Baltimore Orioles: You can’t let people off the hook

Dean Kremer didn’t look terrible this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. However similar to Tyler Wells last night, he was getting too much of the strike zone. And that can be just as much an issue as missing. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R (6 earned), 1 BB, 3 K.

The Orioles jumped out early in this game against Milwaukee’s DL Hall, himself a former Oriole. Ryan Mtuntcaskte’s solo homer in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. Jordan Westburg followed later in the inning with a two-run shot. Milwaukee would get one back in the second on a solo homer by Hoskins, but things were looking up.

Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the last of the second would extend the lead to 4-1. However Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the third on an error and two softly-hit singles. Bauers would ground out to add a run, and Hoskins would tack on another soft RBI-single. A fourth run would score on an Austin Hays error, and same were tied.

The frustration there is that this all came with two outs. You have to put teams away. However the Birds would get the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Adley Rutschman would smack a solo home run, putting the O’s back on top at 5-4.

They would proceed to load the bases, but Milwaukee was allowed to shimmy its way out of the inning. And that’s almost the same issue as above. Whereas the O’s allowed Milwaukee to get back into the game with two outs in the inning, this was loading the bases (with nobody out) and not scoring after that. You have to put people away. The Orioles couldn’t do it in both cases, and paid the price,

An RBI-single by Contreras in the fourth would tie the game. Later in the inning however Bauers would haunt the O’s and smack a three-run homer. For the record, that home run may well have been wind-aided. However again, had the Orioles taken care of their business when they had the opportunity to do so, that wouldn’t have mattered.

And it got worse in the eighth. Frelick’s RBI-single and Adanes’ two-RBI double extended the lead to 11-5. Those last two runs? With two outs.

In fairness, Milwaukee’s offense has been scorching of late. This coming into the series. But if you can’t put people away, games will go south.

One bright spot I suppose, Oriole bats woke up a bit (at least early on) from last night. Five runs on the board is respectable; it’s the 11 runs allowed that’s the problem. Adley Rutschman went 2-for-5 with a homer out of the DH role.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Burds, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM

Baltimore Orioles fall big to Milwaukee

Just a reminder to Baltimore Orioles fans, the Birds aren’t going to win or be competitive in every game. Over 162, it’s virtually impossible. And we saw tonight what happens when even the best teams have off nights, this behind Tyler Wells – who got the start for the Birds. Wells’ line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

One thing I’ve noticed about Wells in his first few turns of the rotation this year, if anything he’s getting TOO MUCH of the strike zone. You have to wonder if he isn’t becoming too predictable in a sense. He does settle down, but he’s becoming predictable.

Wells allowed a two-run homer to Sanchez, and an RBI-triple to Ortiz in the second. Hoskins added an RBI-single in the third, and the Birds trailed. However you also have to give credit to Milwaukee hitters in this. Tyler Wells and subsequent Oriole hitters ran into a buzz saw this evening.

One of the few good moments for the O’s was Colton Cowser smacking his third home run in 24 hours, a solo shot in the last of the fourth. Whatever Cowser’s doing, it should be imitated. He’s made his presence felt big time, and it’s made a big difference.

However Milwaukee closed the door early on the Birds. They got two-run homers from Adames and Contreras in the fifth and sixth. Frelick would follow later in that sixth inning with an RBI-single. And Milwaukee would tack an additional run on in the ninth on an RBI-single by Ortiz – a former Oriole. And the O’s fell 11-1 in game one of three.

One thing to watch, the aforementioned home run by Adames in the sixth…the next time Adames came up to bat, the benches cleared. There appeared to be some sort of drama between Adames and Oriole catcher James McCann. There’s some speculation that maybe Adames showed up the Oriole pitching staff on his home run trot – ultimately we don’t know.

Nobody was ejected, but the bullpens did empty. Warnings were issued to both teams. It’ll be interesting to see if this escalates further in either of the next two games.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s D.L. Hall (himself a former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser meets Fenway as O’s seeep BoSox away

A long time ago, Grayson Rodriguez started for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the series finale with Boston at Fenway Park. The Birds of course had taken the first two games of the series and were going for the sweep. And what a game it was. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Rodriguez’s two runs surrendered came in the first inning. Yoshida’s RBI-groundout and Abreu’s RBI-double gave Boston a 2-0 lead. However Colton Cowser’s first big league home run in the fifth (a solo shot) cut the lead in half at 2-1. Incidentally, it cleared the Green Monster at Fenway.

One key to the Orioles’ season thus far has been taking advantage of opponents’ mistakes. And we saw it in a big way tonight. This entire series, really. While Jackson Holliday still hasn’t collected his first big league hit, but he did reach on an error in the eighth inning. The inning eventually ended with Holliday being out as part of a double-play…

…or did it?! The inning appeared to end. But the next thing we knew Anthony Santander was walking to the plate. And a moment later the Orioles led 3-2 after his two-run homer around the Pesky Pole.

So Santander continued the inning and smacked a two-run home run. However Boston brought up Wong (their backup catcher) in the last

In short, Boston employed the “neighborhood play” to get Holliday out at second. In short, the out was never made. And the umpire correctly ruled the runner (Holliday) safe at first.

However, Boston tied the game in the last of the eight with a solo homer by Wong, who came in as a pinch hitter. Wong was also Boston’s backup catcher. And following the starting catcher McGuire being tossed later in the inning, he was pressed into action – with Boston already having a short bench.

Following a scoreless ninth, we went to the tenth. The ghost runner rule returned Jackson Holliday to second base. But he wasn’t there long. Gunnar Henderson led off the inning, and sent a high fly ball over the wall in right field, and gave the O’s a 5-3 lead.

But they weren’t done. Cedric Mullins added an RBI-single, bringing Colton Cowser back to the plate with two runners on. And Cowser responded with his second big league home run, and his second of the game. This one of the three-run variety, and over the Green Monster at that. Boston would put across a nominal run in the bottom of the inning, but the O’s closed out a 9-4 win, and a series sweep at Fenway Park.

Cowser had a solid series overall. Both at the plate and in the field. The Orioles closed out a winning road trip, and a series sweep of a division rival at that. It’s a long season, and it’s still early. But this is the sort of series to which one might point back later on.

The O’s now return home to open a series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jordan Westburg celebrates a Birdland “Holliday”

On the night Jackson Holliday made his big league debut for the Baltimore Orioles, starter Cole Irvin had a few struggles at Fenway Park. However he’s not the first pitcher, and he won’t be the last, to have issues there. Boston was pesky at first, but in the end it was the Orioles celebrating a win. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Of course as I alluded above, the star of the day was Jackson Holliday. This by default. When the top prospect in baseball makes his debut, it’s a big deal. He made his debut wearing the number 7, which was his Dad, Matt’s, number. Matt Holliday (who was on hand for his son’s debut) of course being a former major leaguer in his own right. 7 was Cal Ripken Sr’s number, and it’s been un-officially retired since 1992. The Ripken family gave their blessing for Jackson Holliday to wear it. Incidentally, Cal Ripken Jr. was Matt Holliday’s favorite player growing up. Just another factoid that ties together these two baseball families – together with the Orioles.

Boston took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by O’Neil in the third. It was a bloop single, and it fell in a “Bermuda triangle” near Holliday at second. One inning later Wong added a two-RBI single, and Casas smacked a two-run homer in the fifth.

But remember, the Birds do their best work late. One would think a five-run lead in the sixth would put a team in good shape. Especially at home. But not when they’re playing the Orioles. And not at Fenway Park.

Colton Cowser smacked the Birds right back into the ballgame with a two-RBI single in the sixth. Jackson Holliday might not have gotten his first big league hit, but he did register his first RBI. He grounded into a fielder’s choice later in that sixth inning, netting the O’s an additional run. And bringing them to within 5-3.

But it was the seventh inning where the O’s seized control of the game. They loaded the bases, and Ryan O’Hearn was able to score on a wild pitch. The O’s trailed by a run, with Jordan Westburg coming to the plate. At the time, you thought that a base hit would give the Birds the lead. But Westburg didn’t get a base hit…

…he smacked a three-run homer. And the O’s took a 7-5 lead into the later innings. The bullpen was lights out, especially Craig Kimbrell in the ninth. And the Birds went home winners.

This is a game to which people might point back after the season. The Jackson Holliday debut and Westburg’s heroics – needless to say, it was all a lot. And it came against a division rival at their place. Make no mistake, this was the Orioles putting their mark of dominance on the division for the foreseeable future.

The series concludes tomorrow at Fenway Park. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Garrett Whitlock. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles calling up Jackson Holliday

Baseball’s number one prospect is headed up to the Baltimore Orioles. In the wake of today’s 7-1 win against Boston at Fenway Park, the Birds made a special move. They called up shortstop Jackson Holliday to the big leagues.

It’s unclear when Holliday will joined the team – whether it’s in time for tomorrow night’s game or for Thursday. But we know that he’s coming, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. What’s also unclear is who’s getting sent out, DFA’d, or IL’d. But we’ll know all of those answers in due course.

Many people thought Holliday would crack the roster coming out of spring training after a strong spring. But he didn’t. Nevertheless, he’s now on his way. Presumably, he’ll make his major league debut at one of America’s most historic ballparks.

The aforementioned series will continue tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kutter Crawford. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Defense gives, and it takes away

Dean Kremer was outstanding this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Yes it’s only the ninth game. But he pitched deeper than any other starter this year. And he possibly could have pitched deeper. Maybe he should have. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R (0 earned), 0 BB, 6 K.

The O’s have run into a bit of trouble scoring runs the past couple of games. Let’s just say they’ve been at a premium. Today, they only mustered two. But it was almost enough. And I wouldn’t expect the offensive scuffles to continue indefinitely.

Pittsburgh almost took a lead in the third inning. Cruz hit what appeared to be a two-run homer. However the ball hung up in the air, and it bounced off the top of the wall. Cedric Mullins got to it quickly, and gunned the ball back into the infield to Jorge Mateo. Mateo threw home, and nailed the runner at home plate. The O’s went from presumably trailing by two (when we thought it was a home run), to leading by one, to remaining tied at zero.

One inning later the Orioles took the lead. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-double gave them a 1-0 lead, and Mountcastle took third on an error. Anthony Santander’s run-scoring single would score Mountcastle and put the Birds up 2-0.

Again, Dean Kremer was fantastic today. However the Orioles couldn’t muster more than six hits – this after only having four yesterday. You have to be able to tack runs on. And the O’s couldn’t do it today – or yesterday for that matter.

The one mistake Kremer made was a bad throw in the fifth that should have started a double-play. However the throw was catchable, the O’s just couldn’t make the play. That put a runner at third, who scored on Davis’ sacrifice fly. That cut the lead to 2-1.

Keegan Akin pitched a quick eighth inning following Kremer’s departure, and the Birds turned to Yennier Cano in the ninth. Cano of course was the one reliever who wasn’t used yesterday, so he was fresh. That said, he struggled with control. And unfortunately with only a one run lead, the margin for error wasn’t great.

Cano loaded the bases, and Tellez sent a swinging bunt to Ryan Mountcastle at first. Mountcastle fired home and the runner was ruled safe. However to the naked eye even, he was clearly out. And instant replay upheld that point. So instead of a 2-2 tie and the bases loaded with nobody out, the O’s still led 2-1 and one out (bases still loaded).

But Pittsburgh immediately righted things from their perspective. Olivares grounded out to Gunnar Henderson at first, who made an outstanding play just to get to the ball. On top of that he got to second base for the out; which was outstanding. He had plenty of time to throw back to first for the final out, and for a split second the O’s had the win in hand…

…but Henderson’s throw sailed wide of first, scoring two runs and giving Pittsburgh a 3-2 win. It’s the Orioles’ first series loss, dropping two-of-three in Pittsburgh. After an off day tomorrow, they’re onto Boston.

There are a million takes on this game, but first and foremost the defensive angle sticks out at me. The Orioles’ defense flashed brilliance in this game. The Mullins/Mateo put out was amazing. So was Henderson’s play to get to the ball in the end, and tag the bag. But defense can also cost you games, and that’s what ultimately happened.

Again, Oriole bats didn’t give Yennier Cano much leeway today. But he promptly loaded the bases, which can’t happen. End of the day, all of these games count. And they could all mean something in the end. But better to have this happen now as opposed to this week at Fenway, as the Orioles prepare to open division play for the first time this season on Tuesday.

Baltimore Orioles drop a wild one in Pittsburgh

Tyler Wells took to the bump for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon, and had a start similar to what we saw last weekend against Anaheim. He gave up a few runs early, but held pat and kept his team in the game. In fact, he came to within two outs of a quality start. Wells’ line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Wells gave up an RBI-single to Tellez in the second, followed by a two-run homer by Bart. But after that he buckled down and stopped the bleeding. He brought the Birds into the sixth inning, which helped the bullpen. Although…the bullpen got taxed later.

However the O’s did battle back. Austin Hays’ RBI-groundout in the seventh got them on the board. Cedric Mullins’ sac fly-RBI would also cut the Pittsburgh lead to one at 3-2.

The O’s would put two runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth. Pittsburgh played the infield back, which was strange to me. They were willing to sacrifice a run. I get it, especially having the last at-bat, but I found that odd.

And the O’s took advantage. Cedric Mullins hit into a fielder’s choice, rolling the ball over to first. Pittsburgh first baseman Tellez threw home, but Jordan Westburg slid in safely and tied the game. We would go to extra innings, and thanks to the ghost runner rule the Orioles would take a 4-3 lead with a sac fly-RBI by Adley Rutschman.

Brandon Hyde would bring in Mike Bauman to pitch the last of the tenth, who would promptly load the bases. He then walked Olivares, tying the game. Hyde would go to reliever Danny Coulombe, who steadied the ship. He immediately induced two quick outs, and then struck out Bart in dramatic fashion to close the inning.

However this wasn’t to be for the O’s. Cruz came up in the last of the eleventh and smacked a single to right field. The ghost runner scored, ending the game with a 5-4 Pittsburgh win. Tough way to lose, but you can also point at the Birds going 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Or only mustering four hits. It all adds up.

In a game that saw multiple web gem-like moments, Danny Coulombe really stuck out at me today. He inherited a bases loaded and nobody out situation, with one run already in. And he pitched out of it. That’s a tough spot to be in, and he pitched the team out of it. Well done.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at PNC Park. Dean Kremer get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Marco Gonzales. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A Steel City effort

Grayson Rodriguez and the Baltimore Orioles spoiled Pittsburgh’s Opening Day – or their home opener, at least. In a game played in various spurts of snow flurries, the Birds came out ahead. Rodriguez’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Ryan O’Hearn in the second inning. One inning later they extended it to 2-0 in the same manner – a solo homer. This one off the bat of Gunnar Henderson.

Rodriguez had a key inning in the third. Pittsburgh ran itself out of an out…until they didn’t. A runner was thrown out at third, but the call was overturned on the field. For one reason or the other, the Orioles neglected to challenge the call. That gave Pittsburgh runners at the corner with nobody out. Rodriguez could have come unglued there, but he pitched out of it. And preserved the lead.

Pittsburgh would cut the lead in half in the fifth on a solo homer by Cruz. But the Birds put across some insurance in the seventh. Four hits netted them two additional runs. They came on an RBI-single by Adley Rutschman, and an RBI-double by Anthony Santander.

And it’s a good thing they put those rubs up, because Pittsburgh chased Rodriguez in the bottom of the inning after a solo homer by Triolo. However the Orioles’ pen held strong. And Cedric Mullins’ solo homer in the eighth would give the O’s a 5-2 lead. Which ended up a 5-2 win.

The series continues tomorrow at PNC Park. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Bailey Falter. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A “McCan”-do attitude

The Baltimore Orioles play until the last out – ALWAYS. Granted, that final out came well after it should have. The Orioles and starter Corbin Burnes waited five – yes, count ‘em – FIVE hours through a rain delay before today’s game started. It was supposed to be a day game, and it ended up an early evening affair. Burnes’ line: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R 0 BB, 3 K.

Salvador Perez seemed to make it his mission to torment the Orioles in this game. He smacked an RBI-single in the first, and another one in the third. This before the O’s could do anything. Garcia added a solo homer in the seventh.

Incidentally that first run, credit it to Bobby Witt. He extended a rundown where he was effectively dead on arrival between third and the plate, and allowed a runner to get to third base. It’s pesky things like that which can win you ballgames. And it made a difference today…

…that is, until the eighth inning. Gunnar Henderson got the Orioles on the board in the last of the eighth with a sac fly-RBI. Later in the inning Adley Rutschman would add an RBI-single, but he was thrown out at second base. Nevertheless, the O’s had cut the lead to 3-2.

Then they came to bat in the last of the ninth. With one out the O’s had runners at second and third, and Kansas City opted to intentionally walk Austin Hays to load the bases – Austin Hays, who’s started the season in a bit of a slump. Colton Cowser struck out for the second out, and it briefly appeared that Kansas City had gotten away with the IBB.

But that brought James McCann to the plate. And while he’s only the backup catcher, he delivered. He smacked a two-RBI single, giving the O’s the 4-3 win in walk off manner. Make no mistake, that was a big win.

The Orioles almost couldn’t afford to start the year at .500 against teams who on paper shouldn’t stack up against them. Finding a way to win this game is HUGE in terms of morale. And Lord knows what sort of difference it makes down the stretch. This after a five hour rain delay.

Baltimore Orioles fall in rain soaked game

You can’t blame the weather if you’re the Baltimore Orioles. In the NFL they say conditions are the great equalizer – and it’s true. Both teams have to play in the conditions. But Kansas City was able to muster something against starter Cole Irvin. Oriole bats could not. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Kansas City did most of their dirty work in the second inning. Loftin started things off with an RBI-single. Garcia would follow later in the inning with a two-RBI double, and the Birds trailed, 3-0.

Colton Cowser made his first big impact of the season however with an RBI-single in the last of the third. However Garcia would add an RBI-triple an inning later. This gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead. And that would be the final.

New Oriole Tony Kemp appeared to have at least a double in the last of the eighth with a tight liner down the right field line. But it was ruled a foul ball, and replays were inconclusive. The Orioles challenged, but the call was upheld.

I say replays were inconclusive because of the result of the challenge. It looked to me like the ball hit the line at worst. AT WORST. At best it landed on the fair side of the line. Would that have made a difference? Tough to say.

Odds are it wouldn’t have made that much a difference. The Orioles couldn’t get much going in the rain. It was a slog of a struggle in a sense. But the beauty of baseball is you come back tomorrow and try again.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Cole Ragan’s. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.