Baltimore Orioles: Sunk by over-managing?

The Baltimore Orioles sent Chris Bassitt to the Il before tonight’s game at Camden Yards against Seattle, replacing him in the rotation with Trey Gibson. Between that and Samuel Bassalo being slightly dinged up over the weekend in Toronto, injuries are suddenly bubbling to the surface again. Gibson’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Inexplicably, Craig Albernaz started Sam Huff (who joined the team over the weekend on the taxi squad) behind the plate tonight in lieu of Adley Rutschman. We may well find out after the game that Rutschman himself was was injured as well. However while Huff caught a great game, there’s no comparison with him and Rutschman. That’s curious, needless to say. I’d be curious what the statistic is which says that Huff was the better option than Rutschman.

It could well have something to do with keeping Blaze Alexander’s bat in the lineup. Needless to say, Alexander’s a gamer. He gives the Orioles a great option in the order. But was it worth putting him in an unnatural spot – right field?

The O’s loaded the bases in the third, but couldn’t afford to hold Seattle accountable. they did manage to scratch one across in the form of a Pete Alonso sac fly-RBI. So they did have a brief 1-0 lead.

Seattle would put two on with one out in the fifth. Bliss would tie the game with a sac fly-RBI, and Seattle would then put two on after a single by Young. Craig Albernaz then opted to pull Trey Gibson.

I found that curious. Granted, Gibson’s a young pitcher and he did put runners on base. However he brought in a righty in Anthony Nunez. This to face a righty in Rodriguez. Who he walked on five pitches, three of which were off the plate inside. Naylor’s subsequent grand slam gave Seattle a 5-1 lead.

I understand the point; a righty-righty matchup allows the pitcher to command the inside of the plate. It makes sense. But…does it really matter if the batter doesn’t offer and the pitches are out of the zone? And then the next hitter hits a grand slam on a four-seam fastball that was high and out of the zone?

The O’s would later narrow the lead to 5-2 in the seventh on a wild pitch. The O’s would load the bases, and Pete Alonso appeared to walk – giving the Birds another run. However Seattle used an ABS challenge, and…they were right. Colton Cowser would ground out, ending the inning.

Seattle would tack on an insurance run in the eight. However they got a second insurance run in the form of taking an Oriole run off the board as well. Blaze Alexander got aboard in the last of the eighth with an RBI-single. However Samuel Basallo came off his sick bed and was used as a pinch hitter.

And Basallo appeared at first to deliver. He sent a deep shot to center field, which appeared at first to be targeted to the batter/‘s eye. But the ball died in the air, and fell into the fielder’s mitt. HOWEVER…

…Blaze Alexander tried to tag up to get to second. And he was thrown out. But on top of that…Seattle challenged the call.

This on the basis of the fact that Jackson Holliday crossed home plate AFTER the third out had been made at second base. And the challenge was upheld. The run came off the board, and the O’s ended up falling 6-3.

The tone was set for later when Gibson was lifted with a pitch count still in the 60’s. Now you never know what happens if things go the other way. However it seemed like over-managing to me. Just like Blaze Alexander’s rouse later in the game seemed like over-aggression.

Could Holliday have run faster? Maybe. But if Alexander stays at first like he should have, it’s beside the point. (The same goes for Albernaz pulling Gibson so fast) The defense is yielding you a run – which is why that play calls for the throw to come into second base. Take the run; don’t try to take more.

Another point about over-managing; the Orioles allowed several pitches to go unchallenged with the ABS system. Opposing teams, including Seattle this evening, don’t do that. I understand the Orioles are trying to conserve their challenges – a perspective with which I actually agree. But there’s a point where you’re being derelict in allowing bad calls to stand. Which again, comes across to over-managing. Whether that’s over-managing in the dugout or from above is another story.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Logan Gilbert. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall on a technicality

Shane Baz deserved to be the winning pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles today. For all intents and purposes, he was. Until he wasn’t. And until the Birds weren’t winners. Baz’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 3 K.

Baz was strong for most of his outing. He was able to get a decent lead in the fifth. Colton Cowser smacked a solo homer to give the Birds a 1-0 lead. After a Jackson Holliday triple, Blaze Alexander’s RBI-double doubled the lead, and eventually Taylor Ward would score him with a two-run homer. Things were moving along nicely.

Baz surrendered a solo homer to Pinango in the sixth. Shouldn’t have been a problem. Solo home runs don’t beat you. Especially when you have four already on the board. But remember that you always see something new in baseball everyday.

With one out and a runner on after a double, Clement reached on a Gunnar Henderson error. Which is a problem in and of itself. That put runners on first and second with one out and one in. This before all hell broke loose.

To their credit, Toronto always takes advantage of opportunities they’re presented. This whether they deserve them or not. Valenzuela grounded out to short; Gunnar Henderson moved to tag Clement for the first out at second before throwing back to complete the double-play at first. However…

…the base runner Clement veered WAY off the base path. By that, I mean he was almost on the outfield grass. Gunnar Henderson all but abandoned his attempt to tag so he could make the play at first. And…Clement was ruled safe at second base by second base umpire Derek Kelley. As opposed to a double-play, it was a fielder’s choice and a run scored, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 4-2.

Multiple players, including Baz and Henderson protested vehemently about Clement being out of the base lines. Craig Albernaz came out and argued as well, but to no avail. The run scored. Clement would later score on an RBI-single by Okamoto, who later scored on an RBI-double by Giminez.

To top it off, Lukes sent a liner deflected off of pitcher Yennier Cano to Jackson Holliday, scoring a fifth run and giving Toronto a 5-4 lead. Valenzuela would smack a solo homer in the eighth to extend it to 6-4. The Orioles did threaten a couple of other times, and to top it off Jackson Holliday was called out for…being out of the base line in the ninth. And he was out of the base lines; but the juxtaposition speaks for itself.

Craig Albernaz said after the game that he was told that the runner established himself in a lane from the beginning of the play. Fair enough, but as Henderson tried to tag him he took a hard turn towards the outfield. Hardly staying in his established lane. Furthermore the rules state that any player three feet off the base path is out.

Simply put, Clement should have been ruled out. Nobody who’s seen that replay would say otherwise. On top of that, Albernaz was also told that Henderson didn’t make a good enough attempt to tag the runner. Admittedly it was a weak lunge to make the tag. But Clement was so far out of the base path, that he had no choice unless he wanted to risk missing out on the out at first base. On top of that, he probably assumed the umpire would make the call.

The only thing that Shane Baz said after the game when asked about that play was that he didn’t want to speak about it because if he does he’ll get fined. That tells you all you need to know. Wins and losses are all the sum of the parts. Gunnar Henderson’s error played a role also. But obviously that play stands out. And it cost the Orioles the game – if the correct call is made there, the inning ends with the Birds leading, 4-1.

The Orioles now head home to open a three-game set against Seattle at Camden Yards. The O’s are yet to announce a starter, but Seattle is throwing Emerson Hancock. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ comeback falls short

Kyle Bradish was probably due a clunker for the Baltimore Orioles. That came today in Toronto, although one could also argue that things just didn’t line up for him today. Needless to say, he was heavy on breaking pitches, many of which stayed up. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s did have an early lead. Colton Cowser smacked a solo home run in the top of the second inning. However Toronto would tie it in their half of the frame on Okamoto’s RBI-single. One inning later Toronto would record two quick outs, before the bottom fell out for the Birds.

Bradish issued a walk to Guerrero, and despite the two outs we know nothing good happens after a walk. Following a Sanchez single, Clement would smack a three-run home run and Toronto led, 4-1. I said above that Bradish had some things that didn’t line up for him today. On that aforementioned single by Sanchez, the ball deflected off of Jackson Holliday’s glove at second and trickled away. It was called a base hit, but probably a play Holliday normally makes. Giminez’s RBI-single later in the inning extended the lead to 5-1.

Toronto would tack on another run in the fifth on a sac fly. Needless to say, it didn’t seem like the Orioles’ day. However, neither did last Saturday.

Pete Alonso would tag a three-run homer in the sixth to get the Birds to within 6-3. Fittingly, it came off of Toronto’s Hoffman. Some things remain the same, I guess.

Blaze Alexander would smack a solo shot one inning later. But the O’s couldn’t muster much else, and the comeback attempt fell two runs short. They will have a chance at a series victory however tomorrow afternoon.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Got Aldey?!

Brandon Young turned in another great outing for the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto tonight. Young attacked the strike zone from the beginning. He threw strikes. He mixed his pitches. He put the Birds in a position to win. Young’s line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Young had the lead before he even climbed the hill at Rogers Centre. Adley Rutschman sent one out in the top of the first, and the O’s led 1-0. That Rutschman at-bat would really set the tone for the game. He was down 0-2 in the count early. But he battled back, fouled off a ton of pitches, and worked the count even. And wound up smacking one after (after an umpire review).

However Springer would lead off Toronto’s half of the frame with a double, and would later score on Guerrero’s sac fly-RBI. Young would make one mistake by leaving a slider up in the fifth, and it resulted in a two-run home run by Valenzuela. However if there’s one thing that last weekend’s series taught us, it’s never to say it’s over until it’s over.

The Orioles would put two on with one out in the sixth, and Adley Rutschman coming back to the plate. Once again, another outstanding at-bat. And I say that because it only took two-pitches; his two-RBI double tied the game at three.

One thing to watch, but Samuel Basallo’s spot in the order was due up next. The Orioles sent up Jeremiah Jackson to bat in his place. The team later said he left the game with right abdominal discomfort. You hope it’s just precautionary, but that’s something to watch which could be a problem.

The good news however is that Jackson smacked an RBI-single to give the O’s the lead back at 4-3. And if that wasn’t enough, Coby Mayo smacked a two-run homer later in the inning. That gave the O’s some breathing room, as they led 6-3.

The best news perhaps of the game was that the Orioles didn’t stop adding on. Jackson’s next turn at the plate was in the top of the eighth, and his RBI-single extended the lead to 7-3. And that’s important because it took the Orioles’ pen out of a save situation. Not that it was ever going to be a save situation.

An RBI-single by Colton Cowser and a fielder’s choice-RBI by Leody Taveras later in the inning extended the lead to 9-3. That broke the game wide open. And to finish things off in the inning, Adley Rutschman would smack a two-RBI double in the eighth. And the O’s led, 11-3.

This was an aggressive team win. The Orioles took outstanding at-bats all night. Adley Rutschman had five RBI tonight. Which bodes well for the Orioles’ offense.

The Basallo injury is something to watch. That’s the last thing they need. And he’s the last guy to whom they want to see it happen. As I said, hopefully it’s precautionary. But the silver lining is that Jeremiah Jackson (his replacement as a DH) drove in two runs. Just for good measure, the O’s loaded the bases in the ninth and scored two runs on a Toronto throwing error.

This is the sort of game that would happen to the Orioles earlier in the season. They just kept adding on. And in some instances Toronto gave them gifts. And they warmly embraced those gifts. Very quietly, the Orioles have now won ten of fourteen.

The series continues tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Everything was up

Chris Bassitt had a curious outing tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in Boston. This in a curious game. In short, neither Bassitt nor subsequent relievers could keep the ball down. Bassitt’s line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

The Orioles snapped a three-game winning streak with the loss tonight – something that was going to happen at some point. But especially when playing in a park like Fenway, you have to keep the ball down. Not only did Boston put the ball in play a lot tonight, the balls they put in play took just about every favorable bounce possible for the home team.

The Birds out two on in the first but couldn’t plate any runs. However in their half of the frame Boston didn’t offer that same charity. Abreu’s RBI-single would give them a 2-0 lead. Abreu would smack a two-run home run in the third.

During that third inning however manager Craig Albernaz came out to check on Chris Bassitt. He was later seen talking to trainers, and Bassitt was lifted after the inning ended. He didn’t necessarily look comfortable as his outing went on.

The Orioles cannot afford to sustain another pitching injury. Part of the “charm” of the roster this year was supposed to be the depth. If the entirety of that depth ends up on the IL, that’s a massive problem. We don’t know that Bassitt’s injured. However that didn’t look good.

Again however, everything Bassitt threw was up. The same was true of every Oriole pitcher. Gasper’s two-RBI triple in the third extended the lead to 5-0. The quirk on that play was that it was a lazy fly ball to center. Blaze Alexander appeared to lose the ball in the sky. This after the Boston outfield did the same thing in the previous half inning. The difference is that Boston held the Orioles accountable for that mistake. The same wasn’t true in reverse.

Two RBI-doubles and an RBI-single later in the inning would run the score to 8-0. End of the day this was a donnybrook sort of game for Boston bats. Sometimes you get games like that. And again it goes without saying that you aren’t going to win every game. And eventually winning streak ends. Luckily the O’s did manage to get on the board and avoid being shut out for the first time, this on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-triple in the seventh.

The first concern isn’t losing the game. It’s Chris Bassitt. Again, the Orioles can ill afford to lose another starter. (Or a position player for that matter.) The Orioles also fought back from the hole they had dug by attacking the strike zone. Neither Bassitt nor any other Orioles’ pitcher did that tonight…

…they lived above the zone and on the fringes of the plate. Here’s what’s worse; Boston hitters were making contact. Pitches that shouldn’t have been hit, were hit. And hit a long way. It’s one game. The recent tends with this team are still positive. But they need to avoid another cold snap. That may well begin and end with Bassitt’s injury status.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and Boston is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles led by Baz and blasts

Shane Baz went to the bump at “the Fens” for the Baltimore Orioles this evening. If something turned in terms of the direction of the season over the just-completed home stand, it continued to turn tonight in game one of three against Boston. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Earlier in the season the Orioles didn’t necessarily try to strike guys out. It seemed that they wanted teams to put balls in play, and they were. Something seems to have shifted, because as strikeouts have piled up, so have wins.

Baz actually started in an inauspicious manner tonight, giving up a leadoff triple. Boston would then take a 1-0 lead on Abreu’s sac fly-RBI. However Baz limited the damage, and got himself and his team back in the dugout. You can live with that – most games aren’t going to end 1-0. Especially at Fenway Park.

And Baz was rewarded for limiting the damage. Coby Mayo smacked a solo homer to tie the game at one in the second. A home run that was reviewed, for the record. It appeared to clear the green monster, yet it was called a double. Upon review, Mayo was awarded home plate and a home run.

Following an Adley Rutschman single in the third, Pete Alonso smacked a two-run homer that didn’t need to be reviewed. It was a no-doubter, and the O’s led, 3-1. And Shane Baz followed the lead of his teammates from there. He mowed down hitter after hitter throughout his start.

Blaze Alexander would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the fourth, as would Boston’s Mayer in the fifth. Incidentally, that Alexander sacrifice fly was set up by Leody Taveras sacrifice bunt. Needless to say, the O’s are starting to manufacture runs, which is a good thing.

Whether it’s intended or not, Taveras has begun making bunting more and more a part of his game. Later in the game he bunted for a base hit. This is a welcome addition to the lineup, as it gives the Orioles and old school element of their offense. More than just hitting the ball hard.

With the 4-2 win, the Orioles now have their fourth three-game winning streak of the season. Tomorrow night they’ll go for their first four-game win streak. Needless to say, the season appears to be turning around – for now.

The series continues tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Payton Tolle. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The party buss rolls on, as Birds split with Toronto

The Baltimore Orioles sent Kyle Bradish to the bump in the final game of four with Toronto, and of the homestand. Needless to say, Bradish wasn’t fooling around this afternoon. Neither were Oriole bats. Bradish’s line, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R (unearned), 3 BB, 4 K.

The Orioles of course were coming off one of the most dramatic wins of the season yesterday. The last thing you want to have a let down in the wake of that. Especially on the longest home-stand of the season, in which they were already 6-3. But a 7-3 stretch is better than 6-4.

Luckily, Bradish was strong. So were the bats. After Leody Taveras sacrificed two runners into scoring position in the second, Colton Cowser gave the O’s a 1-0 lead on a fielder’s choice-RBI. One inning later, Pete Alonso’s RBI-single extended the lead to 2-0, and Samuel Basallo’s RBI-double ran it to 3-0.

But the inning wasn’t over yet. Neither was the game. The Birds had two on, and Colton Cowser coming to home plate. You know, the guy who engineered two of the three walk-off’s on this home stand? He still had some magic in his bat. Cowser’s three-run homer gave the Orioles a 6-0 lead.

It begins and ends with starting pitching. Bradish certainly played that role masterfully this afternoon. But the better news is that the team put together a team win. Too often it’s been decent starting pitching and poor hitting – or the inverse. Today they put it all together at once.

Taylor Ward grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI (with an assist from replay) in the sixth, followed by an RBI-double by Gunnar Henderson. Adley Rutschman would tack on a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds led 9-0. And it’s a good thing they built that lead.

Toronto would score a lone run in the seventh on an errant throw by Jackson Holliday. However Tyler Wells would come on in the top of the eighth and surrender four runs, cutting the lead to 9-5. Three of those runs came on a three-run homer by Pinago. The Orioles came back on Toronto yesterday. The last thing you want is the same to happen again in reverse.

But it didn’t. That was just a blip in the radar for Tyler Wells. Everything he threw was up, for the record. While on paper this was a series split, make no mistake that the Orioles got the better of Toronto this weekend.

The O’s finish the longest home stand of the year at 7-3. What happens from here remains to be seen. But needless to say, a good and very interesting ten games at home. After an off day tomorrow, the O’s head to Boston on Tuesday night.

Baltimore Orioles: Polar Bear Plunge for the win!

The Baltimore Orioles have gotten decent starting pitching of late, most recently this afternoon with Brandon Young. He’s stepped up of late nicely, but he’s also been let down – in various ways. Young’s line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Simply put, Young mowed Toronto hitters down all game long. And it wasn’t even close. He was absolutely outstanding. The only thing that could have saved him today however, was perhaps throwing a no-hitter. Maybe a perfect game.

Toronto walked ejght Orioles today – EIGHT. But the O’s also grounded into four double-plays. You can’t have that when you’re getting free passes on base. The whole concept in Moneyball about guys getting on base only applies if you can bring them in.

A couple of walks did come in to score in the third. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single following two walks gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. And that inning did have some promise for awhile, however it ended in a double-play.

But the fourth inning did the O’s in – or so we thought for most of the day. With two outs and one on, Sanchez sent a deep shot to center. It ticked off of Leody Taveras’ glove for an RBI-double. It was ruled an extra-base hit. But it’s a play Taveras probably should have made.

To make matters worse, Sanchez would come around to score on Clement’s RBI-double which was in short a fist to center. Taveras pulled up and let it drop without much of an effort. It’s possible that the shadows and sun didn’t give him a good read, or that he thought he could throw the runner out at home plate. That also is a hit, however it’s most definitely a play that has to be made.

The O’s had a shot to do some damage in the last of the fourth, however. Taveras somewhat redeemed himself by putting down a great bunt which advanced two runners into scoring position. Keeps you out of a double-play, right? And as many double-plays as they were piling up, that’s a good thing…

…until it’s not. Jeremiah Jackson grounded the ball directly to third, and the third baseman Okamoto stepped right on the bat for one, and threw across the diamond for the second out at first base to end the inning.

Not only did they not stay out of the double-play, but a okay that was designed to keep them out of it all but led them into it. It’s uncanny how that worked out.

Everytime the O’s were close to doing something that sort of thing would occur. Predictably, Toronto eventually opted to pull away rather than wait for the Orioles. Okamoto’s two-RBI double in the eighth extended the lead to 4-1.

And it came on a two-strike slider, which is an interesting pitch selection. It was also poorly placed. Toronto would top it off with a run-scoring double by Guerrero in the ninth. With an assist on a Colton Cowser error in the outfield.

The game felt over. Especially after Samuel Basallo appeared to injure himself slightly striking out. Then Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch. And that changed everything.

Mayo would score on a Leody Taveras triple which cut the lead to 5-2. Big deal, right? It sort of was given that Jackson Holliday’s RBI-triple scored Taveras and cut the lead to 5-3. Following a Colton Cowser double and a Taylor Ward walk, the bases were loaded.

The Orioles had Toronto’s Hoffman on the ropes. He proceeded to walk Gunnar Henderson, and the tying run was suddenly at third. That brought Adley Rutschman to the plate, also with the bases loaded. After he walked, the game was tied.

The best thing about baseball is that you never know what you’re going to see. Today it was Pete Alonso striding to home plate with four runs in, the game tied, and the bases loaded. And it was Pete Alonso winning the game with a walk off RBI-single for the Orioles, and the Birds going home with a 6-5 win.

You may never see a more improbable victory in any sport. Anyone could have been excused for thinking the game was over. I wrote it above myself. The Orioles have been on the other end of games like that before also. But that’s just because baseball is the best sport. Heck of a game, and heck of a win.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and Toronto’s starter is TBD. Game time is set for 12:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Fine line between bullpen management and mismanagement

Save for the tail end of his time in the ballgame, Trevor Rogers was outstanding for the Baltimore Orioles this evening. For the most part, he mowed down Toronto hitters and allowed Oriole bats to amass a lead. Rogers’ line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The stat line is incredibly deceiving in terms of his outing. The four runs are in essence an anomaly. The real question is was he lifted too late?

The Orioles did squander some opportunities early. Guerrero committed and error in the second with two runners on by dropping a foul pop. The O’s allowed Toronto to squirm out of it.

They also loaded the bases in the last of the third. Adley Rutschman walked with the bases loaded. Samuel Basallo would also scratch across a run with a sac fly-RBI. That did give the O’s a 2-0 lead.

But could it have been more? Keep in mind, the Orioles had the bases loaded (with nobody out). Only scoring twice, and in fairly humble fashion, is almost a win for the team in the field. They could have buried their opponent early. Instead they all but let them off the hook.

One inning later Jackson Holliday would add a solo home run in the fourth. Pete Alonso would go back-to-back with solo home runs in the fifth. Again, that’s a good thing, and a good sign. But solo home runs don’t beat you, the O’s need to get more runners on base.

As I said, Rogers pitched well – through six. Understandably, he seemed to begin to tire in the seventh. He allowed a leadoff double to Guerrero, and then a two-run home run to Okamoto. That narrowed the lead to 5-2. After Varsho got aboard with a double, it was obvious that Rogers was tiring.

However Craig Albernaz opted to keep Rogers in the game. Was it due to Tyler Wells in the bullpen not quite being ready? Or was it due to the fact that McAdoo, a guy without a hit at the big league level (and a righty) was coming up?

The latter option checks out with the Orioles’ insistence on Sabre metrics being used at all costs. There’s a fine line between managing and mismanaging. If the pitcher is tiring, you have to recognize that. You have to put that above matching up. The computer doesn’t and cannot take into account that a pitcher is tiring. Only that the matchup makes sense – all things being equal.

So not only was McAdoo due his first career hit, he decided to make it a two-run homer. McAdoo’s yearn to make an impact in a big spot outdid the computer. Go figure. To his credit, Craig Albernaz admitted after the game that he left Rogers in for two long.

Albernaz then went to Yennier Cano in the eight, which in reality does make sense. But Cano was injured on Wednesday…was he 100% tonight? The computer can’t tell you that, which again explains why feel for the game matters. Cano surrendered a two-run homer to Guerrero, signaling a 6-5 loss for the home standing Orioles.

Mercifully, Rogers left with the lead. Because he pitched too well to have to take the loss. He needed a solid game like this, and he provided it. However again I maintain that a computer isn’t winning anyone any games. It makes no sense to leave an ailing pitcher in to match up. And it cost them the game.

I would also look back to early in the game when the O’s had the bases loaded in the third. You can’t win games consistently if you let the opponent off the hook. Granted, they did score two – which is good. But if that inning yields a crooked number, this is a different game.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Trey Yesavage. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tough to win on one run

Chris Bassitt was outstanding against his former team tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. Needless to say, he kept a potent Toronto offense at bay – perhaps because he knew them? Bassitt’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

This was a pitcher’s duel from the beginning. Not exactly what anyone would have expected, but it’s the game we got. And sometimes that’s how you have to win.

Bassitt surrendered a solo homer in the third to Giminez, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead. They say that solo home runs never hurt you / but that’s not true. Coby Mayo smacked one of his own in fourth, tying the game at one.

Toronto would scratch another across in the eighth, when Pinago walked with the bases loaded. The Birds were unable to come back with one final run. And they fell in game one of three, 2-1.

The Birds had their chances. They had various situations with runners on base, but couldn’t deliver. You have to take advantage of situations where you can score runs. Especially in division games. But the beauty of baseball is you can always win tomorrow.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, abd Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.