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.

Baltimore Orioles: Matt Harvey with 18.1 consecutive scoreless innings

Matt Harvey had been stellar for the Baltimore Orioles in the second half thus far. Coming into tonight’s game, he had thrown 12 consecutive scoreless innings. And that trend continued. Harvey’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

Harvey was in cruise control for the most part. He seemed to be able to record outs at will, and put the ball wherever he wanted it to be. And that’s consistent with how he pitched in his other two starts in the second half. This contrasted with his 7+ runs ERA in the first half. It’s like he’s a different pitcher.

Pedro Severino’s solo homer in the third inning got the Orioles on the board. Ryan Mountcastle would add a solo shot in the fourth, to run it to 2-0. One inning later in the fifth, Severino would come up again. And his second solo shot of the game gave the O’s a 3-0 lead.

They would also add what appeared to be an insurance run m the sixth, on Ramon Urias’ RBI-single. However the issue is that’s all the O’s got that inning. And the inability to pile a couple more runs on after that could have affected the outcome of the game.

And that might be because Tanner Scott uncorked a wild pitch in the eighth which scored a run. Detroit would proceed to load the bases, and Cabrera’s sac fly-RBI cut the Birds’ lead to 4-2.

The lead was cut further in the last of the eighth to 4-3 when Scott uncorked another wild pitch. However he got out of the inning. And it’s to the Orioles’ credit that they were able to get away with the win.

What Matt Harvey’s done thus far in the second half is nothing short of miraculous. He looked so bad in the first half, but thus far it’s really come together In the spender. Harvey’s a guy who worked tirelessly at his craft. And his performance thus far in this game and the entire second half has been nothing short of a miracle.

The series continues tomorrow at Comerica Park. 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 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles trade Freddy Galvis back to Philadelphia

With the trade deadline having passed at 4 PM EST this afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles did make an 11th hour deal. They sent SS Freddy Galvis to the Philadelphia Phillies. In exchange, they got Single-A pitcher Tyler Burch.

Galvis of course played in Philadelphia for five years, so this is a homecoming of sorts for him. For what it’s worth, the Orioles will see Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park in the last week of the season. So they’ll play against Galvis as an opponent later this year.

Burch is a RHP and been playing at the minor league level since 2015. He’s 3-3 on the year with Single-A Clearwater, with a 4.51 ERA. This isn’t a move that will benefit the O’s at the big league level anytime soon, if ever. But it’s another farm hand in the organization, and that’s always a good thing.

This also signals that the Birds are content with Ramon Urias both in the field and at the plate. So maybe Galvis can go to Philadelphia and make a deep run into the playoffs. Meanwhile, maybe the O’s found their man at middle infield for now.

Earlier in the day the Birds also sent reliever Sean Anderson to Tampa for cash considerations. Anderson of course will be back in Baltimore next weekend when Tampa comes to town. All low level moves, but moves none the less. I would look at that as a symptom of the fact that the Orioles’ rebuild is working. Sure they could have traded the Mullins’, Mancini’s, et al of the world and gotten massive returns. But do you want to rebuild forever? They’re doing just fine where they are. Carry on, for the rest of the season.

Baltimore Orioles fall, but opponents starting to respect Ryan McKenna

The Baltimore Orioles struggled to get anything going tonight against Detroit at Comerica Park. They sent Alexander Wells to the mound, but similar to the bats, he couldn’t get any momentum going. Wells’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Detroit got on the board early with an RBI-single by Schoop (a former Oriole), giving them a 1-0 lead. Schoop would score later in the inning on Hasse’s sac fly-RBI. One thing Detroit did early and often in this game was get ‘em on and get ‘em in. And that’s to their credit.

Hasse would strike again in the third inning with an RBI-single. And Detroit would get two solo homers from Cabrera. One in the fifth and one in the seventh. It looked as if Cabrera had drank from the fountain of youth. He looked like he did ten years ago slugging homers. An RBI-double would also net Detroit a sixth run later in that seventh inning.

Ryan McKenna was the Birds’ line bright spot offensively tonight. He was able to get the O’s on the board in the seventh thanks to an errant throw. Leyba sent a shallow fly ball into left that was caught, which in theory would have kept McKenna at third. However the throw was way off line and ended up in no man’s land. That allowed McKenna to score. Cedric Mullins would also score on a wild pitch in the eighth.

That McKenna scoring play is important. Not for the sake of this game, which the Birds dropped 6-2. But teams are starting to take note of McKenna’s speed. The guy’s lightning quick, and we see that on the base paths and in the field everyday. Those diving catches in the outfield? McKenna doesn’t make those if not for his speed.

So opponents know that he can cause problems on the base paths. And that caused an errant throw this evening, which netted the Orioles a run. Again, it didn’t mean much tonight. But it does bode well for the future. Play that same scenario back in a one-run game. Speed counts. (And I say that as one of the slowest human beings on the planet!)

The series continues tomorrow night at Comerica Park. 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.