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.

Baltimore Orioles: Pleasant “Odor” prevails on the Twilight Zone

The Baltimore Orioles asked Tyler Wells to be their stopper tonight. Not in the usual sense, however. This all in the context of having lost 15 straight games to Tampa. Wells made one bad pitch in his outing. Wells’ line: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The one bad pitch Wells made was to Zunino in the fifth inning. It resulted in a three-run homer, giving Tampa a 3-0 lead. For what it’s worth, it’s the second consecutive series in which an opponent had hit the foul pole at Camden Yards.

The Birds did fight back, however. Tyler Nevin scored on a Wild Pitch in the last of the seventh. Robinson Chirinos would reach on an error later in the inning, scoring Ramon Urias. Trey Mancini would add a run-scoring single, tying the game at four.

The O’s always fight back. And that’s a great aspect of this team. There’s no doubt that it means a lot. However even in fighting back, it often means nothing unless you can finish the job.

The game went to extra innings, and Tampa of course started the tenth with a runner on second base, per MLB rules. And in the most Tampa Rays manner possible, they burned the O’s. Phillips smacked a very soft bloop RBI-double to right field. It shouldn’t have been a double; but it was hit so softly that he was able to make it to second base.

Phillips would later score on Diaz’s RBI-single. But again, the Orioles fought back. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of that tenth inning, and Anthony Santander’s two-RBI single tied the game.

Funny thing about extra innings though; it isn’t sudden death (unless the home team takes the lead). So we played on, as the teams swapped RBI-singles in the 11th – off the bat of Austin Hays for the O’s. And the 12th yielded no runs, as the game remained in a 6-6 tie.

I tell people that (in my opinion) when baseball games go past the 12th inning they enter the “twilight zone.” weird things are capable of occurring. Luckily nothing overly weird happened last night at Camden Yards. Except Rougned Odor smacking a walk off two-run homer to give the O’s an 8-6 victory over Tampa.

And maybe that’s weird enough, as Tampa had won 15 straight games against the Orioles. So losing to them had to feel strange; especially in such dramatic fashion. But sometimes you need to enter the Twilight Zone in order to win the race. The Orioles did that last night.

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

Baltimore Orioles: Anthony Santander caps New York in the last of the ninth

The Baltimore Orioles were hoping to get another quality start in this afternoon’s series final with New York, this time out of Bruce Zimmermann. That didn’t happen, as Zimmermann didn’t really have his great stuff this afternoon. Now it’s important to note that he wasn’t by any means awful. It was just a slow slog type of outing. Zimmermann’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Zimmermann allowed two runs right off the bat on a two-RBI single by Stanton. However the O’s bounced back in the second when Robinson Chirinos smacked a two-run homer, tying the game. That would kind of be a theme in the game today; whenever New York would take the lead, the O’s would always find a way to bounce back.

And in fact, Jorge Mateo would give them a 3-2 lead in the third with an RBI-single, only to have New York tie the game back up with Stanton’s solo homer in the fourth. Zimmermann would load the bases in the sixth before exiting the game, and the Orioles’ bullpen almost got him out of it – almost. With two outs Kiner-Falefa’s two-RBI single gave New York a 5-3 lead.

But the O’s made their final move in the last of the sixth. Tyler Nevin’s RBI-single brought them to within 5-4. Cedric Mullins would later come up as a pinch hitter, and his sac fly-RBI would tie the game at five. Another pinch hitter, in the form of Rougned Odor, would give the O’s a 6-5 lead.

Attention to detail in games is important. Jorge Mateo was called out in the beginning of the sixth inning on a foul tip. First off, New York almost argued their way into that being the call, as the umpires had to think about it. But manager Brandon Hyde challenged the call, asking for a review for a potential catcher’s interference call. And the challenge was successful, and Mateo was awarded first base. He would later come into score the game-tying run.

Small things like that in games can resonate and become bigger things. That’s why you have to pay such close attention to detail in a sport like baseball. Would you think that something as small as a replay review would impact a game? No. But did something as small as a replay review impact this game? Yes.

Only problem was the game wasn’t over. With two outs in the ninth, LeMahieu blooped an RBI-single to right field, tying the game at six. The Orioles were on the verge of snapping a six-game losing streak, the chances of which took a hit in that moment. Even more so when they loaded the bases for Stanton. But the O’s pitched out of it, and we went to the last of the ninth.

And we weren’t in the last of the ninth for the full frame. The Orioles put two runners on with Anthony Santander coming to the plate. And he smacked a three-run homer to left field to win it 9-6 for the homestanding Orioles, and sending the crowd home happy. This snaps a six-game losing streak for the O’s.

The Orioles will now welcome in Tampa tomorrow night for the first of a three-game series at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jalen Beeks. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Mistakes adding up in games

The Baltimore Orioles sent Jordan Lyles to the mound tonight, hoping to snap a five-game losing streak. Lyle pitched to a quality start, both on paper and in reality. In doing so he not only put the team in a position to win, but he also saved bullpen arms. Lyles’ line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

Lyles ran into issues after retiring the first two hitters of the ballgame. Following a couple of base hits, Torres’ RBI-double gave New York a 1-0 lead. Donaldson would later score on a Wild Pitch, and a throwing error by Anthony Bemboom allowed Torres to score. And the Orioles trailed 3-0.

But after that hiccup, Lyles settled in and New York hitters were mowed down left and right. Neither team could really get anything together offensively. At least through much of the middle innings portion of the game.

The Birds finally snapped out of their funk in the last of the sixth when Austin Hays smacked an RBI-double. Hays would later score on a Fielder’s Choice by Trey Mancini, with a Mancini also being safe at first. However that’s all the Orioles could muster, and they fell 3-2 to New York.

The silver lining to this game is that Oriole pitching (mostly Lyles) held New York off the board after the first inning. However that unearned run came back and bit the Orioles. Granted it happened early in the game and so forth. But those plays count as much as they plays which occur in the ninth inning.

When you surrender two early runs on a Wild Pitch and an E2 respectively, and proceed to lose by one…let’s just say that stings. That was a game the O’s easily could have won, all things being the same, but they really paid a price for those mistakes. You always have to overcome mistakes, in all areas of life. But the Birds are really being held accountable for ALL of them as games go on.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards as the Orioles try to salvage a game. Bruce Zimmermann gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Nothing good happens after a walk – or a hit batsman

Spencer Watkins set the Baltimore Orioles up to win this evening against New York. While he only pitched four innings, he put the team in a position to win the game. And as I’ve said many times, that’s all you can ask of a starting pitcher. Watkins line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

Watkins gave up an RBI-double to Judge in the first. But one inning later Ramon Urias’ solo homer tied it up at one. However Judge would come up again in the third, and smack a solo homer of his own, giving New York a 2-1 lead.

Urias would reach on an error in the last of the fourth, and Trey Mancini would score which tied the game back up at two. Not that it matters too much, but it’s worth mentioning the scoring on this play. Mancini was going to score from third on the ground out as it was. Urias only reached because of an error. But since the run technically was earned, Urias does get credited with an RBI.

The Birds would take a brief lead later in that fourth inning on Tyler Nevin’s sac fly-RBI. But that lead was short lived – Judge would tie it up in the fifth with a solo homer. LeMahieu would drive in a run with a ground out in the sixth, giving New York a 4-3 lead. Torres would reach on an error an inning later, scoring a run and extending New York’s lead to 5-3.

The Birds would threaten in the ninth after Ryan McKenna’s RBI-double, putting the winning run in scoring position. But Cedric Mullins popped out to end the game. And NY took game two, 5-4.

The go-ahead run driven in by LeMahieu? It came with the bases loaded. And they were loaded due in part to both a walk and a hit batsman. We’ve always heard that nothing good happens after a walk. The same can be true of a hit batsman. Both acts give the offensive team a free base runner. And New York took full advantage.

And given that the Birds ended up losing by one, those aspects of the game did the O’s in. If not for those base runners, all things being equal we’re in extra’s. You have to limit those sorts of mistakes in games. Especially against a team like New York.

One positive for the O’s was that they called up pitcher Logan Gillespie before the game. He made his major league debut, pitching both the eighth and ninth innings. And he looked pretty good. He gave up three hits abs struck a batter out – his first major league strikeout. Unfortunately for the O’s however, New York’s bullpen was better down the stretch. But still a very good debut for Gillaspie.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall to New York in series opener

Kyle Bradish got the start for the Baltimore Orioles as they returned home to open a series with the New York Yankees. Unfortunately for Bradish, Oriole bars remained as cold as they were in Detroit over the weekend. In effect, Bradish made one bad pitch, which was combined with some bad luck. Bradish’s line: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

With a runner on base in the top of the third, Stanton smacked an RBI-double for New York. But Bradish and the Birds would have taken that all day at the time. There were two outs, and Stanton got greedy and tried to advance to third. And he was throwing out in doing so, ending the inning.

However one inning later Bradish surrendered a three-run homer to Trevino. But Trevino got a little bit lucky in that sequence. The ball appeared to be drifting foul, and it hit odd the edge of the right field foul pole. New York would net two insurance runs in the ninth, off solo homers by Donaldson and Rizzo respectively.

Anthony Santander smacked solo homers in the last of the fourth and in the last of the ninth, accounting for the Orioles’ only runs. But keep in mind that this team is being ravaged by injuries right now. Yes, you’d like to get more than one run in a game. In fact, for the most part you have to get more than one run. But this is a team with depleted power and skill right now. At some point, that will change.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jameson Tailion. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles swept in Detroit as injuries pile up

Tyler Wells got the start for the Baltimore Orioles in this afternoon’s series finale in the Motor City. Wells was nickel and dined to death in a sense, but didn’t give up anything big per se. Wells’ line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Wells was pitching to contact in effect. He gave up a solo homer to Cabrera, and an RBI-single to Castro in the last of the second. Cabrera came up again an inning later, and knotted a sac fly-RBI.

That was all that Cabrera surrendered, but Detroit kept the pressure on. Barnhart abs Castro added RBI-singles in the seventh and eighth respectively. The Orioles at the very least got on the board in the ninth when Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer. But when the opponent puts up five, you can’t settle for one. End of the day, the O’s ended up getting swept away in the Motor City.

This was a tough weekend series for the Orioles in more than one way. The Birds had to put Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day IL with a left forearm strain. This on Friday. This afternoon Jorge Mateo collided with the Detroit pitcher running out a bunt. At first he stayed in the game, but was later lifted.

Manager Brandon Hyde said after the game that Mateo has a left shoulder and chest contusion. X-rays we’re negative. In the immediate future Mateo will be listed as day-to-day, with no apparent roster move pending for the time being.

The O’s were also without Austin Hays in Detroit, as his hand was stepped on in St. Louis. Hays and Mountcastle are huge absences in the lineup. So the Birds’ offensive output (three runs in three games) in Detroit isn’t totally shocking. But all teams have injuries, and you have to overcome them. For the record, Mountcastle was put on the Il retroactive to this past Wednesday, and his hope is to return in the latter part of the upcoming home stand.

The O’s now head home to open a four-game set with the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Runs tough to come by in the Motor City

The Baltimore Orioles got a quality start out of Bruce Zimmermann in Detroit this afternoon. The problem of course was that they couldn’t put anything on the board in their column. Which makes it impossible to win. Zimmermann’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 earned), 1 BB, 2 K.

Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the last of the first on Castro’s sac fly-RBI. That was an unearned run, as Schoop led off the inning with a double an led took third on an error. For what it’s worth, had Castro gotten a base hit instead of a sac fly, the run would have been earned.

Hasse would smack a solo homer in the last of the fifth, and Castro in the seventh. Again, when you can’t put any runs on the board, it’s impossible to win. The O’s did have the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning, but a double-play ended that threat. And as I’ve written before, you have to take advantage of your opponents’ mistakes. Detroit did today; and the Orioles didn’t.

Zimmermann did his job, however. In throwing a quality start, he put the team in a spot to win the ballgame. That’s all you can ask of a starting pitcher.

Oriole starters in general are going a little deeper into games over the past two weeks or so. Another good sign. As good as the bullpen’s been, the starters have to help them out in a sense and keep them spry. Quality starts are a great way to do that.

The series in Detroit ends tomorrow afternoon at Comerica Park. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.