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.

Baltimore Orioles, Austin Hays blast off and hold on in Houston

Thomas Eshelman got the start last night for the Baltimore Orioles…”deep in the heart of Texas.” Starting in Houston is a tough task, but Eshelman pitched really well – aside from being squeezed several times. And given that his opposite number was Houston’s Greinke, the O’s themselves had a tall task. Eshelman’s line: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 0 K.

The Birds took a 1-0 lead in the third on Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single. Tucker’s sac fly-RBI one inning later would tie the game, and Altuve would later walk with the bases loaded to give Houston a 2-1 lead. However the inning should have been over. Eshelman walked Maldonado to load the bases prior to being pulled. But what was called ball four looked an awful lot like strike three. As I said above, Eshelman got squeezed.

At that point if you’re Houston (a contender), you’re thinking that all’s right with the world. They took an early lead, but now you have the lead and things are as they should be. But Ryan Mountcastle put them on notice not to get too comfortable. His two-run homer in the fifth have the Orioles the lead back at 3-2.

The teams would trade runs in the seventh, but Houston would also put an additional run on the board that inning on a walk with the bases loaded. Tying the game at four, again Houston had to be feeling that things were put back the right way. But the Orioles were poised to pounce, much in the manner that team such as Houston normally do to them.

Austin Hays had already earned his keep for the day when he brought an apparent home run back (recording an out) early in the game in right field. But his two-run homer in the ninth gave the Orioles a 6-4 lead. Pedro Severino would add a two-RBI double, and Ramon Urias would add an RBI-double of his own. This appeared to end the game, blasting Houston into space when it counted.

But as I said above regarding Houston, you never want to get too comfortable. Houston put three runs back on the board in the last of the ninth. Ultimately they weren’t able to come all the way back, but would anyone have put it past them to have done so? Either way, the O’s took the series opener, 9-7. A well-earned victory over a championship-caliber opponent at their place – “deep in the heart of Texas.”

The series continues this evening at Minute Maid Park. The O’s have yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Jose Urquidy. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Frustrating day and weekend in Buffalo

Jorge Lopez did what he could to put the Baltimore Orioles in a position to win this after noon at Sahlen Field in Buffalo. He didn’t go five, but he battled both himself, and an inconsistent strike zone throughout his outing. Lopez’s line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K.

Lopez had the lead before he even got on the field. Ryan Mountcastle smacked a solo homer in the first inning to give the Orioles a 1-0. And that right there might be something to consider. We’ve seen a lot of solo homers off Oriole bats; teams know that solo home runs don’t hurt you. So they’ll throw pitches in the middle of the plate with nobody on base, because they know that if worst comes to worst, they can overcome it. And they’re generally right.

Toronto would tie the game in the second on a run that scored on a GIDP. They would later take the lead in the third on Guererro’s two-RBI double. Later in the inning Toronto thought they had a fourth run. DJ Stewart appeared to mail a runner at the plate for the final out of the inning. However the runner was ruled safe, but later called out after the Orioles challenged the play and it was overturned.

Ramon Urias attempted to get the O’s back into the game in the fifth with an RBI-double. That cut the lead to 3-2, however Biggio’s two-RBI double in the bottom of the inning ran it to 5-2. Toronto shut down the Orioles’ lineup for the rest of the game, and took the game and the series.

Players on multiple sides took issue with the strike zone this afternoon. However the O’s didn’t seem to handle it as well as Toronto. Whereas the Orioles kept wanting to say this was a strike or that was a ball, Toronto pitchers pitched to the umpire’s zone.

Toronto frustrates the heck out of the Orioles in general. Save for Friday night’s game, every bounce seems to go their way. And they aren’t shy in celebrating even a standard base hit. They had a shot at winning this game, but couldn’t come up with a clutch hit, especially with runners in scoring position.

The O’s now head to Houston to open up at three-game set at Minute Maid Park tomorrow night. Thomas Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Zack Greinke. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Toronto cut deep by the O’s

The Baltimore Orioles hasn’t won a game since last Friday night against Toronto. And Toronto, who’s had just about every bounce for their way in every game since then, hadn’t lost since that time. The Birds were sending a struggling Matt Harvey to the mound in Buffalo last night. But sometimes people and events surprise you. Harvey’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Harvey pitched a great game. He also put innings in and helped save an over-taxed bullpen. He gave up a solo homer to Springer in the second which gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. However the Orioles immediately tied the game an inning later when Freddy Galvis grounded into a run-scoring double-play.

That sounds like a cheap way to score a run, and in a way it is. But when you’re struggling like the Orioles are you take runs however you can get them. That also perhaps put Toronto on notice that the O’s had about had it with watching them celebrate.

But Toronto would end up taking the lead back, and extending it. Guerrero smacked a solo homer in the last of the third, and Gurriel an RBI-double in the fourth. Semien’s two-RBI double in the seventh in theory should have been the fatal blow. That should have had the O’s simply playing out a string in the end of the game. Giving Harvey an undeserved loss, and extending the losing streak.

And Toronto seemed to sense that. Did they take their foot off the gas? Tough to say. But what we can say for sure is that the Birds had other ideas of how this game was going to end.

Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the lead to 5-2. After Toronto changed pitchers, Anthony Santander smacked an RBI-single, cutting the lead to 5-3. Notice that Toronto changed pitchers; remember how I said above how they had just about every bounce go their way of late? They probably figured that changing pitchers would work simply because they were lucky and the Orioles weren’t. Not on this day.

Austin Hays would smack a two-RBI double, which brought the O’s all the way back and tied the game. A game that eventually went to extra innings, and that the Orioles won in the tenth inning when Pat Valaika walked with the bases loaded. The O’s held onto win 6-5.

As I said, the Orioles had to have been tired of watching Toronto celebrate inning after inning. And it started last Saturday when they savagely came back on the O’s with a six-run ninth inning. They’ve now kind of been paid back for that. Turnabout is fair play.

The series continues this afternoon at Sahlen Field in Buffalo. Keegan Akin 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 3 PM.