Baltimore Orioles stand at the crossroads of destiny

A win tonight over Boston, and the Baltimore Orioles win the AL East pennant. And they’ll have done it the right way. By building from the bottom up.

Remember when they traded Manny Machado and others in 2018? That event was the beginning. Today has the potential to bookend as the end of the process.

In truth however, the end of the process was awhile ago. But capturing the division pennant would be symbolic in nature of the road traversed. And folks, it’s only baseball that can make us think in those terms. Remember that.

A moment and a day such as this one remind us of where we’ve come from in a given span of time. And everyone has their stories that run parallel to whatever happened with the Orioles. Speaking for myself, I became an Uncle to the most awesome little boy in the world in 2021, after almost losing my Dad to COVID. Then almost bit it myself last year due to diabetes. But that’s under control and I live a very normal life, my Dad’s okay, and my nephew’s still amazing.

That aside, this team is incredibly embedded into the lives of the people who follow it. Baltimore and the Orioles are a community unlike any other, perhaps in professional sports. And part of that is because baseball reminds us of our past, and where we come from. Why we started following it in the first place. We all had the moments as kids at cookouts with the ballgame on in the background. Or at the beach, listening on the radio. Or whenever.

And tonight all of those thoughts and memories come juxtaposed with the immediacy of potentially winning the division pennant. With the B & O Warehouse as the backdrop. So for the Orioles and the fans, now with the path to destiny closer than ever, there’s only one thing left to do: WIN THE WHOLE THING.

Baltimore Orioles: One win to paydirt

The Baltimore Orioles and starter Grayson Rodriguez were hoping that Boston (tomorrow’s opponent) would do them a solid tonight. However they fell to Tampa, meaning the O’s couldn’t clinch the AL East pennant tonight. Luckily however, they can do it tomorrow, thanks in part to Rodriguez’s effort on the mound. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

The O’s took the lead in the third on a two-run homer by Adley Rutschman. Washington would put a couple of runners on base in the fifth, and they would tie it on Alu’s RBI-single. For what it’s worth, that was the first and only run that Washington scored against the O’s this year.

But Rutschman tacked that run back on in the bottom of the inning. His RBI-single extended the lead to 3-1. The Birds would load the bases later in the inning, and Jordan Westburg would draw a walk, extending the lead to 4-1. Austin Hays’ RBI-single in the sixth would give the Birds an insurance run, and they took the game, 5-1.

Again for what it’s worth, the O’s swept the season series with Washington. This after taking the first two games in DC back in April, and of course last night’s game. But this game and this point of the season weren’t about a regional rivalry. It was about something greater.

Again given the Tampa win, the O’s couldn’t clinch the AL East tonight. It the magic number is now one. Tampa’s off tomorrow, meaning the O’s will have a chance to win the division on their own and in their own right. High stakes for sure.

The aforementioned series against Boston, the final series of the 2023 regular season, begins tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Chris Sale. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Bereaved Birds narrow magic number

Obviously with the death of the great Brooks Robinson, hearts and minds surrounding the Baltimore Orioles were full. And in memorium to the greatest third baseman of all time today, Kyle Bradish pitched a gem. Bradish’s line: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

The O’s got on the board early in this game. Gunnar Henderson smacked a solo homer in the first inning. And the good thing about your pitching staff not surrendering a run is that you only need one. Which is good, because that’s all the Orioles got tonight. They went home 1-0 winners.

Washington’s Meneses sent a deep fly ball to center in the fourth that was tracked down by Cedric Mullins. But that’s the closest the Orioles came to surrendering a run. They almost scored again in the last of the eighth, but Gunnar Henderson was thrown out attempting a straight steal of home. Yennier Cano struck out the side in the ninth, and the Birds closed out the win.

As this is being written, Tampa leads the Boston Red Sox; if that result holds, the O’s will remain with the magic number being two. This meaning that a win against Washington tomorrow combined with a Tampa loss, would clinch the division for the O’s.

Obviously the mood was dampened by the Brooks Robinson news. Not one person who ever met him had a cross thing to say about him. And yes, he’s the greatest third baseman of all time. It’s sad when anyone dies, and we certainly wish nothing but love and peace for all who knew and loved him. But the cool thing for fans will be hearing all the tributes and the things that will be said about Brooks Robinson over the next few days. And put that up against the backdrop of winning the AL East Pennant, and needless to say it’s shaping up to be a special week.

The series with Washington concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Patrick Corbin. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A legend’s passing

The Baltimore Orioles and the baseball family mourn a legend’s passing this evening. Just prior to this evening’s game against Washington, it was announced that former Oriole Brooks Robinson had passed away at age 86. The Orioles and Washington Nationals stood for a moment of silence in Robinson’s honor before tonight’s game.

I suppose this is up for debate, but for the purposes of this column, we’re going to say that the greatest third baseman in the history of baseball passed away. Nicknamed both “Hoover” and/or “the human vacuum cleaner,” there’s only one stat that truly needs to be said regarding Robinson. That being 16 consecutive Gold Gloves. Consider that folks; he didn’t just win 16 Gold Gloves, he won the Gold Glove at his position for 16 CONSECUTIVE YEARS. I’m sorry, that ends the discussion of the greatest ever.

After hanging up his cleats, Robinson stayed active with the Orioles and in the Baltimore community. He did color analysis on television for years, and was an overall ambassador for the Orioles around town and around the league. He was also known as “Mr. Oriole,” and his fingerprints will forevermore remain on the fabric of this franchise and the fan base.

Along with John Unitas, Brooks Robinson is etched into the childhood memories of most Baby Boomer Baltimore sports fans – including my father and his brothers. And there’s one way that the Orioles could pay homage to Brooks Robinson in the interim – win the whole, damn thing.

Baltimore Orioles: With everything on the line, John Means was the guy

John Means came through for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in various ways. First off, he pitched not the eighth inning. With a tired bullpen at the worst possible moment in time, that was EXACTLY what the Orioles needed. That’s an intangible thing when it comes to stats, but needless to say Means showed up for the O’s tonight. Means’ line: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Anthony Santander smacked an RBI-double in the first inning to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. But this game was all about John Means being a bulldog. And was he ever. He almost single-handedly stabilized a pitching staff that was looking more and more beleaguered.

Needless to say, Means was mowing down Cleveland hitters. It was a stark contrast to what we saw last night. Cleveland and their snap-happy bats were unable to find much daylight in the field. Meanwhile Anthony Santander extended their lead to 2-0 in the sixth with an RBI-single.

And it’s a good thing he did. Means was quietly throwing a no-hitter. I say quietly because the overarching storyline of this game was the stakes it carried – for the O’s. However the no-no came to an end in the seventh when Giminez smacked a solo homer. Not only was it the first (and only) hit Means surrendered, but it cut the lead in half.

But the good news was Means didn’t let it phase him. He knew it was only one run, and given what the Orioles are looking towards after the season, a no-hitter at this stage was all but irrelevant. He was lifted after one out in the eighth, which was finished off by Yennier Cano. Cionel Perez pitched a perfect ninth, and the Orioles took the win, 2-1.

Thus they maintain their 1.5 game lead over Tampa in the AL East. Tampa of course, who won in walk-off fashion earlier in the day. So this was a big win for the Birds, anchored by John Means doing a massive “solid” for the rest of the pitching staff. And narrowing the Magic Number to 5.

The series concludes tomorrow at Progressive Field. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Triston McKenzie. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Are the Birds gassed?

Dean Kremer picked a bad time to have a clunker of a start for the Baltimore Orioles. He had a rough second inning, getting out of it having thrown 49 pitches over the first two. Which set the tone for the game going onward Kremer’s line: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R (3 earned), 2 BB, 3 K.

The O’s appeared like they were about to take an early hold of the game – and actually they briefly did. Anthony Santander’s RBI-double in the first got them on the board. He would later score on a wild pitch. However Cleveland evened the score right away with an RBI-double and a sac fly.

One inning later they took a 3-2 lead on Straw’s RBI-single. But again, it was Gunnar Henderson who sparked the Birds. His RBI-double in the third tied the game at three. He would later score on a throwing error by Cleveland pitcher Bieber, scored as Adley Rutschman reaching on a fielder’s choice, and Henderson scoring on the error. Anthony Santander would single Rutschman home, and the O’s appeared to have resorted order to things and led 5-3.

However Cleveland retook the lead again with a three-run fourth. And they do it by paper cutting you to death. They hit the ball softly and somehow it finds grass. It’s a tactic that a lot of teams seemingly get away with – in short they don’t push. They don’t try too hard. And it works.

Does that mean the O’s need to stop pressing? Tough to say. Nothing works forever and all the time. The O’s would tie it back up in the seventh on an RBI-single by Anthony Santander. But AGAIN Cleveland came back. Brennen’s RBI-single in the seventh gave them a 7-6 lead.

The O’s did come back again however, and as late as you possibly can. Aaron Hicks’ two-RBI double with two outs in the ninth briefly gave the Orioles an 8-7 lead. But again, Cleveland picked them to death. Fry’s two-RBI double in the last of the ninth gave Cleveland a 9-8 win.

The Orioles’ 1.5 game lead in the AL East was sustained by virtue of Tampa falling to Toronto. Their magic number also went down to six as a result of that game. So it wasn’t necessarily a total loss of a day – per se.

But the Orioles appear tired; specifically, the pitching staff. And understandably so. While it’s been a successful season, it’s also been a long one. I’m not exactly sure what can be done in the way of roster moves, but…it’s a thought.

The Birds are off Monday, so that certainly helps. However this issue illustrates why it’s so supremely important that they win the division. If Tampa overtakes them, then they have to go to the Wild Card series (presumably at home). They’d get a day off after the end of the regular season, and then go into the Wild Card the next day.

Winning the division gives them a break before the ALDS. They need that more than any other team. And Tampa, while losing yesterday, seemingly has endless exuberance and energy. The O’s need to stop the bleeding.

The series on Cleveland continues tonight at Progressive Field. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Death by a thousand paper cuts

Grayson Rodriguez put the Baltimore Orioles in a spot to win this evening at Progressive Field in Cleveland. But that wasn’t enough, and it isn’t enough at this stage of the game. The O’s need wins, not to be put in positions to win. Rodriguez’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

Rodriguez gave up his two runs at the end of his outing. Ramirez’s RBI-single and Naylor’s sac fly- RBI gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the fifth. However the Birds came back to tie it up in the eighth. With two runners in scoring position, Anthony Santander’s RBI-ground out and Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-double tied the game at two.

The O’s brought Cionel Perez in to pitch in the last of the eighth, and he began by hitting Cleveland’s Naylor. A steal, an infield single, and two walks later, and Perez walked in a run. This gave Cleveland the lead back at 3-2.

(Bo) Naylor would send a flair pop down the right field line that would tick off of Adam Frazier’s glove and fall for an RBI-single. Arias’ RBI-groundout would extend the Cleveland lead to 5-2. Which would up being the final.

The Orioles’ lead in the AL East fell to 1.5 games with the loss. The magic number remains at 7 to clinch the AL East. This with Tampa getting set to play Toronto this weekend.

The concerning thing is that the Orioles were paper cut to death in the end. In that eighth inning, Cleveland put across five runs without getting an extra base hit. That’s almost tough to do. We saw this as well back in May when Cleveland was at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And it seems fairly typical of Midwest teams.

The series continues tomorrow night at Progressive Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: James McCann’s safety squeeze the key in another Texas-sized win

Kyle Gibson only lasted into the fifth inning last night for the Baltimore Orioles. However that doesn’t mean Gibson pitched poorly per se. But the O’s are in a pennant race, so in effect they’re already playing postseason games. And you have to manage a postseason game differently. Gibson’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Ryan O’Hearn stayed hot for the Birds, sending a two-run homer over the wall in the top of the first. However Houston quickly tied the game, with Tucker snacking a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame. Don’t look so surprised, folks. Houston’s the defending champion. They aren’t going down without a fight.

But if the 2023 Orioles have proven anything, it’s that they’re no slouch. Austin Hays came through big in the third, smacking a three-run home run and giving the Orioles a 5-2 lead. But again…Houston’s the defending champion. They aren’t going to go quietly, especially in their home yard. Bregman’s solo homer in the last of the third brought them to within 5-3.

Yet, nobody told the Orioles that they were supposed to stop scoring. Or that Houston wanted them to do so, at least. James McCann came through clutch in the sixth. With runners at the corners he put down a safety squeeze, forcing in a run. And he slid triumphantly into first base, making it an infield RBI-single.

Before the inning ended Gunnar Henderson added an RBI-single, extending the lead to 7-3. Diaz would bring Houston back to within two with a two-run homer in the last of the sixth, but the O’s weren’t relenting, deep in the heart of Texas. Austin Hays smacked his second homer of the game in the seventh, a solo shot. Heston Kjerstad followed suit with one of his own, and the O’s cruised to a 9-5 win.

The key play was McCann’s RBI-single in the sixth. The last thing you’re expecting there is for McCann to put down a squeeze bunt. In a game where Houston was already perpetually on their heels and playing from behind, that really cemented things in a sense. It also kept the Orioles out of a double-play, setting up the inning for additional damage.

The series concludes this afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Cristian Javier. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles lifted by Cedric Mullins deep in the heart of Texas

John Means took the ball for the second time this season for the Baltimore Orioles last night. Another shortish outing to be sure, although he was in line for the win when he left. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

Means’ line run surrendered came on an RBI-double by Tucker in the first inning. But the O’s would tie it in the third. Adley Rutschman’s sac fly-RBI would tie the game. Two innings later Ryan O’Hearn would smack a two-RBI single, which gave the O’s the lead at 3-1.

Means came out to pitch the last of the fifth, and then hit the showers. Even given the Orioles’ push to the postseason (which as we know is now a trip that’s guaranteed), it’s obvious that Brandon Hyde is trying to be careful with Means. Coming off of Tommy John’s surgery is no joke.

However Houston would take the lead back in the sixth. McCormick’s RBI-single would bring them to within 3-2. However Shintaro Fujinami’s two wild pitches would send McCormick to third, and he would later score on Peña’s run-scoring single. Altuve’s two-RBI double would give Houston the lead at 5-3.

But remember, these Birds do their best work late. Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double in the seventh cut the Houston lead to 5-4. Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double would then tie the game at five, with Ryan O’Hearn being thrown out at home plate. But damage done, although Houston would take the lead back with solo homers in the seventh and eighth, going to the ninth inning with a 7-5 lead.

But while Houston’s the defending champion, it’s the Baltimore Orioles who have the best record in the American League in 2023. Both are first place teams and both are quality teams. But the standings say that the O’s are the better team right now and this year. And that became evident very fast.

The Birds opened the ninth with two base hits. That brought Cedric Mullins to the plate, and on a 2-1 pitch he sent a deep shot into right field. And wouldn’t you know it, the ball landed in the right field grandstand, deep in the heart of Texas.

And with that, the best team in the American League defeated the defending champions in game one of a series against a team that they may well see again in the not-so-distant future. Make no mistake, if the Orioles are going to go deep into the postseason, they’ll end up facing Houston at some point. So they should get used to seeing them in the opposing dugout.

The series continues this evening at Minute Maid Park. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Hunter Brown. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles take October and win in walk off fashion

Dean Kremer got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon, on a getaway day at Camden Yards that won’t soon be forgotten. The O’s needed to win, OR have Texas or Seattle lose in order to get to the playoffs. Of course the best idea would be to win, as that would also put them back up two in the division standings. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Kremer’s line run allowed was a solo homer by Lowe in the first inning. However the O’s tied it in the last of the fourth on an RBI-single by Austin Hays. And as time went on, it became evident that the O’s were going to clinch a playoff spot – regardless of the outcome of today’s game. Cleveland put up a nine-run inning on Texas, effectively ending the competitive portion of that game.

For what it’s worth, Tampa was in a spot to clinch a playoff spot with a Texas loss as well. So both teams had an interest in that game. So back-to-back home runs by Tampa in the eighth did put a damper on things, but not too much. Both teams were already on their way to being in.

But the O’s do their best work late. We’ve said that all season. Adley Rutschman’s solo homer in the last of the eighth cut the lead to 3-2. Yet it appeared that Tampa had taken a two-run lead back in the top of the ninth, when Aranda reached on a fielder’s choice with runners at the corners. His swinging bunt was fielded by Ryan O’Hearn at first, and O’Hearn fired home, appearing to nail the runner. However the home plate umpire ruled the runner safe.

The O’s immediately challenged, and the call was overturned on replay. Keep that play in mind, because it MIGHT end up deciding the division. If all’s said and done and the teams are tied, the Orioles own the tiebreaker.

In that sequence of events, Cleveland’s 9-2 game against Texas became a final. And with that, the 2023 Baltimore Orioles officially became a playoff team. Obviously the division race is still in question, but one way or the other, the Orioles are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And THAT’s the reason you play the game!

But the O’s still trailed. Not for long, however. Adam Frazier’s RBI-double scored Jorge Mateo from first, tying the game at three. However Tampa put two swinging bunts together in the tenth to take a 4-3 lead. But the O’s still had to hit in the last of the tenth. And once again, Adley Rutschman came up big, this time with an RBI-single which tied the game.

Following a sacrifice bunt, Cedric Mullins came up with a runner on third in the last of the 11th. And his sac fly played the fifth run of the day, and the final one at that. With the 5-4 walk off win, the Orioles put a stamp on what was already a successful day.

Again, keep that challenge call at the plate in mind. If somehow Tampa (who now trails the Orioles by two games in the AL East) comes back to tie the division, the Birds own the tie breaker. Now they already had the tiebreaker because of yesterday’s win, but it gives the Orioles a two-game lead in the division – for now. This as opposed to being in a statistical tie. That makes a difference.

The Orioles now head to Houston to open up a three-game set at Minute Maid Park. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Justin Verlander. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.