Baltimore Orioles salvage one in Trevor Rogers’ outstanding start

Trevor Rogers was tasked with being the Baltimore Orioles’ stopper this afternoon in the series finale against Houston. The O’s had dropped the first three games of the series in pretty wild fashion. Today was different all around. Rogers’ line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K.

Save for an elevated pitch count, you can’t really go wrong striking out nine. Yet Roger’s still lasted seven innings. And the O’s led early today. Gunnar Henderson’s solo home run in the first gave them a 1-0 lead.

Houston’s speed and aggressiveness would manifest in the third inning. Following a Smith walk he was sacrificed to season and stole third. He would later score on an RBI-single by Pena. That shows how important Houston thought today’s game was.

However Oriole bats couldn’t get much going after that for some time. At one point Houston retired 14 straight Orioles. However Gunnar Henderson’s single with two outs in the last of the sixth broke that up. He would then steal second, as well as third – with nobody covering the bag.

Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single would then give the O’s the lead back. Which after a 3-1 pitch that was out of the zone and called a strike, seemed like a long time coming. One inning later in the seventh, Luis Vasquez smacked a solo homer to extend the lead to 3-1. It was Vasquez’s first career home run. And it ended up being huge.

Rico Garcia came in for the eighth, and loaded the bases with one out. He would be replaced by Keegan Akin, who recorded the second out on a sac fly-RBI by Caratini. But he also got the O’s out of the inning, sent Houston down 1-2-3 in the ninth, and recorded the save.

The Vasquez home run was obviously the big play. But the X-factor was Trevor Rogers. He had a slow start with the O’s when he was traded here last year. But he returned to form in 2025. He needs to remain an Oriole going forward.

The O’s open up a four-game set with Boston tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the O’s, and Boston’s starter is TBD. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: #RIPFlanny

On this day in 2011 the Baltimore Orioles lost former pitcher Mike Flanagan. We all know the story – Flanny was an Oriole through and through. He was beloved by fans of a certain age, including me.

I’ll never forget the day he passed. It was uniquely personal to this fanbase, which treats its star former players as royalty. And rightfully so. May he rest in peace. And as the last Oriole to stand on the mound at Menorial Stadium, mat time never dim the honor of his deeds.

Baltimore Orioles: Another wild loss

Many fans thought last night’s game was over after Dean Kremer surrendered five runs for the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning. They may have been correct about the final result being a loss, but they were wrong about thr way it would happen. The game was far from over. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R (6 earned), 1 BB, 4 K.

Following a leadoff walk, Kremer gave up a two-run homer to Correa. Then a solo home run to Sanchez, and later followed by another two-run shot by Caratini. When the smoke cleared, the Birds trailed 5-0.

Houston was swinging early. However one thing all of the pitches had in common was that they were on the fringes of the plate. They weren’t located in spots one would normally be able to hit the ball the way those balls were struck. And they weren’t just home runs – they were majestic shots.

Has Houston picked up on something Kremer was doing to tip his pitches? Or were they just expecting Kremer to pitch to the black of the plate? Either way, Kremer did settle down a bit. So again another question; did the ORIOLES pick up on Kremer tipping pitches?

For what it’s worth, Kremer continued to pitch to the fringes of the plate. Even on at-bats where he easily retired hitters. Presunably the analytics are telling them there’s a greater probability of victory using that modus operandi.

However as I said, the game was far from over. Gunnar Henderson’s seeing eye RBI-single in the last of the first got the O’s on the board. Henderson proceeded to steal second, and later in the inning he scored as part of Colton Cowser’s two-RBI single. In one half inning, the O’s were within two.

And one inning later, Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run single tied it at five. However Houston allowed the O’s to tie it a couple of times. But they could never quite make it over the hump. Caratini’s grounded into a fielder’s choice in the third with two runners in scoring position. Vimael Machin looked the runner back to third, and threw to first…

…and the rubber at third (Altuve) broke for home as soon as Machin started to throw the ball. Coby Mayo fired and errant throw to the plate, which allowed another run to score. And the O’s trailed 7-5.

That was risky. There’s a reason we use the term looked the runner back to third. Altuve basically mandated that either he was going to be out at home plate, a run was going to score, OR the bases would have been loaded with no out recorded. That sort of aggressiveness looks great on paper and so forth – but it’s risky. Yet it worked.

Jeremiah Jackson’s first big league home run came in the fourth, a solo shot. Colton Cowser would smack a long solo homer in the fifth, tying the game again at seven. But Walker once again hit the O’s hard in the seventh with a two-run home run, putting Houston over the top. Jeremiah Jackson would bring the O’s to within one with an RBI-single in the ninth, but the tying run remained on base.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles drop a wild one too Houston

Cade Povich wasn’t the only Baltimore Orioles pitcher who struggled in last night’s game against Houston at Camden Yards. Heck, he wasn’t the only pitcher on either side who struggled. It was just one of those games in a sense. Povich’s line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (4 earned), 2 BB, 5 K.

Houston took a 1-0 lead in the second as a result of two errors – one of which was on Povich. McCormick tried to sacrifice two runners into scoring position, and Povich overthrew him at first allowing a run to score. To make matters worse, Pena smacked a three-run homer in the aftermath, and the Orioles trailed 4-0.

And that really shows that you can’t allow mistakes to balloon. That inning started with a walk, and then a second runner got on by way of an error, before that aforementioned sequence with Povich. And the Orioles were held accountable.

But they also fought back. Alex Jackson’s RBI-single in the fourth inning cut the lead to 4-1 But Houston wasn’t above mistakes either. With two on later in the inning, Jeremiah Jackson sent a deep fly to right, and Houston’s right fielder Smith misplayed the ball. In short, it was in his glove and popped out, allowing two runs to score and cutting the lead to 4-3.

That was ruled a double, but my personal opinion was that it should be an error. The ball was in his glove. It was a tough play, but it seemed more routine than extraordinary. Either way two runs scored.

Povich was lifted in the fifth with two on and one out. Interestingly, Tony Mansolino went to a leverage reliever early, that being Yennier Cano – who surrendered a three-run home run to Walker. Houston had its four-run lead back at 7-3.

But the O’s chipped back. They loaded the bases in the sixth, and Jackson Holliday’s fielder’s choice-RBI cut it to 7-4. Similar results with Jeremiah Jackson, cutting it to 7-5. One inning later Colton Cowser smacked a very loud solo homer which went a long way, and the Orioles were back to within one at 7-6.

However Houston would add three more in the eighth. Two of them came on a two-RBI double by Caratini, a pinch hitter, which was just barely out of the reach of Jeremiah Jackson in right field. Every button Houston pushed last night worked. But needless to say, the Orioles are never out of a game like this. And they came close.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Cristian Javier. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles extend Samuel Basallo

Prior to this evening’s game against Houston, the Baltimore Orioles extended their top prospect, Samuel Basallo. He signed an eight-year extension worth approximately $67.5 million dollars – could balloon up to $88 million. He’s played four games in the big leagues.

Which is why this move is curious. Boston extended Roman Anthony earlier this season after about a month. This is even less playing time than that. I’ll grant that Basallo looks as good as advertised. But there’s a huge risk involved for the team.

It goes without saying that the team assumes some risk in that Basallo could get injured. Granted, it also shows a level of commitment by the organization and by Basallo. So it goes both ways. You only hope it works out.

You also have to hope that this doesn’t start a trend in MLB. I think it’s a bad idea to give someone this young as much money as Basallo’s getting. I suppose the flip side is that it shows the organization is committed to winning in the future. Time will tell.

Baltimore Orioles, Brandon Young fall to Houston, and injuries

In his first start since chasing perfection, Brandon Young struggled early for the Baltimore Orioles. Ironically against Houston, the same team against whom he chased perfection last week. But despite giving up a plethora of runs early, Young steadied himself – which was good to see. What wasn’t good to see was how he left the game. Young’s line: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Young gave up a two-run home run to Walker, a former Oriole, in the first inning. And seemingly the rout was on. Following a Caratini single in the second, the Orioles appeared to erase the base runner with a ground ball double play. But Houston challenged the call at first, which was easily overturned.

Following another walk, Correa’s two-RBI single gave Houston a 4-0 lead. That challenge call ended up being huge in the inning and in the game. That went from erasing the baserunners to being a fielder’s choice with one on and one out.

One Orioles’ highlight was Dylan Beavers’ first career home run, and it came in the last of the second. That cut the lead to 4-1, but Houston kept the pressure on. Sanchez added an RBI-single in the third, and Diaz a two-run homer which busted the game wide open.

However Brandon Young stopped the bleeding. He retired ten of the final twelve hitters he faced. Many will argue that the damage was already done, and it was. But he found a way to stabilize himself, and lasted until the sixth inning.

And he was lifted with one out in the sixth. He covered first on a routine ground ball in the infield, and pulled up lame after recording the out. My initial concern was an Achilles tendon, but when he limped off the field…needless to say at least he walked (gingerly). The Orioles later said he had hamstring discomfort.

So add Brandon Young to the list of injuries. You can also re-add Adley Rutschman, who went on the IL before the game with an oblique strain – the opposite side of his previous injury. This puts Samuel Basallo as the everyday catcher going forward – at least into September.

On top of that, Felix Bautista had season-ending shoulder surgery, and will miss at least twelve months. That’s devastating for Bautista AND the Orioles. But it’s been next man up literally since March, so they’ll have to find a way. Things are slightly better on the Jordan Westburg front; Westburg is day-to-day with a sore right ankle.

In the bottom of that sixth inning Dylan Beavers would ground into a force out which yielded a run, cutting the lead to 7-2. Luckily the Orioles’ bullpen was strong last night, despite being called into action abruptly. Kyle Bradish is expected to join the team next week for the Boston series, and it could very well be Brandon Young going to the IL as a corresponding move. Tyler Wells is expected back after September 1st,

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Lance McCullers. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A seemingly unlikely win and sweep

The Baltimore Orioles had to feel like they were playing with house money last night at Fenway Park. They took two-of-three in Houston, and the first game of two in Boston on Monday night. Tomoyuki Sugano was on the mound last night for the finale of the short two-game series, and put the O’s in a spot to win. Sugano’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Sided by a Jackson Holliday error, Sugano put two runners on in the third. With two outs they were both in scoring position, with Wong on third. After two disengagements, it stood to reason that Wong wouldn’t creep too far off of third. There’s a difference between taking a lead and trying to cause a balk, and doing so when the implication is trying to steal home.

Yet Wong took a huge lead, causing Sugano instinctively to step off. That’s a third disengagement, and in alignment with the rules, a balk. Sugano was awarded home plate, and Boston took a 1-0 lead.

Conventional wisdom says you don’t creep that far off third. The Orioles, and everyone watching, assumed Wong would take a moderate lead and leave it at that. He caught us all by surprise, needless to say. Including Tomoyuki Sugano.

But two innings later the O’s put two runners on as well. And Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single tied the game at one. Colton Cowser followed with an RBI-double, giving the O’s the lead. He would later score on a wild pitch, and the Birds led 3-1. Put people on base and anything can happen.

Kade Strowd loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth. He was lifted in favor of Rico Garcia, who was asked to do the impossible. Having Boston load the bases with nobody out at Fenway is almost asking for it. Yet Garcia struck out the side, preserving the lead.

However Lowe’s two-run homer in the last of the ninth against Yaramil Hiraldo tied the game at three. Hiraldo would also load the bases, and induce Story to ground into an inning-ending double-play. Getting us to extra innings.

The Orioles would also load the bases in the tenth – and got out of it. With the ghost runner getting to third with one out in the 11th, Samuel Basallo’s run-scoring groundout gave them the lead at 4-3. The game should have been tied before it ended.

With one out and the ghost runner on third, Anthony flied out to center. However the runner at third (Eaton) inexplicably didn’t tag up and run. If you combine that with the fact that the Orioles loaded the bases in the eighth, ninth, and tenth (and pitched out of it), it stands to reason that they pulled a rabbit out of a hat. As many times as they’ve lost despite conventional wisdom this year, this time they got one back.

Baltimore Orioles: Samuel Basallo makes big league debut in Birds’ runaway win

The Baltimore Orioles and Dean Kremer joined their NFL counterparts in beating a Texas team. Granted if you go back to Friday night the O’s had already done that, prior to the Ravens beating the Dallas Cowboys last night. But nevertheless, Kremer out dueled Houston by shutting them out, and throwing the most pitches he’s thrown all year. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

This game was always going to be noteworthy once the Orioles opted to promote Samuel Basallo to the big leagues this afternoon. He was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, and didn’t record a hit in the game. But he’s here, and he hit out of the DH role.

The Orioles loaded the bases in the third on three consecutive base hits. Gunnar Henderson then made a bid for a grand slam, but Houston right fielder Sanchez would rob him of that with an amazing leaping catch at the wall. However it went as a sac fly-RBI, giving the O’s a 1-0 lead.

Three straight fifth inning singles doubled the lead in the fifth, with Jackson Holliday’s RBI-single being the big one. Every Oriole who reached base in the inning would touch home plate, however. Jordan Westburg’s three-run homer broke the game wide open and gave the O’s a 5-0 lead.

Westburg would tack on an RBI-single in the seventh. Adley Rutschman would also add an RBI-groundout. Samuel Basallo also made a play for his first major league hit, and it would have been a home run. But Sanchez struck again in right field, making an incredible catch on the ball. In terms of winning and losing the game of course, it meant relatively little.

The O’s also exploded again in the eighth, in a sequence started by Jordan Westburg’s RBI-single. It also featured Samuel Basallo’s first major league hit. It was a two-RBI single, and it extended the Orioles’ lead to 12-0.

Kremer is reminding coaches and fans alike that he’ll have a big role on this team next year. He’s very quietly had a good season. That cemented itself this afternoon.

The O’s now head to Boston for the first of a two-game series at Fenway Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Dustin May. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Soft contact and over-aggression sinks the Birds

Rico Garcia was slipped in as the opener for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Cade Povich was still the pitcher of record, but Garcia started out of the gate. Garcia’s line: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

I’m not a fan of openers. It’s too zaney, and personally I’m one who thinks starters should be going deep into games. But the Orioles did it, and the fact is that Houston still got to Povich. Dubon’s RBI-single in the second gave them a 1-0 lead. Two fourth inning RBI-singles ran it to 3-0.

But the O’s weren’t out of it. Dylan Carlson got them on the board in the fifth with a two-run home run. Houston would extend the lead with an Altuve solo homer in the seventh, but Jackson Holliday came through with a two-run shot in the ninth to tie the game at four. The runner in base when the home run was hit? Dylan Beavers, who got aboard in with a double for his first major league hit – in his first game in the bigs.

The game went to extra innings, which is where things got weird. Detrich Enns intentionally walked the first hitter with a ghost runner on second. But Enns pitched out of it. In the eleventh Ryan Mountcastle flied out to right, advancing Luis Vasquez (the ghost runner) to third with one out.

The next pitch was lined to Urias at second by Beavers. The contact play apparently was on, and Vasquez was picked off of third. I would question why the contact play was on, as a medium-depth fly ball was going to score a run with one out. But the contact play was on, and Vasquez was out.

I wouldn’t have had the contact play on. Tony Mansolino said after the game that when the contact play is on, a runner will be picked off on any line drive in the infield. That’s very true – so why put it on? That sort of over-aggression played the Orioles out of a run.

However Houston immediately made the same mistake with regard to over-aggression. Urias (the ghost runner) advanced to third on a wild pitch, and Enns immediately walked Pena on purpose. Runners at the corners with nobody out. If you get a base hit before they can record three outs, or a fly ball to the outfield before they can record two, you win the game.

Instead, Houston put a squeeze play on. Trammell laid down a bunt, which was fielded by Coby Mayo at first. He brilliantly flipped the ball towards home plate with his glove, nailing the runner. Again, why be that aggressive when you have the momentum behind you?

With the bases loaded and one out in the 12th, Urias (who of course was an Oriole a few weeks ago) grounded into a force out at second. However Jordan Westburg’s throwing error allowed the winning run to score, and the O’s fell 5-4. Entertaining game, but a loss.

Urias did that with a soft dribbler to third. End of the day despite all of the over-aggressiveness on both sides, it was a softly-hit roller in the infield that won the game. That’s the sort of thing that’s happened to the Orioles all year. Heck, it probably goes back to last year’s postseason. Interesting quirk, needless to say.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Daikin Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Christian Javier. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Not perfect, but FOREVER YOUNG

Coming into tonight’s game in Houston, the Baltimore Orioles were focusing on Brandon Young continuing the string of quality starts of late. This in Houston, about 90 miles from Young’s hometown. With his entire family and half the town in attendance. The movie, The Rookie comes to mind. Young’s line: 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

However come the end of the game, it was another baseball movie that was coming to mind, For The Love of the Game. Keep in mind, Young was coming off of perhaps his worst big league start last weekend against the Athletics, And in his hometown he followed that up perhaps the best start by an Oriole pitcher in years. And an unforgettable first major league win in the process. If you’re looking to next year and onwards, Young’s a keeper,

The O’s took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer in the third by Coby Mayo. Two innings later Gunnar Henderson plated a run on a sac fly-RBI. A third run scored on a throwing error.

Gunnar Henderson would add an RBI-single in the seventh, as would Jeremiah Jackson in the eighth. The O’s would also tack on two additional runs on a Dylan Carlson two-run home run. All of that combined for a 7-0 Orioles win in Houston.

But Brandon Young was the story. Anytime someone records their first big league win, he’s the story. Especially in his hometown, in front of his entire cadre of family and friends. But…wow.

Young came within four outs of a perfect game. With one out in the eighth inning, Young’s former teammate, former Oriole Ramon Urias, got aboard with a swinging bunt. He ended up on second base as a result of Young’s throwing error.

So in his first big league win, Brandon Young tossed eight innings of one-hit baseball, surrendering one hit and committing a throwing error. Included in that was a perfect game bid, and in his hometown none the less. Again needless to say, that was the best start for this franchise in several years.

Outstanding. Not perfect, but outstanding. It really shows you how difficult it is to toss a perfect game or no-hitter. You can’t under any circumstances think that Brandon Young is going to have outings like this the rest of his career. That isn’t sustainable. But hopefully he takes this momentum onward. He silenced one of the most potent lineups in baseball tonight in his first major league victory.

The series continues tomorrow night at Daikin Park. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Jason Alexander. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.