Baltimore Orioles: Ryan O’Hearn says ‘O YES!’

Today’s game was the epitome of a “team win” for the Baltimore Orioles. They got a solid start out of Grayson Rodriguez in Toronto this afternoon, however the fact is that the wheels really started turning after Rodriguez had left the ballgame. Rodriguez’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Literally everyone who played today contributed. Now the down side of that is the fact that the Birds used five relievers, including closer Felix Bautista (who actually recorded the win); he pitched two innings. It would stand to reason that he won’t be available tomorrow, but keep in mind that the O’s are also off on Monday. Time will tell.

The Birds led 2-0 early after the first couple of innings. Ryan O’Hearn smacked an RBI-single in the second, and Cedric Mullins a solo homer in the third (umpire reviewed and ruled a home run). However Toronto tied the game at two on a two-run homer by Springer in the fifth. Jansen sent a solo shot out in the last of the sixth, and the Birds suddenly trailed.

Toronto would put two more runs on the board in the seventh, and it stood to reason those were insurance runs. However never count this crop of Orioles out. They fully buy into the legacy of the spirit of Orioles Magic that hovers over top of this franchise. Especially late in games.

The O’s put two runners on in the top of the eighth, with Ryan O’Hearn coming back to the plate. Remember, O’Hearn started the scoring this afternoon back in the second inning. O’Hearn of course had a great spring, which is why he’s a big leaguer now, but little did we know that he also had the “clutch gene” that so many of his teammates seem to have.

O’Hearn sent a deep shot toward the right field grandstand at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Many in the crowd thought the game was basically over, and that the home-standing Jays had won. But O’Hearn and the O’s had other ideas. His three-run homer gave the Birds new life, and tied the game.

The game went to extra innings, this following Felix Bautista pitching out of a jam in the last of the ninth. He had two on and nobody out, the lead runner of course being the winning run. But NONE of them crossed the plate, and we played on.

The O’s took advantage of the ghost runner rule, and immediately moved Ryan Mountcastle to third. Austin Hays plated him with a fielder’s choice, giving the O’s a 6-5 lead. Bautista closed out the game in the last of the tenth, giving the O’s a 6-5 win – and a series victory.

This recap doesn’t do the heaviness of this game justice. It was seemingly played with the intensity of an elimination game in October. Maybe it was Toronto who brought that intensity, drama, etc. For whatever reason. Drama and controversy seems to make them tick. But make no mistake that it was the Orioles who had the last say.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Rogers Centre ruled by a “Mounty“

This was always set up to be a big series in Toronto for the Baltimore Orioles. Kyle Gibson took the ball to face off against a team that seems to enjoy beating the O’s – and everyone else in the league. Against a team who found themselves once again and as usual, steeped in controversy just this week when New York was in town. And for starters, Gibson showed up tonight. Gibson’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Gibson gave up an RBI-single to Jansen in the last of the second. And that was it for him. He was solid all night. And he pitched seven innings in a game where the Orioles could have afforded to rest their bullpen a bit. And that point right there bodes well for the Orioles going into tomorrow.

However Toronto didn’t hold the lead for long. Ryan Mountcastle came up in the third with two runners on base. As much as we’ve talked in past years about certain players “owning” the Orioles, Mountcastle’s had his way with Toronto. Big time.

He smacked a two-run homer in the top of the third, giving the Birds a 3-1 lead. That was Mountcastle’s 15th home run against Toronto in his career. “Mounty’s” also in his third season. And needless to say, while the sheer number of homers against one team is impressive in and of itself, Mountcastle’s homer was huge in the grand scheme of the game itself.

Anthony Santander would smack a home run of his own (a solo shot) in the sixth. Following Gibson, Yennier Cano would enter the game in the eighth. While Cano committed the rare act of surrendering a run (on Bichette’s RBI-groundout), he only allowed that one run. And he pitched the Orioles’ way out of a jam.

And on top of that, the O’s got two insurance runs in the ninth inning. Adam Frazier’s two-run homer extended the lead to 6-2. And thanks to Felix Bautista in the last of the ninth, that was your final score.

However make no mistake that it was Ryan Mountcastle back in the third inning who got the Orioles over the hump in this one. Offensively, that is. Gibson and Cano’s heroics we’re almost equally as important. For whatever reason, Ryan Mountcastle always hits Toronto hard. Needless to say, he ruled the roost at Toronto’s Rogers Centre tonight.

The series continues tomorrow night at Rogers Centre. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Alek Manoah. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish wins in pitcher’s duel

You really can’t script out a better way to win games if you’re the Baltimore Orioles. Give up fewer runs than the opponent, that is. Kyle Bradish afforded Los Angeles one run tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. That’s tough to beat. Bradish’s line. 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

Last night you may remember I said Dean Kremer had an in between start. While the Orioles still won, contrast that with Bradish being spot on this evening. For what it’s worth, Bradish pitched to a quality start.

The Birds got on the board in the last of the third with Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single. However one inning later they found it tied again, as Trout smacked a solo homer. It was perhaps the only bad pitch Bradish threw. But either way it landed in the seats and tied the game up at one.

However it wasn’t tied for long. Cedric Mullins’ RBI-single gave the O’s the lead back in the bottom of that fourth inning. Austin Hays would take that base hit and raise it with a solo homer in the last of the fifth. And the Orioles took a 3-1 lead into the later innings.

And at that point, the Oriole bullpen shut things down by way of Cionel Perez and Yennier Cano. And remember folks, that’s how you win games in 2023. A stellar bullpen. The 2023 O’s will go as far as their bullpen takes them. So far, so good.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Tyler Anderson. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle’s clutch homer helps lift the Birds

Dean Kremer turned in one of those in between starts for the Baltimore Orioles this evening against Anaheim at Camden Yards. Most starting pitchers will have ten great starts, ten poor, and ten that are in between. And therein lies the success or failure of your season. Kremer’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

In short, Kremer wasn’t stellar. But he was far from awful either. If more guys’ in between starts were like this, their teams would be in the World Series annually. You can also refer to it as gutting one out. Either way, he pitched well enough to win.

Kremer gave up a solo homer to Moniak in the first, but the O’s almost immediately took care of that. Ryan O’Hearn, who got the start as the designated hitter, shot a solo homer of his own out of Camden Yards in the second, tying the game. For the record, O’Hearn DH’d while Anthony Santander played first base and Ryan Mountcastle sat. Keep that in mind.

The Birds took the lead in the last of the fourth when Terrin Vavra and Jorge Mateo smacked RBI-singles. Cedric Mullins would also ground out with a rubber on third, and the O’s led, 4-1.

But Los Angeles fought back. They put two runs across in the fifth, both on RBI-singles. And suddenly we were in a one-run game. But not for long.

Jorge Mateo’s sac fly-RBI in the last of the sixth gave the Birds some breathing room at 5-3. Following that, Brandon Hyde sent the previously resting Ryan Mountcastle up as a pinch hitter (with a runner on base) for Ryan O’Hearn. Keep in mind, one could argue that O’Hearn was taking Mountcastle’s spot in the order (in a roundabout manner). So perhaps his appearance in the game at that moment was ironic in and of itself…

…definitely afterwards, however. Because Mountcastle came through in the clutch, smacking a two-run homer. This extended the Orioles’ lead to 7-3, and the bullpen closed Los Angeles out the rest of the way.

Whatever Brandon Hyde’s methodology was for resting Mountcastle and later bringing him in when he did, it worked. Those are intangible things and moments in games that you can’t predict. You just have to feel them as they come. However he arrived at the decision(s), Hyde was right.

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

Baltimore Orioles fall in series finale with Pittsburgh

The Baltimore Orioles can’t win them all. Neither can any other team. But I digress. Today’s game almost felt anti-climactic before starter Kyle Gibson even took to the mound. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Gibson’s outing wasn’t awful. He did struggle with some command, but he battled. However as I said, it was almost anti-climactic. And I may say that partially because the Orioles had already won the series. 

Pittsburgh put runners on base right away, and Santana yielded them a run with a fielder’s choice-RBI in the first inning. For what it’s worth, that play originally wasn’t an RBI. At first it was a double-play (Pittsburgh had runners at the corners). However they challenged, saying that Santana was safe at first base. The challenge was upheld, and Santana had an RBI.

Pittsburgh extended their lead in the third on an RBI-single by Hayes. Bae later tacked on a two-RBI single. Pittsburgh led 4-0, which was going to be all they needed.

The Orioles ran into a buzzsaw in terms of pitching today. Pittsburgh’s Keller was masterful all day. We talk a lot about hitting with RISP in games; the O’s we’re 0-for-6 today. This meaning that they only got runners into scoring position six times. That’s how good Keller was.

I always say that if you take two-of-three in a series, you should never make the finale the one game you lose. Obviously you still took two-of-three. However it almost feels like you lost the series, given that it’s sort of a moment of finality – given that the series is over. However make no mistake, one of the hottest teams in the league won this series.

The O’s open up a series at home tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim). Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by LA’s Shohei Ohtani. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tyler Wells pitches a gem as Birds win another series

Another quality start for a starter, and another win for the Baltimore Orioles. Tonight it was Tyler Wells – again. As we know, these games are all team efforts; win or lose. But it all begins and ends with starting pitching. Wells’ line: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K.

The one hit obviously stands out. Wells attacked the strike zone with aggression tonight. And it showed in the results. Pittsburgh hitters were consistently behind, and in truth they nary had a chance.

Offensively the story was two home runs. Both solo shots. Adley Rutschman hit one right off the bat in the first inning. Gunnar z Henderson followed in the second. And those two runs stood up and lifted the O’s for the rest of the game.

They say solo homers don’t beat you. But when you get a couple of solo homers and your starter’s dealing the way Wells was tonight, they do beat you. Pittsburgh, that is. Great pitching and a pair of solo homers. That’s the story of this game for the O’s.

And with that, the Orioles have won another series. And against another good team. First Tampa this past week. Now this. And the ceiling may not have been reached yet.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles cycled to victory by Cedric Mullins

I’ll get to Cedric Mullins – but the Baltimore Orioles got another great outing by a starter last night against Pittsburgh at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish may have turned in his best start of the season. Definitely one of them; he mixed his pitches and mowed down Pittsburgh hitters. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 earned), 1 BB, 6 K.

That lone run surrendered was on a botched fielder’s choice by Jorge Mateo in the third inning. The Birds trailed 1-0 in what quickly unfolded as a pitcher’s duel. However the Orioles tied it in the last of the sixth. Ryan Mountcastle led off the inning with a triple, and he later scored on a wild pitch which tied the game.

As I’ve said a lot, get on base. However you can. When you get guys on base and/or into scoring position things can happen. And that modus operandi benefitted the O’s last night.

Pittsburgh took the lead back in the seventh on a solo homer by Joe. But Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double in the bottom of the inning tied it back up at two. But it was the eighth inning when things really got cooking.

Cedric Mullins already had a single, a double, and a triple. He came up in the last of the eighth with the ballgame tied at two and two runners on base. And being the clutch player that he is, he delivered with ice water in his veins.

With the count even up at one, Mullins sent a deep shot towards right field. When it cleared the wall onto the flag court, Mullins had given the Birds a 6-3 lead in a game that was previously close. And previously a pitcher’s duel. And he became the seventh player in franchise history to hit for the cycle.

Pittsburgh would tack an extra run on in the ninth, but the game ended on Mullins’ homer. And as he himself said after the game, things just fell in line:

You obviously know that you’re a single swing away from the cycle, and at the same time you’re trying to do your job. Drive some runs in. Everything fell in line.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

It’s tough to say which part of that moment was bigger. I always err on the side of the team aspect, and that home run broke the tie. Not only that, but it broke the tie and broke the game wide open. It effectively ended the game.

However Mullins in that same moment became the seventh Oriole in history to complete the cycle in a game. Austin Hays did it last year against Washington. That was the most recent. All in all, it was a key moment and a huge feat all around. And it sent Oriole Park at Camden Yards into a frenzy.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Roansy Contreras. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles beat the best on quest to BE the best

The Baltimore Orioles got another solid start out of Dean Kremer this evening in the rubber match with Tampa. And make no mistake, it was a huge game. Whomever won tonight, would take two-of-three in the series. And given the standings, that was set to be huge. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Kremer was outstanding. Unfortunately for the Birds, so were Tampa’s pitchers. I put it like that because they used Beeks as an “opener” in a sense. However both pitching staffs shut down the other side’s hitting. That’s why it’s called a pitcher’s duel!

But even in a pitcher’s duel, someone has to win. And from the Orioles’ perspective, the right team won. Adam Frazier grounded out in the last of the sixth with Adley Rutschman on third, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning Austin Hays’ RBI-double extended the lead to 2-0.

Franco’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the lead in half. However Danny Coulumbe got the Orioles out of the inning. They sent Tampa down 1-2-3 in the ninth, taking the game, 2-1.

Again, this is a huge win for the O’s. They took two-of-three from the team with the best record in baseball. There was reason to have optimism after the Atlanta series. Now even more so. In order to be the best, you have to beat the creme de la creme. And the Orioles did that this week.

Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman slugs the Birds back in the win column

After dropping game one of this gargantuan series with Tampa, the Baltimore Orioles found themselves having lost three straight. This for the first time in 2023; not to mention the fact that they weren’t scoring runs. So they sent starter Grayson Rodriguez to the mound tonight in hopes of stemming the tide. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Tampa of course had to be heard first in the game. Franco’s solo homer in the first gave them an early 1-0 lead. However Tampa’s offensive output stagnated. And that of the Orioles seemed to try to break out. If you’re a Tampa fan, that’s a dangerous combination.

Gunnar Henderson had a deep liner take a few good bounces in the last of the third, and he hustled into third with a triple. Part of that was the ball bouncing around. However another part of it was Henderson’s speed. Get on base, and good things would happen. Jorge Mateo would ground out, scoring Henderson and tying the ballgame.

However the key moment of the game came later in that third inning. With Cedric Mullins on base, Adley Rutschman sent a deep fly ball out to Eutaw Street for a two-run homer. This game the O’s their first lead in awhile at 3-1

One inning later Austin Hays’ RBI-single drove home a fourth run. Walls’ solo homer in the fifth would bring Tampa to within 4-2. However the Oriole bullpen would close things out in the end, and the Birds glided to a 4-2 victory.

The O’s had fallen into a mini-slump for lack of a better term. Granted they were very competitive during that three-game losing streak, but they dropped three games. So look no further than that Gunnar Henderson triple in the third inning tonight as the moment they snapped out of it. That got the Birds’ rally started. How do you keep your season from getting derailed? Don’t let it get off the hinges in the first place. Avoid long losing streaks. The O’s did that tonight.

The series with Tampa concludes tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and Tampa is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall to Tampa, drop third straight

You had to know that eventually the Baltimore Orioles were going to hit a snag. This in that they were going to struggle at some point – it wasn’t always destined to be rainbows and unicorns. Kyle Gibson turned in a great effort this evening however, albeit in a losing effort. Gibson’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Win or lose, it’s important to note that Gibson pitched to a quality start. Now the most cynical of fans will say that doesn’t matter if you don’t win – which the Orioles didn’t tonight. However it’s still worth throwing that point in, because Gibson was outstanding this evening.

Gibson surrendered a solo homer to Lowry in the top of the second. However Gibson didn’t let that phase him, as he continued to mow down Tampa hitters. It wssn’t until the seventh that they scored again, however that run came with a nuance. Franco flied out and brought in the second Tampa run. However Diaz was thrown out at second trying to extend, and the O’s got two quick outs (upheld on replay).

Raley would smack a solo homer in the top of the ninth to act as an insurance run, and the Birds fell, 3-0. Of you want reasons for this loss, the O’s went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They also left eight on base. You have to take advantage of the opportunities given at this level if you’re going to win games, especially against the best team in the league.

Similar to the weekend series in Atlanta, this goes as a loss. And all the games count at this point – especially division games. However the O’s went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league. That should say something to Orioles fans. Yes again, this goes as a loss. But this team is ready to compete.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the nod for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Eflin. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.