Baltimore Orioles: Jorge Lopez struggles again in fifth as O’s snap losing streak

Jorge Lopez made his second half debut for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in Kansas City. The good news was that he was spotted a big lead. The bad news was that he predictably couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. Lopez’s line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Lopez’s issue has been the fifth inning all season. This evening he pitched four very solid innings. He then loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth, and started giving up runs. The O’s eventually were forced to go to the ‘pen to preserve the lead.

Ramon Urias put the O’s on the board in the second with an RBI-double. Domingo Leyba’s RBI-groundout later in the inning ran it to 2-0. And the Birds were off to the races.

But the real damage was done in the third. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single ran it to 3-0. DJ Stewart, Anthony Santander, Pedro Severino, and Urias all added RBI-singles. Santana would tack on an RBI-double for Kansas City, giving the O’s a 7-1 lead after three.

Mountcastle would add a sac fly-RBI in the fourth. And as I said, it was the fifth where Lopez ran into trouble. He uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded, cutting the lead to 8-2. Kansas City would also add two more before the game ended, with the O’s winning 8-4.

My personal view is that Lopez’s issues in the fifth inning are mainly psychological. He knows he struggles in the fifth inning. This evening, he started going away from his best pitch (fastball) in the fifth, relying more on breaking balls off the plate. That shows a lack of confidence in that he didn’t want to get beat by putting the ball too close to the plate.

Luckily for the O’s they had a big lead. But what happens to Lopez moving forward is another story. My personal view is that he not only should be in the bullpen, but that he’d be a good reliever. But whether the Orioles can afford to put him there is another story.

The series concludes tomorrow at Kauffman Stadium. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Carlos Hernandez. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Keegan Akin hit hard as second half opens

The Baltimore Orioles taxes Keegan Akin with starting the first game of the second half last night against Kansas City. It didn’t go well. For the sixth time in eight starts, Akin didn’t make it to the fifth inning. Akin’s line; 3.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

And the assault started immediately. Perez’s RBI-single in the last of the first fave Kansas City a 1-0 lead. In the second Lopez would smack a two-RBI single, and Merrifield an RBI-double. Perez would add another RBI-single, breaking the game wide open at 5-0 in the second.

Kansas City would add another four runs before the game ended. Trey Mancini would get the Birds on the board in the top of the fourth with an RBI-groundout. Pedro Severino’s solo homer in the eighth ran the final to 9-2.

Akin tried to remain upbeat after the game, and we do have to remember that he’s a rookie. He admitted that struggles are in essence to be expected:

You’re going to have your ups and downs. You get your chance to go out there every five days as a starter, so you’ve just got to forget about them, take some positive things. Obviously, I’m not happy about it, but confidence-wise I think I’m doing well. You’ve just got to learn from it. It’s a learning process, it’s my first full season up here, so it’s just day in and day out got to learn and get better and execute when it comes time for the game.

Quote Courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The series continues this evening at Kauffman Stadium. The Orioles have yet to announce a starter, and Kansas City will throw Brady Singer. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Will COVID-19 affect the Birds in opening the second half?

The Baltimore Orioles begin the second half of the season tonight at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas Cit with the first of three against the Kansas City Royals. It’s really only the second half by virtue of the fact that the All-Star game was this past week. Every team in baseball has already passed the 81-game point.

But as we go into the weekend and the immediate interim here’s something to watch; last night’s Yankees/Red Sox game was canceled due to several NY players testing positive for COVID-19. One of those players was Aaron Judge, who was obviously an all-star.

Both Trey Mancini and Cedric Mullins participated in the all-star festivities. Both in different capacities, but they both participated. Presumably, they will both need to be tested now for COVID-19.

I’m making a broad assumption here, but I believe both players were vaccinated. Mullins reads PSA’s encouraging fans to get vaxed before home games. And Mancini, being a cancer survivor…needless to say it would stand to reason that he would have gotten the vaccine. But ultimately I don’t know that for sure, and at the end of the day it’s actually none of my business.

However mind you that the vaccine MIGHT only protect people from the severe symptoms which could land someone in the hospital. In fact? Many people will only be infected on an asymptomatic basis. Whether or not it stops an infected person from spreading the virus is another story. So both players will have to be tested, and they’d in theory have to sit out if they test positive.

The Orioles aren’t the only team in this predicament – every player on the AL roster would have shared a clubhouse with Judge. So that could be a massive issue as the league opens back up for the second half. Between last year and this year, the Orioles have never had a player test positive.

Again, the Birds open up the second half tonight against Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and Kansas Coty has yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles represented proudly by Cedric Mullins in the All-Star Game

The Baltimore Orioles’ lone All-Star Game representative this evening was Cedric Mullins. There were arguments to be made for other guys along with Mullins, but Mullins was the only Oriole on the roster. He started the game and played centerfield.

Mullins came to bat for the first time in the top of the third, and struck out. He then ended up reaching on a fielding error on the top of the fifth inning. Mullins would move to second base on a groundout, and would later score on Xander Bogaerts’ run-scoring single.

As it stands at the moment this article is being written, the American League leads the National League 5-2 in the last of the sixth. But Mullins’ night is done. Needless to say, he contributed to the game with the run scored. And in doing so, did the Orioles and their fans proud.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini finishes second in Home Run Derby

Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles was already the best story of the MLB all-Star game. He was almost the winner of one of the mos lt prestigious events surrounding the game. He finished as the runner-up in the Home Run Derby.

Mancini advanced out of the first round with 24 homers. He only managed 13 in the second, however the round ended early. Mancini eclipsed his opponent’s high of twelve homers in the round.

He then squared off against Pete Alonso of the New York Mets in the final round. And Alonso bested Mancini by one homer. (And again, the round ended early). However it was a great showing for Trey Mancini, who continues as I said to be the best story of the season.

Mancini had Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano pitching to him. Ristano pitched to Mancini in the 2013 Big East Home Run Derby when Mancini was at Notre Dame. He told Ristano at that time that that if he ever made it to the MLB Home Run Derby, he’d have Ristano pitch to him. And obviously Mancini was true to his word.

Baltimore Orioles draft outfielder Colton Cowser

The Baltimore Orioles selected outfielder Colton Cowser with the fifth pick in this evening’s MLB Draft. Cowser, 21, is enrolled and plays collegiately at Sam Houston State. He bats left and throws right.

This past season at Sam Houston, he hit .374 with 16 homers and 52 RBI. This over 55 games. He was also named to the conference all-defensive team. All in all his college stats are impressive.

Ultimately the Orioles’ first priority needs to be to sign him. But once that’s done the success or failure of his career will start to be decided at the minor league level. The O’s are stacked in the outfield on the farm, but they took the best player available. And that’s all you can ask.

Baltimore Orioles: Did Brandon Hyde mismanage the pitching staff?

I thought Spencer Watkins have the Baltimore Orioles some good innings as a starter this afternoon. In fact, I thought he could have gone further into the game – despite it only being his second start. Watkins’ line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

The first two ChiSox pitches of the game yielded positive results for the O’s. The first was a bunt single. Austin Hays followed with a two-run homer on the second pitch. This gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead early.

Watkins gave up a solo homer to Vaughn in the fourth inning. He recorded one out in the fifth before being pulled. Being the last game before the All-Star break, the thought is that manager Brandon Hyde wanted to work out the bullpen a bit.

I suppose my question is whether or not that was a good idea. I get the point, but even in a losing season, these are still regular season games. The games still count. I would argue that the onus should be on winning the game as opposed to working out the bullpen.

And that decision would cost the O’s. Vaughn would smack a three-burn homer in the sixth to give Chicago a 4-2 lead. Again, these are regular season games. The goal needs to be to win them at all cost. Nobody’s faulting the Orioles for not winning, given the rebuilding. But the goal should be to win them.

And that score held on until the very end. With the Birds down to their final out, Hyde pinch-hit Trey Mancini. And Mancini delivered big time, with a two-run homer to tie the game. That’s about as clutch of a play as you’re going to see, abs potentially the best one Mancini’s made all year.

That sent things to extra innings, and with two on in the tenth it appeared that Hyde was going lift reliever Tyler Wells, who appeared to be on the ropes. But Wells was left in, and Engle proceeded to smack a two-run homer, giving Chicago a 7-5 victory.

Again, did Hyde err in keeping Wells in the game? Wells has been perhaps the Orioles’ best reliever in the first half. So maybe one can understand why he’d opt to leave him in. End of the day, results largely dictate whether any of these moves were right or wrong.

And that’s all she wrote for the first half. Well, the period before the All-Star break, that is. The O’s draft fifth in tonight’s MLB draft. You might also catch a line on here from me about Trey Mancini in tomorrow’s Home Run Derby. And of course Cedric Mullins in Tuesday’s All-Star game. This while I stick my toes between the sand in Ocean City all week. Surf’s up, dude!

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.