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.

Baltimore Orioles: An evening in Westburg

Dean Kremer gritted out his first start of the season for the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Camden Yards against Kansas City. He did have some issues locating his pitches, and he fell behind. But he kept the O’s in the game, and managed to out the team in a spot to win. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

The Kremer runs surrendered came against big names. Witt smacked a solo homer in the top of the third. Later in the inning Perez smacked a two-run homer, and the O’s trailed 3-0.

But the Orioles battled back. Anthony Santander’s RBI-single in the fourth cut the lead to 3-1. And before you knew it, the game was tied later in the inning. Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run homer gave the Orioles three, tying the game.

The Birds put themselves in a spot to win late. Gunnar Henderson was at third base with two down in the eighth, and Ryan Mountcastle sent a sharp grounder into the hole at short. The ball was bobbled on the throw back to first base, and Mountcastle was safe. As was Henderson at home plate.

The Orioles brought Craig Kimbrel out of the bullpen for the first time to close out the game. Blanco got on base with a softly hit bloop single. He advanced to second and later third (by way of a steal), and with one out he scored on Garcia’s sacrifice fly-RBI. It goes as a blown save by Kimbrel, but not on anything hard hit.

Ultimately however, Kimbrel gets a win. Not a save, but a win. Cedric Mullins got on base with a single in the last of the ninth, and he later scored on Jordan Westburg’s walk off two-run homer.

End of the day, this might be a game we look back on. The Orioles are clearly a better team than Kansas City. Yet Kansas City took them to the brink. So perhaps you look at this game as a tool in overcoming adversity. They got punched in the mouth a bit in a sense. But they landed the final punch. And in the grand scheme of things, that‘s what matters the most.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Alex Marsh. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: First loss and musings about the pitch clock

The Baltimore Orioles were never going to win every game. And today was their first loss, despite a decent effort from starter Tyler Wells. After two big games at the plate, Oriole bats were largely held quiet today. Wells’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 earned), 0 BB, 7 K.

After giving up a couple of runs early, Wells kept the O’s in the game. Their bats just couldn’t step up today. And that does happen – you’ll take winning two-of-three over anyone.

Wells gave up a solo homer to Ward in the first inning. As poor as Anaheim looked in this series, Ward was definitely a leader. Neto would add a two-RBI single in the second, and a fourth run would score on a throwing error by James McCann on a pickoff attempt at third base. And the Birds trailed, 4-0.

But the O’s would get on the board in the last of that second inning when Gunnar Henderson would draw a bases loaded walk. However, that was the lone run the O’s would tack on. Both teams’ pitching staffs shut down the other, and Anaheim took the series finale, 4-1.

The O’s did lightly threaten in the last of the seventh. James McCann got aboard with a one out single, followed by new Oriole Tony Kemp who was acquired just before Opening Day. Kemp drew a walk, however the inning ended before the Birds could further threaten.

The story is in HOW Kemp drew the walk. With a three ball count, Anaheim pitcher Detmers was called for a pitch clock violation, resulting in a ball being awarded. And that happened to be ball four.

Manager Ron Washington came out and had a fairly “spirited” conversation with Detmers and the infield. That’s an unforced error that could really cost a team in a game. The Orioles couldn’t take advantage, but that’s beside the point.

Wherever you stand on some of the newer pace of play rules, it would be interesting to see how things would play out if they ever decided a big game. Maybe I’m thinking of a playoff game or a late season game. But you get the point – would the league be okay with a key run scoring and deciding a huge game over something like that?

The O’s will welcome Kansas City in tomorrow for the first of three at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Michael Wacha. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Straight gas

Grayson Rodriguez was outstanding in his 2024 regular season debut for the Baltimore Orioles. He painted the corners and mowed down Anaheim hitters all afternoon. Anaheim hitters who watched and waved aimlessly all game. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K.

Rodriguez was still going strong after six innings. But you don’t want to push too hard early in the season. Especially in his first start. Keep some gas in the tank.

Luckily for Rodriguez, his effort wasn’t wasted. Oriole bats got out in front of things early on. Gunnar Henderson smacked a solo homer, and Ryan Mountcastle and RBI-double. This in the first inning. And the Birds were off to the races.

Ryan Mountcastle’s next at-bat came in the last of the third. And it ended similarly, with an RBI-double, extending the lead to 3-0. Anaheim would get on the board an inning later with a solo homer by Ward. However you can afford one bad pitch if you’re Grayson Rodriguez. This team epitomizes the concept of TEAM. They picked him up, and moved on.

And move on they did. The O’s put runners at the corners in the sixth, and Austin Hays extended the lead with an RBI-single. He would immediately be plated by an RBI-double by Cedric Mullins, extending the lead to 5-1.

That all occurred before anyone was out in the sixth inning. So did what came next, that being a two-RBI single by Jordan Westburg. That extended the lead to 7-1, blowing the game wide open.

But the Orioles weren’t done. Gunnar Henderson added a two-RBI triple, and the O’s led 9-1. But wait…there’s more. Anthony Santander closed the inning out with a three-run home run. And then…the Birds recorded the first out of the inning.

Good teams have innings like that. And the Orioles are a good team. That goes without saying.

The Orioles would tack on a late run in the eighth, on a sac fly-RBI by Ryan Mountcastle. Anaheim would also put three across in the ninth, and the Orioles took the game 13-4. The lone sour note for the O’s came when reliever Cionel Perez. Had to leave the game in the ninth. He called for the trainer in the ninth and swiftly was pulled by Brandon Hyde. His injury and/or status is unclear.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Reid Detmers. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.