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.

Baltimore Orioles fall in San Diego

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Jack Flaherty “got rocked” as they say. This in San Diego last night. The good news for the O’s is that Tampa lost in San Francisco, so the Birds maintained their three-game lead in the AL East. Flaherty’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

Flaherty loaded the bases in the first inning, and walked Cronensworth to give San Diego a 1-0 lead. However the bases remained loaded, and Sanchez’s grand slam opened the game wide open. San Diego led, 5-0.

Machado’a softly-hit bloopper turned into a two-RBI double in the second extended that lead to 7-0. Two doubles, one by Cooper and one by Gamel (a two-RBI double) rounded out the scoring by San Diego in the game. Needless to say, it wasn’t the Orioles’ day.

The Birds did eat into that lead, however. Cedric Mullins’ RBI-single in the sixth got the on the board. Austin Hays also smacked a solo homer, and Gunnar Henderson an RBI-single. Those last two in the ninth. In the end the Birds fell, 10-3 in the middle game in San Diego. This setting up a rubber match.

The series concludes this evening at Petco Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Blake Snell. Game time is set for 8:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, Gunnar Henderson ensure that big wheels keep on turning

The Baltimore Orioles faced a challenge last night that can often pop up after a team wins a dramatic series. That being to keep the momentum going, especially against a team that in paper they should beat – in this case San Diego. Grayson Rodriguez certainly did his part, perhaps turning in his best performance as a big leaguer. Rodriguez’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Coming off the series in Seattle, the O’s were taxed with bringing that same level of intensity to San Diego. And that can be tough at times, especially when the new opponent is one they should beat handily. However the Birds were up for the challenge, which is a promising thing. Because the road only gets tougher.

The O’s took the lead in the top of the second when Ryan O’Hearn smacked a solo homer. The Orioles would load the bases a few innings later in the fifth with one out. While you’d love to say that Gunnar Henderson sent a grand slam over the wall, we’ll have to settle for a bases-clearing double. That busted the game wide open, and the Orioles led, 4-0.

San Diego never mounted much of a challenge. Coooper smacked a solo homer in the sixth, but aside from that Oriole pitching held them down. Again, these sorts of games can often be difficult for teams. The series in Seattle was dramatic no matter how you spin it. And at times it can be tough to come off that high and focus against a team you should handle. But the O’s did it, and earned a series-opening win.

The series continues this evening at Petco Park. Jack Flaherty gets the starting nod for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Michael Wacha. Game time is set for 9:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins for the win…!

Did Kyle Bradish really start this game for the Baltimore Orioles? Of course he did. And he was great for six innings, pitching to a quality start. But while his contribution was massive, it won’t be remembered when all’s said and done and fans think back to this game. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

The O’s were already in business today because Tampa lost to Cleveland. So they had an opportunity to extend their lead in the AL East to three games over Tampa. If they could win.

The Orioles of course got Cedric Mullins back this weekend from the injured list, but he started the game on the bench. The O’s took an early 1-0 lead on Gunnar Henderson’s sac fly in the third. Seattle would tie it on Suarez’s RBI-single later in the inning, and take the lead in the last of the fifth on Rodriguez’s RBI-double.

However Bradish would close his day with the score tied, as Austin Hays would smack an RBI-single in the sixth. And we appeared to be going to extra innings, which we did. Just not for the reasons that we thought.

The O’s had Jorge Mateo on second in the top of the ninth with Adley Rutschman at the plate. And Seattle pitcher Munoz was called for a balk – sending Mateo to third. Seattle manager Scott Servais came out to argue, and was ejected.

Now to be clear, the balk call itself was borderline at best. And it was a tough one to make at that stage of such an important game. But the umpire made it, and it played right into the hands of the Orioles given Mateo’s speed. They put the contact play on, and sure enough Rutschman put a swinging bunt in play in front of the pitcher…

…Seattle tried to nail Mateo at home plate, but he slid head first into home and gave the O’s the lead. The play was reviewed, and upheld. And the Orioles led.

With one out in the last of the ninth, Seattle’s France sent a deep shot to center field. Full disclosure, I thought it was gone off the bat. However I also immediately noticed that Cedric Mullins, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter, seemed to be acting like he had a chance at making the play. And he did have a chance…

…as he got to the wall he leapt, and…brought the ball back in. He caught it on the fly and brought the ball back into the ballpark. He climbed the wall, and appeared to have saved the game. With perhaps the defensive play of the year, league-wide.

I say he appeared to save the game because the next batter, Canzone, did smack a solo homer. Which seemed to let some air out of the sails. However as the game went to extra innings, we were once again reminded that today was Cedric Mullins’ day. And he wasn’t going to be stopped.

Mullins came up in the top of the tenth with the ghost runner at third base. Mullins almost out the O’s ahead with a two-run homer early in the at-bat, but the ball pulled foul. However like the catch, that drive was a harbinger. Because he eventually smashed a long two-run homer, giving the Orioles a 5-3 lead. Which translated into a 5-3 win.

You can almost see video yearbook programs looking back to this game after the season is over – whenever that ends up being, that sequence in the end – the balk and ejection, leading up to the Mullins homer (and everything in between)….that was perhaps as intense a sequence as I’ve ever seen in a sporting event. These two teams played each other TOUGH in both regular season series’ this year. An Orioles vs. Seattle series in October would be one for the ages. But needless to say, the cream also rose to the top when all was said and done.

The O’s now head to San Diego to open up a three-game set at Petro Park. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Yu Darvish. Game time is set for 9:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle, Felix Bautista close out Seattle

Starter Cole Irvin set the Baltimore Orioles up nicely last night. He came out of the bullpen, and put the O’s in a position to win. He only lasted five innings, but he played his role flawlessly. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

The teams played to a scoreless tie through nine innings. Both sides had opportunities (the Birds were 1-for-6 with RISP), but nobody could put anything across. Seattle starter Kirby pitched nine scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen as the game went to extras.

And the O’s took advantage of Kirby being out, after he stymied their bats all game. Teams of course get to a ghost runner on second base in extra innings. And with one out in the tenth, Ryan Mountcastle smacked a run-scoring single, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

The Birds had brought in closer Felix Bautista in the top of the ninth, so he was actually in line for the win as he was the pitcher of record when the Birds took the lead. Brandon Hyde sent Bautista back out for the tenth, in effect to play his normal closer’s role. And he sent Seattle down 1-2-3, closing out a win for the O’s.

Most of the time it’s hard to win when you play nine scoreless innings. But this was a pitcher’s duel, and that’s how some games go. Tampa had beaten Cleveland earlier in the day, so this was a big win for the Orioles because it retained their two game lead atop the AL East. It also snapped Seattle’s eight-game winning streak.

The series concludes this afternoon at T Mobile Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Bryce Miller. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles start flat on west coast swing

Every dog has it’s day, but yesterday’s wasn’t the Baltimore Orioles’ or Kyle Gibson. West coast trips are tough on east coast teams, and the Birds started theirs out in a less-than-productive manner last night. Stretching into early this morning in a sense for fans back in Baltimore. Gibson’s line: 5.1 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

There’s “flat,” and there’s “12 hits and 9 runs surrendered flat.” Now while games like this happens, Gibson isn’t going to let it get to him too much, as it’s certainly the exception to the rule:

Definitely an outlier when it comes to the rest of the season. For the most part, I feel like when I’ve executed pitches, I’ve gotten outs and I’ve been able to get through the game. But for whatever reason, these guys have had my number a little bit this year.

Quote courtesy of Jake Rill, mlb.com

Gibson was also referring to the fact that he’s struggled against Seattle this season. And last night it began early and in earnest. He surrendered a two-run homer to Raleigh in the first inning. Now that’s only two runs, but they were a harbinger. Now having said this, the O’s did fight back at first. Anthony Santander’s solo homer in the fourth cut the lead to 2-1.

However the fourth inning really did Gibson and the O’s in. Caballero’s sac fly-RBI extended Seattle’s lead to 3-1. That was followed by Rojas’ RBI-single, followed by Rodriguez’s three-run homer. And the Birds trailed 7-1.

Now that inning started with a mental mistake that ultimately affected Gibson. France led off the inning with a grounder to Gunnar Henderson, who threw to Ryan Mountcastle at first. However the throw slightly brought Mountcastle off the bag, allowing France to reach safely. The play was ruled a base hit, but it’s an out that should have been made, and it cost the Birds.

France would haunt the O’s again in the fifth with a solo homer, and Rodriguez would add an RBI-double in the sixth. The Orioles would tack on a nominal run in the top of the ninth on an RBI-single By Jordan Westburg, running the final to 9-2. On a positive note the O’s did get Cedric Mullins back last night, and he started the game by robbing Seattle of a presumed double in the first inning. Some things don’t change.

The series continues this evening at T Mobile Park. Cole Irvin comes out of the bullpen to get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s George Kirby. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles haunted again by the bottom of the order

Jack Flaherty made his home debut tonight for the Baltimore Orioles, and bulldogged his way through five innings. It may not have been what he would have wanted as his first time pitching in an Oriole uniform at Camden Yards, but he put the team in a spot to win. All you can ask of a starter. Flaherty’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Flaherty started out shaky. He surrendered a two-run homer to Tucker in the top of the first. The same Tucker who hit the grand slam last night. Altuve’s RBI-single in the second extended the lead to 3-0. However Flaherty settled down after that. And again, he pitched to a fairly decent stat line.

Austin Hays would get the Birds on the board in the fourth with a two-run homer. That cut the lead to 3-2, but the O’s couldn’t muster more than two runs. They did however rob Houston of one. Austin Hays would rob them of a home run, climbing the wall in left field to Peale a catch. Heck of an effort.

The O’s remained within striking distance through two outs in the eighth inning. The O’s recorded two quick outs, and brought in Shintaro Fuginami – who proceeded to give up a two-RBI single to Altuve. Altuve would later steal second base, and then score on Bregman’s two-RBI single. But damage done. Bregman would add an additional RBI-single in the ninth as well.

The O’s would also load the bases themselves in the eighth, but they let Houston off the hook. Fact is that you can’t walk the opponent’s 7, 8, & 9 hitter. The Orioles have consistently had issues this year with the bottom of the order, and/or with two outs or two strikes. Much of that might be situational or coincidental. But it’s been a problem.

One thing though, you can’t point at the situation with Kevin Brown and John Angelo’s as a catalyst for two losses. You can’t. These players are all professionals; nothing going on in the broadcast booth trickles onto the field. It’s an unfortunate circumstance, however it’s unrelated. They lost to the defending World Series champions; it happens.

The O’s will close out the home stand and try to salvage a win in this series tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Hunter Brown. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Blown save by Felix Bautista costs a game

The Baltimore Orioles and starter Grayson Rodriguez put Houston on notice this evening. On notice that despite the fact that Houston won the game, the Orioles could take them to the brink. And that it’s the O’s who have the AL’s best record – for now. Rodriguez, for his part, pitched to a quality start. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The O’s got at it early and often. Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run homer in the last of the first gave the Birds a 2-0 lead. James McCann’s fielder’s choice-RBI in the second extended the lead to 3-0. McCann would later score on Adley Rutschman’s two-run homer.

Houston would put two across in the third on an RBI-single and a sac fly-RBI. However the good is that Rodriguez limited the damage. Which is what you want out of your starter. He pitched to the scoreboard, which at the beginning of the inning said 5-0. He bent but didn’t break.

McCann would add a sac fly-RBI in the fourth, extending the lead to 6-2. Houston would inch closer in the eighth with Peña’s RBI-single. However it wasn’t until the ninth that they really made their move. Ironically however, it may have been a base running error of their own which indirectly helped Houston win.

With two on and one out, Alvarez sent a deep shot to center. Jorge Mateo had earlier made a an amazing catch on a similar ball, but couldn’t come up with this one. However the runners held up thinking the ball was going to be caught. Had the lead runner been off on contact, he would have scored. And that’s probably what should have happened.

Mistake on Houston’s part, right? Especially with Felix Bautista on to close the game. Yeah, about that…Tucker’s subsequent grand slam gave Houston a 7-6 lead. And by extension, a 7-6 win.

No guarantees in life; so who knows what would have happened? But the fact is that maybe they pitch to Tucker differently with one run in or something along those lines. Furthermore the first runner was on as a result of a walk – and nothing good happens after a walk. In this case, it was a broken bat single, then a deep shot to Mateo in center. Then a grand slam.

Manager Brandon Hyde was ejected in the sixth inning arguing a safe call at second base. Replays seemed to indicate that he had an argument. He said after the game that he didn’t feel the ejection was warranted given that the umpire had his back turned when he was thrown out, and he took a long time to make a call as it was.

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