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.

Baltimore Orioles: Jordan Lyles pitches a gem in the Bronx

Make no mistake that Jordan Lyles did a huge service for the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium this evening. Coming off of pitching eleven innings yesterday, the bullpen needed rest. And Lyles was able to provide them just that. Lyles’ line 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 earned), 2 BB, 8 K.

Judge gave New York the lead in the first inning with a solo home run. Trevino’s RBI-single an inning later extended that lead to 2-0. But the Birds put New York on notice that they weren’t going quietly after that. In fact, they were put on notice that the Orioles weren’t “going” at all.

Robinson Chirinos cut that 2-0 lead in half with his third inning RBI-single. Later in the inning Austin Hays would smack a two-R I single, giving the Birds a 3-2 lead. Hays would later score on Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-groundout, giving the O’s a 4-2 lead.

But New York wasn’t going quietly either. Judge’s two-run homer in the last of the fifth tied the game up again at four. But it wasn’t tied for long. Ramon Urias’ solo hike run in the top of the 6th would give the Orioles a 5-4 lead. Every little bit helps.

Robinson Chirinos would add a sac fly-RBI in the top of the ninth, as the O’s took a 7-4 victory into the clubhouse. It’s good to see them putting up insurance runs late in games. Keeping the bullpen out of a one-run game in the last of the ninth really can make a difference. This was a great team win, whereby everyone gave everything that was asked of them and then some.

The series continues tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Bruce Zimmermann gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: In a staring contest, the other guy blinked first

The Baltimore Orioles had just about everything possible thrown at them this afternoon – and into this evening. For starters, Spencer Watkins got the start and pitched no part of an inning, as he was hit in the leg by a ground ball. He exited the game, and luckily X-Rays were negative. Watkins’ line: 0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

Watkins allowed a few base runners, including Ji-Man Choi, who smacked an RBI-single. Watkins was replaced by Joey Krehbiel, who gave up a three-run homer to Paredes. And before the crowd settled in the Birds trailed 4-0, and they had lost their starting pitcher to injury.

But this team doesn’t quit. A lot of people would look at that first inning and proclaim the game over. Maybe they’d be right. But the Birds had that look of determination on their faces today. Ramon Urias’ RBI-single and Rougned Odor’s RBI-double in the third cut the lead to 4-2. One inning later stamped extended their lead to 5-2 on Kiermaier’s RBI-single, but Tampa was on notice that the O’s weren’t going away today.

And that trend continued. Ryan Mountcastle smacked a solo homer in the fifth to bring the O’s to within two at 5-3. The seventh brought an additional Tampa run, but the O’s bounced right back in the bottom of the inning with Robinson Chirinos reaching on an error, scoring the Birds’ fourth run. For what it’s worth, the Oriole bullpen only gave up two runs after the first inning. That kept the O’s in the game as much as anything else.

As the ninth inning rolled around with the O’s trailing 6-4, the skies darkened. Debris started blowing around the field, as a storm moved in. It was almost like a scene out of THE NATURAL. From Tampa’s perspective, all they had to do was record three outs before the rain set in, and they would win the game and the series.

But by this point they were already deep into a staring contest with the Orioles. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Austin Hays smacked a two-RBI double which tied the game at six. And like clockwork, the rains came. And we had a 51 minute rain delay.

Neither team scored in the tenth, but the O’s put the winning run at third in the eleventh in the form of Adley Rutschman. That brought Rougned Odor to the plate, and he dribbled a bouncing ball down the first base line…and it made it’s way by the bag, scoring Rutschman. (It was scored as a fielder’s choice and an E3.) And it gave the Orioles a walk off 7-6 victory.

It also ensured that the O’s won the weekend series with Tampa. They went from having lost 15 straight to that team, to taking two-of-three over the weekend. And they did it in a manner straight out of Hollywood. The dramatic tying of the game in the ninth, the foreboding clouds, the rain, etc. They found themselves in a staring contest with Tampa, as I said above. And Tampa blinked first.

The O’s now head out on the road and will open a three-game set tomorrow night against New York at Yankee Stadium. Jordan Lyles 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 fall in Adley Rutschman’s debut

Kyle Bradish struggled in his start last night for the Baltimore Orioles against Tampa. They (Tampa) seemed intent on hitting whatever Bradish threw up there. And the ball usually seemed to land in play. Bradish’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

However the story of the day wasn’t the game; it was the Orioles calling up Catcher Adley Rutschman, who made his big league debut last night. It was a long-awaited day in Birdland, and the beginning of what many feel will be a long career. Rutschman received a standing ovation when taking the field at the start of the ballgame, as well as one after each at-bat. Rutschman followed in the footsteps of former Oriole Matt Wieters, as his first major league at-bat was a triple. He also drew a walk in the game.

Tampa took an early 2-0 lead when Arozarena smacked a two-run homer. Incidentally, that followed a walk; and we know that nothing good ever happens after a walk, right? Arozarena would hit a solo homer again in the fourth, and the Birds trailed 3-0.

Tampa would get a sac fly and an RBI-groundout in the sixth, and a solo homer by Kiermaier in the eighth. The Birds’ line run came in the eighth on Trey Mancini’s RBI-single. And the O’s fell 6-1.

But again, the big story last night was Adley Rutschman. His debut was as good as any last night, but I would submit that it’s good he didn’t totally knock it out of the park. Every prospect is simply that – a prospect. You could be the next Babe Ruth, and the fact is that in your big league debut you’ve never played at this level before. It’s best not to make expectations higher than they need to be. Rutschman on his debut:

I’m still running on nerves right now. Just from the second that I walked out onto the field to warm up the pitcher, ‘til the time I walked into the tunnel, an emotional overload. I can’t really explain the feeling, because it’s just unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.

Quote courtesy of Zachary Silver, mlb.com

The series with Tampa concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Corey Kluber. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.