the game isn’t played on paper. You have to show up. And this is a Washington team that’s consistently done that this season.

The series begins this evening at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Jake Irvin. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Don’t press your luck

Baltimore Orioles fans should remind themselves that the Birds took two-of-three in this weekend series in Tampa. If perfection is the goal, you’re always going to fall short. Having said that, starter Albert Suarez was pretty darned close to it this afternoon. Suarez’s line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

I rarely allow myself the simplicity of bluntness, but to be blunt…Suarez mowed Tampa hitters down from the beginning. Some of the innings were over before they even got cranking. It was perhaps the most dominant start of his Orioles’ career. You only wish that he had been given more to work with on the offensive side of the coin.

Anthony Santander hit a solo homer in the fourth inning. And that was the only run support that Suarez got. However again, I can’t downplay how stellar he was today. There’s no world in which he could have lost the game today with how he pitched.

Suarez was at 95 pitches after recording the second out in the seventh. And manager Brandon Hyde opted to lift him in favor of Cionel Perez. Caballero immediately doubled, which was followed by an RBI-single by Carlson. In a flash, Suarez was non-decisioned.

Hyde then went to Craig Kimbrel in the eighth, who promptly walked the leadoff hitter. Following a strikeout, he issued another walk. Keep in mind, Tampa already had the go-ahead run in scoring position in scoring position. Almost inexplicably, they opted to attempt a double-steal. Which is risky in that situation. But they did, and it worked.

If you’re going to do something like that, which is indubitably against the grain, it had better work. In Tampa’s case today, it did. Kimbrel intentionally walked the hitter at the plate with first base open, and Mead’s sac fly-RBI gave them a 2-1 lead.

To add insult to injury, Tampa’s closer, Fairbanks struck out Jackson Holliday in the ninth inning (for the second out) on a 1-2 changeup. Again, against the grain. Granted he had thrown three straight fastballs at that point, you would expect something in the dirt. Or a fastball high. Instead we got a changeup in the outer part of the strike zone, which is probably the last thing one would expect in that situation.

Again, you have to stand on the fact that the Orioles won this series. If you’re winning series’ you’re doing okay. And again, if you’re expecting perfection, you’re going to be let down. They took two-of-three; that’s not shabby. Yes they now move back into a tie with New York in the standings (with the Orioles in theory ahead by percentage points). But given that’s how they entered the series, in short they sustained.

People will point to Brandon Hyde relieving Suarez when he did. Obviously that’s the glaring thing in this game. However Suarez had never thrown that deep into a game. He was also at 95 pitches. All of that makes a difference. I tend to think that he possibly could have gone one more hitter. However had the result been the same (or worse), keep in mind that people’s reactions would be that Hyde should have pulled him.

So Hyde did what he did. And it’s a shame that it worked out the way that it did. Many will say that Tampa won today off of Hyde’s management. Maybe they did. Again, I would have left him in. But you also have to go with conventional wisdom, that being that the guy pitched deeper than he ever had before already.

In short, you can’t press your luck. And it’s that same point that I would make about the series overall. They won the series. That’s the goal in every series, and they did it. You can’t press your luck.

Baltimore Orioles: Ramon Urias redemption tour

Corbin Burnes gave the Baltimore Orioles a decent outing tonight (in the form of a quality start) at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, but it proved to be not enough. It certainly helped the Orioles win, but not in enough time for him to be the winner. Burnes’ line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Two of the first three hitters got on base for the Orioles, in the form of Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson. Adley Rutschman followed with an RBI-double, giving the O’s a 1-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle would immediately smack a two-RBI single, and the Birds led 3-0 after one.

One inning later Jackson Holliday’s solo home run extended the lead to 4-0. However come the fifth, Tampa battled back. They put a runner on, who stole second base. Caballero would single as well, and an infield single at that. It was in essence a swinging bunt, and it was “eaten” by Ramon Urias on the infield grass at third.

Following Caballero stealing second base, Jackson’s two-RBI double would cut the lead to 4-2. De Luca would add an RBI-double of his own later in the inning, cutting the Oriole lead to 4-3. Caballero would come up again in the seventh, and his solo homer would tie the game at four.

Typical of Tampa. They always get fat on what their opponent leaves out there, no matter how slight it might be. That Caballero play was ruled a hit; but it easily could have been an out had Urias made the play. Something that minute sparked a rally.

However Urias was able to redeem himself – and then some. Jackson Holliday drew a walk lead off the eighth inning, bringing Urias to the plate. And again…redemption. Urias smacked a two-run home run, putting the Orioles ahead 6-4. Before the inning ended Ryan Mountcastle would add an RBI-single, extending the lead to 7-4.

Tampa would threaten before it was all over, but the O’s never truly broke. Diaz dropped what appeared to be a harmless bloop single in, and one thing led to another. Before you knew it the bases were loaded with two outs, and Siri drew a pinch-hit walk to cut the lead to 7-5. However the bullpen was able to close it out from there, including Seranthont Dominguez in the ninth. It was only his second save of the season, the other one coming with Philadelphia…against the Orioles.

With the win, the Birds now sit alone in first place in the AL East by a game. This by virtue of New York dropping the second game of their doubleheader this afternoon with the Los Angeles Angels. The O’s are also the first team to 70 wins, if you’re keeping track at home.

Tampa doesn’t give up. The Orioles are fortunate that they were able to close this out. And make no mistake that it was a big win. It’s in the division, and it allows the Birds to sit alone in first – at least at the conclusion of play for one day. As much as I say that this stage of the season is keeping pace, the O’s took advantage of their main competition losing earlier today. They won. And they now sit alone in first.

The series concludes tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Albert Suarez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jeffrey Springs. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Zach Eflin returns to the Trop – and wins

Zach Eflin made his most recent start tonight at Tropicana Field – except this time for the Baltimore Orioles. Eflin of course was traded at the deadline from Tampa to the Orioles, and tonight made his third start for the Birds. This one however against his old team in his old home park. Eflin’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

This is pretty much the sort of outing that Tampa fans have been used to seeing out of Zach Eflin. And thus far, he’s been worth everything that he cost the Orioles to get him. After a taxing series in Toronto, Eflin went seven innings tonight, which saved the bullpen. It all begins and ends with starting pitching.

But a close second is getting on the scoreboard early. And the Orioles did – about as early as one can get. Colton Cowser led the game off with a solo homer. The Birds led 1-0 before the crowd had even settled in. Many of them wearing Orange & Black, for the record.

The Orioles had a lot of base runners on base tonight, including in the fifth. They loaded the bases with nobody out, and Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 3-0. One inning later it was a solo homer by Cedric Mullins which rallied the Birds further, extending the lead to 4-0.

Yennier Cano came on to close things out in the ninth, and did surrender a solo homer to Carlson. However that aside, the Orioles’ bullpen closed out a 4-1 win in Tampa, marked by solid pitching and good defense. New York was rained out tonight (doubleheader tomorrow), so the Orioles stand alone in first place in the AL East – for tonight.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Drew Rasmussen. Game time is set for 7:15 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: Contending teams sputter as the season turns

The key for the Baltimore Orioles going forward is to not have their valleys be too deep. That, and to not have them be at the same time as those of New York. This week for instance, both teams dropped two-of-three to teams they should have beaten handily. No harm no foul.

Teams such as the Orioles, New York, Philadelphia, et al, have gone hard all year long. Nobody – I repeat – NOBODY can go full throttle for an entire season (plus spring training). Therefore it’s natural that as the season wears on the best of the best are going to struggle as well. And teams who aren’t even in their zip code can make them look tame.

The Orioles’ biggest problem is injuries. Keep in mind, they had three pitchers undergo Tommy John’s this spring. They have a closer in Felix Bautista who most likely won’t play this year for the same reason, and they have another starter in Grayson Rodriguez who just went on the IL. Not to mention Heston Kjerstad, and others.

That’s tough to overcome. But this team is too talented and too good to allow themselves NOT to be in the mix. I routinely see fans grouse that they’re mismanaged, or that the players need to get with it. Again, NOBODY can keep it up for 162 games. If they could, someone would go 162-0 and in the World Series going away.

Again, the key is to sustain the rest of the way. Mind you, this team had very few hurdles last year once they overtook Tampa in the division. Maybe that was a bad thing in a sense. Because when things really counted (the postseason), they couldn’t turn it back on. This after a hiatus due to winning the division.

This year, there have been more struggles. Again, perhaps that’s a good thing. No folks, they aren’t going to miss the playoffs. Rest easy on that point. But when they get there, they might be more battle tested than they were last year. Texas got into the playoffs on the last day of the season. And you know what happened next.

End of the day, they’re in the same spot as New York – one of the teams people think will overtake the Birds. Many also think Boston has a shot; maybe they do. But I don’t see them finishing ahead of the Orioles. You can’t will yourself past teams with better talent on skunk alone.

All this being said, the idea is to sustain and keep pace. As we saw last year, once you get to the postseason, all bets are off.

Baltimore Orioles almost make it all the way back

Dean Kremer had some halfway decent innings for the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto this evening. Just not enough decent innings. It’s been a tough season for the Orioles’ starter, yet here he is. Kremer’s line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 6 K.

Kremer was pitching against a team in Toronto this evening who doesn’t strike out too much. Yet, he still notched six strikeouts. However in doing so, he got a lot of the plate with his pitches. And he paid for that.

Guerrero’s RBI-double in the first inning following two runners being put on. Guerrero victimized the Orioles tonight, and given the fact that this was the last meeting between the teams, the Orioles don’t need to worry about running into him again.

However that also left runners at second and third, and when Kremer was called for a balk Toronto led 2-0. Kirk’s RBI-single extended the lead to 3-0. For the record, that was Kremer’s first balk in his career.

The Orioles did try to battle back. Colton Cowser’s two-run homer in the third got them back to within one. However Toronto would pad their lead in the later innings, much of that on the bat once again of Guerrero. They ran it all the way to 7-2, and the game appeared to be over…

…but it wasn’t. The O’s loaded the bases in the ninth, and Jackson Holliday grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI. That was followed by an RBI-double by Cedric Mullins, bringing Colton Cowser back to the plate.

And Cowser’s “excuse me swing” two-RBI single cut the Toronto lead to 7-6. The O’s had the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs in the ninth. However Anthony Santander flied out to center, ending the game in a 7-6 loss.

The Orioles have also run into the buzzsaw of good pitching. Toronto starter Gausman (former Oriole) pitched eight innings. He gave up just that Colton Cowser home run, and struck out only two. Eight innings pitched and he struck out TWO HITTERS. That’s a statistical anomaly, but it’s also indicative of what the Orioles were up against tonight.

However make no mistake, we saw the Orioles come to life in the end. And maybe at this stage of the season, that’s what it’s all about – coming alive at the right time. Coming alive when needed to keep pace in the standings. And on that note by virtue of New York losing to Anaheim, the O’s remain in a first place tie.

The O’s now go to Tampa to open a series at Tropicana Field tomorrow night. Zach Eflin gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Litell. Game time is set for just before 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: “Wacko Jacko” and Tony Taters propel the Birds

In the wake of losing yet another starter to injury last night (Grayson Rodriguez), the Baltimore Orioles reminded the division and the fans that they aren’t throwing in the towel. In fact, behind a solid outing by Trevor Rogers, they put the rest of the league on notice that they’re staying the course. One player and one game a season does not make. Rogers’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 earned), 2 BB, 2 K.

Following a lead off walk, Anthony Santander’s two-run homer in the first inning gave the Birds a 2-0 lead. But weird things happen to the Orioles under that dome in Toronto. Kirk sent a grounder to Coby Mayo at third, and following a funny hop he was safe at first base. It was ruled a single, and Toronto would score on Horowitz’s sac fly-RBI.

Serven’s RBI-double in the second tied the game at two. However later in the inning Clement would ground into what should have been the final out. Coby Mayo made a great play in getting to the ball, but an errant throw allowed a third run to score, and the Orioles suddenly trailed 3-2.

The strike zone was an issue the entire game. Home plate umpire Larry Vanover never seemed to define a consistent zone. Eventually the Orioles had seen enough of Vanover’s “progressive strike zone,” and manager Brandon Hyde was ejected in the fifth inning. It was bound to happen, as Oriole hitters were going down left and right on pitches that weren’t even close.

But the O’s still trailed. That is until the seventh inning. Eloy Jimenez delivered an infield single with one out, and went to second on an errant throw. He later took third on an attempted pickoff attempt that yielded another errant throw. However while it was good to get a runner that close to home, it really didn’t matter…

…because Jackson Holliday sent a ball into kingdom come. His two-run home run put the O’s back in the lead at 4-3. That lead however was immediately challenged in the last of the seventh. With a runner on second and two outs, acting manager Freddi Gonzales opted to pitch to Guerrero – a heavy hitter.

In my gut I questioned that with first base open. And almost true to form, Guerrero sent a deep shot to right field. Needless to say, it appeared ticketed for a game-tying moment. Possibly a go-ahead moment once again for Toronto. For a split second it was all coming crashing down.

However at the 11th hour, Anthony Santander reached out and caught the ball smack against the wall on the run. Did it save the game? Needless to say, it was a heroic play that doesn’t get made nine times out of ten. And it also ended the inning, as well as the threat. Again needless to say, it was a key moment in the ballgame.

That preserved the Orioles’ one-run lead. But just a moment after that, Santander did his team one better. He led off the top of the eighth with a solo home run, which despite going the opposite way from Holliday’s, went almost just as far. That extended the Orioles’ lead to 5-3.

Later in that eighth inning Eloy Jimenez smacked a two-RBI double, giving the Orioles some insurance. The bullpen closed it out the rest of the way, and the Birds took home a 7-3 victory. And make no mistake, that was one of the biggest victories of the season to date.

Jackson Holliday became the youngest player to homer in three straight games. This in league history. He and Anthony Santander were the hero’s tonight, and once again this team reminded the competition that they still have a heartbeat.

Incidentally on Holliday, Toronto pitchers were taking advantage of Larry Vanover’s “progressive strike zone” by pitching outside the zone with four-seam fastballs. But they went to the well one too many times, and Holliday got a pitch that was up, but caught too much of the zone. If it’s high, let it fly. And he did.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Rogers Centre. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.