Baltimore Orioles: It wasn’t enough until it was enough

The Baltimore Orioles learned a valuable lesson tonight, that being it’s never enough in Washington DC. That may or may not be a slight tip of hand towards the political climate. I’ll let you be the judge of that. Kyle Bradish pitched well, and left with the lead. But it wasn’t enough. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

Bradish got himself into a jam or two early. In the first inning he pitched out of it. In the second he got out of it yielding just one run, that being an RBI-single by Lipscomb. Other than that, he “mowed ‘em down.” I actually thought Brandon Hyde should have left him in, but it was only his second start of the season. Let him ease into things.

However as I said, Bradish had the lead when he left the ballgame. Anthony Santander’s solo homer in the fourth tied the game at one. And Gunnar Henderson added one of his own in the sixth, giving the Birds the lead. Did Hyde partially pull Bradish because he was winning? Possible. But unlikely. As I said, it was his second start.

One inning later Colton Cowser’s sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh gave the O’s some padding at 3-1. But make no mistake that Jorge Mateo gets an assist on that run. Jordan Westburg had led off the inning with a double. Mateo bunted him over to third on the first pitch he saw, setting up the sacrifice fly. In the scorebook it goes as an out. But it’s small things like that which win you games. And it’s one of the reasons Jorge Mateo played a huge role in tonight’s game.

The Orioles brought closer Craig Kimbrel in to pitch the ninth. Obviously, we know the struggles of Kimbrel of late. And a serious discussion of what to do with the closer role needs to occur in the Orioles’ clubhouse. But it’s also worth mentioning twilight zone baseball started in that ninth inning across the board.

With two outs Kimbrel gave up a solo homer to Rosario, and down to his final strike Abrams’ RBI-single tied the game at three. Hyde lifted Kimbrel in favor of Clay Akin, who got the Birds out of the inning.

After a scoreless tenth the O’s seemed to strike gold in the eleventh. Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-run homer, and the Orioles led 5-3. But Washington wasn’t going down. Just when the O’s thought they had enough again, they didn’t.

Vargas’ RBI-double in the last of the eleventh cut the lead to 5-4. And the O’s got lucky; that was a ground rule double, stranding the tying run at third. It could have scored two runs. However Young would follow with a sacrifice fly-RBI, and we played on (tied at five).

But it was Jorge Mateo in the middle of things again to ensure that it was finally enough. With a ghost runner on second, his run-scoring double gave the Orioles a 6-5 lead. Mateo slid into second head first, and the pitcher Weems’ errant throw gave him the chance to get to third.

Mateo however pulled up lame. It was unclear what the issue was, but he stayed in the game and later scored on a wild pitch. And it’s a darned good thing he did, because Washington threatened again in the last of the twelfth. Garcia’s run-scoring double cut the Oriole lead to 7-6. But that’s finally where it ended, and the O’s earned a series split in the Battle of the Beltways.

Needless to say, it was one heck of a game. Both teams are probably thankful for an off day tomorrow, as their respective bullpens are spent. But that’s part of the theater of baseball.

The question for the Orioles is what can they do with Craig Kimbrel. They need a closer one way or the other – and he has Hall of Fane credentials. Is he injured? Or is he just going through ineffectiveness? Is it mental? Those are questions that need to be answered quickly – like during the off day. Jorge Mateo’s health coming out of this game is something to watch also. One way or the other, in the here and now of today Mateo was undoubtedly the player of the game.

Baltimore Orioles stumble in DC

You can’t blame Baltimore Orioles’ starter Corbin Burnes for tonight’s game. Burnes took the L, but pitched to a quality start. If you don’t put up any runs you can’t win. It’s that simple. Burnes’ lone: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Burnes gave up an RBI-single in the second, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. However Washington starter Williams stymied the Orioles’ high powered offense. Everytime something on base, he would stay there.

RBI-so goes from Rosario and Lipscomb would extend Washington’s lead in the last of the seventh. And their bullpen closed down the Orioles down the stretch. Did they leave their bats in Cincinnati? Tough to say. But whatever they did tonight didn’t work – needless to say.

The O’s did show some fire in the ninth inning, however. Perhaps the wrong kind of fire though. Ryan O’Hearn was rung up on a close pitch in the ninth inning, and was ejected by home plate umpire Alex Tosi. It was all but a moot issue at that point, as was the fact that manager Brandon Hyde was ejected in trying to protect O’Hearn, who gave one heck of a quote after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I just lost my cool. There were a few strikes called on me that I really didn’t like going back to the first inning, going back to the first pitch, actually. And then I sat in the dugout and watched it happen to our guys all night. (Colton) Cowser had a really bad one 3-2. Multiple. And it’s hard to tell as players because we don’t get the K zone anymore on the iPads, but it got to the point where it was just bad. He was calling balls outside the K zone strikes and I got pissed off and decided to say something about it. First career ejection, I’m not proud of it, but it is what it is.

If you look at it, where the pitches came in, we’ll just take that at-bat for an example, the pitch before it he called a ball was less inside. It was more toward the plate than that one. So when I see where a pitch is and I go, ‘OK, that’s ball there,’ and then he throws one a little bit further inside and he bangs me on that one, that’s pretty irritating.

That’s saying a lot. My personal opinion is that O’Hearn had a point. The strike zone did seem to move around slightly. But you rarely hear players get that candid about umpiring, as the league office is always listening. Don’t be surprised to see O’Hearn get fined for those comments.

The series concludes tomorrow at Nationals Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Mitchell Parker. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cities and beltways connected

The Baltimore Orioles head down the pike to Nationals Park this evening to open the Battle of the Beltways at Nationals Park. We do this every year, right? The “friendly neighborhood baseball game?” And of course in August, Washington will pay a visit to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for a return engagement.

However this year there’s a twist. Call it a marketing ploy if you will, but it’s caught the gaze of Major League Baseball. Tonight for the first time in history, two teams will wear their City Connect uniforms in the same game – against one another.

Major League Baseball’s been hyping this since late last week on its social media accounts, as have both teams. It was probably a matter of time before two teams decided to do something like this. And in fact, at least one team (Tampa) had announced that they would be wearing their City Connects in road games later this year. The Orioles and Nationals said nevermind that, let’s do it now.

In the Battle of the Beltways, the league found the perfect series by which to do this and market it. Maybe it would have resonated strangely had it been a ‘cross town rivalry’ such as the NY or Chicago teams. And maybe the “connection” between the Florida or Texas teams wouldn’t have been strong enough.

But featuring Baltimore and Washington doing this is the perfect balance. Both cities have unique personalities and unique cultures. Yet there can be no doubt that they’re “connected.” From a baseball standpoint, there’s a portion of fans who regularly attend games in both parks. And many of those people will be on display at Nationals Park tonight and tomorrow, and at Camden Yards in August. (And don’t be shocked if one of those Baltimore games is a dual City Connect game also.)

And both teams have cool and unique features in their City Connect uniforms. The Orioles have the multi-colored design on the inside that represents the different neighborhoods of the city. And Washington has the pinkish “hue” and blossom design, which symbolizes the cherry trees. Yes, which refers back to the namesake of the city, who also happens to be the greatest General in history – and the father of our country at that.

As time goes on we’ll see other dual City Connect games and series’. But never forget who the first one was. The graphic the league released was pretty poignant also, Baltimore row houses on one side of a street, and cherry trees on the other. Again, this is the perfect series to do this. Is it a marketing scheme? Yeah, sort of. Both sides are probably hoping to see shirts and caps. But again someone was always going to do this; may as well be the Battle of the Beltways, as these two cities are most definitely connected.

The series begins tonight at Nationals Park. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Trevor Williams. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.

Baltimore Orioles break out, sweep in the Queen City

The Baltimore Orioles never gave Cincinnati a chance today in a rare late Sunday afternoon matinee. The Birds led before Dean Kremer even took the mound. And for his part, Kremer was outstanding. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Yes folks you read that correctly; one hit. However Kremer could have allowed more than that and still won. This game was a rout from the beginning.

Again, Kremer had the lead before he even threw a pitch. Anthony Santander’s RBI-single in the first gave the O’s an early 1-0 lead. Santander would score almost immediately when Jordan Westburg ran into the first pitch he saw, and sent a two-run homer over the wall.

With Kremer dealing, Oriole bats took a slight break – for a few innings. But Adley Rutschman picked things back up in the fifth with an RBI-double. Two innings later they opened the game up with Ryan McKenna’s solo homer. Tack on an RBI-single by Adley Rutschman, and the Orioles led 6-0.

And mind you, that would have been enough. But there was still an exclamation point to be put on this game and on this series. Anthony Santander added a ninth inning grand slam, giving the O’s an 11-0 lead. Cincinnati would push a nominal run across in the last of the ninth, but it was a meaningless one. And the Orioles cruised to an 11-1 victory.

For what it’s worth, this was the seventh consecutive game in which Oriole pitching has allowed two runs or less. In some of those games runs were tough to come by, but the Birds still won most of them. That wasn’t the case today.

The O’s will have an off day tomorrow, and Tuesday they open up the Battle of the Beltways at Nationals Park in DC.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means business in his season debut

John Means was outstanding in his season debut for the Baltimore Orioles. Putting his 2021 no-hitter in a separate league, this may have been his best start as an Oriole. Again, I say that putting his no-hitter in a league of its own. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

To be blunt, Means “mowed “em down” from the very beginning. Cincinnati hitters can up swinging, and Means was blowing the ball by them. And when he thought they were catching up to his stuff? He’d pull a string and throw a changeup in there.

It was a masterful effort, to say the least. Many times a pitcher’s final stat line isn’t always indicative of how he pitched in an outing. This wasn’t one of those games. Means’ stat line tells you EXACTLY how he pitched tonight.

The O’s got solo home runs from Jorge Mateo in the fourth, and Adley Rutschman in the fifth. When your starter is as dominant as John Means was this evening, you can afford to only throw two runs on the board. BUT…things got hairy in the ninth inning.

Craig Kimbrel surrendered a run on an RBI-single by Steer in the last of the ninth. Manager Brandon Hyde took the rare step of then pulling his closer, inserting Yennier Cano to attempt to close out the game. Cano would load the bases, but he did close out the inning and the game, helping to lift the O’s to victory.

Full disclosure, I raised my eyebrows at Kimbrel being yanked. However I think it does show that the Orioles are trying to win and win now. And end of the day, the result of the game says that Hyde was correct to do it.

Here’s an unsung moment in tonight’s game that stood out as well. India got aboard with a single in the last of the sixth. Jordan Westburg made an errant throw, allowing India a chance to go to second. (The play was initially ruled an error but later changed to a base hit.) Jorge Mateo backed up the play, and promptly threw India out at second base.

In what ended up being a one-run game, that’s a play that should stick out. Not only did the Orioles record an out, they did it by erasing a runner that would have been in scoring position. Again, in what ended up being a one-run game, that could have made a big difference.

The series concludes tomorrow at Great American Ballpark. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Nick Lodolo. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cole Irvin spins a gem

It took awhile for Cole Irvin to get things going for the Baltimore Orioles last night. Not that he struggled out of the gate – he absolutely did not. But the teams say through a two hour and forty-one minute rain delay to start the game. But once it started, Oriole pitching didn’t give Cincinnati many opportunities. Irvin’s line: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Rain delays are tough. But as we know from the NFL, weather is the great equalizer. Both teams have to play in the same conditions, in this case, both teams had to sit through the same rain delay. As did the fans who had tickets at the Great American Ballpark.

While these were two young teams that are high-powered, it didn’t include much scoring. In fact, Irvin only qualified for the win because he came out to start the last of the seventh. Because they got the lead in the top half of that inning.

Jorge Mateo singled in the top of the seventh, and promptly stole second base. Don’t shoo that fact away. It seems like a random moment in a game, however Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single scored Mateo, giving the Orioles and Cole Irvin a 1-0 lead.

Mateo’s narrative has always been that he’s fast as lightning. And given the rain delay, that might be an apt reference in more ways than one! But speed can win you games. Swiping that bag was a big moment in the ballgame given that the next guy up doubled him home. With Mateo’s speed there’s a chance he could have scored from first on a double – there’s no doubt. But needless to say, being in scoring position can make a huge difference.

And Rutschman wasn’t on second base for long. Ryan O’Hearn’s subsequent two-run homer extended the lead to 3-0. And that’s all the Orioles would need.

The Birds did bring closer Craig Kimbrel in for the save in the ninth. It was his first appearance since blowing two saves last weekend against Oakland, and coming out of that second game with an apparent back injury. Kimbrel didn’t appear in the New York series, but bounced back last night. He struck out the side to end the game, and the Orioles defeated Cincinnati 3-0.

The series continues this evening at the Great American Ballpark. John Means gets the start for the O’s (his first start of the season after starting out on the IL), and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Andrew Abbott. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Travelogue

Following yesterday’s 7-2 victory over New York, the Baltimore Orioles hit the road. A short road trip on paper, but an even shorter one in the context of the fact that the two final games of the road trip next week will be in Washington DC for the Battle of the Beltways. Technically a road trip. But…you catch my drift.

Cincinnati and Baltimore have a unique connection. Everyone knows about Baltimore’s iconic B & O Warehouse. Heck, it’s a part of Camden Yards. But did you know that Cincinnati has one also?

The Warehouse is the eastern terminus of the B & O Railroad – Camden Station, that is. However the western terminus is in Cincinnati, and it’s marked by a train warehouse similar in appearance. The two aren’t identical copies, but they’re very similar to the naked eye. Cincinnati’s is called Longworth Hall.

In the present day, Longworth Hall is used as office space. It’s a unique location for a company to house itself, and obviously one steeped in history. So like Baltimore, Cincinnati has used its old train warehouse as a part of its modern city structure.

Obviously Baltimore’s B & O Warehouse is more well-known, mainly because of Major League Baseball. President Lincoln also passed through and spoke at Camden Station on his way to Washington for his inaugural. However even Longsworth Hall in Cincinnati has a slight tie-in to baseball. It’s located on Pete Rose Way!

After Cincinnati, the Birds return to the mid-Atlantic region for the aforementioned series in Washington. Again, technically a road series. But one within the Birds’ home region. And one that’s easily accessible to Orioles’ fans.

The cool thing about the Battle of the Beltways truly is that people show up with fans of the other side. Work colleagues, friend groups, and yes even families split down the middle. Just about everyone in this region has ties to the other side. I can tell you that personally I have lots of cousins and friends who pull for the “Curly W’s.”

And I always throw this piece of it in…my grandfather was a “semi-pro” catcher in the Washington Senators’ system. He actually had a try-out for the big league club, but he opted to be a dentist instead. It worked out. But needless to say, he had to have been a decent ballplayer for that to have been the case.

The line between home white and road grey does get blurred a bit in these games. However one thing I DON’T get is the select few who show up wearing a Nats cap and Orioles shirt – or something along those lines. It‘s fine to support both local teams. But when they play one another you have to pick one!

The series in Cincinnati opens this evening at the Great American Ballpark. Cole Irvin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene. Game time is set for just after 6:00 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Pitcher’s duel trips up Birds

Baltimore Orioles’ bats didn’t put any runs up behind starter Corbin Burnes. That makes it tough to win. Burnes turned in one of those “in between” sort of starts – this in terms of the quality thereof. But he battled, and the fact is that he pitched well and deep enough to have earned the win. Burnes’ line: 6.0 IP, 4 H. 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Again, I wouldn’t say Burnes had his top stuff tonight. But he battled. And the fact is that it took a slight bit of a quirk to beat him. Or to put runs up on him at least. You get the idea.

Trevino singled up middle in the top of the fifth. It was ruled a base hit, but Gunnar Henderson had a shot at throwing the runner out at first base. However he slipped on the outfield grass. It happens, folks. However that brought Cabrera to the plate…

…and he smacked a two-run homer. Barely, that is. He in essence curled the ball around the foul pole in right field, and it barely wrapped around fair. The umpires reviewed the play, and it was upheld.

Sometimes that’s how the ball bounces. To be clear, it was a home run – the ball went to the fair side of the pole. But any further to the right and it would have been foul. It was clear, but close.

The is also the first time the O’s have been shut out this season. It counts as one loss, and they still maintain their grasp on first place in the division – by percentage points. New York also used closer Clay Holmes for a five-out save tonight. Does that make him unavailable tomorrow in a save situation? I guess we’ll find out.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever starts the game will be opposed by New York’s Carlos Rodon. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dean Kremer deals, Birds defeat New York

Dean Kremer took the ball for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in game two of their series with New York. The Oriole bullpen was battered a bit coming in, and the O’s needed their starters to go fairly deep into these games. And Kremer delivered tonight. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K.

The O’s got on the board in the second as a result of a New York error. Anthony Santander was running on contact at second when Jordan Westburg grounded into a fielder’s choice to Torres at second. Torres went to try to throw Santander out, and he threw the ball square into Santander’s back. This allowed Ssntander to score, giving the O’s a 1-0 lead. The play was scored as a fielder’s choice and an error with the runners all being safe.

However an inning later Wells’ solo homer for New York tied the game at two. But you can’t waste an outing against anyone like what Dean Kremer was in the midst of turning in. Much less against New York. The O’s would put three runs up in the last of the fourth, starting with an RBI-double by James McCann. Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman would follow with RBI-singles, and the O’s led 4-1.

Soto would smack a homer onto Eutaw St. in the sixth, but that was the extent of the damage. Kremer and the O’s gave up two solo home runs in the game. And in general, that won’t hurt you. And it didn’t hurt the Birds tonight, true to form.

Jacob Webb drew the save, and he was outstanding tonight. He struck out Judge to close the eighth by mixing his pitches in an outstanding manner. And he sent New York down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, closing out a 4-2 win for the Orioles.

The Birds can’t lose this series. They can only split it or win it. That’s a good spot in which to be.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Luis Gil. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Little things win ballgames; Birds steady the ship

With New York coming to town, the Baltimore Orioles needed a good start out of Grayson Rodriguez tonight at Camden Yards. And they got it. Maybe not quite as long as they would have wanted, but Rodriguez was largely effective against a lineup that put up two consecutive games’ worth of 15-run baseball in Milwaukee over the weekend. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took the lead early when Gunnar Henderson smacked a solo homer in the first inning. The Oriole bullpen was also key in this game, with Cionnel Perez pitching in his second game since the first week of the season, and holding New York at bay. Cionnel Perez amongst others, that is.

We also saw how important base running was towards the end of this game. With one out the Birds had runners at first and second. Ryan O’Hearn sent a fly ball to deep center field, resulting in out number two. BUT…Gunnar Henderson tagged up and went to third base.

A moment later he would score when Anthony Santander reached on a fielding error by NY shortstop Volpe. That doubled the Oriole lead, at 2-0. And it gave them an insurance run when they needed one. Danny Coloumbe retired New York in the top of the ninth, but that insurance run certainly helped. And ultimately it helped the Birds to a big win in a big series against a division rival.

Little intangible things in games like that make a huge difference. Henderson saw an opportunity to tag up and go to third, and he took it. And nobody would have blamed him for holding. But while the box score might not necessarily show it, that helped the Orioles win the game. Make no mistake.

This was a big win. And when all’s said and done, it might be a huge one. The story of Orioles vs. NYY in 2024 is still one to be written. This was one game. But after a questionable weekend where seemingly little went correct, it was important for the Birds to win tonight. And they won it with pitching. So make no mistake that it was a big win. And maybe one to which to look back.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Nestor Cortes. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.