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.

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.