Baltimore Orioles: A victory with pop music royalty in the house

Grayson Rodriguez and the Baltimore Orioles put on a show this evening at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and with a special guest in the house at that. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett toon in tonight’s game, and had to have been impressed with what she saw. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Jett of course is a legendary Orioles “super fan.” Her family came to Maryland when she was a young girl, and she got into the the local team, that being the Orioles. She had already joined the Birds earlier in the season in Tampa. She also committed to returning before all was said and done this season during an interview on MASN. Question is, will that happen in September, or…October?!

Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single in the last of the third put the Orioles on the board and gave them a 2-0 lead. One inning later Ryan McKenna scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 3-0. But the Orioles were just getting warmed up.

Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single later in the fourth extended the lead to 4-0. However how often have we said that this team does it’s best work late? Usually that happens when they’re trailing – or at least it happens in a more poignant manner, that is. But even with the Orioles already leading, the Birds still did their best work late.

Ryan McKenna’s two-RBI single in the eighth blew the game wide open, with the Orioles leading 6-0. Later in the inning with two on, Anthony Santander’s three-run homer onto the flag court extended the Oriole lead to 9-0. If the game wasn’t already over before, it was over then. And the Orioles took game one of the series, 9-0. And securing the Orioles’ 82nd win of the season, clinching a second straight winning record.

One more point about Joan Jett’s visit. As I said, she mentioned on MASN that she’d like to come back to a game this season. I think it’s important for the Orioles to highlight and lift up the fans during the push in the playoffs come October. Joan Jett, being a member of the Orioles’ fan base, is representative of the fans. Who better to sing the National Anthem on national television before a playoff game?!

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Jesse Scholtens. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles shine in wake of Bautista injury

Kyle Bradish was taxed with steadying the Baltimore Orioles’ ship in the wake of closer Felix Bautista being injured on Friday. And he did his job, along with the rest of the team. The Birds dazzled the sellout crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, telling fans that things were going to be okay. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

Before the game Brandon Hyde and GM Mike Elias updated the media on Bautista’s condition. He was put on the IL, and it appears that there was at least “some damage” to the UCL. Whether the eventuality ends up being Tommy John’s surgery or not remains to be seen. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the O’s, but…next man up. Many people thought the season was over when Ryan Mountcastle got injured – and that was on Memorial Day. Instead itt made them stronger. You have to hope this will also.

Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI-single by Blackmon and an RBI-groundout by Tovar. However the O’s came back – as has been their way this year. Austin Hays was thrown out at home plate on a fielder’s choice by Ramon Urias. However the Orioles challenged the play, arguing that the Colorado catcher was blocking home plate. And the challenge was upheld, cutting the Colorado lead to 2-1.

One inning later the Birds took the lead when Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-RBI double. Austin Hays’ RBI-groundout would extend the lead to 4-2. Anthony Santander would hit an RBI-double of his own in the seventh, and the Birds held a 5-2 lead.

Colorado would put two more across in the eight, cutting the lead to one as Yennier Cano was tabbed to record the save in Bautista’s stead. But before he even threw a pitch there was controversy. The umpires ruled that his glove needed to be replaced, which enraged managed Brandon Hyde:

I guess he patted his glove with the rosin bag. They wanted him to get the rosin off. Then they asked for a towel, and they felt like we needed a wet towel. And then he just needed a new glove. Unfortunately, that kind of killed the moment and the vibe, and the anxiousness heightened. But give Yenny a ton of credit for dealing with some adversity in that moment and coming out and throwing some great sinkers and changeups.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Luckily for the Orioles that seemed to inspire Cano, and he sent Colorado down 1-2-3 in the ninth. Hopefully that’s an omen for the rest of the team in the wake of the Bautista injury. Incidentally this was the Orioles’ 81st win, which clinched their second consecutive non-losing season.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Jack Flaherty gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado’s Ty Blach. Game time is set for just after 1:35 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: Felix Bautista injured in Birds’ win

Cole Irvin wasn’t perfect, however the Baltimore Orioles picked him up in the end. However did this win over Colorado cost the O’s something precious, that being closer Felix Bautista? I guess we’re going to find out. Irvin’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

The O’s took the lead early with Ryan Mountcastle’s solo homer in the last of the first. The ball bounced off the grounds crew’s shed in right field, and back in play. Mountcastle appeared to slide in safely at third, only to score on what would have been an error. But the umpires ruled it a homer; either way that gave the O’s a lead. Gunnar Henderson also added a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds led 2-0.

However Colorado put up four runs quickly. Diaz’s RBI-double in the third and Trejo’s sac fly-RBI in the fourth tied the game. Tovar’s two-run homer in the fifth gave them a 4-2 lead.

However the O’s were having none of this team coming into Camden Yards on a Friday night – a City Connect night to be exact – and beating them. Austin Hays brought them to within one with a solo homer in the last of the sixth. But it was the last of the eighth where the Birds did their big damage. Gunnar Henderson’s three-run homer out the Orioles back in the lead at 5-4.

Colorado just finished a series with Tampa where their hearts were broken a few times. And the Orioles have done it to many other teams thus far this year. They do their best work late.

However the big story of the game takes an unfortunate turn. Felix Bautista had two outs and a two-strike count in the top of the ninth, and he fell off the mound after throwing a pitch. Manager Brandon Hyde and team trainers immediately came out to check on him, and almost immediately lifted Bautista in favor of Danny Coulumbe, who recorded the final out.

Brandon Hyde said after the game that Bautista had “arm discomfort,” and that he wanted to go into no more detail than that. Make no mistake that this could be a huge loss to the team if Bautista needs to miss any time. However they have a next man up mentality. While losing Bautista might hurt a little, someone else will just have to step up. They always do.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado’s Chris Flexen. Game time is set for just after 7 PM,

Baltimore Orioles continue dominance over Toronto

The Baltimore Orioles had already won the season series with Toronto. But the winner of last night’s game would have won the series – which is meaningful. Not to mention that Tampa had won earlier in the day, meaning that the Orioles needed to win to maintain their two-game lead in the AL East. Luckily they got an outstanding outing from starter Kyle Gibson, not to mention their own offense. Gibson’s line: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

Gibson gave up two runs, both of which came in the fourth. And they were manufactured runs by Toronto, one on a force out and the other on a sac fly. However Toronto did lead 2-0 at that point. Luckily the game lasts more than four innings. – or more than three-and-a-half…

…because the O’s immediately remedied the problem. Anthony Santander blasted a two-run homer onto Eutaw Street in the last of the fourth. That tied the game at two, erasing Toronto’s lead. One inning later the Orioles had the lead themselves when Cedric Mullins sent a solo shot over the wall.

Later in the fifth Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single extended the lead to 5-2. Toronto would narrow the lead to 5-3 with a solo homer by Belt in the sixth, but that was all the Orioles would surrender. Gibson pitched to a quality start with eight innings, and Felix Bautista closed the game out in the ninth. The O’s are 75-48, and they lead the American League East by two games.

The Orioles open up a three-game set with Colorado this evening at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado‘s Kyle Freeland. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: #RIPFlanny

I always said that so long as I was writing a column about Baltimore Orioles’ baseball, I’d always mark the death of former pitcher, broadcaster, and executive Mike Flanagan. As most fans remember, Flanny was found dead on his Baltimore County property on August 24, 2011. He’ll forever be thought of as an integral part of the Orioles and the history of the franchise.

Both the organization, and fans took the news hard. And that might be partly because Flanagan became such an integral part of the Baltimore community. He loved it here, despite never forgetting his New England roots. He raised his family here, and quickly became entrenched as a Baltimorean.

Flanagan of course will always be a lot of things, one of which is the last Oriole ever to pitch on the mound at Memorial Stadium. When asked about his long walk in from the bullpen that day, Flanny famously said that if he had gone any faster, he would have simply fallen over. That was only one of many poignant moments that day, of course.

Death is always tougher for those left behind. Certainly his family and friends bear the brunt of his absence. However he’s missed and always well-remembered in the Baltimore community and amongst the Orioles fans. Rest easy Flanny, and know that the team you loved so much is in a good place.

Baltimore Orioles lifted off by Anthony Santander

Dean Kremer was pushed up a day to make the start this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. This in place of Jack Flaherty, who was scratched. Luckily for the Birds, Kremer was up for the task – and he pitched to a quality start. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

The O’s made some noise in this game early, but not necessarily in a good way. They left the bases loaded in the second, which in a sense is playing with fire when you’re in a pennant race. But they came back from that – and then some.

Ryan Mountcastle got back on Toronto’s bad side with an RBI-single in the last of the third. The Birds held that lead up for two innings, when Anthony Santander smacked a solo home run. And while the flood gates didn’t open in earnest for another couple of innings, that certainly foreshadowed what was to come.

It was Santander who began the Orioles’ final push. This with a second solo homer onto the flag court in the last of the eighth. Later in the inning the O’s had two on and an additional run scored on a throwing error. That’s why I always say that getting runners on is a big deal. Things happen when guys are on the base paths. All it takes is an error somewhere, and suddenly you’re in a place to score.

Cedric Mullins would add a sac fly, and Adley Rutschman’s two-RBI single would close out the scoring in the Orioles’ 7-0 win. This also marks the 70th consecutive series where the O’s haven’t been swept. A trend that’s starting to take on a life of it’s own.

The series concludes tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. The Birds are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is, he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall on late homer in extra’s

The Baltimore Orioles got a quality start this evening out of Grayson Rodriguez. That doesn’t mean he had his best stuff. But putting your team in a spot to win is the name of the game, and Rodriguez did that. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles drew first blood, on Austin Hays’ RBI-double in the last of the first. However Toronto would ambush Grayson Rodriguez in the second, with Varsho smacking a two-run homer. The Birds actually appeared a bit on the desperate side in that inning, as later on Toronto had a runner on first with nobody out. And Kiermaier lined out to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who tagged first base and tallied an unassisted double-play,

Mountcastle catching the liner on the fly in and of itself was a dramatic play. But he fell right next to first base, and tagged the bag as the runner tried to get back after taking his lead. Mountcastle had a rate game against Toronto where he was quiet at the plate, but his glove sure came in handy!

However Kiermaier would come up again in the fourth, and his RBI-double extended the Toronto lead to 3-1. But the O’s fought back, and it started with Jorge Mateo. More poignantly, it started with Jorge Mateo’s speed.

Mateo went to steal third base, and was able to score on a throwing error in the fifth. Jordan Westburg’s RBI-double would later tie the game at three. And the game remained tied at three, as the teams went to extra innings.

And Toronto’s Belt smacked a two-run homer on the first pitch of the tenth. Guerrero would later score on a wild pitch, and the Orioles trailed 6-3 the Birds went quietly in the last of the tenth, and went down to victory. Their margin over Tampa in the AL East is now two games.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Jack Flaherty gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gasman. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Gunnar Henderson have hapless Oakland seeing “double vision”

The Baltimore Orioles sent Kyle Bradish to the hill this afternoon in Oakland to try to earn a series sweep in Oakland. Everyone knows Oakland’s struggles and the Orioles’ successes this year. But the bluntness of the way the game unfolded today was “cold as ice.” It almost made Oakland look like a “foreigner” to baseball. Okay, enough with that – Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

The game wasn’t even close, and it was a donnybrook from the beginning. Ramon Urias grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI in the first inning. The interesting thing about that was that Oakland challenged the play. Now I’ll grant that it was borderline in terms of out or safe at first base. But to challenge a call that close that early was odd to me.

One inning later, Jorge Mateo reminded fans why he’s on the team. He sent a deep shot to the outfield, and motored all the way around third to home plate. In doing so, his inside-the-park home run extended the Orioles lead to 2-0. But the Birds still had ten runs to go.

Austin Hays’ two-RBI single in the third extended the lead to 4-0. Ryan Mountcastle tacked on a three-run homer later in the inning, which opened the game wide open. If it wasn’t already blown apart.

However while this was a team win, the story was Gunnar Henderson. He smacked a solo homer in the seventh, followed by Jordan Westburg’s RBI-single. Oakland’s lone run came in the last of the seventh on Rooker’s solo homer. Their “nominal” run in a sense. But the O’s got the run back. Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single in the eighth extended the lead to 10-1.

But going back to Henderson, he came up later in the eighth inning a single shy of the cycle. And he sent a tight liner fair down the right field line, scoring an 11th run for the O’s. Had Henderson stopped at first, he would have hit for the cycle. But the extra base was in front of him, so he had to “settle” for a double. Ramon Urias would close out the scoring with an RBI-single later in the inning – scoring Henderson.

So to use a basketball term, Gunnar Henderson put out a “double-double” today. Hence the “double vision” reference. It was fun seeing the Oriole dugout, including Bay Area native Brandon Hyde, ribbing Henderson, saying he should have stopped at first. But that shows that Henderson is a team player. Individual accolades are ill-important. It’s best for the team to take the extra base. And he did.

With the series sweep, the Birds completed a 6-3 west coast swing. That’s striking. Trips like that can sometimes trip up teams in a pennant race. If anything, the O’s got stronger. And the ceiling is unlimited.

Baltimore Orioles: Job done late

The Baltimore Orioles sent Cole Irvin to the bump last night in Oakland in search of another win. Irvin of course was acquired via trade this past off season – from Oakland. And he didn’t disappoint in his old stomping grounds. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R 1 BB, 3 K.

The one run Irvin surrendered was a solo homer by Diaz in the second. Following Irvin’s departure Diaz would smack a second solo homer, which would actually tie the game. Sandwiched between those two Diaz homers were two solo homers by the O’s, which came in the fourth inning. One by Austin Hays, and the other by James McCann.

And the game remained knotted at two for the duration of the regulation nine innings. But mind you, the Orioles are a team that does their best work late in games. And last night was no exception.

Ryan Mountcastle’s run-scoring single gave the Orioles the lead, 3-2. On a side note that isn’t an RBI. The runner that scored was the extra inning ghost runner, so it counts as an unearned run. But either way, the O’s had the lead.

And perhaps the best news of all for the Birds is that they didn’t really leave anything to chance. They blew the game wide open instead of taking their go-ahead run and taking a one-run lead into the bottom of the frame. Jordan Westburg added a sac fly-RBI, and Ryan Mountcastle scored on a throwing error at home plate when Austin Hays reached on a fielder’s choice. James McCann would add a two-RBI single, and the Oriole bullpen closed out a 7-2 lead.

As I said yesterday, this isn’t necessarily an easy series for the Orioles. They’re games the O’s should win, but of course they know that on any given day anyone can beat anyone. However in the first two games, they’ve found a way to take care of business, and at the very least guaranteed themselves a series win. They’ve also guaranteed themselves a winning west coast trip, which is incredibly meaningful.

The series concludes this afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s JP Sears. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson’s long home run helps stabilize Birds

The Baltimore Orioles of course came into the Oakland Coliseum last night fresh off two losses in San Diego. And they’re playing perhaps the worst team in the league; starter Kyle Gibson was taxed with steadying the ship a bit. And while he had a slip up or two, he did just that. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Make no mistake that this isn’t an easy series for the O’s. It’s akin when a quarterback has a WIDE OPEN receiver deep for a touchdown. In theory that’s the easiest throw to make – but the opposite is actually true; because it looks so easy, it’s actually very hard. Because this is a series that on paper the O’s should win (probably sweep).

And the Birds got after it early. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. Cedric Mullins tacked on a two-RBI double, and the O’s extended their lead to 3-0.

However the first and second innings would bring RBI-doubles by Oakland. Gibson had to pitch around a couple of hiccups so to speak. But he did. Sandwhiched inside those RBI-doubles however was Gunnar Henderson. He smacked a three-run homer that went so far it may have landed in San Francisco Bay. Maybe the Pacific. And the Orioles led 5-2 after two innings.

We heard from the O’s again in the fourth when Jordan Westburg tacked on a sac fly-RBI. Followed by Gunnar Henderson again, this time with a mere RBI-single. Westburg would later add an RBI-single of his own in the fifth, along with an RBI-double by Adam Frazier.

Oakland would tack on two nominal runs before Gibson departed after five. And the Birds took game one of this series by the bay, 9-4. Again, this is a game in a series that the Orioles should have won. And you get no kudos for doing what you’re supposed to do. But you get a lot of scorn if you’re unable to do so.

The series continues tonight at the Oakland Coliseum. Cole Irvin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk. Game time is set for just after 9 PM.