Baltimore Orioles fall again to Detroit

Matt Harvey became only the most recent Baltimore Orioles’ starter to ensure a long rain delay before taking the field against Detroit. Storms rolled into the Baltimore area, forcing the tarp on the field. The delay lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. Harvey’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Harvey cruised along and kept Detroit off the board for the most part. Towards the end of his outing Detroit caused him trouble. Cabrera’s solo homer in the fifth gave Detroit a 1-0 lead. Goodrum added a two-RBI double later in the inning, and after five innings Harvey and the O’s trailed 3-0.

One very positive thing out of this start was that Harvey apparently didn’t experience any discomfort in his knee, which had bothered him last week at Yankee Stadium:

It’s not a serious issue. It’s just something that’s kind of crept up on me a little bit. But it definitely wasn’t an issue at all.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Detroit would also net a sac fly-RBI in the sixth. They would score another on a wild pitch, running the score to 5-0. Anthony Santander would smack a two-run homer for the O’s in the last of the eighth, but the Birds fel again to Detroit, this time. 5-2.

A silver lining here would be that they weren’t blown out. The Orioles snapped a streak of six games in which they had surrendered nine runs or more. It’s been a struggle of late for the O’s. But that also comes and goes in waves. A couple of weeks ago they were riding high when. They swept Washington at home. And I predict that at some point in the near future, the fortunes will turn back around.

The series concludes this afternoon at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Matt Manning. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Rain delays and ineffectiveness

Keegan Akin got another start for the Baltimore Orioles last night against Detroit, and with the same results we’ve been conditioned to expect. Akin has been much better out of the bullpen, but the Orioles needed a starter last night. And he was the man. Following a two-hour two-hour rain delay before the game, he was ineffective. Akin’s line: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Akin surrendered two runs in the second, and four in the third. Many of his pitches were coming in right down Broadway. Straight and centered; basically squared up. All Detroit had to do was hit them. And they did.

On two separate occasions a Detroit base runner was able to score from first on a double – a statistical oddity in a park like Camden Yards. But the lengthy rain delay and the epic-type storms that came through probably slowed down the track a bit. Meaning that rolling balls rolled slower, allowing guys to score from first.

The game wasn’t void of Oriole highlights, however. Anthony Santander smacked solo homers in the second and in the fourth. The Birds trailed 6-2 after that second home run. It appeared that the damage was already done.

But the Orioles did appear to at least try to make a run at it. To their credit. DJ Stewart also smacked a solo homer in the last of the fourth, his first home run since June. Cedric Mullins was also able to score in the fifth on a throwing error. This cut the Detroit lead to 6-4.

However Detroit would shut the Orioles down in terms of doing further damage later in the game. Candelario would also smack a two-run homer in the eighth, and Grossmab an RBI-single in the ninth, giving Detroit a 9-4 win on a rainy night in Baltimore.

The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Did Brandon Hyde outthink himself in the eighth inning?

The Baltimore Orioles needed innings out of starter Jorge Lopez this afternoon. On consecutive days, Tampa had all but forced the Orioles’ newly constructed bullpen to implode on consecutive nights. Luckily the Orioles’ starter was able to go deeper into the game, perhaps sparing the ‘pen a bit. Lopez’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

I’m his last two starts we’ve seen Lopez seemingly find his “happy place” in a sense. He’s been able to make it six innings, and he’s been lifted before he could fall apart. And in terms of wins and losses, that’s made a world of difference. Again for the record, that’s Lopez’s second consecutive quality start.

The Orioles never trailed in this game. And early on we got to see a pretty cool moment. Cedric Mullins smacked a solo home run on the first pitch in the last of the first inning. That have the O’s a 1-0 lead, and they never looked back.

But that wasn’t all. That gave Mullins 20 homers on the season. He already has 22 stolen bases, so Mullins officially joins the 20/20 club. Shouldn’t be a shock, for the American League’s starting Center fielder in the All-Star game.

Richie Martin’s RBI-single in the second gave the O’s a 2-0 lead. However that doesn’t happen if Jorge Mateo isn’t hit by a pitch and he doesn’t steal second base. In case you haven’t followed the games or this column thus far this weekend, the guy’s legit fast. The Orioles somehow stumbled into having him on the roster, and for that they’re really lucky.

Austin Hays’ RBI-single later in that second inning scored Martin, and extended the Orioles’ lead to 3-0. However Lowe’s solo homer in the third put a bit of pressure back on the Orioles. And luckily, they answered the call.

Anthony Santander smacked a solo homer of his own in the last of the third. But unfortunately the team last ended up in essence trading homers, as Meadows smacked a solo shot in the fourth. Austin Hays would add an RBI-single in the last of the fourth, giving the Birds a 5-3 lead.

However that was cut to 5-3 in the seventh on Phillips’ RBI-single. And it’s been the eighth inning that’s killed this team this weekend in this series. Whatever Tampa’s needed to win, they’ve gotten in the eighth. And unfortunately for the O’s, today was no exception.

Paul Fry entered to pitch the top of the eighth, and promptly loaded the bases. After he surrendered two runs (including walking one in) to tie the game at five, he gave way to Dillon Tate. And state gave up a grand slam to Phillips, giving Tampa a 9-5 lead. And a 9-6 win (Santander’s RBI-double in the ninth have the Orioles six) sweeping the series.

Both Paul Fry and Dillon Tate have been struggling. Whether that’s confidence or something mechanical is beyond me. I suppose my question would be why did Brandon Hyde have them in the game in those situations?

Specifically, Fry – not that Tate isn’t accountable also, but he inherited the bases loaded, and a confident Tampa team as it was. With two on and nobody out, why would Hyde allow Fry (a southpaw) to pitch to Cruz (a right-handed hitter who hits left-handers very well) in that situation?

The answer is because he had to. You have to pitch to three hitters unless the inning ends. But knowing that Cruz was due up, was a struggling Fry the right guy to insert in that instance? And was a struggling Tate the right guy to bring in behind him?

For the record, Cruz drew a walk. But you get my point. Ultimately Fry and Tate may have been the best poor options. But ultimately no matter how you spin it, all the parts combined cost the Orioles the game.

Baltimore Orioles running into a buzz saw

Spencer Watkins pitched better than the numbers indicate for the Baltimore Orioles against Tampa last night. Keep in mind that he’s a rookie, and was pitching against a buzz saw of a team in Tampa. A team that pulls out any stop necessary to win. Watkins’ line: 6.0 IP, 8 H 5 R (4 earned), 0 BB, 4 K.

Tampa got a solo homer from Diaz and an RBI-groundout from Kiermaier in the second to take a 2-0 lead. The good thing for Watkins in that sequence is that he had loaded the bases at the end. But the RBI-groundout to Kiermaier was the only run he surrendered (with the bases loaded, that is). He limited the damage.

New Oriole Jorge Mateo have the crowd a thrill in the third, however. He comes across as one of the fastest humans alive as it is. And speed’s a huge positive in games. Mateo stole third base, and in the process the throw went into left field, allowing Mateo to score and cutting the Tampa lead to 2-1.

Later in the inning Cedric Mullins smacked a two1run homer, giving the Orioles a 3-2 lead. But that was where the highlights ended for the O’s in the game. Cruz’s two-run homer in the fifth gave Tampa the lead back at 4-3.

Tampa would tack on an additional run in the sixth, and Lowe’s grand slam in the eighth would break the game wide open. The thing with Tampa is they continue taking what you give them, regardless of the situation. They would also score late runs on a walk and on a wild pitch. If you give it to them, they’ll take it. When the smoke cleared the Orioles had fallen 12-3.

Again, they take what you give them. Spencer Watkins addressed Tampa after the game:

They’re pesky, they’re phenomenal hitters up and down the lineup. There’s really not a spot that you can pick out and say, ‘OK, I can take a little bit of a breath here.’ It’s full-go, as any lineup is, but even more so with this lineup how talented they are one through nine.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The series concludes today at Camden Yards. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Michael Wacha. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Some losses hurt more

Tampa always seems to find a new way to beat the Baltimore Orioles, even when John Means pitches. And Means was good last night, but he was lifted early due to a high pitch count. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Means seemed to indicate after the game that he wasn’t totally hitting on his fastball, as in fastball command. Means on his outing:

It was the definition of a grind of a start. That’s what happens when the fastball command isn’t just quite there. I wasn’t commanding in well, I wasn’t commanding going away well. I had to use every pitch from pitch one to pitch 94. I wasn’t able to get in a groove and this team is pesky. They’ve got me the last couple times. But I’m proud that I grinded it through.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the first inning gave the O’s an early 1-0 lead. However Mountcastle got bopped ever so slightly on the head when he was thrown out trying to steal, and had to leave the game. He remains in concussion protocol. On top of that injury, Trey Mancini fouled a ball off his groin in the fifth and was down for a few minutes. As the title suggests, some losses hurt more than others.

I’m typical Tampa fashion, they took the lead in the second on a softly hit ball – an infield hit at that. Kiermaier hit a very soft grounder to Mountcastle, who threw to John Means covering first base – Means bobbled the throw, and two runs scored. However Pedro Severino’s solo homer in the bottom of the inning tied the game back up. And they took the lead later in the inning on Richie Martin’s RBI-double.

The O’s actually appeared to pull away in this game at one point. Austin Hays’ solo homer in the third gave them a 4-2 lead. That was extended to 5-2 on Jorge Mateo’s RBI-triple in the last of the fifth. Mateo was claimed off of waivers by the O’s on Thursday from San Diego. He made an immediate impact.

But Tampa refuses to lose – frequently. Cruz smacked a three-run homer in the sixth, immediately tying the game. They would also put five runs across in the eighth, and the Birds put one across (in the eighth). This shoving the O’s down to defeat once again.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Spenser Watkins gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Shane McClanahan. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Matt Harvey injured as bug inning sinks Birds

Matt Harvey entered last night’s start for the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium as one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. And for the most part, his performance seemed consistent with that point. However Harvey tweaked his knee and was forced to leave after just four innings. Harvey‘s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Harvey had a lead before even taking the field. Ryan Mountcastle’s sac fly-RBI and Austin Hays’ RBI-single in the first inning gave the O’s a 2-0 lead. Mountcastle would also add a solo homer in the fourth, and the Birds appeared to be off to the races. But a fourth inning homer by Rizzo and Torres’ RBI-single cut that lead to 3-2.

And that’s where Harvey exited the game. We later found out about him tweaking his knee. Harvey on his injury:

It’s my push-off leg. You know, I reached down to get that ball that Torres hit and just kind of felt a little tweak. It was nothing serious, and then went to cover, it just felt tight. I think going forward in the outing, like, I couldn’t quite push off the rubber and stay in my mechanics like I needed to.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

Brandon Hyde said after the game that his expectation is that Harvey will make his next start, leaning on off days and so forth:

He tweaked his knee a little bit on the comebacker. I think it was in the third, and then in the fourth when he had to cover first base, it bit on him a little bit there too. So we’re hoping that, he’s going to have two extra days off, everything checked out OK, we’re hoping he’s going to be able to make his next start.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

New York would put five runs across in the seventh, and two in the eighth. This against the Oriole bullpen, of course. They always say to stay out of the big inning. that seventh inning basically ended the competitive part of the game. Big innings will do that.

Baltimore Orioles: Tough hitting against new pitchers

Alexander Wells took to the mound for the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Yankee Stadium, and with tough results. New York bats hit Wells hard, putting an end to the competitive part of the game early on. Wells’ line: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Torres and LeMahieu smacked RBI-doubles in the second inning, giving New York a 2-0 lead. Rizzo and Stanton would add RBI-singles in the third, doubling the lead. Sanchez would add an RBI-double in that third inning, and Torres a sac fly-RBI.

Stanton would add a three-run homer in the fourth, but Wells had exited by then and the O’s avoided any further damage. Until the end, that is. Which is all you can really do at that point. Ryan Mountcastle would smack an RBI-double for the O’s in the top of the eighth, cutting the New York lead to 9-1. Wade would add a two-run double later in the game. Rizzo would add an RBI-groundout, and Judge a solo homer. And the O’s fell 13-1.

Of the three pitchers New York used in this game, they were all making their big league debuts. And that comes with it’s challenges for the opposing team. In this case, the O’s.

When you’ve never read the book on a guy (because there is no book), it’s tough playing against him. We’ve seen this with various Oriole pitchers as well over the years. But needless to say, rookies dominated the Birds tonight.

The series concludes tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jameson Taillon. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The Bronx skies rained baseballs

Jorge Lopez pitched what in my opinion was his best outing in a Baltimore Orioles’ uniform. He was the lucky pitcher who got to face the Bronx Bombers after all of their deadline acquisitions had joined the team. But odds are he and his teammates made New York rethink their decision to buy. Lopez’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 4 K.

However while it all begins and ends with starting pitching, Lopez wasn’t the biggest story of the night. That would have been Oriole bats. In the third and fourth innings the O’s hit four solo home runs in six at-bats. It would have been five of seven, but the last shot barely missed the stands and smacked off the wall.

Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays got things going in the third with back-to-back solo shots. One inning later in the fourth it was Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias’ turn. And the Orioles led 4-0. Jorge Lopez had some of his usual fifth inning struggles. However he only surrendered one run on a sac fly, and the Birds held the lead. Not to mention that Lopez ended up pitching to a quality start.

Pedro Severino and Maikel Franco would add sac fly-RBI in the sixth. Ramon Urias would score a run by grounding into a double-play (no RBI) in the eighth. Not that the Birds needed it, however that was an insurance run. And the Orioles went onto win game one of three, 7-1.

The Orioles all but ended Washington’s season last weekend with a three-game sweep at Camden Yards. New York is a team that decided to buy (which was shocking to me, because I don’t see them catching Tampa or Boston). Are they re-thinking that decision now?

One additional point of note. That final run (the insurance run) doesn’t happen if Ryan Mountcastle doesn’t take up and go first to third on an out previously recorded in the inning. It late not have mattered tonight, but those sorts of things help you to win games.

The series continues tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Alexander Wells 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 Detroit finale

The Baltimore Orioles sent former Detroit farmhand Spenser Watkins to the mound this afternoon as they attempted to take the series at Comerica Park. Watkins was strong, but not strong enough. Watkins’ line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Watkins of course was drafted by Detroit in 2014 with the 910th pick overall. He never made it to the big leagues in that organization, but he has with the Orioles. And albeit in a losing effort today, he’s made an impact.

The Orioles started off strong, with three of the first four hitters squaring balls up. Both Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander smacked RBI-doubles, and the Al’s had an early 2-0 lead. This before Watkins even got on the mound.

However Detroit welcomed trinket former farmhand in a fairly rude manner. Candelario’s RBI-single in the last of the first cut the Birds’ lead to 2-1. Haase’s two-RBI double later in the inning tied the game at three.

Watkins would keep Detroit at bay until the sixth inning, however in fairness the O’s couldn’t really get anything going. Cabrera’s sac fly-RBI gave Detroit a 4-2 lead. Detroit would put two additional runs across, taking the game 6-2. And the teams split the two-game series.

I would hope that both O’s fans and Detroit fans took hope in this series. There was a lot of good young talent on display at Comerica Park all weekend. And the same will be true in just over a week when Detroit comes to Camden Yards. These two teams of course faced off in the 2014 ALDS; maybe we’ll see that again at some point in the future.

The O’s now head to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Andrew Heaney. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Detroit held accountable on John Means Day

Today was what Baltimore Orioles fans affectionately call “John Means Day.” That of course signifies a day that John Means starts for the Birds. And he probably had his best outing since going on the DL in early June tonight against Detroit. Means’ line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

My personal opinion is that Means looked as good last Sunday against Washington as he did tonight. However late in that outing he gave up a three-run homer, and left in line to be the loser. Other than that he pitched great. Minus the home run, he looked equally as good this evening.

Ryan Mountcastle’s third inning RBI-single gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Means did however surrender one homer, and it was a solo shot to Haase in the fourth. That tied the game at four. But Means wasn’t about to allow that to snowball, and Oriole bats weren’t about to quit.

Maikel Franco hit a solo homer of his own in the fifth, giving the Birds the lead back at 2-1. In theory, that’s all the Orioles needed. But a one/m-run lead is the worst kind to have.

I’ve written a lot about how the O’s need to start holding their opponents accountable for their mistakes in games. The fact is that opponents hold the Birds accountable all the time. An error snowballs into a big inning, or a misplaced pitch travels a long way into the stands. Teams aren’t shy about making the Birds pay for their mistakes.

The O’s loaded the bases in the sixth, and with two outs it appeared that they were going to let Detroit off the hook. Maikel Franco looked to have grounded out to short. However…Detroit second baseman Castro bobbled the throw from the shortstop, and eventually dropped it. Franco was safe at first, a run scored, and the bases were still loaded.

Mind you, that one run doesn’t represent holding your opponent accountable. The O’s basically got that one by default as a result of the mistake. The holding accountable part came in the immediate aftermath – when Pat Valaika smacked a two-run single, giving the O’s a 5-1 lead.

That was a huge moment in the game, and the Orioles rose to the occasion. And in doing so they gave their starter John Means a cushion in a game in which he was outstanding. Detroit would load the bases in the ninth, but they only were able to muster a sole run to narrow the lead to 5-2, this on an RBI-groundout.

The O’s will go for the series win in the finale tomorrow at Comerica Park. Spenser Watkins gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tyler Alexander. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.