Baltimore Orioles: Next man up

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Al Suarez labored tonight at Yankee Stadium. He didn’t give up any poignantly loud knocks, which almost makes losing worse. At least if they bludgeon the ball it looks like they’re working hard to beat you. That wasn’t the case tonight. Suarez’s line: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 3 K.

Fact is you don’t expect to be defeated by New York by way of small ball. Yet that’s what best the Orioles tonight. Volpe’s RBI-single in the second gave them a 1-0 lead. One inning later Stanton would follow suit with one of his own, doubling the lead.

Neither but was particularly hard. Again, small ball beat the O’s tonight. Torres would add a sac fly-RBI later in that third inning, and LeMahieu one of his own in the fifth. The Birds would rally late with a two-run homer by Anthony Santander, but end of the day it was too little too late. And New York took the series opener, 4-2.

The more concerning aspect of this game was the injuries. Jordan Westburg collided with New York’s Juan Soto in the first inning. Soto was called out for interference, the second time in a week that’s happened. Soto clearly ran into Westburg, although certainly not intentionally. And the umpiring crew called it correctly, ruling Soto out.

Westburg would later come out of the game, with what the Orioles are calling hip discomfort. As Westburg was being removed from the game, Connor Norby was being removed from triple-A Norfolk’s game tonight. Obviously the idea is to get him to New York in time for tomorrow night’s game if Westburg has to go to the IL.

For the record, New York also lost Aaron Judge on a HBP later in the game. So injuries happened tonight. The concerning thing is what happens going forward. Jordan Westburg has been a huge part of what the Orioles have done to this point. However they have to have a next man up mentality.

To be clear, what happened with Juan Soto was an accident. Nobody’s going in trying to interfere with a play. Nor are they trying to injure someone. Soto may well push the envelope on too many things across the board. But he certainly wasn’t trying to injure Jordan Westburg.

The series continues tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole (making his season debut). Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Corbin Burnes win the battle of aces

Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles came to play ball this afternoon at Camden Yards. In the series finale against Philadelphia, he faced off against Zach Wheeler in perhaps the best pitching matchup of the day in baseball. And in a battle of aces and a battle of wins, the home standing Orange and Black prevailed. Burnes’ line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Philadelphia threatened in both of the first two innings. But they could put nothing across. On the flip side, Gunnar Henderson worked a long at-bat in the last of the first to lead off the ballgame. And it paid off, as he provided a lead off home run for the Birds, giving them a 1-0 lead.

Colton Cowser smacked a two-run shot in the second, and the Orioles were off to the races. And inning later, Adley Rutschman’s solo homer was the Orioles’ third of the game, and the third off of Wheeler. Keep in mind, Wheeler’s a candidate to start for the NL All-Star team.

Philadelphia briefly threatened in the fifth. Castellanos’ RBI-groundout and Bohm’s RBI-single cut the Orioles’ lead to 4-2. However the mark of a truly great and championship-caliber team is one that answers when the opponent punches back. And the Orioles did just that.

Anthony Santander’s fifth inning RBI-single extended the lead back to three at 5-2. Jordan Westburg came to the plate with two on, and smacked a three-run home run, blowing the game wide open. Philadelphia would muster an RBI-double by Bohm in the seventh, this with the Navy’s Blue Angels thrilling the fans by buzzing the ballpark. Philadelphia did challenge slightly in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs…

…this on a walk and two errors. Jacob Webb should have been out of it, but such is life. Brandon Hyde went to Yennier Cano to record the final out, and the O’s took the finale 8-3, and the series two games to one. For what it’s worth, Cano is credited with a save due to the fact that he entered the game with the tying run on-deck.

Mind you, this series is thought of as one that we could see again this October – MAYBE. And the O’s took two-of-three from Philadelphia. That’s huge. And it’s something to which we could point back as a “moment” as this season goes on.

Also noteworthy, Corbin Burnes’ outstanding outing. Philadelphia had an equally outstanding lineup as the Orioles, and he kept them at bay for the most part.This sets up perhaps the biggest series of the season to date, with the Orioles heading to New York on Tuesday.

Yes, I said on Tuesday. Tomorrow is the Birds’ lone day off this month. Hopefully the players and coaches spend it doing something other than baseball.

Baltimore Orioles: Anthony Santander’s big day lifts Birds

In the wake of last night’s loss to Philadelphia, the Baltimore Orioles trotted out Grayson Rodriguez for the start in this afternoon’s game. And the fact is, with Kyle Bradish having gone on the IL, the Birds needed an ace-like start. The good news is…they got it. And the bats followed. Rodriguez’s line: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Philadelphia did put up two early runs. Bohm’s RBI-double in the first and Sosa’s solo homer in the second spotted Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. However the O’s battled back, this in what many see as a preview of a matchup we might “see later.” Adley Rutshman’s sac fly-RBI got the O’s on the board.

However Anthony Santander would promptly tie the game an inning later with a solo homer. The real question is whether or not the ball’s landed yet. Needless to say, it was a shot. And it propelled the Birds to tie the score.

Santander would also give the Orioles their first lead of the series in the last of the sixth with a sac-fly RBI. On top of that, he smacked a two-run homer in the eighth. This before Gunnar Henderson gave the O’s an insurance run with an RBI-single. And they went home 6-2 winners.

Your big names in this one were Grayson Rodriguez and Anthony Santander. In the wake of Bradish having to go to the IL, the Orioles needed a big game today. They needed to send a message to the fans that everything was okay, and that this was business as usual. And they did.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Zach Wheeler. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish leaves early in loss

Kyle Bradish got the start for the Baltimore Orioles in a series against Philadelphia at Camden Yards, which feels Octoberesque. Now for the record, Bradish looked decent. For the time he was in the game, that is. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Bradish gave up a solo homer to Schwarber to lead off the game. However he quickly settled in and retired the next ten in a row. The O’s would tie the game on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double in the last of the third, however Marchan’s solo shot in the fifth put Philadelphia back in the lead.

Bradish seemed to “lose it” a bit in the end of the fifth, but he was able to record the final out. He also slightly grimaced as he walked off the mound. And sure enough, Keegan Akin quickly warmed up and came out to pitch in the top of the sixth.

You can’t deny the effort of the Orioles in this one. Anthony Santander’s solo homer in the eighth tied the game at two. You also have to hand it to Keegan Akin, who pitched three perfect impromptu innings in relief of Kyle Bradish.

The game went to extra innings, and Philadelphia loaded the bases in the tenth (due in part to the ghost runner rule). Schwarber would single to right, giving Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. And it would have been a bigger lead, if not for Santander throwing the runner out at home plate. Philadelphia challenged the play, and it was upheld.

In the bottom of the inning it was the Orioles’ turn to challenge a call. Cedric Mullins was called out at home plate trying to score on a wild pitch. Replays seemed to indicate that Mullins’ arm got in before the tag. The unpires agreed, and the game was tied at three.

Then the rain came. Because OF COURSE it did! Play resumed after a rain delay of over an hour, and Bohm’s two-run double would give Philadelphia’s 5-3 lead. And ultimately a 5-3 win.

After the game manager Brandon Hyde said that Kyle Bradish would undergo tests on his shoulder (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

He came to us and said his elbow was bothering him, so we’re going to get further tests on that. Nothing, really, else to say except we’re going to get further tests on his elbow. So he had to come out of the game after that inning.

Bradish definitely didn’t look comfortable in the end of his outing. The whole scene of him not being able to find the strike zone was concerning. The slight silver lining is that the Orioles’ lone off day in June comes on Monday. So at the very least, if tests are negative and Bradish only needs some elongated rest, maybe they could simply skip him in the rotation.

The series continues this afternoon at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Late inning heroics propel Birds

Cade Povich was outstanding this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. He doesn’t get credit for the win, but that’s through no fault of his own. In his first start at Oriole Park, he rocked the yard with his outing. Povich’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Everytime you turned around, Povich was mowing down another Atlanta hitter. Any other game, he’d be the story tonight. Again, justifiably he should have been the winner.

The Birds put runners on the corners in the third. Gunnar Henderson would ground out, scoring a runner from third with an RBI. Later in the inning Adley Rutschman would ground into a fielder’s choice with a runner once again at third. However a throwing error would dictate that everyone was safe, scoring another run for the O’s.

Again, every time you turned around Cade Povich was retiring another hitter. It was a sensational effort, and one that he’ll probably never forget. Neither will the fans in attendance.

Unfortunately as I said, he didn’t get the win. He did pitch a quality start, and he left in line for the win. However Keegan Akin gave up a two-run homer to Olson in the eighth inning. And we went on tied at two.

Ryan Mountcastle reached on an infield hit in the last of the eighth. That brought Colton Cowser to the plate. Needless to say, the ball might not have come down yet…

…Cowser’s two-run homer put the Orioles back in the lead at 4-2. Craig Kimbrel retired Atlanta quietly in the ninth, and the Orioles had extended Atlanta’s losing streak to five. Atlanta put a scare into the Birds there for a moment, but they rebounded.

Make no mistake that this was Colton Cowser’s night. His turn to play the hero. But again, the story justifiably should have been Cade Povich, you never want to waste an outing like that. Luckily on paper, the Orioles didn’t.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Reynaldo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jorge Mateo reinserts himself in the lineup

Al Suarez had to question why he was the designated starter when the Baltimore Orioles opted to give Gunnar Henderson a night off. Manager Brandon Hyde said after last night that Henderson was tired. Luckily for Suarez and the Birds, Jorge Mateo returned. Suarez’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Mateo of course went on the seven-day concussion IL last week after getting dinged in the head by a bat. And he picked up his team in the absence of his teamate Gunnar Henderson. This against the Atlanta Braves at Camden Yards, a team the Orioles wonder if they might not see again down the road.

Mateo smacked a three-run homer in the last of the second, giving the O’s a 3-0 lead. One of the runs he drove in came in the form of Austin Hays, who also returned to the lineup after a short hiatus. And he did so by collecting three hits. All good vibes for the Oriole offense.

On the flip side, Suarez pitched into the sixth, holding Atlanta off the board. As did the Oriole bullpen, shutting down anything they put forth in terms of a scoring chance. And that’s how you win games.

You also win games by having a lead, as well as holding it. Part of that is insurance runs, and the Orioles put one of those up as well. One of Austin Hays’ aforementioned three hits came in the form of an RBI-single in the last of the sixth.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s (his first at Camden Yards), and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A historical sweep

For the first time in history, the Baltimore Orioles swept a four-game series in Tampa. This behind starter Corbin Burnes this evening at Tropicana Field. To be clear, you rarely have four-game sets within your division, the O’s did this past weekend (and into tonight), and they swept Tampa in four for the first time in history. Burnes’ line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 earned), 1 BB, 6 K.

For starters, Gunnar Henderson hit the first pitch of the ballgame out of the park. To straightaway center. Granted you want your leadoff guy to simply get on base – basically to be a table-setter. But that works also.

The only little blip in the radar was a fielding error committed by Jordan Westburg in the second. He dropped an infield pop fly with two outs, allowing a runner to reach. Jackson proceeded to smack a two-run homer, and the Orioles suddenly trailed 2-1.

I wrote yesterday about how the Orioles held Tampa accountable for their mistakes. In fairness, Tampa did the same tonight. The difference is that the Orioles weren’t about to allow the final lesson in the series to be one that Tampa taught to them.

James McCann’s solo homer in the third would tie the game back up at two and n the third. Two innings later Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI double put the Orioles back in the lead at 4-2. And given that Tampa struggles at times to score, that was sort of the nail in the coffin coffin.

Ryan O’Hearn would hit an RBI-single in the seventh to give the Orioles an insurance run. And they left Tampa with a 5-2 win, and their first ever four-game sweep at Tropicana Field. The other question about this series was…did it bury Tampa for the season?

Odds are it didn’t flat out bury them. But it made the road pretty tough. And already tough road, that is. Dropping four at home to a team in your division isn’t a good omen, the Orioles just completed a road trip in which they played two four-game series’ and won six of the eight.

The O’s now head home to open up a three-game set at Camden Yards with Atlanta. Al Suarez gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tampa held accountable late

Grayson Rodriguez didn’t give up his first base hit against Tampa this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles until the sixth inning. Of course Tampa mounted a rally at that point, but that’s another story. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Adley Rutschman got things started with scoring. Later on he would also put the exclamation point on everything, but his RBI-single in the third got the O’s on the board. One inning later Anthony Santander’s solo homer would extend the lead to 2-0.

The Orioles kept scoring. Colton Cowser’s RBI-triple in the sixth gave them a three-run cushion. But following their first hit of the game, Tampa mounted a rally. Two bloop RBI-singles in the last of the sixth would cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-2.

But again it was Adley Rutschman who got things going again. He added an RBI-single in the seventh, followed by an RBI-groundout by Anthony Santander. That gave the O’s some cushion. But again, they just kept scoring. And they weren’t done yet.

With runners at the corners in the eighth, Gunnar Henderson drew a walk to load the bases. They say nothing good ever happens after a walk. But that’s only true from the perspective of the team in the field…

…of you’re at the plate, lots of good things can happen. And following that two-out walk to load the bases, Adley Rutschman smacked a grand slam, propelling the Birds onto a 9-2 victory. They’ve now taken the first three of four in Tampa.

Two out walks are the worst from the defense’s perspective. You’re asking for trouble when that happens. Tampa played a dangerous game with that walk to Gunnar Henderson. And the O’s made them pay for that mistake. They held them accountable.

Cedric Mullins also busted out of an 0-for-25 slump, smacking two hits this afternoon. That might be the best news of the day. However I suppose that the win itself is more a big deal.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Ryan Pepiot. Game time is set for just before 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A classic pitcher’s duel until a late blast

Kyle Bradish may have given the Baltimore Orioles the best outing of the season today in Tampa. Granted however, there are some pretty decent other outings. Including a few from Bradish, who of course had a bit of an extended “hiatus” from the rotation. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K.

Keep in mind that Bradish threw seven no-hit innings a couple of starts ago. And he followed that up today with six innings of one-hit ball. That’s about as impressive as you’ll get.

Unfortunately for the O’s, Tampa’s pitching was almost just as impressive. ALMOST just as impressive. Not quite on the same level, however.

Ryan O’Hearn gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the fourth inning. And that stood up as the only run of the game for a period. And with how Bradish and the Orioles’ bullpen were looking, that’s all they were going to need. However Jordan Westburg would add an RBI-triple in the eighth to give the Orioles just a little bit of breathing rooms. Not much, but a little.

However more insurance would come later. An inning later to be exact. With nobody out and Connor Norby already on base, Cedric Mullins drew a walk. That brought Gunnar Henderson to the plate, and he gave the Orioles about as much insurance as anyone would need, with a three-run homer. This to the delight of the throngs of Orioles fans in the stands at Tropicana Field, and of course the folks back home.

Cionel Perez closed the game out in the ninth, and the Birds have now taken the first two of four in Tampa. The Birds surrendered two hits today. One in the first inning and one in the ninth. That’s impressive.

As much as Cedric Mullins is struggling right now, that walk he drew in the ninth inning was big. It flipped the order over, and brought Henderson to the plate with two runners on. It was also a good at-bat, as Mullins battled back. He started down two strikes in the count, and worked a walk.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Littell. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles lifted by Jordan Westburg’s homer

Cole Irvin took to the hill for the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field in Tampa this evening in game one of four. The Birds and Tampa are playing a “wrap-around” series which culminates on Monday evening. And Irvin set the table for tonight’s game, and for the series. Irvin’s line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R (two earned), 0 BB, 6 K.

Make no mistake, this is a huge series. The Birds are playing well, but New York is playing out of their minds. They came into this evening on an eight-game winning streak. Even when you’re playing well, that’s tough to compete with.

But Anthony Santander got the Orioles off to a good start with a solo homer in the second inning. Later in the inning Ramon Urias smacked a double, and Colton Cowser was thrown out at home plate trying to score. Or was he?!

The Birds challenged the play. Admittedly, at first I thought he was out. But replays seemed to show that Cowser’s hand got in ahead of the tag. And the umpires seemed to agree. The Birds led 2-0.

However a solo homer by Siri in the second and a sac fly-RBI by Rosario in the third would tie the score. However Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Orioles the lead back at 4-2.

However keep in mind that Tampa doesn’t go away. This despite being at a diminished power this season. They would bet a run on a Gunnar Henderson throwing error in the sixth, pulling to within one at 4-3.

The Birds needed some insurance. Perhaps mentally more than anything else. Following Irvin’s departure, Jacob Webb came in and held the Orioles over solidly for an inning plus. And suddenly the Birds got their insurance.

It came in the form of Jordan Westburg. His two-run home run in the eighth inning. And that was the coup de grace for Tampa. The Orioles cruised to a 6-3 victory, snapping a two-game losing streak. And getting a much-needed division win.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Tropicana Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s TJ Bradley. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.