Baltimore Orioles: The league has adjusted to Bruce Zimmermann

Bruce Zimmermann struggled for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in the first of three with Cleveland. They jumped on him early and often. In fairness, Oriole bats were “off” also; the Birds didn’t get their first base hit until the sixth inning. But it all begins and ends with starting pitching. Zimmermann’s line: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

As I said, Cleveland jumped on Zimmermann, swinging early and often. And Zimmermann was pitching to contact, as evidenced by the aforementioned ten hits, zero walks, and one strikeout. Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-RBI double by Miller.

Miller would come up to bat again in the third, and produced a two-RBI single, doubling the lead. Later in the inning Naylor added an RBI-single, and then an RBI-double in the seventh. Again as per Zimmermann’s line score referenced above, that last run wasn’t charged to him (he had already left the game). B

But the O’s did put up a fight. Trey Mancini smacked a two-RBI double, and Anthony Santander an RBI-single in the last of the eighth. However while these O’s don’t quit and they play until the end, Cleveland took game one of the series, 6-3.

In his last four starts (including tonight), Bruce Zimmermann has surrendered between 4-6 runs. That’s way up from the 0-3 he was giving up in the beginning of the season. So…what gives?

I would submit that in effect, the rest of the league has adjusted (or is adjusting) to Zimmermann. Which means that between now and his next start, he has to really buckle down with his coaches and come up with a plan.

When the league adjusts to you and your style, it’s incumbent on YOU to adjust also. Otherwise your stay in the majors won’t be long. If you keep your stuff and your game plan fresh, you can end up having staying power. So again, Zimmermann needs to work with his coaches between starts to tweak his stuff up so as to keep opponents guessing.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Tristan McKenzie. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Happy birthday to Mighty Casey!

The Baltimore Orioles may well have a few things in common with the “mythical” Mudville 9. I say that of course because today is the “birthday” of one of my favorite American poems, Casey at the Bat, by Ernest Thayer. The poem was published on June 3, 1888, and of course features the Mighty Casey, who had the gall to strike out in a key moment of a game.

It’s a poem that’s beloved in baseball circles, and as I said it’s one of my favorite American poems. But in a way I’ve always felt badly for Casey. The guy struck out – it happens! However I think it’s the drama laid out in the poem which is what makes it so beloved.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
and Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped—
“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
“Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone on the stand;
and it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone;
he stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
he signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
but Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said: “Strike two.”

“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and Echo answered fraud;
but one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
and they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

That kind of paints a dramatic picture. As does the conclusion:

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
but there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.

Again, I’ve always felt that “the Mighty Casey” got a bit of an unfair spin. However the poem also has a very human quality to it in that nobody’s going to succeed 100% of the time. We all stumble and fall. But there is a chance at redemption, as is evidenced by a sequel to the poem by Grantland Rice circa 1906-07:

O, somewhere in this favored land dark clouds may hide the sun,

And somewhere bands no longer play and children have no fun!

And somewhere over blighted lives there hangs a heavy pall,

But Mudville hearts are happy now, for Casey hit the ball.

Put together, those two poems tell a story about the American spirit. We may fail, but through failure can come success if you keep at it. And to me, that’s what Casey at the Bat has always represented. We see that in the Orioles every game, which is why perhaps they do have a lot in common with “the Mudville 9.”

Baltimore Orioles fall in extras

Jordan Lyles took to the mound last night for the Baltimore Orioles in the series finale against Seattle. In effect, he was bled to death by paper cuts – a base hit here, a walk there. Those things add up in games if you give up enough of them. Lyles’ line: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The Birds took the lead early. Austin Hays’ RBI-single in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle would follow later in the inning with an RBI-double, and the O’s led 2-0.

But they ran into trouble starting in the third. Winker’s RBI-single cut the lead in half at 2-1. With a runner at third later in the inning, Rodriguez would attempt to steal second. But Adley Rutschman’s errant throw allowed the runner to score, tying the game.

And while Rutschman was baseball’s top prospect for some time, he’s still a rookie and he’s still learning. You have to allow for those types of mistakes with a young catcher. But as much potential as Rutschman has, odds are he’ll use it as a learning experience and simply get better. Sure enough, he nailed a runner at second later in the game.

The O’s took the lead back however on Hays’ second RBI-single of the game in the bottom of that inning. But Seattle stormed back in the sixth, putting up three runs and taking a 6-3 lead. Ramon Urias’ RBI-double netted one back for the O’s in the last of the sixth inning, but the damage was done.

Or was it? Because Cedric Mullins smacked a two-RBI double later in the inning to tie the game back up at six. Win or lose, these Orioles battle. And another thing about them…they don’t get cheated at the plate. They complete their at-bats, and they don’t give in.

The score remained tied, and to extra innings we went. Seattle would win it on Toro’s run-scoring triple in the tenth. This of course given MLB’s extra-innings ghost runner rule, starting the inning with a runner on second base. So it goes as an unearned run.

Tough game to lose, but again you have to look at the fact that the O’s battled. The bigger loss for the team is that we found out before the game that top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez will be sidelined for much of the season with a strained lateral muscle. Tough pill to swallow for the organization, but you have to work through issues like this. Reliever Joey Krehbiel also exited the game in the sixth with shoulder discomfort, and will undergo tests today.

The Orioles will now open up a three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians this evening at Camden Yards. Bruce Zimmermann gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles start June with a win

Kyle Bradish took the mound tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in the wake of a couple of poor outings in New York and Boston. And while Bradish didn’t stick around for long enough to get the win, he did put the O’s in a spot to win. And thus to open up June with a win. (against Seattle). Bradish’s line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

It was important to win tonight as we enter June, as the O’s lost big to Seattle last night. They took the lead in the last of the second, and never gave it up. Rougned Odor smacked a three-run homer and the O’s led 3-0.

Crawford would smack a solo homer for Seattle in the fourth, and Rodriguez an infield RBI-single in the fifth. This cut the Birds’ lead to 3-2. But Seattle cutting the lead to one was the only “blip in the radar” so to speak. Because on this night the Orioles weren’t going to be denied.

Austin Hays would extend the lead to 4-2 in the fifth with an RBI-single. One inning later in the last of the sixth Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias went back-to-back with solo homers, busting the game wide open with a 6-3 Oriole lead.

But the Birds weren’t finished – neither in the game, nor in the sixth inning. Cedric Mullins smacked an RBI-double, and Trey Mancini made himself good with the new dimensions at Camden Yards with a two-run homer. This afternoon Mancini hit a few balls to left field which in the past would have been home runs.

And with that, the O’s took a 9-2 victory over Seattle to the showers. Starting a new month in such a powerful manner is always a good thing. Now the Birds need to continue that momentum.

The series with Seattle concludes tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Chris Flexen. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Last laugh in Beantown goes to the Birds

The Baltimore Orioles completed a back-and-forth type of weekend in Boston this evening. In a rare five-game series, they traded punches with the BoSox before sending Tyler Wells to the mound this evening in the series finale and rubber match and he didn’t disappoint. Neither did Oriole bats. Wells’ line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The O’s got the last laugh in this series, and it wasn’t even close. And they got the last laugh from the beginning. Trey Mancini’s RBI-triple in the first inning gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning Ryan Mountcastle smacked a solo homer, and the Birds were off to the races.

However a 2-0 lead early in a game at Fenway Park is far from safe. So what did the Orioles do? They added onto their lead, of course!

Ramon Urias’ two-run homer in the third doubled the lead at 4-0. Two innings later the O’s tacked on two more. One on a sac fly-RBI by Anthony Santander, and another on an RBI-groundout by Ramon Urias.

Ryan Mountcastle would add a seventh run in the seventh inning when he grounded into a double-play with a runner on third and nobody out. That and Anthony Santander’s three-run eighth graders inning homer gave the Orioles a 10-0 lead. This game was in effect the inverse is yesterday, when Boston kept adding on runs against the O’s. But tonight’s game decided the series. And it was the Orioles in

So in a rare five-game series, the Birds took three-of-five from Boston. IN Boston. At Fenway Park.

Boston’s a team that sees itself as a perennial contender. And the national pundits seem to agree with that. They should beat a rebuilding team like the Orioles almost every time they play. And in a similar manner to yesterday’s game. Instead, the O’s really took it to them this weekend, including boat racing them tonight, and the ten unanswered runs game this past Friday.

The O’s now head for home to open up a three-game set with Seattle at Camden Yards. The O’s have yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by Seattle’s George Kirby. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Bruce Zimmermann haunted by the long ball at Fenway

The Baltimore Orioles sent Bruce Zimmermann to the mound this afternoon at Fenway Park, and with not-so-hot results at that. Zimmermann struggled, giving up five homers to Boston hitters. Zimmermann’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Zimmermann was pitching to contact this afternoon. And Boston hitters were looking to swing from the get-go. That can often be a bad combination from a pitcher’s perspective.

The Boston took a 2-0 lead on Dalbec’s two-run homer in the last of the second. Cordero added a solo shot later in the inning, and Devers a solo homer as well in the third. Tack on a two-run shot by Hernandez and a solo by Arroyo in the fourth, and Boston sent Zimmermann to the showers early with a 6-0 lead.

I would point out that every pitcher, especially young guys, is going to have a game like this here and there. Zimmermann wasn’t done any favors by having to pitch in Yankee Stadium AND at Fenway this week. But you have to dust yourself off and move onto the next start.

The Orioles did net a run in the fifth on Trey Mancini’s RBI-single. But Boston kept the pressure on; Vasquez smacked an RBI-double in the bottom of that fifth inning. Boston would then proceed to put up five runs in the last of the eighth, on the heels of several walks. Many of which came with the bases loaded.

Chris Owings would add an RBI-groundout to cut the final to 12-2. However this game was all Boston from the beginning. Even still, Trey Mancini had a great day at the plate. He had three hits, a walk, and an RBI. Bright spots may be few and far between in this game, but that’s definitely one of them.

For what it’s worth, this series was supposed to be a three-game set; the O’s originally had Memorial Day off. But MLB made yesterday a doubleheader and added a game tomorrow night (creating a five-game series) to make up games that weren’t played early in the season due to the lockout. In case you were curious.

The weekend series in Boston concludes tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Rich Hill. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles split twin bill in Boston

In winning this evening, the Baltimore Orioles ended up splitting their doubleheader with Boston today at Fenway Park. Following a 5-3 loss this afternoon, the Birds sent Denyi Reyes to the mound this evening. Fresh up from the minors, he pitched into the fourth inning. Reyes’ line: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

The Birds redeemed regarding hitting with runners in scoring position, as they struggled with that in game one. And it’s just something you have to do in order to win games at the big league level. You can’t let your opponent off the hook.

Ramon Urias’ RBI-single gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. But that score was short lived, as Jorge Mateo’s three-run homer extended it to 4-0. If your opponent is going to out two guys on base, they absolutely have to be held accountable for that. The Birds did that tonight.

Vasquez’s RBI-single cut the Oriole lead to 4-1. Boston would also score in the ninth when Arroyo grounded into an RBI. But other than that, the Oriole bullpen hung tight.

The Birds had an early lead in this afternoon’s game as well. However Boston pieced together a couple of rallies, tying the game and then some. But again, it seems the O’s learned something in dropping the first game.

The series continues tomorrow at Fenway Park. Rice Zimmermann gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nick Pivetta. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Something magic happened at The Fens

Kyle Bradish made his maiden start at Boston’s vaulted Fenway Park last night for the Baltimore Orioles. Needless to say, he wasn’t the first pitcher to struggle mightily at “the Fens,” and he won’t be the last. Bradish’s line: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The first five Boston hitters of the game reached base. This includes an RBI-single by Devers, and a three-run homer by Bogaerts. A lot of pitchers have had jitters pitching with that green wall behind them at Fenway. So while you never want to present excuses for losing or playing poorly, Bradish is in good company. And this one start won’t define him as a pitcher; heck, I would submit that this entire season won’t define him as a pitcher. That will come years down the road.

Verdugo smacked a two-RBI double in the second, and Boston appeared off to the races. The O’s had that deer-in-the-headlight look about them. They did however get two back. Anthony Santander’s fourth inning two-run homer cut the lead to 6-2.

However Boston kept the pressure on. Martinez would follow in the bottom of that fourth inning with an RBI-double. One inning later Vasquez’s RBI-single gave them an 8-2 lead over the O’s. At this point most teams are just playing out a string to get through the game, right?

But the Orioles aren’t most teams. They don’t stop playing until the final out. So it should have come as no surprise to anyone when Jorge Mateo smacked a three-run homer in the seventh to cut the Boston lead to 8-5. Just as Austin Hays two-run shot an inning later should have shocked nobody.

The O’s had fought their way back into the ballgame. And they tied it at eight later in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Ramon Urias, combined with an error. And suddenly it was Boston who had a deer-in-the-headlights look about them.

As we went to the ninth inning you could feel the winds of Orioles Magic blowing through venerable old Fenway “Pahk.” Anthony Santander’s RBI-single gave the Birds a 9-8 lead. Santander would later score on a wild pitch. Santander would later score on a wild pitch. Ryan Mountcastle would add a sac fly-RBI to extend the lead to 11-8, and the inning was capped off by Rougned Odor’s RBI-single. And the Birds ended up with a 12-8 victory.

That’s about as improbable a victory as you’re going to see. There usually isn’t much hope when your starter spots the opponent six runs and leaves in the second inning. But this is a resilient group of Orioles. And they’re well deserving of taking of the tradition of Orioles Magic.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon in game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park. The Orioles’ starter is TBD, but whomever he is will be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after noon.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds blanked in the Bronx

Tyler Wellls took to the mound in the series finale at Yankee Stadium last night for the Baltimore Orioles. Wells did his job – he put the O’s in a position to win. But it’s tough to do that when the bats can’t even put forth a run. In fact, it’s impossible. Wells’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Andujar’s RBI-single in the last of the fourth gave New York a 1-0 lead. Andujar would later try to steal second, and rookie catcher Adley Rutschman threw the ball into the outfield. Torres scored on the throwing error. And those were the only two runs of the game, as New York took it 2-0.

Surprisingly to me, that second run was scored as earned. This even given the fact that it came on the heels of an error. I suspect that it was ruled a double steal, and since the throw was to second base, the official scorer ruled that Torres would have scored anyways. That’s an assumption, for the record.

Adley Rutschman’s made good progress both at the plate and behind it thus far. However he hadn’t thrown through to second on a steal attempt – this at the big league level. New York tested him, and it worked. And make no mistake, it’s all part of learning at the major league level.

Baltimore Orioles: New York made to work for the win

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Bruce Zimmermann was an exception to the rule last night – at first. They say that solo home runs won’t hurt you. But Zimmermann gave up four; it adds up. Luckily however, both Zimmermann and Oriole bats were able to overcome those homers, at least temporarily. Zimmermann’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

Rizzo smacked a solo shot in the first, Trevino in the third, and Torres in the fourth. But the O’s battled back as well. Rougned Odor’s fifth inning RBI-groundout got the Birds on the board. Needless to say, the O’s came to play ball in the Bronx this week.

Austin Hays would cut that New York lead to one at 3-2 with a solo homer in the seventh. Odor came up again later in the inning with two runners on base. And he would give the Orioles the lead with a three-run homer. Suddenly despite the three solo homers, Bruce Zimmermann found himself with a 5-3 lead.

Zimmermann would give up his fourth solo homer in the last of the seventh, this one to Torres. And that was the end of Zimmermann’s night. Not a bad outing in the least, especially given the longevity. And the fact that he left ether game with the lead.

Later in the seventh Trevino’s RBI-single would tie the game back up at five. We would later go to extra innings with that score, and the Birds struck first. Austin Hays’ RBI-groundout gave the Orioles a 6-5 lead. However in the bottom of the inning Kiner-Falefa’s RBI-single would tie it back up. Trevino would add an RBI-single later in the inning, giving New York a 7-6 walk off win.

The Orioles played good baseball last night. Albeit in a losing effort, but this is part of the rebuilding process. They’re getting good outings of late from starters, including Bruce Zimmermann tonight. Manager Brandon Hyde on Zimmermann’s outing:

I thought he pitched well tonight. A few mistakes that he paid for. … Went into the seventh inning for us, we left with the lead. We just didn’t hold it. But I thought our guys were grinding it out again, got some big hits, made some big plays defensively. Did a nice job. We just came up a little short tonight.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The series concludes this evening at Yankee Stadium. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s JP Sears. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.