Baltimore Orioles’ winning streak halted at ten

The Baltimore Orioles were reminded this year that all good things must come to an end. With a 5-4 loss to Tampa, the Birds’ winning streak was halted at ten games. Starter Tyler Wells definitely pitched well enough to win the game, but it just wasn’t meant to happen tonight. Wells’ line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

The O’s did lead for part of the ballgame. Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer in the top of the third inning. Ramon Urias added a second solo shot one inning later, and the Birds were off to a 2-0 lead.

But Tampa found a way to chip away. In the last of the fourth they smacked three doubles, including an RBI-double by Chang. He would come up again in the sixth, adding a second RBI-double – tying the game at two.

Mejia would add a second RBI-double later in the inning, and Bethancorp’s two-run homer gave Tampa the lead at 5-2. However the O’s did battle back. Urias would hit a second homer in the eighth, this one of the two- run variety.

But this wasn’t the Orioles’ night, and they fell in Tampa, 5-4. It’s important to note that they were going to drop a game and snap the winning streak at some point. That’s why you have to enjoy those highs so much, because they can end at the drop of a dime.

A lot of times when teams have epic win streaks they end in a blaze of glory. This meaning that multiple errors are committed, and the first loss is usually pretty ugly. That didn’t happen to the O’s tonight. They battled tough and just ended up with one less run. As I said, all good things must end.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and Tampa’s starter is TBD. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ten straight, courtesy of the Orange & Black

It’s almost scary how quickly things have turned around for the Baltimore Orioles. Last night at Wrigley Field they won their tenth straight game, and swept Chicago’s “northsiders” in a short two-game series at the “Friendly Confines.” This behind a solid start from Spencer Watkins, who certainly spearheaded the Birds’ tenth straight victory. Watkins’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

The O’s led the entire way in this game. Anthony Santander’s two-RBI double in the top of the first gave them a 2-0 lead. Austin Hays’ RBI-single later in the inning ran it to 3-0. Chicago and the crowd had barely settled in, and the Birds already had the lead.

The lone thing that went wrong for the Birds in this game came on what first appeared to be a two-RBI double by Trey Mancini in the second inning. However Chicago challenged the play, claiming that the second runner (Cedric Mullins) was actually out at home plate. And the umpires reversed the call on replay, making it only an RBI-double. But no matter, the O’s still held a 4-0 lead.

Chicago did get on the board in the last of the fifth with a sac fly-RBI by Ortega. But a few innings later the O’s started plating insurance runs. Adley Rutschman and Rougned Odor smacked an RBI-double and single respectively in the eighth. Ramon Urias also scored on a balk, running the final to 7-1.

It absolutely can’t be lost on anyone that the O’s lost 19 straight games at one point last year, and now they’ve won ten straight. If anything, I would argue that the 19 straight losses brought this team closer together. Needless to say, they seem to have great chemistry and they seem to like playing with one another, as evidenced by Brandon Hyde’s comments after the game:

Just really happy with how we’re playing. Spenser was fantastic, set the tone, putting zeros up early. Bullpen once again does a great job, and we scored some runs for these guys early in the game, which was nice, and got some tack-ons late, which we’ve had a tough time doing. We’re playing good baseball right now.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

He mentioned insurance runs; that’s how you sustain winning streaks. You have to assume that most games are going to be close. So insurance runs late make a huge difference. The Birds now stand one game above .500, and they find themselves having won more games than they’ve lost for the first time since early last season.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds victorious in the Friendly Confines, hit .500

The gravy train ran on for the hottest team in baseball last night, as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Chicago Cubs. The Birds got a dominating outing from starter Jordan Lyles, who made himself at home in the “Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field. Lyles’ line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

the game got off to an inauspicious start however, as Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the last of the first on a solo homer by Happ. Rivas’ RBI-single an inning later ran the tally to 2-0, and for a split second we wondered if the Orioles’ winning streak was in jeopardy. But it wasn’t.

Anthony Santander’s RBI-single in the top of the third got the Orioles on the board and cut Chicago’s lead to 2-1. One inning later they took the lead when Ramon Urias smacked a two-run home run. They extended that lead to 4-2, the eventual final, when Jorge Mateo hit a solo homer in the seventh.

Timely hitting and good pitching – that’s what wins games. Lyles and the Orioles’ pen were all outstanding last night. That’s another quality start for an Oriole starter last night. Those are starting to rack up also.

After the game Brandon Hyde hit the nail on the head in terms of the O’s having won their ninth straight game:

We’re playing baseball all the way around. Some games we’re throwing it lights out, some days we’re mashing, we’re getting extra-base hits one after another. That’s the sign of a good team, when you can win baseball games in different ways and fashion.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

You find different ways to win games. And the O’s are doing just that. And it’s paying off; they’ve won nine straight games for the first time since September of 1999.

The series concludes this evening at Wrigley Field. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Justin Steele. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jorge Lopez to the All-Star Game

It was announced last night that the Baltimore Orioles’ All-Star representative this year will be closer Jorge Lopez. Save for that weekend in Minnesota, Lopez has been dominant in the first half. He has a 1.74 ERA, with 16 saves.

The disappointment I suppose is that no position players made the roster. The likes of Austin Hays, Anthony Santander, and others certainly should have at least been considered. And obviously as guys opt out over time, they might still trickle their way onto the roster. The All-Star game is next Tuesday evening from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Orioles of course are off today, despite being the hottest team in baseball. Tomorrow night they head to the “friendly confines” of Wrigley Field to open a short two-game set with the Chicago Cubs.

Baltimore Orioles: Hottest team in baseball sweeps LA and the home stand

The Baltimore Orioles were back in the saddle again this afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Birds and starter Austin Voth came into today’s game having won seven straight. A win today would also give the O’s a perfect home stand. Voth’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

It started off inauspiciously, however. Hamilton’s two-run homer in the third gave LA a 2-0 lead. For a moment it appeared that the winning streak was going to stop at seven. Boy would you have been wrong had you put money on that.

One inning later in the last of the fourth Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-double cut the LA lead in half at 2-1. But that was only the table-setter. Later in the inning Ramon Urias’ two-RBI single and Roughned Odor’s RBI-single gave the O’s the lead at 4-2. But it didn’t end there – OH NO.

Anthony Santander would extend the lead to 5-2 with an RBI-double in the last of the fifth. If you’re Los Angeles you’d just as soon forget the bottom of the fifth inning today. But the Orioles and the fans at Camden Yards won’t soon forget it.

The Birds would end up loading the bases, Ryan Mountcastle scored on a passed ball. Santander would almost immediately follow, scoring on a wild pitch. And Ramon Urias would follow with a run-scoring single. When the smoke cleared, the O’s led 8-2.

If you’ve read me for awhile, you’ve seen me say that good things happen when you get guys on base. The O’s had the bags juiced, and fluky things plated a couple of runs. And on the aforementioned Urias hit, he was able to reach safely because the pitcher didn’t cover the bag. Again, get people on base and good things can happen.

The Birds would add a ninth run on an RBI-single by Trey Mancini in the sixth. Los Angeles would add three more runs in the later innings, including a two-run homer by Stassi. However Los Angeles reminded me a lot of the Orioles in 2018 – they have some talented players, but appear on the verge of a rip down and rebuild. The O’s of course are in a different point in that process.

The O’s swept LA, and swept the home stand. They’re the hottest team in baseball, having won eight straight. Where the season goes from here remains to be seen. But they’re firing on all cylinders at this moment.

Baltimore Orioles: Baseball’s hottest team churns on

The Baltimore Orioles are baseball’s hottest team. Yes, you read that correctly; I’ll say it again for the people in the back…the Baltimore Orioles are baseball’s hottest team. Try that one on for size! Having won six straight coming in, they sent Dean Kremer to the mound against Anaheim this afternoon in hopes of keeping the party going. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

Despite being the hottest team in the league, the Birds still sit in last place in the AL East. But that’s a testament to the division as much as anything else. Yet, national pundits continue to overlook the Orioles. And consistently at that. And in fact you watch…as soon as the winning streak ends, you’ll see people saying I told you they were bad.

But savvy fans know that one game a season does not make. It’s the overall body of work that matters. And we’re nowhere near being done; odds are some struggles still await this 2022 Oriole team. But to date, the overall body of work exceeds expectations.

Perhaps the best moment of today’s game came in the last of the third inning, when Tyler Nevin came up to bat for the first time. His Dad, Phil, of course is the interim manager of the Anaheim Angels. He was suspended for the first two games of this series (due to the Anaheim/Seattle brawl a few weeks ago), but returned to the Anaheim dugout this afternoon.

Today was the first time that father and son had been on a big league field together. Father and son exchanged the lineup cards before the game and posed for a photo with the umpiring crew. It was the sort of moment that only baseball can provide. And it didn’t disappoint.

For the record, (Tyler) Nevin reached base on a single in his first at-bat against his old man. Needless to say, (Phil) Nevin had to have mixed feelings on that. One inning later in the last of the fourth, Anthony Santander’s RBI-single have the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

And when your pitching staff doesn’t give up any runs, one run is all you need. The back end of the Oriole bullpen was dominant once again, with Relic Bautista getting a key strikeout to end the eighth, and Jorge Lopez closing the door in the ninth.

The Birds will go for a sweep of the series and the home stand tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Austin Voth gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Jose Suarez. Game time is set for just after 12 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini plays the hero as the magic returns

Tyler Wells got the start last night against Anaheim for the Baltimore Orioles, with mixed results. For awhile it looked like he was in line to be the losing pitcher. For most of the ballgame, in fact. But anyone who thought that sure had something else coming. Wells’ line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Wells gave up a three-run homer to Trout in the third inning. And that was it. He departed obviously after four innings, but the bullpen was solid. Luckily, so we’re Oriole bats.

The Birds began their comeback in the seventh with an RBI-single by Ramon Urias. One inning later Ryan Mountcastle smacked an RBI-single, and the comeback was on. But not before Ohtani extended the Anaheim lead back to two runs in the ninth with a solo homer.

That simply made the road slightly tougher for the Birds, who had that look of determination in their eyes. This as the old sentiments of Orioles Magic began to descend once again upon Camden Yards.

With a runner on second in the last of the ninth, Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double cut the lead to 4-3. Rutschman would later score on Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double, and the O’s had officially “come back.” But that only tied the game – the Orioles had in mind to win it.

Mullins would advance to third on a wild pitch, but that wasn’t such a big deal as he was already in scoring position. But the moment everyone was waiting for came in the form of Trey Mancini’s RBI-single to left. That plated Mullins, sent everyone home happy, and reminded the fans of this franchise’s not-so-distant magical past, and perhaps of a similar future.

After the game Mancini tipped his cap at the crowd and his teammates in the clubhouse:

It was so exciting, one of the best wins I’ve been a part of in my time here. I’m guessing it was one of our top crowds of the year. It was a great energy, the fans brought it all night, and we fed off that, especially late. It was just an amazing comeback for us. It was unbelievable to be a part of a great team win for us

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The series continues this afternoon at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Patrick Sandoval. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jordan Lyles strong as Birds inch towards .500

With a victory tonight, the Baltimore Orioles are within four games of the .500 mark. It’s no coincidence that they’ve come to this point coinciding with when the starting pitching improved, as did the bullpen. If it begins and ends with starting pitching, it began and ended this evening against Anaheim with Jordan Lyles. He was outstanding, and he pitched to a quality start. Lyles’ line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Lyles is all but anchoring the rotation at this point. In the absence of John Means, that is. And Anaheim may be having an underwhelming season to date, but they do have a formidable lineup that includes at least two generational talents. They were all kept at bay tonight.

Adley Rutschman got the O’s on the board with a solo homer in the last of the second. It was the first Camden Yards home run of his career. An inning later Ryan Mountcastle added an RBI-double, which doubled the Birds’ lead – to 2-0.

But Oriole bats weren’t through just yet. Trey Mancini would add an RBI-single in the fifth. Mountcastle would come up again as well, and tack on a sac fly-RBI. Anaheim would add a sac fly of their own by Suzuki in the seventh, but the Oriole bullpen didn’t allow anything further. Jorge Lopez closed out the game, giving the Orioles their fifth straight win.

The stunning thing is that the O’s remain in last place in the AL East. And sadly, there’s a vocal minority of fans who only look at the standings. And they don’t want to care about a last place team. But the savvy fans know that this team is coming on. It may not be this year, but once things start really clicking, watch out for the Baltimore Orioles.

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

Baltimore Orioles: Spencer Watkins strong as Birds sweep Texas away

The Baltimore Orioles sent Spencer Watkins to the mound this evening in the series final with a Texas at Camden Yards. And Watkins turned in perhaps the best outing of his career, sending Texas down to defeat once again. Watkins’ line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Watkins was whatever adjective of which you can think which is stronger than solid. I think stellar is probably the term best used. Watkins was stellar all night. And the O’s reaped the rewards.

Ryan McKenna, who it was pointed out to me this evening bears a slight resemblance to Baker Mayfield (the new quarterback of the Carolina Panthers after being traded today), attested for all of the Oriole offense tonight. Quite frankly, McKenna had a great series overall.

McKenna smacked an RBI-single in the last of the seventh. However a second run was allowed to score on a throwing error by Texas’ Seager. And that was the entire Orioles’ offense, in a game that quickly became a pitcher’s duel.

Taveras would double a run home in the fifth, getting Texas on the board. But they couldn’t put anything more on the board than that. And neither could the Orioles, but they of course already had the lead. And it delivered them a 2-1 win.

Jorge Lopez also recorded the save this evening, after blowing two of his last three save situations. (And in the one he didn’t blow, he surrendered the lead, which in effect is the same thing.) He gave up a base hit tonight, but he held the line and held firm. Which should help him get past his confidence issues that have sprung up.

With the win, the Birds swept the series with Texas. It was their first three-game series sweep in about a year; their last sweep was last July, against Washington at Camden Yards. I’ve said this previously, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue that this team isn’t turning a corner.

The O’s will now welcome in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first of four tomorrow. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Chase Silseth. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins walks Birds off as winners

The Baltimore Orioles got a bit of a longer outing tonight out of Austin Voth. To be clear, a longer outing than they’re used to getting. Does this mean they’re stretching Voth out? Tough to say. But he pitched into the fifth inning tonight against Texas. Voth’s line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

This game was sort of wild from the beginning. Jorge Mateo’s RBI-single in the second gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Cedric Mullins added a two-RBI double, and Trey Mancini an RBI-double of his own. When the smoke cleared the O’s led, 4-0.

But Texas snapped back in the fifth. They put three runs on the board, bringing them to within one at 4-3. Then Garver’s solo home run in the seventh tied the game. Whereas it looked like the O’s might cruise to victory…let’s just say that nothing’s easy in thugs world.

But they would get the lead back in the last of that seventh inning. Anthony Santander’s RBI-single gave the Birds a 5-4 lead. And it even looked like they had put some insurance runs up, as Ramon Urias’ two-RBI single gave them a three-run lead at 7-4.

But Texas came back again, and in one fatal swoop. Lowe’s three-run homer in the top of the eighth tied the game at seven. Then it was the Orioles’ turn – in the last of the eighth. Ryan McKenna picked an outstanding time for his first homer of the season, a solo shot. It gave the O’s an 8-7 lead.

And go figure, the teams swapped homers in the ninth. The game was re-tied at nine when Roughned Odor smacked a solo home run. And to extra innings we went! One might have labeled this as the game that wouldn’t die.

Almost true to form for this game, Texas threatened in the top of the tenth. They loaded the bases, but the Orioles pitched out of it. This put the O’s in a spot to once again take advantage of the ghost runner on second rule in extra innings. And of course the advantage that they also had (from the beginning) is that the home team bats last. And it was Cedric Mullins who played the hero last night, with an RBI-single to win the game for the O’s.

It goes down as one win. But this was a crazy game that went back and forth. Just when one team thought they had dealt a death blow to the other, something else would happen. Needless to say, it was about as entertaining of a game as you’re going to see in a given year.

The series concludes this evening at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Glenn Otto. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.