Baltimore Orioles: A small army scoring always bodes well

The Baltimore Orioles sent Grayson Rodriguez to the mound tonight against Minnesota, and he looked better than perhaps he’s looked since last season. Rodriguez stymied Minnesota hitters for most of his outing. Which bodes well going onward. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

The O’s did get some bad news before the game. Tyler Wells went to the IL with elbow inflammation. Wells was scheduled to start tomorrow’s game, but that’s obviously no longer going to be the case.

The Orioles scored in bunches in this game. James McCann’s RBI-single in the second got them on the board. McCann would almost immediately score himself when Gunnar Henderson decided to hit the ball over the fence for a two-run homer.

The onslaught continued an inning later. Colton Cowser grounded out into an RBI, and Jordan Westburg’s two-run homer extended the lead to 6-0. And that’s key right there – it broke the game wide open. You have to put people away when you have the opportunity. The Orioles did it tonight.

But the Orioles weren’t done yet – in the game or in the inning. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single gave the Birds a 7-0 lead. Minnesota would get an RBI-triple in the fourth by Buxton, and an RBI-single in the sixth by Kiriloff. This sandwiched around another RBI-single for the O’s, this one by Colton Cowser. They would also get a two-RBI single by Anthony Santander in the last of the sixth, extending the lead to 9-2.

But the O’s weren’t totally done yet. Adley Rutschman walked to lead off the last of the eighth. That brought Ryan O’Hearn to the plate, and his two-run homer (upheld on replay for fan interference) ran the final to 11-2. I would also mention that Minnesota’s Byron Buxton tried to climb the wall in center to stop that homer. Despite the score being out of hand, he was still out there trying. He’s a gamer. He always has been. Minnesota would add an RBI-single in the ninth, and the O’s went home 11-3 winners, taking the series.

Everyone participated in this game. Everyone who played, that is. Every Orioles reached base. Jackson Holliday was the lone Oriole without a hit, but he did draw a walk – the first of his big league career. Many of those base runners came in to score. Which is key – the more runs you score the more they have to score to beat you.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Due to Tyler Wells going to the IL the Orioles have yet to announce a starter, but they’ll be facing Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins powers a win

There’ll be no waiting until the finale of this series with Minnesota to see if the Baltimore Orioles will extend their streak of series’ having not been swept. The Birds took care of business early on in this series, the opener of which was started by Cole Irvin – who didn’t stick around as long as he would have wanted, but such can be life. Irvin’s line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Personally I thought Irvin had something left in the tank. While he didn’t outwardly react, it appeared that when Brandon Hyde went out to get him, he wasn’t necessarily thrilled. However you have to trust that Hyde had reasons for pulling Irvin when he did.

Cedric Mullins dazzled fans before he even stepped to the plate. With the crowd still settling in during the top of the first, Minnesota’s Buxton sent a deep liner to center with two outs. It appeared to be by Mullins, and with a runner on second would have scored a run. But Mullins wasn’t having that. He extended all the way back towards his left, and with his face to the wall made an amazing catch to end the inning.

It goes in the scorebook as a fly ball out. But moments like that are intangible, and you can’t put a value on them. That was one of the best catches I’ve ever seen if I’m being honest. It’s right up there with Jim Edmonds’ catch for the Cardinals years ago.

And the Birds kept the momentum going quickly. Jordan Westburg’s two-RBI double in the bottom of the inning gave the O’s a 2-0 lead. Minnesota would cut that in half with Miranda’s second inning solo homer, but the Birds weren’t about to surrender the lead.

Ryan O’Hearn’s solo homer in the third extended the lead to 3-1, and Mullins’ sacrifice fly-RBI brought it to 4-1. Mullins, for his part, was really the workhorse of the night. Both offensively and defensively.

Minnesota would try to chip away with an RBI-single by Miranda in the fourth, but again it was Mullins who would stem the tide. He smacked deep two-run homer in the fifth which extended the lead to 6-2. One inning later Gunnar Henderson joined the homer parade with a solo shot. Jeffers would add a two-RNI double in the seventh to get Minnesota to within three, but that wasn’t ever going to be enough.

So this marks the 97th consecutive series the Orioles have played without getting swept. The last time that happened was May of 2022 at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. Is it a somewhat pointless streak? Yes. But is it worth mentioning? Absolutely.

It’s also worth mentioning that the O’s didn’t find it necessary to come back in this game. They led from the beginning, and they simply padded the lead. Interesting spot to be in if the rest of the young season is any indication.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Chris Paddack. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holliday picked a good time to get on the board

The Baltimore Orioles brought the big leagues’ longest streak of not being swept into question today. If they lost to Milwaukee, the streak would be snapped – at 95 straight series’, it’s also the fourth longest in history. Corbin Burnes had a long slog of an outing, which amounted to a slog. Burnes’ line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 earned) 2 BB, 5 K.

Things started inauspiciously. Contreras hit the second pitch of the game out of the ballpark, giving Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. But the O’s came right back. Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single in the last of the first tied things at one. One inning later, they had a 2-1 lead on a solo homer by Cedric Mullins.

However Milwaukee hoodwinked their way into tying the score. With two outs in the third and runners at the corners, Frelick attempted a steal of second base. However he had an awful jump, making one wonder if it was a failed hit-and-run attempt. But…with two outs?

While Frelick was caught in a rundown, Perkins crossed home plate, tying the score at two. Did Milwaukee purposely run into ending the inning to allow a run to score? Needless to say, it was a sneaky way of doing things.

But the Birds came back and took the lead on Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single in the bottom of the inning. However Corbin Burnes committed a throwing error in the fourth, allowing a run to score which tied the score. Milwaukee would later take the lead in the seventh on a Perkins solo homer.

The Orioles looked defeated. And it wasn’t even due to the sweep streak. If there was ever a time to come back and fight another day, that might have been it. But championship teams can reach back and find a way.

Jordan Westburg led off the seventh with a single. That brought hit the still hitless Jackson Holliday to the plate. In possibly the biggest moment in the game to that point…

…needless to say, Holliday picked a great time for his first big league hit. And great placement – a tight liner down the right field line, allowing Westburg to go first to third. The entire park stood and gave Holliday a standing ovation. Deservedly so, but also due to the moment the Orioles were creating.

That brought Gunnar Henderson to the plate, and his RBI-single tied the game back up at 4. Adley Rutschman would then ground into a double-play, but with a runner on third and nobody out, that also scored a run. It was small and humble, but it gave the Birds a 5-4 lead. And “small and humble” has beaten the O’s all weekend. Turnabout is fair play.

The O’s would net an insurance run on a Colton Cowser solo homer in the eighth. But they went home winners today over Milwaukee, 6-4. Protecting the sweep streak, and extending it to 96 series’.

Heck of a moment for Jackson Holliday to get his first hit. Not only did it happen, but it did so in front of his entire family – including his Dad, former major leaguer Matt Holliday. And it made a huge difference in the flow of play.

The O’s welcome Minnesota into Camden Yards tomorrow night. Cole Irvin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Louie Varland. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: You can’t let people off the hook

Dean Kremer didn’t look terrible this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. However similar to Tyler Wells last night, he was getting too much of the strike zone. And that can be just as much an issue as missing. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R (6 earned), 1 BB, 3 K.

The Orioles jumped out early in this game against Milwaukee’s DL Hall, himself a former Oriole. Ryan Mtuntcaskte’s solo homer in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. Jordan Westburg followed later in the inning with a two-run shot. Milwaukee would get one back in the second on a solo homer by Hoskins, but things were looking up.

Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the last of the second would extend the lead to 4-1. However Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the third on an error and two softly-hit singles. Bauers would ground out to add a run, and Hoskins would tack on another soft RBI-single. A fourth run would score on an Austin Hays error, and same were tied.

The frustration there is that this all came with two outs. You have to put teams away. However the Birds would get the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Adley Rutschman would smack a solo home run, putting the O’s back on top at 5-4.

They would proceed to load the bases, but Milwaukee was allowed to shimmy its way out of the inning. And that’s almost the same issue as above. Whereas the O’s allowed Milwaukee to get back into the game with two outs in the inning, this was loading the bases (with nobody out) and not scoring after that. You have to put people away. The Orioles couldn’t do it in both cases, and paid the price,

An RBI-single by Contreras in the fourth would tie the game. Later in the inning however Bauers would haunt the O’s and smack a three-run homer. For the record, that home run may well have been wind-aided. However again, had the Orioles taken care of their business when they had the opportunity to do so, that wouldn’t have mattered.

And it got worse in the eighth. Frelick’s RBI-single and Adanes’ two-RBI double extended the lead to 11-5. Those last two runs? With two outs.

In fairness, Milwaukee’s offense has been scorching of late. This coming into the series. But if you can’t put people away, games will go south.

One bright spot I suppose, Oriole bats woke up a bit (at least early on) from last night. Five runs on the board is respectable; it’s the 11 runs allowed that’s the problem. Adley Rutschman went 2-for-5 with a homer out of the DH role.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Burds, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM

Baltimore Orioles fall big to Milwaukee

Just a reminder to Baltimore Orioles fans, the Birds aren’t going to win or be competitive in every game. Over 162, it’s virtually impossible. And we saw tonight what happens when even the best teams have off nights, this behind Tyler Wells – who got the start for the Birds. Wells’ line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

One thing I’ve noticed about Wells in his first few turns of the rotation this year, if anything he’s getting TOO MUCH of the strike zone. You have to wonder if he isn’t becoming too predictable in a sense. He does settle down, but he’s becoming predictable.

Wells allowed a two-run homer to Sanchez, and an RBI-triple to Ortiz in the second. Hoskins added an RBI-single in the third, and the Birds trailed. However you also have to give credit to Milwaukee hitters in this. Tyler Wells and subsequent Oriole hitters ran into a buzz saw this evening.

One of the few good moments for the O’s was Colton Cowser smacking his third home run in 24 hours, a solo shot in the last of the fourth. Whatever Cowser’s doing, it should be imitated. He’s made his presence felt big time, and it’s made a big difference.

However Milwaukee closed the door early on the Birds. They got two-run homers from Adames and Contreras in the fifth and sixth. Frelick would follow later in that sixth inning with an RBI-single. And Milwaukee would tack an additional run on in the ninth on an RBI-single by Ortiz – a former Oriole. And the O’s fell 11-1 in game one of three.

One thing to watch, the aforementioned home run by Adames in the sixth…the next time Adames came up to bat, the benches cleared. There appeared to be some sort of drama between Adames and Oriole catcher James McCann. There’s some speculation that maybe Adames showed up the Oriole pitching staff on his home run trot – ultimately we don’t know.

Nobody was ejected, but the bullpens did empty. Warnings were issued to both teams. It’ll be interesting to see if this escalates further in either of the next two games.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s D.L. Hall (himself a former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser meets Fenway as O’s seeep BoSox away

A long time ago, Grayson Rodriguez started for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the series finale with Boston at Fenway Park. The Birds of course had taken the first two games of the series and were going for the sweep. And what a game it was. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Rodriguez’s two runs surrendered came in the first inning. Yoshida’s RBI-groundout and Abreu’s RBI-double gave Boston a 2-0 lead. However Colton Cowser’s first big league home run in the fifth (a solo shot) cut the lead in half at 2-1. Incidentally, it cleared the Green Monster at Fenway.

One key to the Orioles’ season thus far has been taking advantage of opponents’ mistakes. And we saw it in a big way tonight. This entire series, really. While Jackson Holliday still hasn’t collected his first big league hit, but he did reach on an error in the eighth inning. The inning eventually ended with Holliday being out as part of a double-play…

…or did it?! The inning appeared to end. But the next thing we knew Anthony Santander was walking to the plate. And a moment later the Orioles led 3-2 after his two-run homer around the Pesky Pole.

So Santander continued the inning and smacked a two-run home run. However Boston brought up Wong (their backup catcher) in the last

In short, Boston employed the “neighborhood play” to get Holliday out at second. In short, the out was never made. And the umpire correctly ruled the runner (Holliday) safe at first.

However, Boston tied the game in the last of the eight with a solo homer by Wong, who came in as a pinch hitter. Wong was also Boston’s backup catcher. And following the starting catcher McGuire being tossed later in the inning, he was pressed into action – with Boston already having a short bench.

Following a scoreless ninth, we went to the tenth. The ghost runner rule returned Jackson Holliday to second base. But he wasn’t there long. Gunnar Henderson led off the inning, and sent a high fly ball over the wall in right field, and gave the O’s a 5-3 lead.

But they weren’t done. Cedric Mullins added an RBI-single, bringing Colton Cowser back to the plate with two runners on. And Cowser responded with his second big league home run, and his second of the game. This one of the three-run variety, and over the Green Monster at that. Boston would put across a nominal run in the bottom of the inning, but the O’s closed out a 9-4 win, and a series sweep at Fenway Park.

Cowser had a solid series overall. Both at the plate and in the field. The Orioles closed out a winning road trip, and a series sweep of a division rival at that. It’s a long season, and it’s still early. But this is the sort of series to which one might point back later on.

The O’s now return home to open a series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jordan Westburg celebrates a Birdland “Holliday”

On the night Jackson Holliday made his big league debut for the Baltimore Orioles, starter Cole Irvin had a few struggles at Fenway Park. However he’s not the first pitcher, and he won’t be the last, to have issues there. Boston was pesky at first, but in the end it was the Orioles celebrating a win. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Of course as I alluded above, the star of the day was Jackson Holliday. This by default. When the top prospect in baseball makes his debut, it’s a big deal. He made his debut wearing the number 7, which was his Dad, Matt’s, number. Matt Holliday (who was on hand for his son’s debut) of course being a former major leaguer in his own right. 7 was Cal Ripken Sr’s number, and it’s been un-officially retired since 1992. The Ripken family gave their blessing for Jackson Holliday to wear it. Incidentally, Cal Ripken Jr. was Matt Holliday’s favorite player growing up. Just another factoid that ties together these two baseball families – together with the Orioles.

Boston took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by O’Neil in the third. It was a bloop single, and it fell in a “Bermuda triangle” near Holliday at second. One inning later Wong added a two-RBI single, and Casas smacked a two-run homer in the fifth.

But remember, the Birds do their best work late. One would think a five-run lead in the sixth would put a team in good shape. Especially at home. But not when they’re playing the Orioles. And not at Fenway Park.

Colton Cowser smacked the Birds right back into the ballgame with a two-RBI single in the sixth. Jackson Holliday might not have gotten his first big league hit, but he did register his first RBI. He grounded into a fielder’s choice later in that sixth inning, netting the O’s an additional run. And bringing them to within 5-3.

But it was the seventh inning where the O’s seized control of the game. They loaded the bases, and Ryan O’Hearn was able to score on a wild pitch. The O’s trailed by a run, with Jordan Westburg coming to the plate. At the time, you thought that a base hit would give the Birds the lead. But Westburg didn’t get a base hit…

…he smacked a three-run homer. And the O’s took a 7-5 lead into the later innings. The bullpen was lights out, especially Craig Kimbrell in the ninth. And the Birds went home winners.

This is a game to which people might point back after the season. The Jackson Holliday debut and Westburg’s heroics – needless to say, it was all a lot. And it came against a division rival at their place. Make no mistake, this was the Orioles putting their mark of dominance on the division for the foreseeable future.

The series concludes tomorrow at Fenway Park. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Garrett Whitlock. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles calling up Jackson Holliday

Baseball’s number one prospect is headed up to the Baltimore Orioles. In the wake of today’s 7-1 win against Boston at Fenway Park, the Birds made a special move. They called up shortstop Jackson Holliday to the big leagues.

It’s unclear when Holliday will joined the team – whether it’s in time for tomorrow night’s game or for Thursday. But we know that he’s coming, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. What’s also unclear is who’s getting sent out, DFA’d, or IL’d. But we’ll know all of those answers in due course.

Many people thought Holliday would crack the roster coming out of spring training after a strong spring. But he didn’t. Nevertheless, he’s now on his way. Presumably, he’ll make his major league debut at one of America’s most historic ballparks.

The aforementioned series will continue tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kutter Crawford. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Defense gives, and it takes away

Dean Kremer was outstanding this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Yes it’s only the ninth game. But he pitched deeper than any other starter this year. And he possibly could have pitched deeper. Maybe he should have. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R (0 earned), 0 BB, 6 K.

The O’s have run into a bit of trouble scoring runs the past couple of games. Let’s just say they’ve been at a premium. Today, they only mustered two. But it was almost enough. And I wouldn’t expect the offensive scuffles to continue indefinitely.

Pittsburgh almost took a lead in the third inning. Cruz hit what appeared to be a two-run homer. However the ball hung up in the air, and it bounced off the top of the wall. Cedric Mullins got to it quickly, and gunned the ball back into the infield to Jorge Mateo. Mateo threw home, and nailed the runner at home plate. The O’s went from presumably trailing by two (when we thought it was a home run), to leading by one, to remaining tied at zero.

One inning later the Orioles took the lead. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-double gave them a 1-0 lead, and Mountcastle took third on an error. Anthony Santander’s run-scoring single would score Mountcastle and put the Birds up 2-0.

Again, Dean Kremer was fantastic today. However the Orioles couldn’t muster more than six hits – this after only having four yesterday. You have to be able to tack runs on. And the O’s couldn’t do it today – or yesterday for that matter.

The one mistake Kremer made was a bad throw in the fifth that should have started a double-play. However the throw was catchable, the O’s just couldn’t make the play. That put a runner at third, who scored on Davis’ sacrifice fly. That cut the lead to 2-1.

Keegan Akin pitched a quick eighth inning following Kremer’s departure, and the Birds turned to Yennier Cano in the ninth. Cano of course was the one reliever who wasn’t used yesterday, so he was fresh. That said, he struggled with control. And unfortunately with only a one run lead, the margin for error wasn’t great.

Cano loaded the bases, and Tellez sent a swinging bunt to Ryan Mountcastle at first. Mountcastle fired home and the runner was ruled safe. However to the naked eye even, he was clearly out. And instant replay upheld that point. So instead of a 2-2 tie and the bases loaded with nobody out, the O’s still led 2-1 and one out (bases still loaded).

But Pittsburgh immediately righted things from their perspective. Olivares grounded out to Gunnar Henderson at first, who made an outstanding play just to get to the ball. On top of that he got to second base for the out; which was outstanding. He had plenty of time to throw back to first for the final out, and for a split second the O’s had the win in hand…

…but Henderson’s throw sailed wide of first, scoring two runs and giving Pittsburgh a 3-2 win. It’s the Orioles’ first series loss, dropping two-of-three in Pittsburgh. After an off day tomorrow, they’re onto Boston.

There are a million takes on this game, but first and foremost the defensive angle sticks out at me. The Orioles’ defense flashed brilliance in this game. The Mullins/Mateo put out was amazing. So was Henderson’s play to get to the ball in the end, and tag the bag. But defense can also cost you games, and that’s what ultimately happened.

Again, Oriole bats didn’t give Yennier Cano much leeway today. But he promptly loaded the bases, which can’t happen. End of the day, all of these games count. And they could all mean something in the end. But better to have this happen now as opposed to this week at Fenway, as the Orioles prepare to open division play for the first time this season on Tuesday.

Baltimore Orioles drop a wild one in Pittsburgh

Tyler Wells took to the bump for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon, and had a start similar to what we saw last weekend against Anaheim. He gave up a few runs early, but held pat and kept his team in the game. In fact, he came to within two outs of a quality start. Wells’ line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Wells gave up an RBI-single to Tellez in the second, followed by a two-run homer by Bart. But after that he buckled down and stopped the bleeding. He brought the Birds into the sixth inning, which helped the bullpen. Although…the bullpen got taxed later.

However the O’s did battle back. Austin Hays’ RBI-groundout in the seventh got them on the board. Cedric Mullins’ sac fly-RBI would also cut the Pittsburgh lead to one at 3-2.

The O’s would put two runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth. Pittsburgh played the infield back, which was strange to me. They were willing to sacrifice a run. I get it, especially having the last at-bat, but I found that odd.

And the O’s took advantage. Cedric Mullins hit into a fielder’s choice, rolling the ball over to first. Pittsburgh first baseman Tellez threw home, but Jordan Westburg slid in safely and tied the game. We would go to extra innings, and thanks to the ghost runner rule the Orioles would take a 4-3 lead with a sac fly-RBI by Adley Rutschman.

Brandon Hyde would bring in Mike Bauman to pitch the last of the tenth, who would promptly load the bases. He then walked Olivares, tying the game. Hyde would go to reliever Danny Coulombe, who steadied the ship. He immediately induced two quick outs, and then struck out Bart in dramatic fashion to close the inning.

However this wasn’t to be for the O’s. Cruz came up in the last of the eleventh and smacked a single to right field. The ghost runner scored, ending the game with a 5-4 Pittsburgh win. Tough way to lose, but you can also point at the Birds going 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Or only mustering four hits. It all adds up.

In a game that saw multiple web gem-like moments, Danny Coulombe really stuck out at me today. He inherited a bases loaded and nobody out situation, with one run already in. And he pitched out of it. That’s a tough spot to be in, and he pitched the team out of it. Well done.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at PNC Park. Dean Kremer get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Marco Gonzales. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.