Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins’ homer wins a wild one for the Birds

It took heroics from Cedric Mullins to win perhaps the worst defended game of all time for the Baltimore Orioles in Bradenton tonight against Pittsburgh. The teams combined for nine errors in the game, many of which led to runs. Which didn’t help Orioles’ starter Dean Kremer. Kremer’s line: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Anthony Santander‘s RBI-groundout and Ryan Mountcastle‘s RBI-single in the top of the first game the Birds a 2-0 lead. Austin Hays, who’s having a great spring (hitting .387), added an RBI-single in the second, running the score to 3-0.

Later on, in the third, Pedro Severino would run it to 4-0 with an RBI-double, and Yolmer Sanchez’s 5-0 with an RBI-single. The Birds appeared on their way to a big win.

However Pittsburgh chipped away in the last of the third, a sequence that included a Frazier two-run homer which cut the Birds’ lead to 5-3. Trey Mancini‘s solo homer in the fourth padded that lead at 6-3, however that’s when a lot of Oriole errors began. Guys misplaying balls missing cut offs, etc. Letting hitters reach base without nary even trying.

And the thing is that when you have guys on base things start to happen. I’ve covered this before on this column. When traffic starts to get onto the base paths, guys trickle home little by little. Pittsburgh would put five runs on the board in the fifth, allowing them to take an 8-6 lead.

Austin Hays would get a run back, following Pittsburgh enhancing it’s lead, in the top of the sixth. His RBI-double cut the lead to 9-7. But the Orioles took over from there. Mountcastle would smack a two-run homer in the sixth. Then Mullins comes up in the top of the seventh, with the game in the balance…

…and he delivers. A two-run homer gave the O’s an 11-9 lead. But the Orioles’ ‘pen held strong for the rest of the night. And the Birds help firm from there, and make no mistake that with their offensive struggles at times, this was a big spring training win.

The O’s tomorrow head to Tampa to take on the NY Yankees. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Michael King. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means dominates in Birds’ victory

John Means turned in perhaps the best start of the spring this evening at Ed Smith Stadium against Atlanta. We saw, perhaps for the first time, Means return to his first half 2019 form, which netted him an all-star birth. Means’ line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Means indicated after his outing that he felt he was locating his non-breaking pitches well (Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNSports):

I felt the fastball-changeup combination was good. I thought I was getting ahead and attacking the zone. Kind of felt in rhythm. I think body is recovering well and my arm feels good. Everything is working for the most part. Still probably need to throw a little bit more breaking balls, but other than that, I feel real good.

Means gave up a solo homer to Albies in the top of the fourth. And in terms of runs, that’s all he surrendered. Granted he only pitched four innings, but he put the team in a position to win the game. That’s all you can ask of a starter.

The O’s would tie the game at one in the last of the fifth on a sac fly/m-RBI by Cedric Mullins. Rio Ruiz would give them the lead an inning later on an RBI-double. Later in the inning Austin Hays would break the game wide open with a bases-clearing double, running the score to 5-1. Atlanta would tack a run on in the top of the fifth to close out the Birds’ 5-2 victory.

The other good news in this game (besides Means’ outing) was the clutch hitting of the likes of Mullins, Ruiz, and Hays. You have to have clutch hitting if you’re going to win games, and that shows that the Orioles have guys who know the situations in which they come up, and what they mean in terms of winning and losing.

The Orioles end this section of the schedule with a win. They’ll have an off day tomorrow, after which they’ll begin the “stretch run” of the spring so to speak. They won’t have another off day until March 30th, which will officially be after they break camp. Get your popcorn ready!

Baltimore Orioles: Felix Hernandez potentially injured in loss to Tampa (updated)

If it’s not one thing it’s another for the Baltimore Orioles. Felix Hernandez started this afternoon against Tampa in Port Charlotte, but was lifted after just one inning. Hernandez’s line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

The immediate concern is that Hernandez left the game with an injury, but we just don’t know. It stands to reason that he was meant to pitch more than just one inning in today’s game. A potential injury to King Felix would certainly make for an interesting rest of camp regarding the battle for the starting rotation. But right now we just don’t know what’s happening.

Hernandez leaving the game so early threw the Orioles’ pitching plans for the game into flux. They only brought six pitchers over from Sarasota, and Hernandez not being able to go 3-4 innings framed the day’s rotation strangely.

Eric Hanhold replaced Hernandez, and didn’t have anywhere near the “success” Hernandez did in the first inning. Margot’s RBI-single in the last of the second gave Tampa a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning Brouseau would smack a two-RBI double, and Zunino a three-run homer. After two innings, Tampa held a 6-0 lead.

This is all a function of the Orioles’ pitching situation for this game being thrown into limbo. However it also illustrates why in any game, guys need to be ready to go in at any point of the game. If you’re on the roster, you should assume that you’re going in.

Diaz would add an RBI-single to close out the scoring in that second inning. However the Birds did get a run back in the last of the fifth in an RBI-single by Austin Wynns. Midway during the game it was announced that the game had been shortened to seven innings – potentially because of the Orioles’ pitching situation. So it goes as a shortened seven inning loss for the Birds.

The big concern of course is Hernandez, and what his condition might be. The Orioles have made no announcements as of the writing of this column. Hopefully it’s just one of those abundance of caution type of things. But that will probably be a story as we continue to go through these spring games.

Before the game the Birds placed P Hunter Harvey on the 60-day DL with a strained oblique. It wouldn’t shock me if Chris Davis doesn’t eventually become a candidate for that as well. Harvey can return to the active roster in May.

The Orioles also finalized a contract with free agent third baseman Maikel Franco earlier this morning. The terms of the contract aren’t yet known, but Franco passed his physical with the team. They’ll presumably have to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster. When Franco will be reporting to camp and start appearing in spring games remains to be seen.

The Orioles will return home to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow night to take on the Atlanta Braves on St. Patrick’s Day. John Means gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Charlie Morton. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Update: Felix Hernandez left today’s game with elbow soreness.

Baltimore Orioles defeat Pittsburgh with five-run seventh

Matt Harvey made a very productive start for the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota today. He was able to keep Pittsburgh runners off base for the most part, thus solidifying his potential spot with the Orioles and in the rotation. Harvey’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Harvey got off to an inauspicious start, however. He gave up a solo homer to Hays in the first inning with one out. But the O’s came right back. Austin Hays smacked a first inning home run as well. And wouldn’t you know it, the Birds decided to go back-to-back in the home run department. Freddy Galvis followed Hays, and smacked one out as well.

But in his second at-bat, in the third, Hays tied the game up for Pittsburgh. His RBI-single matched the Birds at two. However yesterday I said that the O’s needed to stop letting other teams nose their way past. And they took that advice to heart, with Anthony Santander smacking an RBI-double in the last of the fifth, giving the Orioles a 3-2 lead.

And the O’s weren’t finished. Gunnar Henderson came in for his first at-bat in the last of the seventh with two runners in scoring positions. And Henderson delivered with a two-RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning Jahmai Jones‘ three-run homergave the O’s an 8-2 lead. The Birds would put an additional four runs on the board in the eighth, and Pittsburgh would get one back in the ninth, leading to a 12-2 Orioles’ victory over Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium.

There is some concern for pitcher Hunter Harvey, who left a game last week with an oblique injury. Manager Brandon Hyde said before the game that we wouldn’t see Harvey for awhile (Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports:

He’s going to miss some time. How much time, we’re not sure, just because obliques are tricky. But it’s an injury. The oblique is super sore.

“I just talked to him five minutes ago. He feels a lot better today, but that’s just going to be, we’re going to have to give it time and see how it goes.

There are also rumors that the Orioles are finalizing an agreement with free agent third baseman Maikel Franco. The deal isn’t official yet, but it appears the two sides are committed to one another. A native of the Dominican Republic, this will be Franco’s eighth major league season. He hit .278 last year with eight homers over sixty games. Both Franco and Freddy Galvis are former Philadelphia Phillies, so that would play to his advantage in that a familiar face is already in the clubhouse.

The O’s head to Charlotte Sports Park tomorrow to take on the Tampa Rays. Felix Hernandez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Ryan Yarbrough. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dean Kremer with a solid outing in loss

Dean Kremer pitched to his second consecutive positive outing for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. Unfortunately it came in another losing effort. Opposing teams are making it their personal business to defeat the O’s thus far in the spring. For Birds’ sake, you have to hope that’s a trend that stays in Florida. Kremer’s line: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

However the final score isn’t the story in these games. The story is the stats and how guys look. And Kremer was strong this afternoon. Kremer when asked how he felt about whether he was getting to where he needs to be (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Definitely getting there. Still got a couple of kinks, like everyone else. But I feel good. Feel ready to take on some strength.

Bruce Zimmerman followed Kremer, and pitched four scoreless innings. The Orioles just need to work on putting together pitching and hitting in the same game. Today the story was pitching.

Kremer‘s lone run surrendered was in the second inning on Jones’ RBI-groundout. However the Birds came right back and tied the game in the third. Ramón Urias‘ ground rule RBI-double tied the score at one.

And Urías is also quietly having a great spring as well. Which is good for the Birds, as it makes their decision about who to keep where much tougher. He may well play himself onto the team.

But two eighth inning home runs did the O’s in on this day Short smacked a three/m-run shot to give Detroit a 4-1 lead. And Badoo a solo shot? Running it to 5-1. Well pitched game overall for the Birds, just not indicated in the final score.

The Orioles return home to Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow afternoon against Pittsburgh. Matt Harvey gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Tyler Anderson. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Concern over Felix Hernandez?

Feliz Hernandez had another rough outing this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. Hernandez’s fastball once again topped out in the mid-80’s, which was concerning. Granted he’ll have other opportunities to show what he has, but that probably isn’t going to cut it in regular season play. Hernandez’s line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 earned), 0 BB, 1 K.

The zero walks is a good sign. That means he was locating his pitches well. There just wasn’t the velocity that he would have liked. Despite the results, Hernandez was encouraged by this outing:

It was better (this time). I was throwing a lot of strikes and attacking the zone. I felt really good. The results were not what I want, but I felt good.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

It’s good that Hernandez felt better this time out. But he’s going to need to get some velocity on his fastballs, and quick.

The O’s took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Yolmer Sanchez smacked an RBI-single to center. However Pittsburgh immediately tied the game back up at one in the last of the first on Frazier’s RBI-double. One inning later Alford’s two-run homer gave them a 3-1 lead.

But the good news is that Oriole bats came alive today, and the Birds fought back. Ryan Mountcastle‘s RBI-double in the third tied the game at three. Pat Valaika added an RBI-single, and Ramon Urias an RBI-double later in the inning. And the Orioles actually held a 5-3 lead in the game.

But Pittsburgh chipped away. Stallings’ RBI-single chased Felix Hernandez in the last of the third. One inning later Alford would score on a wild pitch, tying the game. Pittsburgh would take the lead in the seventh on a Craig solo homer, and a Pabst RBI-double. And the Birds fell on this day, 7-5.

The Orioles return to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. John Means gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Zach Wheeler. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Well-pitched loss

Following an off day, the Baltimore Orioles sent Dean Kremer to the mound against Minnesota this afternoon in Fort Myers. And Kremer seemed to have ironed out many of his wrinkles that we saw in his last start. Kremer’s line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Minnesota hitters squared up a couple of pitches on Kremer, however they either went foul or were caught. But no matter how you spin it, one hit and one walk over three innings of work isn’t bad (and three strikeouts). And the fact that Kremer pitched three innings is also noteworthy. To this point starters have gone a maximum of two innings. Now it appears they’re being stretched out a bit.

Baltimore native Bruce Zimmerman also had an outstanding outing this afternoon. Zimmerman pitched three plus scoreless innings, and has had a good camp thus far. He truly has a good shot at making the team in some capacity. And I’m rooting for him given that he’s a local product. In an industry where guys play all over the country and far away from home, the act of a guy catching on with his hometown team is far too unsung. But time will tell.

This was another one of those shortened games that I don’t like. Beforehand both teams agreed to only play seven innings. And it was very much a pitchers’ duel. The Orioles had a chance to score in the game, putting two runners in scoring position in the top of the sixth. But Minnesota pitched out of it, ending the threat. However Cano’s RBI-double in the seventh gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead, which by default was a 1-0 victory.

But the story was Kremer and Zimmerman, both of whom posted outstanding outings. The bats are going to need to come alive at some point, and they will. But the story today was certainly the pitching.

The O’s return home to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Keegan Akin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Ross Stripling. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: So many years later, and the beer’s still cold

The Baltimore Orioles find themselves on the first of two off days during Grapefruit League play. So I’m going to take this opportunity to write the 2021 version of an annual column that I pen during Spring Training every year. The Orioles have statues honoring all of their Hall of Famers at Camden Yards. Save for one…

…and that would be the great Chuck Thompson. By virtue of winning the Ford C. Frick award in 1993, he is in fact a Hall of Famer. And I know that for the most part, he needs no introduction.

Thompson worked Orioles’ games primarily on the radio (but at times on television) from 1962-1982, and remained on the television side until 1987 when he retired. He came out of retirement to work part-time on Orioles’ radio in 1991 until 2000, when his eyesight became too poor for him to continue. Everyone of course knows Thompson’s two big catchphrases, ain’t the beer cold, and Go to war, Ms. Agnes!

He was Baltimore’s version of Vin Scully. Every town had one in a sense, and he was Baltimore’s (despite working Washington Senators’ games for awhile prior to joining the O’s, and despite the national work that he did as well). Philadelphia had Harry Kalas, New York (Yankees) had Mel Allen, Los Angeles (Dodgers) had Vin Scully, and Baltimore had Chuck Thompson.

Speaking for myself, I became acclimated with Thompson towards the end of his career. He called the games on television when I was a young child, but I also spent a lot of years listening to him do games on the radio when he came out of retirement. I used to play pepper in my grandmother’s back yard while listening to the games on the radio by way of Chuck Thompson on WBAL.

So like most people, his voice is a reminder of good times for me. That smooth delivery which always indicated good times and Orioles’ baseball. I can also remember being down at the Delmarva Shore and during a day game hearing Thompson’s voice echoing softly around the beach, as people would follow the games while on vacation.

And everyone reading this has their own memories of Chuck Thompson, and what he means to them. Some people may not care, for all I know. But to throngs of Orioles fans of a certain age he was the voice of summertime, and everything that represents. As I said, good times, easy times, the beach, or perhaps sitting on the porch drinking lemonade while listening to the game in the afternoon.

As I said, I write about Chuck Thompson every year during spring training. Usually on a day off, such as today. He’s an important part of the franchise’s history, and I wish that more fans perhaps too young to have experienced his work knew that. Before there was MASN, before there was listening to and watching games online, there was Chuck Thompson.

I’ve said this in previous years, but I’d love to see the Orioles put Thompson in his rightful spot with the other Hall of Famers. Perhaps not in statue form, but perhaps by dedicating the Camden Yards Press Box in his honor – the Chuck Thompson Memorial Press Box. That would give him the due he deserves, and would thus allow us to say more clearly and for all time…AIN’T THE BEER COLD?!

Baltimore Orioles fall big in Bradenton

It didn’t matter who was pitching or what they were throwing for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. Pittsburgh hitters were putting wood on the ball. John Means had a scoreless first inning before the donnybrook began. Means’ line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Means allowed the first run in the second after loading the bases – the run came on a wild pitch. Oliva’s RBI-single and Frazier’s RBI-double later in the inning would run the score to 3-0. And the rout was on.

Pittsburgh opened the last of the third with a two-RBI double by Newman. Evans and Bae would add RBI-singles in the fourth, and Fowler would clear the bases with a double. Before you could blink, the Birds trailed 10-0.

The O’s would get on the board in the top of the fifth. Cedric Mullins‘ RBI-single would cut the Pittsburgh lead to 10-1. Before all was said and done, the Birds had surrendered three more runs. They fell 13-1 on this day.

Games like this happen in baseball, as we know. It was just one of those games where literally everything went the other way. It happens. Eventually the Birds will be on the other end of a game like this.

The Orioles are off tomorrow, one of their two off days this spring. With the exception of a few pitchers who are coming in to throw, the players are expected to to away from Ed Smith Stadium. And I think that’s a good thing.

Baltimore Orioles: A mixed bag of results for Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez made his maiden start for the Baltimore Orioles this evening against Detroit in Sarasota. Of course I probably shouldn’t phrase it that way given that it was a spring training start, but I digress. Hernandez had a mixed bag of results, but not awful given he sat out last season and this was his first outing since. Hernandez’s line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

As I said, it was a mixed bag of results. He sent Detroit down 1-2-3 in the first inning. However he issued two walks and a base hit in the second, allowing Stewart to smack an RBI-single, and Garneau to hit into a Fielder’s Choice-RBI. This gave Detroit a 2-0 lead.

The one noticeable thing regarding Hernandez was his velocity. He seemed to remain in the 84-85 MPH range. This isn’t inconsistent with many aging pitchers. But it’s plain to see that Hernandez has lost the bite for which he was so famous over the years. Nobody’s faulting him for this, but based on just two innings of work it appears to be the case.

But it’s important to note that it’s only one outing, and only two innings at that. Pitchers will often go into spring outings with a plan to work on this pitch or that pitch. So it’s entirely possible that he was working out his off speed stuff. But the pitches did appear to be fastballs.

We’ll just have to see how things progress through the rest of the spring. Keep in mind that Hernandez is on a minor league deal, so there’s no guarantee that he breaks camp with the team. This in theory.

The O’s brought prospect Zach Muckenhirn in to pitch the eighth, and he promptly walked the first three batters before being pulled. Enter Mickey Janis, who gave up a two-RBI single, with the runner taking second on an errant throw.

When the smoke cleared on the eighth inning, Detroit led 6-0. But the Birds would at least get on the board in the bottom of that eighth inning. Jahmai Jones grounded into a Fielder’s Choice-RBI. He was followed by Yusniel Diaz, who’s two-RBI double cut the lead to 6-3.

But the Birds weren’t done yet. They put two runners on base in the last of the ninth, and they scored on Rylan Bannon‘s bloop two-RBI single. But 6-5 would be as close as the Orioles would get, as they fell to Detroit. For the record, this was the first nine-inning game the Orioles have played this spring.

Tomorrow the O’s hit the road again and head to Lecom Park in Bradenton to take on Pittsburgh. John Means gets the call for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s JT Brubaker. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.