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.

Baltimore Orioles’ Kyle Bradish a hard-luck loser

Quite honestly, Kyle Bradish pitched better than his stat line indicates this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. And his stat line was pretty darned good. But end of the day, you can pitch to a quality start all day long, and if your team can’t score any runs behind you it has no shot at a win. And this evening at Tropicana Field, that’s exactly what happened. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, Tampa starter Eflin was pretty darned good also. He kept Oriole bats at bay on this night. The Birds only mustered two hits.

Ramirez smacked an RBI-double in the second, and Paredes a solo homer in the last of the sixth. Those were the only two runs that Bradish surrendered. New Oriole reliever Shintaro Funinami also surrendered a solo homer in the seventh to Siri – on the first pitch he threw in the game and as an Oriole.

The Orioles remain in a statistical tie atop the AL East standings with Tampa. Which makes tomorrow and Sunday’s games huge for both teams. Neither the division nor playoff seedlings will be determined in a series in July. Heck, the O’s could still miss the playoffs for all we know. But this series will ultimately go a long way to deciding the future.

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

Baltimore Orioles: In command of the AL East

Kyle Gibson got the start in what might end up being one of the biggest wins of the season for the Baltimore Orioles. Gibson was outstanding, but he was non-decisioned. But he played a role, as the O’s won a game in Tampa. Gibson’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 8 K.

The O’s spotted Tampa a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Mejia. However Gunnar Henderson foreshadowed the magic we’d see in this game in the fourth inning by in essence extending a single into…a triple? Yes, you read that right. He first extended it into a double, and while the Tampa infield lallygagged around with the ball, Henderson kept on going. And he ended up at third base.

That’s the sort of thing Tampa’s done over the years to the Orioles and other teams. They’ve taken extra bases when they were given the opportunity. But tonight it was done to them – by the Orioles. Henderson would score on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single, tying the game at one.

Ryan O’Hearn would add a sac fly-RBI later in the inning giving the Orioles the lead. Aaron Hicks’ RBI-single would extend the lead to 3-1. However Gibson’s final two surrendered runs came in the seventh after he had departed the game, and they came off of Diaz’s two-RBI double. And we went on in a 3-3 tie.

Tampa would threaten a few other times. Ramon Urias would get the O’s out of a jam in the eighth with he dove to his left to snag a ground ball with two outs, and threw the runner out at first to end the threat and the inning. That might have been the defensive play of the season. It certainly was such for the game. And those are the plays good teams find a way to make when they win big games.

The game went to extra’s tied at three, and the Orioles bunted ghost runner Aaron Hicks to third with one out. He would later score on a sacrifice fly by Colton Cowser, giving the Birds a 4-3 lead in the tenth. Manager Brandon Hyde sent closer Felix Bautista back out after he had pitched the ninth, and after a HBP and a strikeout, he induced a game ending ground ball double-play. And the O’s took the opener of this huge series, 4-3.

This leaves the Orioles in sole possession of first place in the AL East. Which is a huge thing in and of itself. But it also marks the 71st consecutive series in which the Orioles haven’t been swept. You can’t make this stuff up, folks. These guys are for real.

The series continues tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Eflin. Game time is set for 6:40 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tyler Wells struggles in Birds’ loss

Tyler Wells had a tough time in his first start for the Baltimore Orioles in the second half. He only lasted two innings, the second of which found him giving up five runs. In fairness, it had been nine days since Wells pitched. That can at times make a difference. And the fact is that some days you just don’t “have it.” Wells’ line: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Heyward smacked a three-run homer in the second inning to start things off for Los Angeles. Freeman and Smith would add RBI-singles later in the inning, putting the O’s in a 5-0 hole early. Aaron Hicks’ RBI-double in the last of the inning got the Orioles on the board, cutting the lead to 5-1.

The Oriole bullpen however did stabilize things a bit after that. Until the seventh inning, that is. Los Angeles put four on the board in the seventh, including one that came on a double-steal and an Adley Rutschman throwing error. However the O’s would also pad their stats a bit in the last of the eighth. Ryan O’Hearn smacked an RBI-single, and Aaron Hicks a two-RBI single.

In the end, the Birds fell 10-3. It begins and ends with starting pitching, and Tyler Wells owned his outing after the game:

I think each and every time I take that ball, regardless of how long it’s been, it’s equally important. Definitely felt like I kind of failed the team a little bit tonight. Didn’t really set a good pace, and definitely that long inning in the second got to me. But we’re just going to drop this one and move on to the next.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Luckily it’s not something that we have to see or hear very often. But these guys are always accountable, which is good to see. Sometimes you’ll have games like this. As Tyler Wells said, you have to move past it.

The O’s close the series with Los Angeles (and the home stand) this afternoon at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Julio Urias. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez strong but Birds fall on grand slam

The Baltimore Orioles opened up Part II of the Grayson Rodriguez era this evening against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camden Yards. For the most part he was solid. He pitched better than his numbers indicate, as the final two runs that were changed to him crossed home plate after he had left the game. Rodriguez’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The Birds put runners at the corners in the first inning, and Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-double gave them a 1-0 lead. They would extend that to 2-0 in the last of the second on Adam Frazier’s RBI-groundout, followed by an RBI-triple by Gunnar Henderson. This all appeared to be a continuation of the past few games.

And incidentally, fans once again got a look at Henderson’s blazing speed. He easily could have stopped at second base, and nobody would have thought any worse of him. However he kept motoring, and slid into third safely. As I said yesterday, speed is an x-factor in games that can’t be quantified. And it won’t show up in the box score. But it wins you games in the long run.

LA would get a run back n the fourth on Martinez’s RBI-groundout. However one thing that is tangible in a box score is power, and Adley Rutschman showed us some of that with a solo homer in the last of the fourth. However LA would inch closer with an RBI-single by Smith in the sixth.

And later in that inning, Taylor would come up with the bases loaded. Against Brian Baker, Smith would fire a grand slam into the Orioles’ bullpen, giving LA a 6-4 lead. Which turned into a 6-4 victory., snapping the Orioles’ eight-game win streak.

Mind you folks, the LA Dodgers are a good team and they’re having a good year. One good team had to lose in this game, and it ended up being the Orioles. Baker hung a pitch and it came back to bite him. It happens. You pick yourself up and come back and fight tomorrow.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Michael Grove. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tougher than necessary win, but Birds sweep Fish away

Coming into this series, the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins had similar records and were in second place in their divisions. Neither team’s success or failure is contingent on that of the other, but now come the end of the weekend, it’s evident which team is a contender and which is a pretender. Kyle Bradish was the beneficiary of today’s offensive output, and in fact he himself was outstanding. Bradish’s line: 7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

The Orioles started getting guys on base early and often. We once again saw what speed can do for a team, especially one in contention. Gunnar Henderson split the outfielders on a line drive to lead off the game, and he legged out a double. He would almost immediately score on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double.

Again, speed is an x-factor. It’s intangible, and it won’t show up in the box score. But it’s meaningful, and it brought the Orioles an early run. Now all things being the same, Henderson would have scored anyways. Anthony Santander smacked a two-run homer following that sequence, and the O’s led 3-0.

Kyle Bradish has really buckled down the past few starts. Today he held Miami to three hits. You aren’t going to get much better than that. If the opposing team can’t get many guys on base, they can’t score, and they can’t win.

The O’s would load the bases in the fourth, as Miami pitcher Soriano enraged Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde by hitting two consecutive Orioles. In an instance like that, I’m the first one to say that a warning should be issued. However it seems rare these days for a pitcher on one side to be warned without warning the other side by default. And had the Orioles been issued a warning for in essence having their guys hit, odds of Hyde getting tossed would have been pretty good.

One of those runners in the fourth would score when the Miami infield booted a grounder by catcher James McCann. A second one scored on a sac fly by Gunnar Henderson. The O’s led 5-0.

But they only won it 5-4. Miami put four across in the ninth, and had the tying run in scoring position. It was tougher than it should have been. But the O’s got the job done in the end. And in doing so, swept the weekend series. Miami may have a good young team. But are they a contender on the level of the Orioles? I think you know the answer to that.

For the record, this is the second straight series sweep for the O’s. This is what good teams do. And the Orioles are a good team. To the rest of the league, you’ve been served!

The Orioles open up a three-game set tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodrigues gets the start for the O’s (meaning the Orioles will make a roster move), and he’ll be opposed by LA’s Emmett Sheehan. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles outlast Miami, lifted late by Anthony Santander

Kyle Gibson didn’t exactly appear like himself this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. He gave up several fluke runs in the second inning, putting the Birds behind Miami. However make no mistake that he was able to buckle down and pitch into the middle innings, perhaps saving a bullpen reliever. And those things make a difference in a long season. Gibson’s line: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 BB.

Gibson retired the side in the first on six pitches. However he started running into trouble in the second. Three consecutive singles gave Miami a 1-0 lead. The worst part? Two of them were infield singles. And all three were softly hit balls.

Wendle’s RBI-single would extend the lead to 2-0. Before the inning ended the O’s trailed 4-0. There was a very teachable moment in that midst, however. With two on and one out Jordan Westburg fielded a grounder and tried to throw the rubber out at home plate. The throw was up the first base line, and it went as an infield RBI-single.

That’s a play where you want to take the out they’re giving you. That being at first base. Forget the run; take the out. Rookie mistake, but again a teachable moment for Westburg.

But first impressions can be deceiving – the first impression being the first two innings. This wasn’t going to be Miami’s day. Cedric Mullins’ RBI-single in the last of the second got the O’s on the board, cutting Miami’s lead to 4-1. On a side note, Mullins was later lifted from the game in favor of Colton Cowser with right quad tenderness. Something to watch; obviously the hope is that Mullins doesn’t make a return trip to the IL.

Later in the inning Jorge Mateo’s two-RBI triple cut the lead to 4-3. (Originally Mateo was called out at third, but the Orioles challenged and the call was reversed.) Miami would actually extend their lead in the fourth on a sac fly-RBI. But again, this just wasn’t their day.

Anthony Santander’s RBI-single in the last of the fifth cut the lead to 5-4. That foreshadowed what would happen later – so make a mental note! Two innings later the Birds would tie the game on a mammoth home run by Gunnar Henderson, which landed on the flag court. Which got Gibson off the hook for the loss, for the record.

With two runners on in the last of the eight, Anthony Santander came to the plate. And he smacked an RBI-single, giving the Birds their first lead of the game. Felix Bautista would close things out in the ninth, and the Orioles had their 33rd comeback win of the season.

I mentioned Gibson being off the hook for the loss. His teammates found a way to pick him up tonight when he didn’t have his best stuff. That’s what the concept of “team” is all about. When you have a bad day, your teammates have your back. And next time out maybe it’s Gibson lifting up a teammate who committed an unfortunate error or something along those lines. Again, that’s what being a team is all about.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and Miami is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles blast off second half on Adam Frazier’s bat

Dean Kremer and the Baltimore Orioles picked up right where they left off in the first half last night. The O’s began the second half with a quality start from a starter, which is what we came to expect from Kremer in the first half. In other words, not much has changed! Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K.

However the story of the game was Adam Frazier. He’s taken criticism throughout the first half, some of it justified. but he busted out in this game against Miami, playing a role in most of the Orioles’ runs. And helping the O’s earn only their second win wearing their City Connect uniforms.

Almost predictably, the game began with an hour plus rain delay. Which of course is reminiscent of the Birds’ home stand just prior to the break. But once the game started, it was ON.

And keep in mind, I talk a lot about what speed can do on the base paths. However scouting also plays a role. Cedric Mullins got aboard in the last of the second with a single. He then proceeded to attempt a steal, knowing that Miami catcher Stallings wasn’t the greatest at throwing people out. Coming into the ballgame, he was 6-for-42 on the season in throwing out runners while stealing. The Orioles and Mullins knew this; not only did Mullins adjust that stat to 6-for-43, but he made it to third base on a Sallings throwing error.

Frazier came up later in the inning, and smacked an RBI-single. So the speed of Mullins, combined with the Orioles’ advance scouting (and of course Mullins’ execution), helped to manufacture that run. That’s how the concept of “team” works.

Miami would even the score in the top of the third when De La Cruz hit an RBI-single, reminding many fans that the O’s never seem to win while wearing their City Connect uniforms. But that was short lived, as Cedric Mullins’ solo homer in the last of the fourth put them back in the lead at 2-1. That brought Frazier back to the plate later in the inning, and his solo homer extended the lead to 3-1.

Miami would tighten things up in the eighth on a solo homer by Soler, but no worries – Frazier was coming back to the plate in the Orioles’ half of the frame. And he did so with a runner on base. And that runner, and Adam Frazier, got a free trot home when Frazier once again sent the ball over the fence.

It was also nice to see Brandon Hyde go to Felix Bautista for the save in the last of the ninth. Bautista of course blew the save in this last Tuesday’s All-Star game, sending the American League down to defeat. That’s obviously an exhibition, and meaningless at that. But you’d hate to see that mentally affect Bautista, so it was good for him to get right back out there. And he sent Miami down in order.

The series with Miami continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson heads to the bump for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Braxton Garrett. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.