Baltimore Orioles: Sunday Night Delight

The Baltimore Orioles decided last night that if you’re going to win the season series against New York, you might as well do it in front of a national television audience. The Birds, and starter Dean Kremer, returned to the bright lights last night, appearing on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

New York was lucky that the game didn’t turn into a rout early on. Although I suppose that depends on what your definition of a rout is. Because it probably came very close.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead on Anthony Santander’s RBI-double. That also left two runners in scoring position, who later scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI double. Rack on a three-run homer by Adam Frazier, and the O’s were off to the races.

It was 6-0 before the Orioles had even recorded an out. Yet the Birds had effectively ended the game. You never say never, because it’s the New York Yankees, and anything can happen. Plus, nobody likes the bright lights of Prime Time like New York. Nevermind that fans from the Bronx to Long Island were turning their televisions off – if there was anyone who could dig out of that hole, it’s THAT team.

But the O’s we’re having none of that. They batted around in the first inning, with Adley Rutschman added an RBI-single before the first inning ended. New York did get on the board by way of Bauers’ solo homer in the third, and his RBI-double in the fourth. However the damage was done; as I said, that first inning effectively ended the game.

Gunnar Henderson added an RBI-double in the last of the fourth. Later in the inning Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single extended the lead to 9-2. Bader’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth chalked one up for New York, but that was as close as they got. The Oriole bullpen brought the Birds the rest of the way, and closed out a 9-3 win.

Aside from Dean Kremer only pitching four innings, you couldn’t write a script better for this game. On Sunday Night Baseball, at home, with the season series against New York on the line. That game was directly out of central casting in a sense.

As I wrote yesterday, this gives the Orioles the tie breaker against New York for the season. Odds are it ends up meaning nothing. But ultimately it means that New York would actually have to finish the season with a better record than the Birds to overtake them. Finishing the season tied won’t do it. In the AL East, that’s meaningful.

And they won the season series under the backdrop of Sunday Night Baseball. This game introduced the current Orioles to the country, and it did so in a dramatic manner. The city of Baltimore, and the ballpark that forever changed baseball were central on Prime Time television. And one has to believe that America liked what they saw.

The O’s now head to Toronto for an equally large series at Rogers Centre. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Chris Bassitt. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Big game under the bright lights

Usually right around now we’re settling in for Baltimore Orioles’ baseball. But no, not this week – the Birds of course will complete their series with New York in Prime Time, on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The bright lights of national television come to Camden Yards.

I mentioned this briefly in my game recap of last night’s 8-3 loss. But the season series between the O’s and NYY is now tied at six wins each. Tonight settles that matter, win or lose.

It goes without saying that you want to win every game. And every series. But this is a game to which you could end up pointing back. New York may be in last place, but they’re in the playoff hunt.

In a world where nothing’s guaranteed and where everything seems to matter, you want to cross your T’s and dot your I’s. If the Birds drop the season series, how does it look if somehow they wind up the season tied with New York in some capacity? Be it for the division, or even flat out getting into the post season?

That would be a travesty on numerous fronts. And it would be fair to point at any of the other six losses to New York and say those played a role. Because they will have. But this game – at home, series finale, on Sunday Night Baseball…it has a cataclysmic feel to it. You get the point.

Now mind you, I’m not chalking this game up as a loss here this afternoon. I’m just saying that it would be a travesty to lose this game and somehow have it bite you later. On the flip side, a win would give the Orioles that tie breaker. So needless to say, tonight’s game is big. Before you factor in the bright lights of national television. Meaning that there’s only one option: WIN.

Baltimore Orioles: Is Tyler Wells suffering fatigue?

Tyler Wells turned in his third consecutive lackluster out for the Baltimore Orioles this evening. This coming out of the All-Star break. One or two poor outings might be one thing. Three is a trend. And that’s what we’re seeing now. Wells’ line: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

New York got on the board right away on a solo homer in the first inning by Stanton. But the Birds battled back, and actually did get a lead for awhile. Ryan Mountcastle’s solo homer in the last of the first tied it. Later in the inning Ramon Urias’ RBI-single gave the O’s the lead at 2-1.

But a two-run homer by Judge in the third out New York back in the lead at 3-2. One inning later Torres’ sac fly-RBI extended the lead to 4-2. The O’s did fight back again, albeit briefly. Anthony Santander’s RBI-groundout in the last of the fifth cut the lead to 4-3.

However New York cemented things in the sixth – which for the record, was well after Tyler Wells had left the ballgame. They loaded the bases and the Birds had Kiner-Falefa on the ropes with two outs and two strikes. But Kiner-Falefa came through, putting forth a bases-clearing double, and sending New York onto an 8-3 victory.

Tyler Wells has already pitched ten more innings than he has in any other year of his career. And that most recent mark was set last year. So the question is whether or not Tyler Wells is tired. Results would indicate that he is.

Keep in mind, he was skipped in the rotation just prior to the break. So he also has a bit of extra rest. However the mere fact that his velocity is a tick slower might indicate that he’s tiring. That of course combined with the fact that his innings are higher.

The bottom of the order hitting with two outs has been a challenge for the Orioles for years. Again to be clear, the Kiner-Falefa at-bat came long after Tyler Wells had left the game. But it came with two outs. And he was down to his final strike. It’s almost as if teams have the Orioles exactly where they want them in such situations.

Tomorrow night’s series finale of course airs on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. However it’s a huge game in terms of the standings. The winner wins the season series between the Orioles and New York. Now I don’t think New York’s going to make a run to win the division (although you never know). But you’d hate to see the Orioles drop the season series, and wind up losing a tie breaker to New York in some manner, even to the point of missing the post-season.

The aforementioned series conclusion comes tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Luis Severino. Game time is set for 7:10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Legends never die

Grayson Rodriguez and the Baltimore Orioles had to put in overtime last night. LOTS of overtime. Last night’s series opener against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards was delayed two-and-a-half hours by a cataclysmic rain storm that hovered over the Inner Harbor. But once it got started, Rodriguez turned in perhaps the best start of his career. Rodriguez’s line: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Rodriguez was pitching-to-contact. And New York was swinging early and often. Which was fine with the fans, all of whom waited out the delay. That in and of itself speaks to the grandiosity of this series.

This of course with the backdrop of Mo Gaba Day at Camden Yards, with none other than Adam Jones on hand to catch the first pitch – thrown out by Mo’s Mom. Jones of course stayed for the game as well, becoming the first guest “Mr. Splash.” However Jones’ customized City Connect Jersey said something different. He wore his familiar number 10, but the name plate said “Captain Splash.” Fitting for a guy who was very much the Orioles’ Captain during his tenure.

Unfortunately for the Orioles and the fans, New York starter Cole was equally as outstanding as Grayson Rodriguez. The two went heel-to-heel on the Camden Yards bump. Both sides had a chance or two. But nobody could push so much as a run across.

Until it really mattered, that is. With one out in the last of the ninth with midnight in the rear view mirror, Anthony Santander strode to the plate in a still scoreless tie. And he set off a blast equal to what the “Mighty Casey” (of CASEY AT THE BAT) was envisioning when he famously struck out…

…425 feet later, the ball landed. And the Orioles had a walk off 1-0 win over their division rivals. When you add it all up, the rain delay, Mo Gaba, Adam Jones, the season the Orioles are having, the Yankees, and the walk off homer, it was a scene almost out of THE NATURAL.

This game personifies the essence of what sports can embody. It has to be in the correct context to be that special, and with the Orioles it is. There are few teams who are as embedded in their communities in the manner that the Orioles are. There are few teams who are representative of their regions, states, or cities in the manner of the Orioles. That’s why “Orioles Magic” is a thing. And both on the field and in the stands, we saw it last night. With a tip of the cap to the past in the form of “Captain Splash.”

The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Clarke Schmidt. Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles host the biggest series in years at Camden Yards

The Baltimore Orioles open up the biggest series in the history of western civilization this evening at Camden Yards. Maybe there’s some exaggeration there. But…is there?

In truth, the standings say that last weekend’s series in Tampa was bigger. But part of the Orioles’ struggles over a long period of time had to do with this weekend’s opponent, the New York Yankees. This even as recently as ten years ago when the Birds had great teams.

Whether it was New York fans “taking over” Camden Yards and treating it as their own, or whether it was them snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against the Orioles at the 11th hour. Go back as far as you want; the ALCS where a young fan reached over the wall and took an out away from outfielder Tony Tarasco, or the claims that J.J. Hardy hit the foul pole in 2012. The Orioles’ issues begin and end with New York.

So by that virtue, this series has the feel of the biggest one in a long time at Camden Yards. The league itself feels good enough about it that they slid the series finale into the Sunday Night time slot. Yes, O’s and Yanks from Camden Yards on national television. You read that right.

You want to be able to point back to this series as a moment in time where the Birds continued their already great season, and took it up a notch. However New York, despite being in last place, isn’t making it easy on the Orioles. They still feel they’re in the thick of the race, despite the aforementioned standings. And the fact is that they’re correct. Especially given that they get slugger Aaron Judge back tonight from injury.

The series begins tonight at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds fall late in Philly

The Baltimore Orioles got an interesting start out of Kyle Bradish this evening at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He had two bad innings, in which he couldn’t locate his breaking pitches. Once he got a hold of it, he got into a groove. Bradish’s line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The O’s did get off to a good start, which is always important. Adley Rutschman came up to bat in the third inning with two runners on. And Bradish smacked a three-run homer, giving the O’s a 3-0 lead.

However it was the third and fourth in which Bradish couldn’t locate his pitches. He seemed to not have his normal control, which happens to pitchers sometimes. Cave’s RBI-double got Philadelphia on the board and cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-1. Castellanos’ RBI-single later in the inning cut the lead to 3-2.

One inning later Philadelphia took a 4-3 lead on a two-RBI double by Realmuto. But in the wake of that, Bradish buckled down. He got his control back, and started to mow hitters down.

And the Orioles ended up tying the game. Austin Hays’ seventh inning RBI-single knotted things up at four. However manager Brandon Hyde may have left Kyle Bradish in for one hitter too many. Maybe one pitch too many – this is the last of the seventh. Sosa’s solo homer gave Philadelphia the lead back, and a lead that they would pad an inning later after Bradish had left the game. This on a Harper RBI-single, giving Philadelphia a 6-4 lead – and a 6-4 win.

There are a lot of things you can mention regarding this ballgame. First off, did Brandon Hyde leave Kyle Bradish in for too long? Maybe he did, and maybe not. It’s tough to say. One thing we can say is that Bradish struggle in the third and fourth innings, but he was able to right himself. To stick around through the seventh was a gritty performance by Bradish.

End of the day, you don’t want to drop any games or any series’. However the O’s leave Philadelphia a game-and-a-half in first place in front of Tampa. And yes, they dropped this series, but in effect it’s semi-meaningless in that it’s against a National League opponent. That makes a difference.

Baltimore Orioles: Early offensive miscues haunt Birds late

Kyle Gibson pitched to a quality start for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Left with the lead and everything – problem was that not only did he get the win, but neither did the O’s. Through no fault of his, of course. Gibson’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Austin Hays’ RBI-double. More on that down the line. However one inning later it was Adam Frazier’s RBI-double that doubled the lead and put the O’s ahead by a 2-0 margin.

Gibson struggled one inning, and it was in the last of the third. Rojas’ RBI-single cut the lead in half. Other than that, Harper smacked a solo homer in the sixth off of a Gibson changeup, and the game was tied.

However the O’s got the lead back in the eighth. Ryan O’Hearn smacked a solo homer, giving the Birds a 3-2 lead. That prompted the Orioles to use Yennier Cano in the last of the ninth in the closer’s role. The assumption was that Felix Bautista was unavailable tonight. And that cost the Orioles.

Stott’s RBI-double scored Harper from first, tying the game. Later in the inning Bohm came to the plate, and his RBI-single gave Philadelphia a 4-3 walk-off win over the Orioles. Those last two runs scored with two out, for the record. Which is always tough to stomach.

Going back to the second inning, the O’s loaded the bases following Hays’ RBI-double. This with nobody out. And they allowed Philadelphia starter Walker to pitch out of it, settling for the one run. That was a golden opportunity for a big inning, and the Orioles let Philadelphia off the hook.

As manager Brandon Hyde said after the game, you can’t continue playing one-run games and expect to win all of them. That’s why you can’t allow a team to pitch out of a bases loaded with nobody out situation early in the ballgame. What happens in the second inning counts just as much as what happens in the ninth.

On top of that, Gunnar Henderson left the game early with lower back soreness. Hyde said they expect him to be fine, but it’s something to watch. Newly-acquired reliever Shintaro Fuginami also pitched two perfect innings, striking out three. Which was good to see.

The series concludes tomorrow evening at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Brotherly love magically delivered by Colton Cowser

The Baltimore Orioles needed a deep start from Dean Kremer tonight. And they got it. The likes of Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista weren’t available out of the bullpen tonight, so the Birds were hoping for a strong outing deep into the game to hold them through and give the bullpen some relief. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took an early lead on Jordan Westburg’s solo homer in the second. For the record, it was the first major league home run of Westburg’s career. And it came on a night when runs were going to be at a premium.

Philadelphia would tie the game at one on Schwarber’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth. Unfortunately however, they also lost centerfielder Asron Hicks for the game. Hicks valiantly dove and caught a ball, injuring himself in the process. He was replaced by Colton Cowser.

Ryan Mountcastle would smack his first homer since May in the sixth, giving the Orioles the lead back. However two innings later with Kremer already out of the game, Philadelphia would tie it back up on an RBI-single by Castellanos. For what it’s worth, that, while helping Philadelphia, might also have been the biggest defensive play of the game for the Orioles….

…Harper tried to score all the way from first. Colton Cowser came up throwing, and gunned Harper out at home plate. If he holds up at third instead, Harper keeps the go-ahead run for the home team in scoring position with two outs. Instead he tested the rookie, and that was a bad idea. It ended the inning and we played on. Harper seemed to think he was safe and seemed to want Philadelphia to challenge the call. But needless to say, he was out by a country mile.

Cowser came up to bat in the ninth inning with the go-ahead run on second. And he sent a bloop liner towards the line in left, and it barely landed fair off the left fielder’s mitt. That gave the O’s a 3-2 lead, which despite some tight moments in the last of the ninth, was good enough to win the game.

To review, Colton Cowser wasn’t supposed to play tonight. And his throw home to nail Harper combined with his RBI-double saved the game for the O’s. But that’s part of the story of the 2023 Baltimore Orioles. Every game has a different star. I think we’ve sung this song before. That’s the magic of Orioles baseball.

The series continues tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Class of the AL East

The Baltimore Orioles sent Tyler Wells to the mound in the series finale at Tropicana Field. Interesting start to say the least; Wells was wild, but gave up only one hit (which was a two-run homer). At one point he seemed to argue with manager Brandon Hyde in the dugout, potentially about whether he was staying in the game or not. Wells’ line: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K.

Adley Rutschman got the Orioles on the board right away with an RBI-double in the first inning. One inning later Gunnar Henderson extended that lead to 3-0 with a two-run homer. Overall, Henderson had a great day and a great series overall. He was on base numerous times, and made several dazzling plays in the field.

Tampa battled back, with Lowe grounding into a force out which scored a run in the fourth. One inning later Diaz’s two-run homer tied the game at three. That of course was the aforementioned sole hit surrendered by Tyler Wells. Luckily for the Birds, Mike Bauman was outstanding in middle relief today.

But with the low roar of Orioles fans starting to reverberate throughout the Trop, the Birds wanted to make sure that memories of this series would be cloaked in orange and black. They wanted to ensure that there would be no doubt coming out of this series who the best team in the best division in baseball was. Brandon Hyde kept Ryan O’Hearn in the lineup for his sixth inning at-bat, a rare appearance against a southpaw…

…and it paid off. O’Hearn ambushed a pitch and sent it deep towards left. It smacked off the foul pole for a solo homer, putting the Orioles back in the lead. That also put Mike Bauman in line for the win, which was well-deserved this afternoon.

The O’s would also get an RBI-single from Anthony Santander in the seventh, extending their lead to 5-3. The likes of Bauman and later Yennier Cano closed things out, and the Birds got the win. They took three-of-four in Tampa this weekend, and are alone in first place in the AL East.

Nothing’s over yet. For all we know things could go south and the Orioles could miss the playoffs. So this settles nothing. But the Orioles announced to the world this weekend that they were the current class of the best division in baseball. And make mistake, it’s no fluke. You don’t get to this point by simply being lucky. With the stands clad in orange & black, the Orioles announced to the world that they’re here to stay.

It’s also worth noting that the O’s have one more series against Tampa, in September at Camden Yards. In order to win the season series against the Birds, Tampa would have to sweep that series. Tampa’s a great team as well so you don’t put it past them totally, but…you get the point. Which would mean that the Orioles would hold all tie-breakers against Tampa.

The Orioles now head to Philadelphia for the first of three at Citizen’s Bank Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles delivered to Mountain Time by Ryan O’Hearn

The Baltimore Orioles got dove plus innings of quality ball this afternoon from Grayson Rodriguez. He wasn’t perfect, but he did the job of a starter, which as I’ve classically said for years is to put the team in a position to win the ballgame. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

The Birds supported Rodriguez with a big inning in the fourth, prompting a big roar from the numerous Orioles fans in attendance at the Trop this afternoon. With the bases loaded and two outs, James McCann delivered a two-RBI double to give the Birds a 2-0 lead. This on the first pitch he saw, also; he ambushed Tampa starter McCanahan.

Jorge Mateo immediately followed with a two-RBI double of his own, and the O’s doubled their lead to 4-0. Austin Hays followed with a mere RBI-double (driving in one run), and the O’s led 5-0 after four. With the Trop sounding like Camden Yards, the O’s looked right at home.

But Tampa slyly chips away. No lead is safe against this team. The same is true of the Orioles, but it’s frustrating to play against a team like that. Franco’s two-RBI single in the sixth got them to within 5-2. Paredes’ RBI-single in the seventh cut the lead to 5-3.

The O’s went to newly-acquired reliever Shintaro Fujinami in the eighth, and Tampa was ready for him. He put two runners on base with nobody out, and then allowed both runners into scoring position. Franco’s groundout would bring Tampa to within 5-4. Arozarena would plate the runner at third with what was scored an RBI-single, but just as easily could have been an error. The ball took a hop in front of Jorge Mateo, grazed off his glove, and went into left field.

And that typifies the idea that sometimes things happen when guys get on base. The ball might take a funny hop, you might get a wild pitch, or maybe a passed ball. And Tampa’s been the beneficiary of weird and quirky moments like that over time. And it almost cost the Orioles today.

But it didn’t. Ryan O’Hearn came up with a runner in scoring position in the top of the ninth, and came through big in the clutch. His line drive to right dropped in, and it gave the O’s the lead back at 6-5. Felix Bautista sent Tampa down 1-2-3 in the last of the ninth, earning a win for the Birds.

Obviously it would have been better had they not surrendered the lead at all. But as I said, that’s how Tampa does business; they chip away. They let you feel secure in the idea that “it’s only one or two runs – no worries.” Then you turn around and suddenly it’s tied, and while it’s still anyone’s game, they have the momentum. But Ryan O’Hearn came up clutch and gave the Orioles the lead back, getting them through to “Mountain Time.” And that speaks for itself.

The Orioles are now again in sole possession of first place in the AL East. They’re guaranteed of at worst a series split with Tampa this weekend. Meaning that again at worst, they’ll leave Florida in a statistical tie for first.

The series concludes tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Taj Bradley. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.