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.

Baltimore Orioles rally late but fall

The Baltimore Orioles were unable to continue the momentum of their St. Louis visit last night in Detroit. At least in the immediacy of last night – there are still two more games in the series. Jordan Lyles took the loss, but despite his numbers he did keep the Orioles in the ballgame. Lyle’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Lyles held Detroit scoreless through two, but they got on the board in the third. Cabrera’s RBI-double gave Detroit a 1-0 lead. Cabrera would come up again in the sixth, and smack a solo homer to extend the lead to 2-0. Later in the inning Torkelson would reach on an error, scoring two more.

Trailing 4-0 into the later innings, the Birds did try to rally. Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander would both smack solo homer runs to cut the Detroit lead to 4-2. The Orioles would also load the bases in the ninth, however two straight strikeouts ended the game, and the Birds fell 4-2 in the Motor City.

Before the game the Orioles put Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day IL with left wrist/forearm discomfort. Mountcastle missed the last two games in St. Louis, and the team felt he wasn’t healing quickly enough. The hope is that he’s able to return as soon as he comes off the IL.

The series continues this afternoon at Comerica Park. Bruce Zimmerman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Michael Pineda. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Rylan Bannon debuts as Birds take series from St. Louis

The Baltimore Orioles had to go with a dreaded “bullpen game” this afternoon in the series finale in St. Louis. Bryan Baker made his first start since 2017 today, and in effect acted as an “opener” for the O’s. (Incidentally, the aforementioned start by Bryan Baker was in single-A.) Baker’s line: 2.1 IP, 1 H 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Baker was announced as the starter this morning. We knew that today’s game was going to be a bullpen game, but we didn’t know who was actually going to be starting. And for the record, he did an admirable job. The Orioles also called Rylan Bannon up from triple-A Norfolk for the game, and he made his big league debut.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a Jorge Mateo solo homer. Immediately following Mateo in the lineup was Bannon, who immediately got on base with a single – his first big league hit on his first big league at-bat. A moment that Bannon will never forget. If his career ended tomorrow, he still would have gotten a hit in a major league ballgame.

That 1-0 lead stood up for quite awhile. The O’s scored again in the top of the seventh when Anthony Bemboom hit a solo homer of his own. It was the first home run by an Orioles’ catcher this season. And it came on a day when the Orioles needed every run they could get.

Later in that seventh inning Cedric Mullins would tack on an RBI-single, and the Orioles led 3-0. St. Louis would also get a homer by Carlson, and a sac fly-RBI by Arenado in the seventh and eighth innings respectively. They would also threaten to score more, but the Orioles’ pen held firm and the Birds will go to Detroit on the heels of a 3-2 victory.

With today’s win, the Orioles took two-of-three from a very good St. Louis Cardinals team. And in doing so they seemed to come together as a team. Keep in mind that the O’s lost big last night, this while knowing that today was going to be a challenge being a bullpen game. Not to mention that it was a day game. But they came together as a team and made a victory happen to win the series.

The O’s now head to Detroit to open a three-game set at Comerica Park. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: String of quality starts comes to an end

The Baltimore Orioles weren’t going to see quality starts for the rest of time. Eventually things were going to get tougher, and that eventuality happened tonight. Spencer Watkins got the start, abs struggled throughout his outing. Watkins’ line: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Watkins surrendered three runs in the last of the second. A solo homer by Yepez, and a two-RBI double by Donovan got things started for St. Louis. And that set the tone in essence for the entire game.

Edman’s RBI-double in the last of the fourth ran the score to 4-0. St. Louis would keep the pressure on, tacking on six more runs over the course of the rest of the game. The O’s would also get on the board in the last of the fifth on Robinson Chirinos’ RBI-double.

It begins and ends with starting pitching. I’ve said that for years. Or written it, I should say. Watkins was off tonight. But as I said, the string of quality starts wasn’t going to last forever. Someone was going to trip up at some point.

The series in St. Louis concludes tomorrow afternoon at Busch Stadium. The O’s are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by St. Louis’ Jordan Hicks. Game time is set for 1:15 PM.