Baltimore Orioles: Brotherly “Gun”

Brandon Young pitched well for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Wellish. He had his struggles, but also his share of misfortune. Young’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Young gave up an infield single and a walk to lead off the game. And the infield single was a good pitch – Turner just hit it soft enough to be an infield hit. Harper’s RBI-single would give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. An RBI-single hit the opposite way.

Later in the inning Marsh’s RBI-groundout would extend the lead to 2-0. But keep in mind that the O’s had to come to bat as well – nine times at that. Dylan Beavers would lead off the game with a double, and after a wild pitch that sent him to third, Pete Alonso would tie the game at two with a two-run home run.

Oriole bats couldn’t get much going after that. Philadelphia’s starter (Painter) settled in and shut them down. Philadelphia on the other hand took their lead back at 4-2 thanks to two solo homers. One by Turner in the third, and one by Realmuto in the sixth.

Solo home runs aren’t supposed to hurt you. But they almost hurt the O’s. After Painter left the game, things started to shift. The Orioles had runners at first and second with one pitch in the seventh. Christian Encarnacion-Strand sent a deep liner to the gap in center, which fell as a two-RBI double which immediately tied the game. Talk about a guy who’s been dialed in of late!

But that only set the tone. After Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch the Birds had runners at the corners, needing one to take a lead against a good Philadelphia team. Gunnar Henderson strode to the plate. Gunnar Henderson who’s struggled all season.

You could see in his eyes he wanted this. He wanted to play the hero at least once. And boy did he. He would eventually smack a two-RBI triple, and the Orioles led, 6-4. Gunnar was noticeably animated after sliding in safely. He knew what he had done. And it felt good.

The Oriole pen shut down Philadelphia 1-2-3 in both the eighth and ninth. The eighth inning belonged to Yennier Cano, who of course signed a two-year contract extension before the game. And he earned every penny in that eighth inning.

This is the Orioles’ second consecutive game where they’ve come from behind. Granted, this one wasn’t as dramatic as the other day in Detroit. But it shows a never say die attitude. And at least today, it came off the bat of a player in Gunnar Henderson who had been hoping for such a moment all year.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Detroit swung, the O’s didn’t

Dean Kremer was unable to muster any sort of momentum for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in Detroit. Nor was anyone else who pitched in the game. Neither in the game or in the wake of last night’s win. Which ended up being a big deal, given tonight’s result. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

In short, Detroit hitters were swinging away at will against Kremer and everyone else the Orioles threw up there. The Orioles almost assumed their outs were fait accompli. An opponent hellbent on winning and a passive approach at the plate on your part rarely ends well.

Keith’s two-RBI triple in the first was really all Detroit needed. Their pitching shut down Oriole hitting. However Kremer also couldn’t find the strike zone. He lived on the fringes, as did every other Oriole pitcher. One inning later Valencia’s solo homer, combined with Torres’ two-RBI double extended the lead to 5-0.

Kremer should have been pulled there. But he went back out. Before the fourth inning was over, Detroit led 8-0. The big play in that? A two-run homer by Torres. On a cutter that stayed up.

At times it almost looked like Detroit knew what was coming. And I don’t say that in an effort to say a team was stealing signs. I say that in the context that I think the Orioles have tipped pitches (accidentally, of course) for some time, and that they need to figure out what they’re doing to in effect tell other teams what they’re doing.

None of that explains the Orioles’ passive approach at the plate tonight. They tallied three hits in the game. You can’t win games with that sort of output. In short, guys are guessing where pitches are going to be. And they’re guessing wrong.

Detroit really wasn’t in the mood to stop, when the smoke cleared it was a 14-0 final. To be clear, the final two runs came on a two-run home run by Valencia in the eighth inning. Off of Chadwick Tromp.

Which is equally baffling. I’m not sure whose idea it was to have a catcher be the position player to pitch in a blowout, but it’s a curious choice. Needless to say. Granted, it could also mean that a roster move is forthcoming, involving Tromp.

This is a game you have to just forget about. YES, they have to figure out if someone’s tipping pitches, and then how to stop it. However that’s been true for two years. But you have to forget about it and move onto tomorrow.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Comerica Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 1 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: A win for “Rocky J. Squirrel!”

The Baltimore Orioles found themselves sending Kyle Bradish to the mound in this evening’s series opener in Frostbite Falls – Detroit, that is. Bradish wasn’t at his best, although he never trailed in the game. Bradish’s line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

As the game began and our hero’s settled in, the O’s took an early lead. Taylor Ward’s first inning RBI-groundout gave them an early 1-0 lead. Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI-groundout an inning later, followed by Dylan Beavers’ RBI-single. And the O’s led 3-0.

Detroit’s McKinstry would lead off the home half of the second with a triple. The ball bounced in front of Leody Taveras, and the run later scored on on Lee’s sac fly-RBI. Needless to say, that’s about as good of an outcome as you could have hoped for.

But the O’s would get that run back on Coby Mayo’s RBI-single in the third. Detroit would net two in the fourth, cutting the lead to 4-3. It was almost like the game was hanging in the balance.

But the O’s were having none of a comeback for Detroit. Like Rocky & Bullwinkle shut down Boris & Natasha however, the Birds put a stop to Detroit’s aspirations of winning today. Leody Taveras’ solo home run in the fifth, followed by a two-run homer by Coby Mayo. However Detroit would put two back on the board in the fifth, et the O’s managed to hold the lead at 7-5.

Of all people, it was Tyler O’Neill who put the exclamation point on the night. His solo home run in the seventh extended the lead to 8-5. But the game for once wasn’t the entertainment.

That fell to the black squirrel who worked its way onto the field. That squirrel had to have touched every blade of grass on the field. Not to mention running on the infield dirt. Hoke plate umpire Bill Miller had the Detroit grounds crew (with an assist from Leody Taveras) remove the squirrel during a time out, Miller then got on the mic and personally thanked the grounds crew. Crazy; the squirrel was later removed.

The series continues tomorrow night at Comerica Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Troy Melcom. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles missing Rutschman and Basallo

Shane Baz started out in a promising way for the Baltimore Orioles in the series finale against Atlanta today. He was fairly economical – at first. But Atlanta wore him down early. Baz’s line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 2 K.

Baz threw more of a mix than only knuckle curves and four-seam fastballs. That goes without saying. But apparently the order came down today that Baz was to throw predominantly knuckle curveballs and four-seam fastballs.

To be fair, Atlanta hitters weren’t exactly getting to them. But when you throw only a mix of two pitches predominantly, the opponent takes notice. Atlanta in essence piecemealed their way into tiring Baz out. They fouled off pitch after pitch, driving up Baz’s pitch count.

Harris led off the second inning with a first pitch single off of a Baz four-seamer. However Colton Cowser bobbled the ball in center field, allowing the runner to take second on an error. Harris would take third on a groundout, and score on a run-scoring single by Smith.

Interestingly, the Orioles let just about every pitch go by. They were out of ABS challenges after the third inning, which is a huge problem. And the two pitches that they challenged weren’t even close. It’s good that they seem to have broken out of the habit of not using challenges at all. But be smart with your challenges.

With two outs and a runner on third in the top of the fourth, Smith sent a line drive to left. Dylan Beavers laid out, but he trapped the ball and a run scored. I’ve said for several years that the O’s play their outfield too deep. Smiths knock wasn’t shallow and it wasn’t soft per se. But had Beavers been positioned slightly more shallow (ever so slightly), that’s an out and the inning’s over. Instead it’s a run.

The most curious thing to me was the pitch selection when Baz was in the game, and the approach at the plate. If I’m the person who’s calling pitches, it stands to reason that relying on two pitches isn’t going to cut it. That said, two runs is hardly a problem. However as I said, Atlanta wore down Baz fouling off pitch after pitch. At a certain point you have to mix it up.

Consequently, the Orioles let several hittable pitches just go by. This AFTER having burned their ABS challenges. Interesting strategy. And it didn’t work. Hitting coaches, and whomever is calling pitches on defense should take note.

All of that is still true. However Pete Alonso’s solo home run in the eighth cut the lead to 2-1. Come the last of the ninth the O’s had one on and one out. Leody Taveras bounced into what should have been a game-ending double-play. However the ball rolled through the second baseman’s legs, and the O’s had life.

Jackson Holliday grounded out, scoring the runner from third, and tying the game. As listless as the Orioles looked through seven innings, they turned it on at the right time. The O’s loaded the bases with nobody out in the tenth. But…

…things went sideways quick. Gunnar Henderson smacked a liner earmarked for right field, but before it could get there it was snagged by Olson at first base. He was also able to double up Pete Alonso at first base. That left two outs, and the inning ended with Taylor Ward popping out.

The Orioles challenged the double-play. It was close; predictably, the call stood. One of those not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field deals. The runner was probably safe. They just couldn’t prove it with video.

Riley’s run-scoring double in the 11th gave Atlanta a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the frame the O’s had runners at the corners with two outs. And Atlanta opted to walk Jackson Holliday to get to Sam Huff, who grounded out to end the game.

That’s where having BOTH Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo on the IL hurts. Not just one catcher, but BOTH. Either could be a full-time catcher on another team. Either could be a perennial all-star. BOTH are hurt. Which is insane.

The Henderson at-bat in the tenth was tan awful one. That should have snuck through. Olson made a great play, and got some luck. Gunnar got none (luck, that is).

The O’s now head to Detroit to open up a three-game series at Comerica Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Keider Montero. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Leave it to Beavers

You can’t say enough about Brandon Young for the Baltimore Orioles. I would go so far as to say that he should at least be in the running for the Most Valuable Orioles award this year. Needless to say, he provided the Birds with a quality start tonight when they needed one against Atlanta – this after a tough loss last night. Young’s line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Sadly for Young, Atlanta’s Elder was equally as good against the Birds tonight. Good pitching always shuts down good hitting. Both sides ran up against good pitching tonight.

Pete Alonso reached on a fielding error by Atlanta’s Jarvis in the third. He would later score on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s run-scoring single to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. Encarnacion-Strand has made quite an impression with the O’s thus far, especially being a replacement due to injury. Needless to say, he’s made an impact this week alone.

Gunnar Henderson’s solo home run in the last of the fifth extended the lead to 2-0. It was his first home run in two weeks. Atlanta would get back on an RBI-groundout in the sixth, but Young limited the damage and got out of the inning.

Well after Young had departed with his quality start however, the Orioles lost the lead – non decisioning Young. Rico Garcia threw a solo home run to Albies in the top of the eighth, tying the game at two. The sad thing is that the last of the seventh had been extended due to Atlanta errors – and the O’s couldn’t take advantage. You have to take advantage when opponents give you an opportunity if you want to go places in this league.

Luckily however, it didn’t hurt the Birds. In the last of the ninth Jackson Holliday smacked a one-out double, and moved to third on Colton Cowser’s sacrifice fly. And make no mistake, Cowser was swinging for the fences. But it was a good team at-bat in that he got the runner to third.

That brought Dylan Beavers to the plate, with two outs. The O’s had a runner at third, and needed one run to win. And Beavers delivered. His RBI-single to right field drove in Holliday, and gave the O’s a 3-2 win.

That ninth inning symbolized what the concept of TEAM should be. Cowser was a pinch-hitter, and while he didn’t get the result he wanted, he did get the runner to third. And that made a difference. Coming off of a bad loss last night, this was a huge win for the Birds.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Reynaldo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: First inning halts Boston’s win streak

In his first start since signing a contract extension over the weekend, Kyle Bradish was charged with throwing a quality start for the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway. This in hopes of salvaging one of three, splitting the doubleheader, and of course halting Boston’s 15-game winning streak – which tied a franchise-record. And he did all of that. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Earlier in the day the O’s put Samuel Basallo on the IL. This after sending Adley Rutschman to the IL earlier in the week. The Orioles are now down both star catchers. And they could be without Tyler O’Neill, who was lifted from the game after wincing as he rounded first base on a base hit. The injury bug goes on.

Boston had to sue a spot starter for the game, and the Orioles didn’t allow him out of the first inning. With two outs in the first inning and Dylan Beavers at the plate, the pitcher Rivera uncorked a wild pitch scoring Pete Alonso.

Beavers immediately smacked a two-run single, and the O’s led 3-0 early on. But not for long – later in the inning Jonathan Rodriguez’s RBI-double extended the lead to 4-0. Boston lifted Rivera with two outs in the first inning.

That broke the game wide open early. Boston obviously had plenty of time to come back, however Bradish and later the bullpen wasn’t going to allow that. Bradish allowed an RBI-single to Yoshida in the fourth, but other than that Bradish shut Boston bats down.

No lead is safe at Fenway. But especially when Boston had won fifteen straight, and was going for sixteen. Again, that would have been a Boston Red Sox team record. This of course had it happened.

But it didn’t. While the Fenway Faithful tried to rally their team, the Oriole bullpen wasn’t having none of it. They sent down hitter after hitter. In the mean time the O’s got an insurance run, this on another wild pitch on the seventh which scored Gunnar Henderson. Yennier Cano held things over into the ninth, and the ball went to Tyler Wells, who shut Boston down.

It’s tough to drop two-of-three, however the O’s did go 4-2 on the road trip. Had Rutschman or Basallo been in the lineup, could the O’s have won one of those other two games? Probably. But end of the day, the Orioles are one game up in the win column than they were when the roadtrip began.

Baltimore Orioles: Hot teams eat errors for dinner

Shane Baz was victimized by Baltimore Orioles’ errors in the field this evening at Boston’s Fenway Park. It’s probably a poor idea to commit a bunch of errors against a team who had won 13 straight games coming in. Especially when that team’s a division opponent who sort of refuses to lose. Baz’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R ( 2 earned) 0 BB, 6 K.

I’m not someone who believes in vibes in the moment or at all. But Boston is certainly feeling something along those lines. When you’ve won 13 straight games, that’s probably part of the deal – regardleas of what I say.

However the Orioles were far from blown out in this game. It was a struggle to the end. Tyler O’Neill got the Birds on the board in the first with a ground-rule RBI-double. Duran’s sac fly-RBI in the third would tie the game at one, and Boston would put two across in the third to take a 3-1 lead.

However keep in mind that those two runs in the third were unearned. Jeremiah Jackson committed a two-out error, which led to those two runs. Baz pitched well; he deserved better.

But the O’s battled back. They lost this game, but they certainly battled. Which makes a difference – not in the standings, but it makes a difference. Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s solo homer in the fifth cut the Boston lead to 3-2. One inning later the O’s led 4-3. This after an RBI-single by Jeremiah Jackson, followed by an RBI-single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

However Boston led off the sixth with a single by Abreu, who advanced to second on a throwing error. He walks later score on Contreras’ run-scoring double, tying the game at four. Tyler O’ Neill would ground out on the seventh, scoring a run. And the Birds led, 5-4.

However Boston would tack on two in the later innings. This included solo homer by Durbin in the last of the eighth, which won the game for Boston. End of the day, you can’t commit four errors and expect to win. Which is why the Orioles need to continue looking at and addressing their defense going forward.

The series continues tomorrow at Fenway Park. Kyle Bradish gets the call for the Orioles, and Boston is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep Houston with a master class performance

Brandon Young got the start this afternoon in his de facto hometown of Houston for the Baltimore Orioles. Young of course grew up approximately 100 miles from Houston, and this was his second start at Daikin Park. The first one wasn’t too shabby, as he almost threw a perfect game. Not the case today, but still very good. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Houston put two runners on with nobody out in the second, but Young pitched out of it. That was the main threat that Houston made in the game. At least early. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the third gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning the O’s had Pete Alonso on first and Henderson at third. Craig Albernaz called for a double-steal, and it was executed perfectly. Henderson stole home plate, and the Birds led 2-0.

Houston would get on the board in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-double by Alvarez. But Young limited the damage, and got out of the inning. Pitching is as much about that as anything else – limiting the damage. Teams are going to score runs – most teams, that is. But no reason to turn that into a big inning.

The O’s would load the bases in the fifth, and Leody Taveras’ two-RBI single extended the lead to 4-1. Coby Mayo sent the second pitch of the sixth inning over the wall in right, extending it to 5-1. Altuve got Houston one back in the eighth with a solo homer, but the Birds went onto win 5-2.

One area of concern now is catcher. The Orioles called Sam Huff up to join the team before the game, making one wonder if Adley Rutschman isn’t dinged up. Samuel Basallo started behind the dish today, but left the game in the second with what the Orioles called right shoulder discomfort. He appeared to wince while swinging the bat in the top of the inning.

It might be fair to say maybe Rutschman had a scheduled day off. However odds are against the O’s doing that and calling up a third catcher for today’s game as a result. Something to watch as we go onward.

The O’s have now swept their previous two series’. They’ll go to Boston, who’s won 13 straight games. The Orioles’ win streak is at seven. So for the next few days we’ll see the two hottest teams in baseball.

The O’s now head to Boston to open the aforementioned series at Fenway Park. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Payton Tolle. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The Tyler O’Neill game

Trevor Rogers was non-decisioned in a hard-luck manner for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in Houston. He by and large pitched well enough to win. And he should have won. Rogers’ line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

Dylan Beavers got the Orioles on the board in the fourth on an RBI-double. Rogers was lifted after allowing two on in the sixth, with two outs. Rico Garcia was greeted by a bunt RBI-single by Allen, tying the game at one.

The game went to extra innings, and it got interesting fast. Leody Taveras was the Orioles’ ghost runner in the tenth, and he went to third on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s single. Taveras would later score on a sacrifice bunt by Jeremiah Jackson, and the O’s led 2-1.

However Houston would get the leadoff runner on in the bottom of the tenth, and Alvarez’s ground rule run-scoring double would tie the game at two. Following a Gunnar Henderson throwing error, Houston had the bases loaded with nobody out. Not exactly a scenario conducive to winning.

Altuve came to the plate needing to get one run in to win the ballgame. He sent a fly ball medium depth to right field. Tyler O’Neill made the catch for an out, and immediately turned his attention to the runner at third who was tagging up.

O’Neill made a somersaulting throw to home plate, and Samuel Basallo tagged the runner on the helmet as he tried to slide in and score what would have been the winning run. Houston persisted and tried to have Wade lay down a quick bunt for a base hit – back to the pitcher, Andrew Kitteredge. However he calmly threw the runner out at first to end the inning. And we played on.

Everything had to come together for the Orioles to avoid losing the game in that inning. None however moreso than the Tyler O’Neill throw. Say what you will about him at the plate. But his play in the field was outstanding today.

And speaking of O’Neill at the plate, he came up in the top of the eleventh with two outs and runners on first and second. After working the count, he sent a swinging bunt to Altuve at second. However for whatever reason, Altuve was playing slightly further back than he probably should have been.

With the runners going on contact, O’Neill ran on a dead sprint down the first base line. And he was safe. In the mean time, Gunnar Henderson (the ghost runner) astutely never stopped running. This until he had crossed home plate, giving the Orioles a 3-2 lead.

Later in the inning with Leody Taveras batting, Houston’s batter had some major issues with their pitchcom device. The game was paused for a few minutes while they worked on it. Did that effectively freeze the pitcher, De Los Santos? Possibly. Either way, Taveras smacked an RBI-single extending the lead to 4-2. Resulting in an unlikely 4-2 victory.

The O’s have now won this series in Houston. Which given the Wild Card standings, is a big deal. However again, make no mistake that this was Tyler O’Neill’s day. As hard of a season as he’s had, he found a way to contribute and to help the team win a ballgame. Heck of an effort, which was about as gritty as you’re going to find.

During the game we also learned that the O’s had signed pitcher Kyle Bradish to a contract extension. The deal is believed to be for five years and in excess of $90 million. That’s two pitchers (Bradish and Shane Baz) that the O’s have locked up for the foreseeable future.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Daikin Park. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Hunter Brown. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles lifted late by Taylor Ward after tight rope walk

Dean Kremer got the start for the Baltimore Orioles in Houston last night in the first game out of the break. He only lasted four innings, but his first inning perhaps foreshadowed the end of the game. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

After a leadoff walk Alvarez’s RBI-double gave Houston a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning Houston had runners at the corners with only one out. Kremer appeared on the ropes early. However he induced Altuve to ground into a double-play, ending the inning.

Kremer gave up a run. But he limited the damage. And that was huge in the moment, as well as in the grand scheme of the game.

The Orioles would tie the game in the third when Pete Alonso drew a bases loaded walk. Houston challenged the call of a strike, but it was upheld on replay. However Houston got their lead back in their half of the frame on a sac fly-RBI by Paredes.

The game wore on, and neither team could push anything across. Which in theory benefited Houston. However the O’s turned to reliever Cam Sanders in the eighth – with the bases loaded and one out. The Birds traded for Sanders over the break after he was DFA’d by Pittsburgh.

He was thrilled to join the Orioles, who obviously threw him into the fire right away. he immediately struck out Paredes, and induced Walker to pop out to end the inning. He had delivered the Orioles from the brink of Houston potentially breaking the game wide open.

Adley Rutschman hit a leadoff double in the eighth, bringing Taylor Ward to the plate. But Ward wasn’t going to walk this time. Instead he smacked a two-run home run, propelling the Orioles into the lead.

From the brink of disaster into the lead. It happened that quickly. Tyler Wells closed Houston out in the ninth, striking out Walker with two on to end the game , giving the Orioles now a five-game winning streak.

For once this year, it was the O’s holding their opponent accountable. Sanders stopped a golden opportunity for Houston to take a bigger lead. When they failed at that, the O’s pounced. And they won as a result.

The series continues this afternoon at Daikin Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.