Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins with an All-Star performance

The Baltimore Orioles could have been forgiven for losing tonight. Bruce Zimmerman was supposed to start but was sent to the IL with Bicep Tendinitis at the last minute. So they called up Thomas Eshelman from triple-A Norfolk to make the start. Eshelman’s line: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Eshelman obviously didn’t pitch deep enough to qualify for the win. However he gave the Orioles an incredibly solid outing that really set the tone for a win. That isn’t too shabby for a guy who was just up from triple-A earlier today. He acted as a stopper, helping the O’s snap an eight-game losing streak.

While Eshelman probably should have been the story, he wasn’t. On the backdrop of his tee-shirt night, Cedric Mullins continued his amazing first half with a performance worthy of being an All-Star. He led the game off with a solo homer, giving the Birds a 1-0 lead, which would stand until the fifth.

Gurriel’s solo homer in that fifth inning would tie the game. It was the one mistake Eshelman made. Other than that he was stellar. Which given that he had just joined the team today, is outstanding.

But the O’s almost immediately got the lead back. Austin Hays’ RBI-single in the last of the fifth put the Birds back in the lead at 2-1. We also got to see something we hadn’t seen in some time: the Birds adding insurance runs. Freddy Galvis’ RBI-single in the last of the eighth extended the lead to 3-1.

But the O’s weren’t done yet. Maikel Franco also added an RBI-single, making it 4-1. And Mullins came up again with two on. For good measure mind you, he smacked his second ball of the game out of the ballpark. His three-run homer earned him the first Orioles’ curtain call in however long, and earned the Birds a 7-1 win.

Cedric Mullins has been incredibly valuable to the O’s thus far. And yes, he’s worthy of an All-Star game birth. And as a starter at that. Both he and Thomas Eshelman in effect won the game for the O’s tonight, snapping the aforementioned eight-game skid.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Alex Manoah. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Should Brandon Hyde have played under protest?

The Baltimore Orioles can’t seem to make it over the hump no matter what happens. Starter Jorge Lopez couldn’t pitch out of the fifth, making him only the most recent Orioles’ starter unable to go deep into a game. Lopez’s line: 4.1 P, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Cleveland has largely picked up right where they left off the previous game each day in this series. Ramirez smacked a two-run homer in the first, followed by a Bradley solo shot. Before the crowd had even settled in, Cleveland led 3-0.

However while pointless, the O’s weren’t going quietly into the night. Or quietly into the Cleveland afternoon, in this case – you get the point. Austin Hays‘ solo homer in the second cut the Cleveland lead to 3-1. The teams would trade solo homers in the third and fourth, with Maikel Franco doing the honors for the Birds. Trey Mancini would add an RBI-double later in that fourth inning, bringing the O’s to within one run at 4-3.

However they wouldn’t get any closer than that. Pinpoint placement of base hits and home runs would work to Cleveland’s advantage, along with insurance runs in the later innings. Cleveland went onto win the finale 10-3. This was the second consecutive series in which the O’s were swept, sending them to an 0-7 road trip.

While the final Cleveland run was scored on an error, there wasn’t any glaring mistake or faux pas in this game that came to Cleveland’s aide (unlike in the other three games). Nothing on the field, at least. But was there an oversight in the dugout that might have helped Cleveland and hurt the Birds?

The O’s were trailing 4-3 when Chang grounded into an apparent double-play to end the fourth inning. Trailing by one, the Birds were very much in the game at that point, and to be honest they had the wind at their backs in terms of momentum. Or so we thought.

Cleveland manager Francona took his sweet time, but eventually challenged the double-play. And in fact, they came back and ruled that Change was safe at first base. The next hitter was Clement, who’s RBI-double sent Cleveland off to the races towards their ten runs.

The rule is that a manager has ten seconds to hold up play if he’s trying to decide if he wants to challenge. Francona took ten seconds and then some. Now granted, nobody’s sitting there on the field with a stopwatch timing his ten seconds. But at a certain point you kind of know your time’s up. I’ve seen umpires tell a manager that his timing was too late to challenge a call.

For the record, how long the other manager took to challenge a call isn’t something Brandon Hyde could have turned around and challenged himself. BUT…he could have protested the decision by the umpire to allow the challenge to go forward. Meaning he could have played the game under protest.

A manager can only formally protest something in a game (play under protest) when a rule has potentially been misinterpreted or misapplied. A bad (judgement) call, for instance, can’t be protested. But given the fact that Francona appeared to wait for at least a minute or two to challenge the call, one could argue that the umpires misapplied the rule.

If Brandon Hyde had formally told the umpire he wanted to protest the call, the umpire would have signaled to the press box that the game was formally under protest. And at that point the game would have continued as normal. The protesting team would then have until noon the next day to send formal paperwork into the league office if they wanted to move forward with the protest. If the league decides that the rule in question was misinterpreted or misapplied to the point that it affected the outcome, the game would be ordered replayed from that point onward.

Given that Cleveland immediately started putting more runs on the board after that point, thus putting the game out of reach, there’s a legitimate argument that could have been made for playing the rest of the game under protest. It’s an old school tactic and it’s not something we see often anymore in Major League Baseball. But it is a tool that Brandon Hyde at least should have considered today. Because in my view he had a very legitimate case.

The O’s now head home to Camden Yards to open up a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays tomorrow night. Bruce Zimmerman gets the call for the O’s, and Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Faux pas’ once again bury the Birds

It’s almost uncanny how the line between winning and losing seems to be set on mistakes the Baltimore Orioles make in games. An error here, a botched rundown there, and opponents get fat. Keegan Akin found that out last night. Akin’s line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

The Birds took an early lead when Freddy Galvis and Ryan Mountcastle smacked RBI-singles. You get guys on base, good things can happen. But even there; it was great that the O’s took an early lead. REALLY great. But that first inning also ended on a ground ball double-play with runners at the corners. In other words, the Birds left money on the table.

The teams would trade runs in a sense, with Cleveland’s Ramirez smacking a solo homer in the last of the first. Ryan Mountcastle’s third inning RBI-single extended the Orioles’ lead to 3-1. But that lead seemed temporary at best.

Rosario’s third inning RBI-single cut the lead to 3-2. However on that play, a throwing error by DJ Stewart allowed two runners into scoring position. All in all, Cleveland would put five runs on the board in the last of the third, assisted by the aforementioned error and a botched rundown.

Ryan Mountcastle would do everything in his power however to bring the O’s back. He had three hits on the night, including a two-run homer in the fifth which cut the Cleveland lead to 6-5. But Hernandez’s two-RBI triple in the sixth ran the score to 8-5. The O’s would add two more late, and ended up falling, 8-7.

Obviously this wasn’t a blowout loss by any means. The Orioles were in it until the end. However it does show how the O’s have no room for error. Opponents aren’t in the business of letting them off the hook. Oriole mistakes are coming back to haunt them tenfold in games. The message? Tighten it up.

The O’s will try to salvage one game in this series and on the road trip in the series finale this afternoon at Progressive Field. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Eli Morgan. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cleveland feeling it against the Birds

Matt Harvey struggled in Cleveland for the Baltimore Orioles last night. There was plenty of blame to spread around, however everything begins and ends with starting pitching. But Harvey’s numbers probably look worse than how he actually pitched, because as I said there was plenty of blame to spread around. Harvey’s line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 earned), 2 BB, 2 K.

Stevie Wilkerson committed an error in the first inning, causing Harvey to throw more pitches and elongating the inning. That runner would score on Bradley’s run-scoring single. However in the second the Birds would tie the game on MIkel Franco’s RBI-double.

Cleveland would take the lead back in the fourth on an RBI-single by Clement. However Clement would end up at third on a throwing error by Cedric Mullins. Cleveland would proceed to put to four more runs on the board in the inning, taking a 6-1 lead. Trey Mancini’s RBI-single in the fifth and Bradley’s seventh inning homer would round out Cleveland’s 7-2 victory.

One could ask which comes first – the chicken or the egg. Is Harvey more to blame for putting the ball in play, or the defense behind him for the errors once the ball was in play? While yes it begins and ends with starting pitching, we tend to put too much emphasis on that when things go south. Manager Brandon Hyde seemed to look more to the defense behind Harvey after the game:

I thought Matt threw the ball as well as he’s thrown the ball in a long time, probably since the first month for me stuff-wise. I know the velo wasn’t quite as high, but I thought he pitched better. I liked his slider, I thought he threw some good changeups to left-handers. But when you have to get four outs an inning, it makes it really, really challenging.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The series continues tonight at Progressive Field. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Aaron Civale. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles on the wrong side of bizarre events

Dean Kremer had a good outing in his return to the majors with the Baltimore Orioles. He was called up to make the start last night in Cleveland. First off, he had to wait an additional hour due to a rain delay. But some odd circumstances worked against Kremer, and the O’s. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned), 0 BB, 2 K.

Kremer gave up a leadoff single in the first, and then Rosario appeared to foul a pitch off. However upon further review it appeared that the ball hit Rosario as opposed to the bat. So the umpires awarded him first base after an instant replay review, giving Cleveland runners at first and second with nobody out.

However this set off manager Brandon Hyde, who argued that Rosario had swung on the pitch. And it was a legitimate beef. After the game Hyde said he was just asking the umpire to ask for help, which apparently didn’t happen:

I was arguing the check swing. Understand that ball hit him in the finger but wanted to see if they’d ask for help. First base umpire said he didn’t go on the swing and threw me out for telling him he missed it.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Kremer allowed both runners to move into scoring position on a wild pitch, and then induced Ramirez to pop a pitch up into left field. it appeared to be a routine play, which perhaps would have ended up as a sac fly. However remember that rain delay from before? Yeah, about that…

…DJ Stewart slipped on wet grass trying to get to the ball, allowing it to fall for an RBI-single. One could argue that it would have been a sac fly anyways, but that‘s a tough break. Cleveland would plate two more runs in the inning, one on a sac fly and the other on an RBI-single.

The good news is that Kremer settled down after that first inning. And he ended up pitching a decent outing, albeit in a losing effort. DJ Stewart would get the O’s on the board in the fourth with an RBI-groundout, which was followed by another RBI-groundout by Freddy Galvis. The teams would also trade runs in the sixth and seventh, with the Orioles’ coming on an RBI-single by Maikel Franco.

Whether or not the series of events in the first inning hurt Kremer or not is another story. But they were still a bizarre series of events. But that‘s baseball. In the words of Gilda Radner (as her great character, Rosanne Rosanadanna), “if it’s not one thing, it’s another thing!”

The series continues tonight at Progressive Field. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Did Brandon Hyde out-think himself?

Bruce Zimmermann came within an out of a quality start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. Not that it really mattered, because Zimmermann isn’t getting the run support he needs to win games. He’s pitching a decent season to this point, it just isn’t reflected in the won/loss column. Zimmermann’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s actually had the lead in this one. Pat Valaika’s RBI-single in the second inning gave them a 1-0 lead. They led Friday night and today, but never yesterday. Nevertheless, they still lost all three games. And Tampa would even things up in the third on the way to victory with an RBI-single by Diaz.

Tampa took the lead in the fourth on a two-RBI single by Walls. The worst part? It was a rally that started in typical Tampa fashion; that being quirky. Lowe got on with an infield single to lead off the inning. The Orioles shifted to the left, leaving the left field line unoccupied. Lowe smacked a swinging bunt which bounced foul and then bounced back fair before the bag.

But Tampa doesn’t care that they’re hitting the ball well or making it look good while doing it. They care about getting guys on base. So that quirky single against the shift was as good as a squared up line drive that smacks off the wall to them.

And on that note Brandon Hyde may have inadvertently helped them out. With runners at first and second in the seventh, Tampa sent Meadows up as a pinch hitter. Hyde opted to put him on, and he was followed by Arozarena. There was one out, and Arozarena had been scuffling. So Hyde was hoping for a ground ball double-play.

But almost predictably, Arozarena broke out of his slump, and sent a deep drive that ever-so-barely made it over the fence in right field, for a grand slam. That have Tampa a 7-1 lead. And that was the final.

I wouldn’t have walked Meadows. First off when you match up like that, usually Tampa’s ready for you. However Hyde did that with third base open. Usually managers only do it with first base open. That makes a difference.

But even still, Tampa’s a team that thrives off of getting guys on base. Why give them an extra base runner? They almost shamelessly take whatever they can get, however they can get it. You could almost see that grand slam coming a mile away.

The Orioles now head for Cleveland to open a four-game set at Progressive Field. The Birds have yet to name a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Francisco Mejia. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: You have to cross your T’s

Jorge Lopez went to the mound this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles in Tampa. The damage was done, but the Birds made a point of getting him out before he went through the order three times. Lopez’s line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

The eight strikeouts are a nice touch for sure. However that also shows that like the Oriole pitchers we saw last night, Lopez was living in the middle of the plate. That’ll get you some strikeouts if you’re good. But it’ll also get guys on base. And that’s how Tampa flies.

Lopez gave up a base hit and a walk today start off the game. Wendle came up with two outs and runners at the corners, and the Orioles applied the shift (leaving the left side of the infield open). What does Wendle do? Send an RBI-double to left fielder, and Tampa had a 1-0 lead.

Margot and Keirmaier would add infield RBI-singles, giving Tampa a 3-0 lead after one. Incidentally, Margot’s single was basically a swinging bunt. Kiermaier’s was a broken bat hit in the infield. Tampa never squared anything up in the inning, and netted three runs. Lowe would add a two-RBI double in the last of the fourth, putting Tampa ahead 5-0.

However all wasn’t lost for the Orioles. Not at that point at least. The Birds loaded the bases in the fifth, bringing Austin Wynns to the plate. And Wynns answered the call, smacking his first career grand slam. That put the Orioles right back into the game.

Luckily the Birds shut Tampa down from that point on, despite their inventive ways of getting on base. But as I’ve said previously, Tampa’s hitting doesn’t just wear out your pitching. Their pitching wears down your hitters as well. And they shut the O’s down for the remainder of the game, winning it 5-4.

You really have to cross your T’s and dot your I’s when you play this Tampa Rays team. They just find a way. You put on a shift? No problem, they’ll just hit it where your third baseman used to be. Shattered bat? Again, no problem. They’ll just let out an infield single.

The Orioles of course value the long ball. However Tampa values base runners. And things usually happen when they put runners on base. The defense commits an error, they hit against the shift, etc. They just find a way. So again, you have to cross your T’s and cross your I’s against them. And thus far the Orioles haven’t.

The series concludes tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Bruce Zimmermann gets the start for the O’s, and Tampa is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Stay out of the middle of the plate

The Baltimore Orioles turned to Keegan Akin in game one of their series in Tampa this evening. The hope was that Akin could get deep into the game, sparing the Birds’ bullpen for an additional day coming out of an off day. But while Akin didn’t go deep, he did leave the O’s in a spot to win the game. Akin’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

I use that phrase a lot – put the team in a spot to win. And in reality that’s the goal of any starting pitcher. Akin easily could have gone deeper into the game, but the O’s opted to match up instead. However if as a starter when you leave the game the team is in a spot to win the game, you’ve done your job. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.

The Orioles finally took a 2-0 lead inning when Trey Mancini smacked a two-run homer in the last of the third. And that’s rare for the Orioles. To take the lead against and at Tampa. Usually it’s the other way around. But on this night, the O’s got on the board first.

But that was the extent of the good vibes the O’s had. Margot cut the lead in half at 2-1 on m the last of the third when he grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI. That should have put the Orioles on notice as to protecting the lead.

Lowe gave Tampa the lead at 3-2 in the fourth with a two-run homer. Margot‘s seventh inning RBI-single would give them a 4-2 lead. And that lead turned into a 4-2 victory. The O’s pitched well enough to win. This not only in theory – but also in practice.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Firld. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Rich Hill. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Can’t live in the middle of the plate

The Baltimore Orioles had the tables turned on them a bit tonight as they fell in blowout fashion to the New York Mets. Orioles’ starter (and former Met) Matt Harvey was ineffective once again as he pitched against his former team. But New York was on a mission tonight, and nothing the O’s threw at them was going to change that. Harvey’s line: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Alonso smacked a two-run homer off of Harvey in the first inning. This however after Cedric Mullins made yet another diving catch in center field. He’s single-handedly playing his way onto the all-star team. And incidentally, he deserves to be a starter.

Ryan Mountcastle stayed hot for the O’s, smacking an RBI-single in the last of the first. However that’s as close as the Orioles would come. New York would put two runs on the board in the third, and then break the game wide open on a three-run homer by Pillar. Mind you, over a great number of years when he was with Toronto, Pillar went to town with Orioles’ pitching. And tonight he picked up right where he left off while playing in the AL East.

New York would also get a solo shot from McKinney in the fifth, and a second homer by Pillar (this of the solo variety. Alonso would add an RBI-double in the ninth, but New York would also close out their scoring at 14 runs, the remainder of which come on homers.

Whether it was Matt Harvey or anyone else who came in, Oriole pitchers lived in the middle of the plate tonight. Look no further than Harvey’s stat line; one walk and two strikeouts. Certainly New York recorded their share of outs hitting to contact, however Oriole pitching didn’t do themselves any favors by pitching-to-contact.

The Orioles will enjoy an off day tomorrow while heading to Tampa to open a three-game set in Bethany Beach, DE.

Baltimore Orioles: Gravy train keeps on chugging

This time around, the Baltimore Orioles weren’t asking tBruce Zimmermann to be a stopper tonight against the New York Mets. In fact, they were asking him to be a “continuer” in a certain sense, as they came in after winning on Sunday. And Zimmmermann did his job, keeping the gravy train running. Zimmerman’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Zimmermann gave up a first inning two-run homer to Alonso. And that was the nudge the O’s needed, as the rest of the evening was perfumed by orange & black. The Orioles promptly tied the game in the second on Pat Valaika’s two-RBI double. Cedric Mullins would stay hot, with an RBI-double later in the inning which gave the O’s the lead at 3-2.

And the Birds didn’t really look back. Valaika would bet another RBI-double in the third, running the score to 4-2. you really have to tip your cap to Valaika, who’s fresh off the bereavement list. He was hot when he left the team. And he stayed hot tonight now that he’s back. That, along with almost everything else that happened tonight, bodes very well for the Orioles.

The O’s would extend their lead in the fourth with an RBI-single by Trey Mancini. One inning later Maikel Franco would become only the sixth player in the history of Camden Yards to hit a homer into the second deck. The best part from the Orioles’ perspective? It was a homer of the three-run variety. It blew the game wide open, with the Orioles leading 8-2.

Ryan Mountcastle, last week’s AL Player of the Week, would stay hot also, with an RBI-single in the last of the sixth. Anthony Santander would also smack a solo homer in the last of the eighth, which ran the score to 10-2. Alonzo would smack a solo shot for New York in the ninth, rounding out a 10-3 Orioles’ win.

Oriole bats have heated up suddenly as we’ve gotten into June. The weather may play a role, or not. But either way they’re heating up, and that’s a good sign. As is a second consecutive blowout win, along with the fact that they’re adding on insurance runs as needed.

For what it’s worth, this was game number sixty for the Orioles. They stand at 22-38 after tonight’s win. Last year they were 25-35, in a sixty game season. So had they won three games during that 14-game losing streak, they’d be right on par with last season (as it stands now they aren’t far off). I’d say the big league team is slowly improving.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Tarikuan Walker. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.