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.

Baltimore Orioles: The day Cedric Mullins started a rout

One might say that starter Jorge Lopez put the Baltimore Orioles in a position to win today in the series finale at Camden Yards. Granted it wouldn’t have taken much today. But he did his job. Lopez’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

Cedric Mullins had a lengthy at-bat to lead things off. And it culminated in a solo homer to give the Birds a 1-0 lead. Little did anyone know what Mullins had put in motion with that homer.

Both Austin Wynns and Mullins again would add RBI-singles in the second; Wynns’ came with the bases loaded. Later in the inning Trey Mancini would plat two runs on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error on the Cleveland pitcher, and Anthony Santander would add a two-run double. Cleveland trailed 7-0 after the second inning.

But they’d get an RBI-double from Bradley in the third to get on the board. However that didn’t hamper the day the Orioles were having. Ryan Mountcastle and DJ Stewart would add RBI-singles in the last of the third ran the score to 9-1. And both of those were infield singles, where the Orioles hustled and the Cleveland infield couldn’t really get it’s act together.

Before the fourth inning ended the Birds would also get a two-RBI single from Maikel Franco, and an additional RBI-single from Ramon Urias. Not to mention another diving catch by Cedric Mullins in center to save a run on defense. Not that it would have mattered – but playing hard when the stakes are low shows character. Cleveland would get two back in the fifth on a two-run homer by Rosario – which ended Lopez’s day, although he pitched deep enough to get the win.

This isn’t to say that the O’s are turning a corner, but this was the Birds’ second consecutive home series win in as many series’. Needless to say it’s a “step” for a team that started out as poorly at home as the Orioles did.

It also shows how the pendulum can swing in a 162-game baseball season. You go through a 14-game losing streak, and then suddenly you get it together, win a couple of series’, and as was the case today, get a game where everything just kind of falls for you.

There were a lot of hero’s in this game, but none more than Cedric Mullins. For the second consecutive game, he reached base on all but one at-bat (3-for-4 with two walks). Mullins of course also got the rout going with that solo homer in the first in the first inning today.

The O’s would also add five “insurance runs” in the last of the seventh; after loading the bases, they got RBI-singles from Santander, Galvis, Mountcastle, and McKenna. Not to mention an additional solo homer by Ramon Urias. Cleveland would smack a two-run homer in the ninth also, rounding the game out nicely at an 18-5 Orioles’ victory.

Baltimore Orioles lose game, possibly John Means

John Means’ start didn’t quite go according to plan for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon against Cleveland. He gave up two solo homers in the first inning. After the second one, he showed signs of discomfort. The trainers came out to check on Means, who ended up leaving the game. More on that later. Means’ line: .2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

That of course HUGELY taxed the Orioles’ bullpen, but those are the breaks. The Birds came back in the last of the first and cut the lead in half on an RBI-single by Freddy Galvis. But Cleveland was given a huge advantage with Means leaving, and they took advantage. Third inning RBI-singles by Ramirez and Rosario would run the score to 4-1. Those two would later score on a three-run homer by Chang.

Cedric Mullins was one of the bright spots for the O’s. He went five-for-five on the afternoon, and smacked a solo homer in the last of the third to bring the O’s back to within 7-2. Cleveland would score again in the fifth on a passed ball, bringing Mullins to the plate again in the last of the fifth. And he launched A SECOND solo homer over the wall, cutting the lead to 8-3.

Cleveland would put two additional runs on the board later in the game, and the Orioles would also get a solo homer from Ryan Mountcastle. This is the first time in Mountcastle’s young career that he’s homered in three consecutive games. Needless to say, the ball was flying today.

The bigger concern of course is John Means. After the second homer he showed signs of discomfort. This after a circle changeup, which shouldn’t happen. Losing today isn’t a huge deal – it’s almost par for the course. Losing Means for any period of time would be tough.

Officially the Orioles said that Means had shoulder fatigue. But who knows what that means. If there’s a silver lining it would be that the Birds have off days on Monday and Thursday of this week. So they could feasibly skip Means on the rotation if need be, and put him on the IL retroactive to tomorrow. All of that remains to be seen.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. (On a side note, tomorrow’s game will be the last ever in history in which the Cleveland Indians will appear in Baltimore, as the franchise is retiring the nickname after the season.) Jorge Lopez gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Cal Quantril. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle grounds the Tribe

This is somewhat of a historic weekend at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, as the Baltimore Orioles welcome in the Cleveland Indians for the final series in their existence. Next year Cleveland will be playing under a new name. And Keegan Atkin got them off to a good start in this historic series, by dominating Cleveland hitters while in the game. Akin’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

How do you keep the opponent off the board? You deny them base runners. Akin allowed four over five innings. He put the O’s in a position to win, which as I’ve said many times is all you can ask of a starting pitcher.

The O’s did surrender a run after Akin departed, however. Ramirez’s RBI-triple gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Now it’s worth mentioning that there was a runner on first base due to a base hit, which came despite the shift. The Orioles shifted the infield around, leaving the middle exposed. And that’s where the ball was hit. Sometimes it helps you, but other time the shift comes back to haunt you.

But when you’re trailing 1-0, that means you only need to score two to take the lead. Ryan Mountcastle came up in the last of the seventh with a runner on, and sent one deep into the Baltimore night. It appeared that the Cleveland left fielder might have a play. But it hit off a fan in the front row for a two-run homer.

Or did it? Needless to say it was close to Dan interference. However the replay showed that the fan(s) in question never reached over the wall. The Cleveland left fielder was definitely impacted by their presence, but their hands never came over the wall. This the home run was upheld on review. In fact, it clonked one fan in the nose!

Anthony Santander would add a sac fly-RBI in the last of the eighth, sending the Birds to a 3-1 victory. As I said, these are the final games that the visitor will ever play in Baltimore as the Cleveland Indians. And the O’s certainly got this historic series off to a good start.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Aaron Civale. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.