Baltimore Orioles: Keegan Akin for the win in a losing effort

The Baltimore Orioles started Thomas Eshelman this afternoon agains the ChiSox, however it was Keegan Akin (as a reliever) who was the big story. Eshelman was hit by a line drive in the third inning, and was never really the same. Eshelman’s line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

Goodwin smacked a solo home run in the second to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. Anderson’s ground rule RBI-double in the third ran it to 2-0. And once again, the Orioles fall victim to a quirky play. Anderson sent a screaming ground ball down the first base line. The ball boy – yes, the ball boy – fielded the ball and interfered with the play. The guy knew he messed up, but it may well have cost the Orioles a run with a runner on second base. It always seems to be something.

However before Anderson came up to bat, Eshelman got hit by a comebacker in the shin. To his credit he attempted to field the ball and throw the runner out at first base, but he went down in a heap in foul territory in front of the Orioles’ dugout. He stayed in the game, but he didn’t appear to be the same after that. Following Mondada’s RBI-double and a walk, he was lifted in favor of Akin.

Akin pitched 4.1 innings in relief for the O’s today. And in doing so saved potentially two bullpen relievers in an already-taxed bullpen. The game was already going south when he entered and he did give up four runs himself, however he ate innings for the Orioles. That‘a not something that appears in a box score. But he performed a valuable service.

Domingo Leyba’s RBI-single in the last of the fourth put the O’s on the board, cutting Chicago’s lead to 4-1. However Chicago would put two across in the fifth and two in the seventh. Those runs of course sandwiched around a second Leyba RBI-single in the sixth.

The Orioles did threaten in the eighth – sort of. They loaded the bases, and Austin Hays walked, cutting the ChiSox lead to 8-3. However that was as close as the Orioles would get, falling once again to Chicago.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Dylan Cease. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: To the victors go the spoils

Jorge Lopez made it into the fifth inning for the Baltimore Orioles last night. Not an awful start, and in fact given the quality of the opponent (ChiSox) it was decent. Lopez’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

After the game Lopez indicated that he was hopefully going to be able to re-charge his batteries a bit during the All-Star break, but that he still felt good:

For me, I’ve just got to keep working and get better,” he said. “I’ll take these four days and take a rest and clear my mind and just keep competing. … I just need to keep improving. Physically, I don’t feel tired. Probably mentally to be over and over and over in the same spot, it kind of takes you down. But I’m a strong man. I have a family and that’s giving me strength.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The O’s took a 1-0 lead in the last of the second when Ramon Urias smacked a solo homer. Chicago would tie it in the third on Godwin’s RBI-double. One inning later the O’s appeared to have a runner in scoring position. Then they had the lead back – or did they?

Anthony Santander led off the fourth with what appeared to be a double. As Santander asked for time to adjust his equipment, he got the signal that it was actually ruled a home run. And my personal opinion was that was the right call. The ball had appeared to go over the wall, hit on the other side of the wall, and bounce back into the field of play.

Chicago challenged the call. Again, my personal opinion was that it should remain a home run. At worst, there didn’t appear to be “clear and convincing evidence” that the call on the field was incorrect. Yet the umpires ruled it a home run. And end of the day, the Birds couldn’t ultimately bring Santander to the plate.

Thus the game remained tied – until Abreu’s RBI-single in the fifth. One inning later Anderson’s two-RBI single ran it to 4-1. The ChiSox would put four runs across in that sixth inning, then three in the seventh and three in the ninth. This sending the O’s to a 12-1 defeat.

You don’t lose by eleven and blame one call. The Birds walked enough people and gave up enough two strike and two out RBI to hurt themselves. But they did have the lead at 2-1 for a few minutes during that replay review. And had that play stood, it would have been a different game.

The O’s can’t seem to catch a break in that sense. But World Series contenders like Chicago get calls like that. Again, I thought it was a home run to begin with. But was there “clear and convincing evidence” to overturn the call on the field? Personally I think not.

The series continues today at Camden Yards. Thomas Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Lucas Giolito. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: One thing can snowball a game

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Matt Harvey pitched a decent first inning last night against Toronto. It was an incredible stroke of bad luck in what I think was a bad decision by the umpiring crew that snowballed the inning. And by extension the game. Harvey’s line: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Toronto put the first two hitters of the game on base. Guerrero then appeared to line out to center. However replays clearly showed that while Ryan KcKenna made a valiant effort to get to the ball, it popped out of his glove while he was on the ground. Needless to say, it was a base hit.

However the umpires awarded home plate to the runner on second, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead. They appeared to view this as a ground rule double; they placed two runners in scoring position with nobody out. And with Toronto leading 1-0.

Both of those runners in scoring position would end up scoring. Toronto led 3-0 after the first inning. I can’t quite grasp how they saw fit to turn a routine line drive to center field into a double. During the play, the Orioles tagged one base runner out, and at one point two runners were on first base. Yet this was disregarded by the umpires, and the Orioles got no outs. And found themselves trailing.

Gurriel’s RBI-single in the fourth extended the lead to 4-0. Bichette and Guerrero would also add RBI-singles, extending the lead to 6-0 and breaking the game wide open. Toronto would put up a run in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the eighth. Austin Hays’ sac fly-RBI in the fifth and Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the eighth rounded out the Birds’ 10-2 loss.

Often times a play such as that one in the first can set the tone. The O’s went from potentially having two outs to trailing and having two runners in scoring position – with no outs. And Harvey never recovered, as he ended up getting nitpicked to death in a sense.

The series concludes tonight at Camden Yards. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Alex Manoah. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Spencer Watkins shines in debut

The Baltimore Orioles called up Spencer Watkins from the minors to start tonight’s game against Toronto. It was his big league debut – and it came against a team that’s dominated the Birds to date. But Watkins was stellar in his debut, sticking around long enough to qualify for the win. Watkins’ line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

The lone run Watkins surrendered was on a sac fly-RBI by Guerrero in the first inning. For the rest of his outing, he mowed Toronto hitters down. And luckily for Watkins, his new big league teammates picked tonight to have their bats come alive.

Pedro Severino got the party started in the fourth inning with a two-run homer. And as much as Severino has struggled at times behind the plate this year, that was a welcome sight for Orioles’ fans. Cedric Mullins would also stay hot, smacking a two-run shot of his own in the last of the fifth. The O’s held a 4-1 lead.

Later in that fifth inning Trey Mancini would score on a wild pitch. Down the road a little further in the inning, Anthony Santander’s three-run homer opened the game wide open. The Birds led, 7-1.

Toronto would smack two additional solo homers (Grichuk and Guerrero), and a two-run shot by Gurriel in the ninth. But it made no difference in the final. This game was all Orioles for most of the way. And for once, it began and ended with starting pitching again.

Watkins did really well for himself. That goes without saying. My hope and my belief is that he earned at least a second start. But now the real challenge comes – both for him, his catcher(s), and his coaches. Now there’s a book on him.

In short, now there’s film on him out there at the big league level. That’s why pitchers can look so good in their debuts, only to flop after a few starts. Opponents are going to adapt to what they see on film. It’s up to Watkins to adapt also, keeping his game fresh.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Hyun Jin Ryu. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Hyde pushed almost all the right buttons

Thomas Eshelman got the start this afternoon in the series finale for the Baltimore Orioles in Anaheim. As had been the case for Oriole starters all year, he was simply a holdover until the next pitcher. Eshelman’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

Eshelman loaded the bases in the first inning before recording so much as an out. However to his credit he limited the damage. Walsh’s RBI-double and Gosselin’s RBI-single gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead. Ohtani and Rendon would each homer in the third (solo shots), and Anaheim led 4-0.

The O’s on the flip side, couldn’t seem to muster so much as a base runner. But after Anaheim starter Sandoval left the game, things started to happen. The Birds got on the board in the sixth when Ramon Urias smacked an RBI-double. DJ Stewart would follow with a two-RBI double, cutting the Anaheim lead to 4-3. And putting true Orioles back in the game.

Manager Brandon Hyde had given Cedric Mullins at least the first part of the day off. But he summoned Mullins to pinch hit in the sixth with the Birds trailing by the aforementioned score of 4-3. And Mullins delivered, smacking an RBI-single, tying the game. About as clutch as it gets.

But he wasn’t done yet. Mullins would homer in the top of the ninth with the score still tied at four, giving the O’s the lead at 5-4. Hyde then summoned Cole Sulser for the save, who promptly loaded the bases once again. Lagares’ two-RBI double would eventually win it for Anaheim, sending the O’s home.

It’s worth mentioning that Brandon Hyde pushed all of the right buttons in this game. He got Eshelman out when he needed to, and he inserted Mullins as a pinch hitter at just the right time. And it appeared to work. Until it didn’t.

Unfortunately the Orioles don’t appear to have anyone in the bullpen who’s capable of holding a narrow lead in the ninth. And that isn’t Hyde’s fault. Someone has to pitch there. And it’s not an issue of “stuff.” It’s an issue of confidence. Hyde appeared very frustrated after the game:

Pretty irritated, so it’s tough to process right now. Yeah, we swept Houston, we get left on the field here first night, lose by three the second night and left on the field the third game. Definitely in two of the three games here after we just swept Houston. So it’s frustrating to not win these sort of games. When we have the lead, with our record the way it is, it’s nice to win. And so it’s disappointing giving a game like this away.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

Hyde knew that he did everything correctly. Sulser and others just need to be more fearless out there. One thing in baseball and in life; of you’re afraid, it usually shows.

During the game Cedric Mullins was named as a reserve on the American League All-Star team. As of now, he’s the lone Orioles’ representative. He not only deserves to be there, but he should be starting.

Baltimore Orioles: Umpires get scouting reports also

The Baltimore Orioles sent Jorge Lopez to the mound in Anaheim last night. End of the day, it was one of those starts where the tone for the game was set early. Lopez’s line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 4 K.

Lopez loaded the bases in the first inning, this before even recording an out. Luckily Anaheim only netted two runs. One on an RBI-single by Walsh, and a second on a fielder’s choice by Gosselin. So that was actually good on Lopez for minimizing the damage.

However Anaheim would also get an RBI-double by Lagares in the third, and an RBI-so gel by Gosselin in the fifth. The Birds’ lone run of the night came on a fielder’s choice by Pat Valaika. Bottom line: the O’s fell last night, 4-1.

Jorge Lopez seemed very frustrated at times over the strike zone. And the fact that it got to him showed:

Yeah, sure. My emotions showed it. I really compete and sometimes I show my emotions. It’s something I’ve been working on so long. But, yeah, some calls should be there. I didn’t get it. I’ve just got to keep doing the best I can.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

Catcher Pedro Severino’s struggled at times this year in terms of framing pitches. Umpires like pitches framed well if they’re going to give a strike. Especially on borderline pitches.

Umpires read scouting reports also. So they know Severino doesn’t always frame pitches well. They also know that Lopez likes to nibble. So again, they aren’t going to be as willing to give borderline strike calls. Does that mean that pitches in the strike zone weren’t called balls? They absolutely were.

The series concludes this afternoon at Angel Stadium. Thomas Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Patrick Sandoval. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Did Brandon Hyde err in judgement?

The Baltimore Orioles fell late last night in Anaheim. Interpret as you wish; being a west coast game it was obviously late at night (or early in the morning). But it was also in walk off fashion. Keegan Akin got the start for the O’s, and while he only pitched three innings, he left with the lead. Akin’s line: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Trey Mancini’s solo homer in the first was followed by one by rookie Domingo Leyba in the second. That gave the Birds an early 2-0 lead. Leyba’s homer was also the first of his career.

Anaheim would even the score on a two-run homer by Iglesias in the last of the second. But the Orioles pounced in the third. They loaded the bases up, only to have them cleared by Anthony Santander’s double. Pedro Severino would add an RBI-double of his own, and the Orioles led 6-4.

But Anaheim chipped away. Ohtani smacked a solo homer in the last of the third. One inning later Stassi’s RBI-double and Fletcher’s RBI-single brought them to within one. That brought Ohtani up again, and this time he smacked a two-run homer, giving Anaheim a 7-6 lead.

Austin Hays tied the score back up in the sixth with an RBI-double. Ohtani got aboard in the last of the ninth, and stole second base. He would later score, giving Anaheim a walk off 8-7 win, on Walsh’s RBI-single. The Orioles challenged the tag at home plate, but it was upheld.

My question is why were they even pitching to Walsh? First base was open, and a would-be runner at first was meaningless. The winning run was already at second.

Had I been Brandon Hyde, I would have put Walsh on base. Especially with a .153 hitter in Rengifo up behind him. As I’ve said before, managing a big league team isn’t easy. So you do have to at times cut guys some slack. But my personal opinion is that Hyde pitched to the wrong guy. There was one out, but it wouldn’t have been hard to see a .153 hitter ending up recording a ground ball double-play.

The series continues this evening at Angel Stadium. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Alex Cobb (also a former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins waits on

Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles has been the best outfielder in the American League thus far during the first half of the season. He’s potentially been the best across Major League Baseball. He’s hitting .322 with 14 HR’s, 99 H, and a WAR of 4.0. He’s also made numerous incredible plays in the field, which vouch for his greatness.

Yet the fans didn’t see fit to vote him as a starter on the AL All-Star squad. He’ll be there, don’t worry about that. But he wasn’t voted as a starter. Instead, Teoscar Hernandez, Aaron Judge, and Mike Trout were voted starters.

Judge has been average at best thus far. Hernandez is good – but is he starter good? And Mike Trout is Mike Trout. He speaks for himself, but he’s also been injured for the past month. So should he really be starting?

And a lot of analysts think that’s where Mullins will have his wrong righted. They’ll replace him on the roster with Mullins. But the fact remains that he should have been there to begin with.

Is that the fault of the fans, or is it due to the fact that the Orioles aren’t a contender? Well keep in mind that the Orioles struggled to get players voted onto the team even when they were a contender. They’ve always been a small market team. Casual fans aren’t jumping on their bandwagon. Unfortunately that’s just a fact. So the Trout’s and the Judge’s of the world will always be put forth for the ASG.

Again, Mullins will get his day in the sun. He will be on the team. Hopefully as a starter.

The Birds find themselves out on the West Coast this Fourth of July weekend, and they open up a series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this evening at Angel Stadium. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Griffin Canning. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sweep revenge

If you had put money on the Baltimore Orioles earning their first series sweep over Houston ever at Minute Maid Park this week, you’d be a rich man today. Houston of course swept the O’s last week in Baltimore, and while the Birds looked incredibly poor that entire series, that was to be expected. Nobody saw this coming. Matt Harvey got the ball in the finale, and set the tone for the game. Harvey’s line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The Birds struck immediately in the game. Don’t tell these guys what their record was; they were hellbent on winning and sweeping last night. Ryan Mountcastle’s two-RBI double in the first gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead.

Mountcastle would score later in the inning on Maikel Franco’s RBI-single. Pedro Severino would also add a sac fly-RBI. Before the crowd had even settled in, the O’s led 4-0. A total about-face from last week’s series at Camden Yards.

Houston would piecemeal together two RBI-singles in the fourth, but they couldn’t muster more than those two runs. Austin Hays would give the O’s an insurance run in the eighth. This in the form of a solo homer.

Maikel Franco appeared to injure his ankle on the final play of the game, sliding to catch the ball and record the final out. He had to limp off the field. Manager Brandon Hyde is taking the “wait and see” approach:

We’ll see the severity of it. I was encouraged how he walked off. I think it scared him at first. I haven’t seen the video but it sounds like he rolled it pretty good, and we’ll know more tomorrow.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Hunter Harvey also got up in the bullpen to get warm during the game, but had to stop due to shoulder soreness. Definitely something to watch.

Baltimore Orioles, Austin Hays win a Donnybrook in slam-bam manner

If there’s one drawback to the Baltimore Orioles’ victory over Houston last night it’s that spot starter Travis Lakins Sr. had to leave the game early with shoulder soreness. Ironically, Houston’s starter had the same fate. In a game that was already a bullpen game, that’s a problem. Lakins’ line: 1.2 IP, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Cedric Mullins homering on the first pitch of the game however was a harbinger of things to come. Houston would even the score in the second on Toro’s sac fly-RBI. This after a phantom balk call on Lakins, advancing the runner to third.

The teams would trade two-RBI singles in the fifth, tying the game at three. Austin Hays struck for the O’s. The good news at that point was that the Orioles (who had won the previous night) were going to the brink against one of the best teams in baseball. And a team that utterly dominated them last week at that.

And the Orioles’ resilience was rewarded. Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double in the seventh gave them the lead back in the seventh. And 4-3 was the closest Houston would get to the lead. What ensued after that was pure theater. This in the sense of how many runs the Birds were actually going to put on the board.

The eighth inning brought a barrage of runs. Anthony Santander smacked a solo homer, Maikel Franco a bases-clearing double, and Austin Hays an RBI-single. That brought us to 9-0, but the Birds weren’t done yet. In the ninth Ramon Urias and Austin Wynns added on two-run homers.

When the smoke cleared (translated: when the game ended), the Orioles had defeated perennial contender Houston 13-3 at their place. Most people probably didn’t have the Birds winning this series, but this is why you play the games. This is why players put on opposite uniforms and compete.

Again the one point of concern was Lakins. I would bet that he’s on his way to the IL with the injury last night. Now that said, it wouldn’t have shocked me to have seen him optioned after the game anyways to get a fresh arm in the bullpen. So I suspect that the someone from the “taxi squad” will be called up for tonight’s game. The O’s are off on Thursday prior to heading out to Los Angeles for the Fourth of July weekend, so hopefully some form of regrouping the bullpen will occur then.

The O’s will go for the series sweep this evening against Minute Maid Park. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Luis Garcia. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.