Baltimore Orioles: Anthony Santander lifts off in grand fashion

The Baltimore Orioles got an interesting start out of Kyle Bradish tonight. He was strong early, had a couple of hiccups, but ultimately pitched to a quality start against Toronto at Rogers Centre this evening. Bradish’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

It looked like Ryan Mountcastle was going to be the big story tonight. And for sure he’s one of them. He continued his assault on Toronto pitching, starting the game off with an RBI-double in the first inning. Gunnar Henderson would later ground into a force out, scoring a second run.

One inning later Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single put the Birds on top by a 3-0 score. But that’s where Bradish started to slip a bit. Jansen’s two-run homer cut the lead to 3-2 on the second. One inning later Belt’s solo shot tied the game at three, after three innings.

The Orioles however pressed on. They’d get the lead back in the top of the sixth with a solo homer by Gunnar Henderson. Bradish got himself in some trouble in the bottom of that inning, but pitched out of it. And that was as big as any of the other moments of the game.

It was of course Ryan Mountcastle who have the O’s a little bit of cushion. His RBI-double in the seventh extended the lead to 5-3. Gunnar Henderson would break things wide open at 7-3 with a two-RBI single. Things looked pretty solid from the Orioles’ standpoint at that time. But the best was yet to come.

Anthony Santander came up in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded. Again, the game was definitely trending in the Orioles’ favor. But Santander dealt the death blow to home standing Toronto on the night, smacking a grand slam into the right field grandstand. To be fair, it wasn’t just a homer/grand slam. I wasn’t aware that a human could send a ball that far.

That effectively ended the game. This although Ryan McKenna’s two-RBI single on the ninth would make the final score 13-3. Between the Santander grand slam, Mountcastle’s almost predictable heroics, and Kyle Bradish’s gritty effort, the O’s got participation out the waazoo in this game. it also clinched them winning the season series against Toronto. It’s August 1st…chew on that.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Rogers Centre. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles trade for Jack Flaherty

After a day of waiting, news involving the Baltimore Orioles making a trade finally broke between 5-10 minutes before the deadline. The Birds in fact are acquiring a starting pitcher, Jack Flaherty – from St. Louis. In return, the O’s are sending infielder Cesar Prieto, RHP Zack Showalter, and southpaw Drew Rom.

Flaherty (27) has struggled with injuries over a couple of years. He had a 4.43 ERA on the year, this over 109 plus innings. He was chosen 34th overall by St. Louis in the 2014 draft, and will be a free agent after this season. So unless the O’s decide to re-sign him, he will in fact be a rental.

The O’s of course were linked with some additional names, most of whom were bigger than Flaherty. Chicago’s Dylan Cease, Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez, and of course the NYM’s Justin Verlander (now of the Houston Astros) we’re linked to the Orioles. The first of those two ended up not being dealt at all. (Rodriguez had earlier veto’d a trade to Los Angeles.

The hope is that perhaps coming to a new and contending team will light a fire under Flaherty – at least for the rest of the season. And here’s another thing to consider; moving forward he’s going to be caught by the best in the business, Adley Rutschman. That could make a difference.

But ultimately, this move didn’t deplete the farm system. And you can almost see these other teams refusing to trade their players unless the Orioles parted with the likes of a Jackson Holliday or someone along those lines. End of the day we’ll have to see how Flaherty does once he’s here. But needless to say, he’s coming!

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays and Felix Bautista for the win!

It was important for the Baltimore Orioles and starter Kyle Gibson to win tonight. After a dramatic high profile series win over the weekend, it’s important to “safely” come back to earth. And Gibson set the O’s up in a good spot. Gibson’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles picked up right where they left off last night in the first inning. They put two runners in scoring position, and Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run scoring double gave the Birds a 2-0 lead. Incidentally, that second run moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Get guys on base and often times things happen.

Two innings later Gunnar Henderson’s solo homer extended the lead to 3-0. Later in the inning Mountcastle would plate another run on a sac fly-RBI. That’s three runs driven in on the night for Ryan Mountcastle.

Toronto would get on the board in the fifth in on Kiermaier’s RBI-groundout. Merrifield would smack a solo homer in the eighth off of Yennier Cano, who unfortunately appears to be struggling a bit. He was later lifted from the ballgame.

And the Orioles went to Felix Bautista to garner a five out save. Bautista got the Orioles off the field, and following the O’s not putting anything across in the ninth, we went to the last of the inning.

While Bautista had a couple of struggles in the ninth, he got the Orioles through. However he had help. Merrifield lined a ball towards left center with two on and one out. The ball looked destined for the gap, and make no mistake that it might well have gone all the way to the wall. Which might have tied the game…

…but none of that was possible. Out of left field (literally), Austin Hays came out of nowhere, laid out, and caught the ball. And he almost doubled the runner up at first base after doing so.

Brandon Hyde’s said it before; every game it seems someone else is the hero. Someone else saves the game. Tonight it was Austin Hays and Felix Bautista. Incidentally, Bautista threw more pitches than he has all season. What that means for tomorrow and onward remains to be seen. But that was a gritty effort on the part of Bautista and Austin Hays.

With the win, the O’s have now gone 74 straight series’ without being swept. And whatever flaws exist in this team, it shows in the standings. Because the Baltimore Orioles are alone in first place.

The series continues tomorrow night at Rogers Center. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s HyunJin Ryu. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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.