Baltimore Orioles: Birds let one slip away, win series

The Baltimore Orioles needed a longer or longish outing out of Cole Irvin this afternoon at Camden Yards. While the Birds were going for the sweep, they also have one off day in the month of June. So having a starter go deep after yesterday would make a difference. Irvin’s line: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

Of course the most important aspect of what I wrote above is that the O’s were going for a sweep. Keep in mind, being in the division this game and this series takes on a bigger presence. The Birds already had the series. Now they wanted to sweep it.

And they got off the a good start. Gunnar Henderson took the first pitch he saw onto Eutaw Street. It was measured at 420 feet. That’s quite a distance. And the O’s led 1-0.

Anthony Santander added an RBI-single in the third, and Adley Rutschman did the same in the fourth. However after that, the O’s couldn’t get much going at the plate. One thing of concern; Jorge Mateo was lifted for a pinch hitter after he bopped himself in the head following through on his swing while in the on-deck circle. Something to watch going forward.

However Tampa picked away. Diaz’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth cut the lead to 3-1. Two innings later in the seventh a solo homer by Caballeros cut it to one at 3-2. However it was Siri’s two-RBI double in the eighth which gave Tampa a 4-3 lead.

The O’s took the series, but this feels like a game that got away. The Orioles aren’t necessarily worried about Tampa catching them in the standings, but New York doesn’t seem to want to lose either. However again, it’s a series win. That matters.

And keep in mind that over the course of 162, you’ll have games you give away. You’ll also have games you’ll steal. The Adley Rutschman walkoff homer to beat Toronto a few weeks ago is an example. This is all part of baseball, which as I’ve said many times, you can’t follow like you would the NFL. You’ll go nuts.

The O’s now head to take on Toronto tomorrow night at Rogers Centre. Grayson Rodriguez 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,

Baltimore Orioles: Two homers for Ryan Mountcastle lifts the Birds

Kyle Bradish didn’t have it this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. Following an outing where he pitched seven no-hit innings, he didn’t make it out of the third inning. However in fairness to Bradish, this was a pretty wild game. Bradish’s line: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Mountcastle started things off with a two-run homer in the last of the first. However the Birds went back-to-back that inning, as Anthony Santander followed right away with a solo shot – this on his bobblehead day. And the O’s led 3-0 after one.

However Tampa popped back up in the second. Caballero’s RBI-single and Diaz’s RBI-triple tied the game at three. And the Birds would be put on notice that they were in for a dog fight.

But this Oriole team is too good to let that hold them down. Or even the news that John Means and Tyler Wells will miss the rest of the season, for that matter. Jordan Westburg’s solo homer in the second gave the O’s the lead back at 4-3.

However Tampa would eventually take the lead. Officially, Aranda struck out to start the third. However the ball hit off of home plate, and bounced into the stands. It’s scored as a wild pitch, Aranda was awarded first base, and he would later score on Siri’s RBI-single. Diaz would walk with the bases loaded later in the inning, giving Tampa a 4-3 lead.

This all in the first two-and-a-half innings. However Jordan Westburg would come through again for the Orioles in the last of the third however, with an RBI-single which tied the game. The Orioles would then take the lead, this time for good…

…this on Kyle Stowers’ RBI-double. Jorge Mateo would follow with a sac fly-RBI to pad the lead at 7-5. However if this game and the past is any indication, that two-run lead wasn’t going to be enough. And the fact is you just never know.

Ryan Mountcastle came up in the last of the fourth with a runner on once again. And the result was the same as what we saw in the first. Mountcastle smacked his second two-run homer of the game, and the O’s led 9-5. As I said, you just never know. So keep scoring.

Mercifully however, that’s all the Orioles needed. The bullpens on both sides quieted things down after that. However it does show that while they’re having a tough go of things this season, Tampa isn’t as far off as their record indicates.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Littell, game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays keeps the Birds a step ahead

Al Suarez took to the mound in game one of three against Tampa for the Baltimore Orioles. One thing that struck me about this game was that Tampa’s ab organization that’s stayed a step ahead of their competition for what seems like generations. No matter what, it seemed that whichever buttons they pushed was the correct one. Tonight we saw that in reverse, which is fairly consistent with what Tampa’s season has been. Suarez’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Tampa got a run in the second inning on an RBI-single by Rortvedt. And for some time that run stood up for Tampa. Which is consistent with what we’ve seen from them over the years. Their attitude has always been we have one run, and that means you need to score two to beat us.

However the Orioles eventually got into the Tampa bullpen. They brought in reliever Lovelady, which appears to have been a mistake. Again, in the past that’s a move that would have worked well for Tampa. Especially given that the O’s countered by pinch-hitting Austin Hays. But…

…that wasn’t to be for Tampa this evening. Hays sent an RBI-single to left field, tying the game at one. Following another pitching change, Jorge Mateo’s two-RBI double cleared the bases, and put the Orioles in the lead at 3-1

For the sake of his season, Hays needed that. It was a huge play in the grand scope of the game, and a big play in terms of his career. Austin Hays has been in a terrible slump. So the ability to tie the game at one makes a huge difference.

Again, what strikes me about this game and about Tampa’s season thus far is that their “magic” seems to be gone. They made a living out of watching teams do common sense things, and have that common sense turned on it’s head. In this case it’s the Orioles who rolled the dice in pinch-hitting a guy in Austin Hays, who’s struggling. And it’s the Orioles who reaped the rewards.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Taj Bradley. Game time is set for just after 4 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson’s early thunder powers the Birds

Corbin Burnes was his normal dominant self this evening in the series finale against Boston at Camden Yards. When you give up one run, you should expect to win the game. And a run that didn’t count against his ERA at that. Burnes’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 earned), 3 BB, 5 K.

Burnes gave up a base hit to Wong in the second. Wong would later steal second, and advance to third on a throwing error. He would later score when Smith reached on a fielder’s choice, and was ruled safe at first. Jorge Mateo’s throw home on a ground ball sailed high and wide.

However the Orioles weren’t about to allow themselves to fall into the traps of last night. They couldn’t get hits or get on base last night in big spots. They weren’t about to repeat that performance.

Following a hit batsman the Birds put two runners on in the last of the second. Ramon Urias, who got a rare start, contributed with an RBI-single. This tied the game, and put Boston on notice that they weren’t about to hold the lead the entire game.

While Boston recorded two outs, the O’s loaded the bases. That brought Gunnar Henderson to the plate, and he unleashed a deep shot to right center field. You knew it was gone from the beginning, and it gave the O’s a 5-1 lead.

And when your pitching is as good as what Burnes turned in this evening, that’s all you really need. Ramon Urias would add another solo homer late, and the O’s went home with a 6-1 victory. They took two-of-three from Boston this week. Win and move on. Tampa comes to town this weekend.

Baltimore Orioles: Can’t squander a sure thing and win

Grayson Rodriguez struggled out of the gate for the Baltimore Orioles this evening against Boston. It wasn’t a total disaster, but Boston hitters were all over him from the first pitch. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 10 K.

The ten strikeouts illustrate that it wasn’t a total washout. Ten strikeouts is impressive . However it also shows how in some capacity perhaps Rodriguez was getting too much of the plate. Sometimes pitch location can be a strange tug of war. The opposite of this is nibbling, and obviously you don’t want to do that either.

A solo homer by Abreu and an RBI-single by Devers gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the first inning. But the O’s bounced right back. Colton Cowser’s RBI-single in the last of the first cut the lead in half. After the Birds put two runners on base as the inning went on, Jordan Westburg’s two-RBI single gave them a 3-2 lead.

And that single was tight down the right field line. Westburg put it exactly where it needed to be in order to get the two runs in. And the Orioles held a brief lead.

However Boston immediately tied the score and retook the lead. Duran’s RBI-double in the second tied the score at three. Devers would add another RBI-single, which was in essence a bloop, later in the inning. That gave them a 4-3 lead. It was softly-hit, but it found daylight.

The key moment in the game however was in the last of the sixth. The Orioles loaded the bases with nobody out. Boston pulled its starter, Bello, and the Birds zero’d in on attempting to tie the game.

But it never came to that. Austin Hays struck out, Jorge Mateo grounded into a force out at home plate, and Gunnar Henderson struck out as well to end the inning. The O’s totally let Boston off the hook.

And you can’t win games when you don’t take advantage of opportunities like that. They say when you get a runner to third with less than two outs you should score. The O’s had that in the sixth inning tonight and then some – they had the bases loaded with nobody down. You have to score there.

Boston would tack on a run in the eighth on an RBI-single by Wong. They would then add four more in the ninth. They picked up what the Orioles left on the field. Which has to be expected in big league baseball.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kutter Crawford. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles showcase their potential on Memorial Day

The Baltimore Orioles sent Cole Irvin to the mound this afternoon at Camden Yards against Boston on Memorial Day. This not only opens the summertime season in the “Land of Pleasant Living,” but it signals the open of a long stretch of games in which the Birds will play in the division. And it started with a bag. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Irvin and the Oriole bullpen shut down Boston bats this afternoon, save for the eighth inning. And as – shall we say – inconsistent as Oriole bats have been of late, they came to life today in front of a massive and enthusiastic hometown holiday matinee crowd. And it wasn’t even close.

Jordan Westburg’s second inning RBI-single and Adley Rutschman’s third inning sac fly-RBI put the Birds ahead 2-0. Boston had a brief moment where they challenged in the fourth with the bases loaded. But Irvin pitched out of that jam, ending the inning. And keep in mind, when you squander opportunities (which Boston did there), often times your opponent takes advantage.

Kyle Stowers’ two-RBI double in the last of the fourth doubled the lead to 4-0. Cedric Mullins added a two-RBI triple, followed by a sac fly-RBI by Cedric Mullins. And before you knew it, the O’s had busted the game wide open and led 7-0.

It can happen that fast. But the O’s weren’t done yet. Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double in the seventh ran the score to 8-0. Ryan Mountcastle added an RBI-single, and Kyle Stowers a two-RBI single. And again, before anyone knew what happened the O’s led Boston 11-0 on this Memorial Day Monday afternoon.

Boston would load the bases against new Oriole Thiago Viera in the top of the eighth, and Gonzalez would get them on the board with a bases-clearing triple. But that’s all Boston was able to muster today. And it was merely a blip in the radar.

Today was the first of 14 straight games in the division. They aren’t all going to go like this. Just saying that up front. But this is about as good as the Orioles could have asked for things to go this afternoon. It’s a win in the division. And a big one at that.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Brayan Bello. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A near no-no for Kyle Bradish, but a win and a sweep

Technically the record shows that Kyle Bradish didn’t throw a no-hitter today for the Baltimore Orioles. You have to throw a complete game for that to be the case. And the O’s didn’t even get credited for a shared no-hitter, as they did give up a hit after Bradish departed. But needless to say, Bradish threw the best outing of his career today. And it wasn’t even close. Bradish’s line: 7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 11 K.

Ironically, I thought that Chicago starter Crochet was throwing amazing stuff – almost no-hitter sort of stuff. He was outstanding as well. But very quietly, Bradish didn’t give up a hit. All of this after a nearly two hour rain delay to start the game on the South Side of Chicago.

Despite Crochet’s efforts, it was the Orioles who got on the board first. His two-run homer in the top of the sixth gave the Birds a 2-0 lead. However following the seventh inning, Bradish had 103 pitches. And with him having the lead and despite his amazing effort, manager Brandon Hyde knew it was time to pull him (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

No choice there, unfortunately. Just with, it’s 103 pitches. He hasn’t got that far, and coming off an elbow strain early on and the whole thing. That’s difficult because you want to see him stay out there and he’s thrown the ball so great. He was absolutely fantastic and it’s great to get a sweep here.

That’s a tough decision, and for his part it seemed to be one Bradish understood. However managers are always going to put the players first, and look after their well-being in a spot like that. As Hyde said, Bradish also began the season on the IL. And there’s a ways to go this season.

The good news is that Oriole bats have the pitching and insurance run. Colton Cowser’s solo homer in the eighth extended the lead to 3-0. The lone hit the Orioles’ pitching staff surrendered today was an eighth inning home run off the bat of Chicago’s Mendrick. The first and only hit – in the eighth inning.

The O’s would tack on an additional insurance run on a sac fly-RBI in the ninth. But as Brandon Hyde said in the quote above, the O’s got the win and the sweep. As deflating as that St. Louis series was, the O’s actually managed to have a winning road trip

All in all, losing the sweepless streak may have been a blessing in disguise. It died an almost quiet death, in a series against an NL team that was plagued by weather situations. You’d rather it come that way than against a division rival. And now that distraction is over, and they can just play ball. And on top of that, the O’s return home one game up in the win column from where they were when they left.

The Orioles return home for the Memorial Day game tomorrow as they open up a three-game series with Boston at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin comes out of the bullpen and will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Cooper Criswell. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: You can put another one on the board for the Old Line State on the South Side

With Dean Kremer freshly placed on the IL (retroactive to May 21st), the Baltimore Orioles swung the bullpen door open from the beginning today and tabbed Al Suarez as a starter once again. “Big Al, your ‘starting pitcher’ pal.” Despite having been a starter as recently as this season, it would have been tough to expect Suarez to give much more than he did – this as a starter, after having been a reliever. Suarez’s line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The best part about Suarez’s outing today in my view was that he was still locating his fastball in the strike zone circa 95 MPH in his last inning of work. Locating it for strikes. Whether Suarez was a spot starter today or a full time replacement for Kremer during his injury rehab remains to be seen. But he was good today.

Unfortunately for Suarez and the Birds, Oriole bats were just as quiet as those of the ChiSox early on. But it was Chicago who got things going first. Keegan Akin gave up a walk, a base hit, and another walk in the fifth. And nothing good ever happens after a walk…

…a phrase that was quickly proven once again. Sheets’ bases-clearing triple, putting the Birds in a 3-0 hole. Akin had almost worked his way out of the jam with two outs, but then that happened. The saving grace is that Sheets, a Maryland native, is the son of former Oriole Larry Sheets. At the very least if the O’s were going to play from behind, it came as a result of someone in the family in a sense. (For the record, Larry Sheets is a Virginia native; so very much a mid-Atlantic flavor in the family.)

The good news about quiet bats is that you really only need one thing to act as a catalyst. And often times, that catalyst will be followed by a barrage of good things. Today it was a one out walk by Adley Rutschman in the top of the eighth. When things aren’t going well, at the very least you can take pitches and draw a walk.

That brought Ryan O’Hearn to the plate, and he sent a deep two-run homer over the Birds’ bullpen in right field. That got the Orioles back into the game, as they only trailed 3-2. Following a pitching change, Ryan Mountcastle came to the plate and sent a bouncing ball right down the first base line and into right field for a base hit…

…which was noteworthy, as the first baseman was off the line. Chicago played the spray charts, and Mountcastle went the other way. And that was a problem for Chicago, because Anthony Santander was on his way to home plate in the form of the go-ahead run.

And Santander lived up to his nickname (“Tony Taters”) very quickly. He smacked a mammoth two-run homer to right, and before we knew it the O’s had the lead. If you were a fan at the game today on Chicago’s South Side, you would have missed all of that had you gotten up after the seventh to get a soda or a hot dog. It was quick and swift.

And that wasn’t the end of it. Jordan Westburg gave the O’s an insurance run with a solo homer later in the inning. However that wasn’t even necessary, as Chicago went quietly in the ninth. And the Orioles have taken the first three of the four game set.

Make no mistake, that’s a huge win. They pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. And that’s what good teams can do. As bad and screwy as that St. Louis series was, the O’s have now won three straight. And they have a shot tomorrow for a sweep.

The series concludes tomorrow at Guaranteed Rate Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Garrett Crochet. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles get well on South Side

The Baltimore Orioles came to Chicago not playing well. The good news is they were sending Grayson Rodriguez to the mound against the team with the worst record in baseball. The bad news was that means there was pressure on Rodriguez and the Birds. Rodriguez’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 7 K.

Rodriguez wasn’t great. But he wasn’t awful either. He walked Benintendi with the bases loaded in the first inning, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. The O’s would tie the score in the third on a bizarre play where Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single with the bases loaded only scored one run. Jorge Mateo held up at second base to make sure the ball wasn’t caught.

And that’s what hurts teams. You should score more than one run with the bases loaded. And all you’re doing in having a situation like that is tempting fate. And fate reminded the Birds that Chicago may be a bad team on paper, but they’re still pro’s. Benintendi’s RBI-single in the last of the third gave Chicago a 2-1 lead.

But that was the end of the night – if you happen to be a ChiSox fan, that is. As swiftly as Oriole bats went to sleep in the Gateway to the West, they snapped back into form on the South Side of Chicago. They tied it in the fourth on a solo homer by Anthony Santander. A few hitters later with two on, Jorge Mateo hit the longest home run of his career. The three-run shot gave the Birds a 5-2 lead.

Adley Rutschman would tack on a two-RBI single, and Austin Hays an RBI-single in the sixth. And it’s a darned good thing they did. The Birds brought in Jonathan Heasley, fresh up from Norfolk, out of the bullpen in the ninth. He gave up an RBI-single, hit another batter with the bases loaded, and then a two-RBI single to Baltimore-area native Gavin Sheets (son of former Oriole Larry Sheets).

Luckily the bleeding was stopped. Yennier Cano and Craig Kimbrel restored order to the inning. Kimbrel was credited with the save. The Orioles shouldn’t have been in a save situation, but they got the win. That’s all that matters, and they needed it.

Before the game the Orioles sent pitcher John Means back to Baltimore, putting him on the IL. Means of course left yesterday’s game with elbow discomfort. A treatment plan of some sort is forthcoming.

The series continues tomorrow night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Corbin Burbes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Chris Flexen. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Disjointed series snaps Birds’ streak

Baltimore Orioles’ fans shouldn’t feel too badly about the Birds’ steak of 106 consecutive series’ without being swept being snapped in St. Louis. First off the streak speaks for itself, and it was impressive. It was also bound to end at some point. And you’d rather it culminate at the hands of a team like St. Louis as opposed to a division rival.

This was a strange series, and the sum of the parts came together to sweep the O’s away. The entire series had an uneven and inconsistent strike zone, often from inning to inning. (Ironically the only two people ejected were on the St. Louis side.) It was also marred by two rain delays and one suspended game, started last night by Kyle Bradish – and completed this afternoon. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Bradish was good overall. And he may (or may not) have pitched deeper into the game if not for it being suspended due to rain. He gave up an RBI-double to Gorman in the second, and the O’s tied it in the fifth on Jorge Mateo’s run-scoring double.

When the game picked back up early this afternoon, Gorman smacked a two-run homer in the last of the sixth. And the St. Louis bullpen kept the Birds off the board the rest of the way. Suspended games are tough, and they can go either way.

The more concerning thing in the immediate interim is John Means, who started the regularly-scheduled game following the completion of the first game. Means threw pretty well overall, but at a diminished velocity. He was lifted with elbow discomfort. Means’ line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the third gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. That combined with Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-groundout and Anthony Santander’s RBI-single extended the lead to 3-0. Then the rain came – again.

Following an hour long delay, St. Louis appeared to have regrouped. Nootbar’s RBI-single in the fifth cut the lead to 3-1. Donovan’s sixth inning three-run double would give them a 4-3 lead. Tack on a solo homer by Winn in the seventh, and the O’s trailed 5-3.

How quickly things can change. However the O’s tried to rally. They put runners at the corners with nobody out in the ninth, and actually scored a run on Kyle Stowers’ sac fly. However that also went as a double play, as Cedric Mullins was doubled off of first. He got a poor read on the ball, and while the fielder made an exceptionally good play in catching it, Mullins thought it was a hit.

To show they weren’t kidding, St. Louis actually challenged the play, thinking that Austin Hays left third base early. However replays confirmed he was still on the bag when the ball was caught, and the Birds did close to within one run. But that run was meaningless, as they went down to defeat, 5-4.

Again, the sweepless steak was going to end at some point. Look no further than the Baltimore Ravens; did winning however many preseason games in a row win them anything? Or however many consecutive games with 100+ rushing yards – or whatever it was? End of the day, Gunnar Henderson is still the odds-on favorite to win the MVP. The Orioles are still the odds-on favorite to win the AL East, and they’re still a serious World Series contender. If those things come to pass, nobody’s going to care about a sweepless streak.

The O’s now head to Chicago to open up a four-game set with the ChiSox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Mike Clevinger. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.