Baltimore Orioles: 2020 season in review

2020 was perhaps the strangest season in Baltimore Orioles’ history. Well, strike that – in MLB history. After a lengthy delay due to COVID-19, the league opened it’s season in late July. The Birds opened against Boston at Fenway Park – and were promptly blown out by Boston.

But we also saw shades of what the 2020 Orioles were truly all about that weekend at Fenway. The O’s took the other two games of the series. This was a team that bounced back quickly from bad losses, and who wasn’t about to hang their heads for long.

This team had it’s ups and downs. They were swept by Miami, but swept Washington and Philadelphia. And in the process, they found that they had some great pieces going forward.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year was Anthony Santander, who ended up being the Most Valuable Oriole. This despite playing in only 37 games due to a late season injury. Santander hit only .261 on the year, however he was clutch. He always came through when the O’s needed a late hit or run-scoring play. That’s something we’ve seen in Baltimore previously in other players. However it’s a tough trait to find.

The Birds also found some pieces to take forward in the pitching department, such as Thomas Eshelman, Dean Kremer, and Keegan Akin. Where any of these players winds up next year in terms of on the roster, in the minors, and/or in the bullpen depends largely on their spring outings. But that’s also true of a lot of guys.

Again, the O’s had their ups and downs this year. They were streaky. Yet by virtue of the 60-game season, they stayed in mathematical playoff contention until the final week. And that’s due in large part to their never-say-die attitude. We saw it time and time again over the course of the sixty games. And given that the nucleus of the team is expected to at least be similar in 2021, I would expect to see that same trait next year.

For the record, my season prediction was that the O’s wouldn’t finish in the basement of the AL East. I was correct in that. They won 25 games, and Boston won 24. So I was correct by exactly one game. However more importantly, they did improve year-over-year. In 2019 the O’s had a win percentage of .317 (over 162 games). This year it raised to .417 (over sixty games).

Granted the number of games is different, but that translates to 67.5 wins in a 162 game season. This as opposed to last year’s 54 wins. So if you look at it from that perspective they’re trending in the right direction. Whether that progress goes into next season remains to be seen. But in certain senses, 2020 was a success for the O’s.

Baltimore Orioles: Changes on the coaching staff

It appears that there are two upcoming changes to the Baltimore Orioles’ coaching staff. Third base coach Jose Flores and pitching coach Doug Brocail will not be returning. The team hasn’t confirmed these moves, but it appears that both coaches were told their contracts weren’t being renewed.

It’s unclear why this is going to happen, or when their replacements will be named. It could just be an economic thing more than anything else. Or philosophical. Who knows. All we know is that Brocail and Flores appear to be out.

I would say this; the pitching coach position is one that the Orioles need to get right. Not only because of the youth and inexperience on their starting staff, but also because it’s been a long time since they’ve had stability and continuity in that position. Guys have come and gone over a great many years. So for the sake of their young starters, they need to find someone who has some staying power this time around.

Baltimore Orioles: How does 2021 look?

When I ask what 2021 looks like for the Baltimore Orioles, I don’t mean the roster, outlook, etc. I mean the season. And for all of MLB at that. Is it more normal? Is it a total return to normalcy?

Obviously right now we just don’t know. However that has to be something the powers that be in the league office are discussing now. Obviously like most other things, the answer lies with whether or not we have an approved vaccine available to all Americans for COVID-19. And obviously the timing of that vaccine.

While there were a few flare-ups at the beginning involving a couple of teams (not the Orioles), baseball largely proved that it was capable of being played even during this pandemic. So I suspect that there’d be no reason teams couldn’t have spring training as normal, perhaps with no fans or limited fans to start with. Same with the regular season.

What we do know is that things will eventually have to return to normal. No reason that process shouldn’t start next year. But ultimately the virus and the vaccine will decide that.

Baltimore Orioles: Coming attractions

Yesterday I wrote the final Baltimore Orioles game recap of the 2020 season. It’s kind of strange; the season itself was only sixty games, but I feel like I would normally feel at the end of the season. It’s been a long grind to get to the end, but now it’s almost like removing goggles from your eyes and seeing the world for what it really is after focusing on just one thing for so many months.

It’ll certainly go down as the strangest year on record. Spring Training was going along as normal, and then it was suspended. And we waited, and waited…and waited more. Through apparent labor strife among other things. But finally we ended up with a sixty-game regular season, which of course has now ended.

I’ll be honest; in retrospect things probably didn’t ever need to be put on hold. Granted, back in March we didn’t know what this pandemic was going to be, and we didn’t know how to stop the spread of it save for staying home. So baseball did the best it could with the information it had. However spring games could have probably continued and the regular season could have started – simply with no fans and with the safety measures that eventually went into place. There would have been more travel for teams of course, but I think they could have pulled it off. We just didn’t know that at the time.

Sometime this week I’ll release a season review for 2020. I always like to take a few days before doing that so as to fully “digest” the season. And from there maybe we’ll talk a bit about the playoffs, and into some off season coverage. And who knows you might even see a hiatus or two on my end. Time will tell.

Baltimore Orioles: A win at the end of the line

The Baltimore Orioles concluded their truncated 2020 season this afternoon. Perhaps it’s fitting that the strangest season in history came to an end in a Buffalo minor league park – the temporary home of the Toronto Blue Jays. Keegan Akin got the ball, but in essence acted as “the opener.” Akin’s line 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

With Toronto leading 1-0, Renato Nunez‘s RBI-double in the third tied the score at one. However Toronto would put three additional runs on the board in the last of the third. Which in essence was consistent with the rest of this series, and perhaps the rest of the games that have been against Toronto this year.

But at some point the O’s decided to extend the summer just a little longer. They decided that they weren’t going into the night without a fight. Cedric Mullins‘ two-RBI triple cut the lead to 4-3, and out Toronto on notice that they weren’t going to end the season with a cakewalk. Mullins would later score on Austin Hays‘ sac fly-RBI which tied the game.

And that fourth inning was the final time the Orioles would trail in 2020. Rio Ruiz smacked an RBI-double in the fifth which have the O’s a 5-4 lead. The O’s would also get an RBI-groundout, and an RBI-single to run the lead to 7-4. Toronto would score on an error in the eighth, but the Birds pulled out a 7-5 lead.

And yes, that’s the end of the line. For 2020, at least! The season is now complete, and the O’s finished with 25 wins. But don’t underestimate the importance of winning this final game. That does mean something going into next year. Next season, which hopefully will are the return of normalcy to MLB.

As a tongue-in-cheek joke, the O’s will next take on the Atlanta Braves at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fl on February 27th – Opening Day of the Florida Grapefruit League season. Starters are TDB for both teams. Nothing set yet in stone, but I would think that game time would be sometime around 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means strong in loss to Toronto

John Means, who presumably will be the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day starter next year, had a solid outing in his final game of 2020. Only problem was the O’s couldn’t support him enough to get him the win. Means’ line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K.

The teams played to a scoreless tie through five innings. Means was mowing Toronto hitters down. This until the sixth inning when Biggio smacked a solo homer. That was the lone run that Means surrendered. They say solo homer runs don’t hurt you. In general they don’t; but yet that solo homer earned John Means the loss.

This game was almost a tale of two games. The first half or so of the game was a pitcher’s duel. However runs came fast and furious in the second part of the game. Mostly from Toronto.

Oriole-killer Grichuk had the night off. In theory at least. But he pinch hit in the last of the seventh with two runners on, and promptly hit a three-run homer. That was Grichuk’s twelfth homer on the year. And his seventh against the O’s.

It’s amazing how some guys are just zero’d in on a team. There’s really no explanation for how Grichuk could be so hot against the Orioles. It seems that no matter what they do, he’s a step ahead.

Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-double in the eight got they Birds on the board. Iglesias would later score on an RBI-single by Ryan Mountcastle. However Toronto would also add on a run in the eight, taking the game, 5-2.

The series and the season conclude this afternoon in Buffalo. Keegan Akin gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Tanner Roark. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jorge Lopez battered in Buffalo

The Baltimore Orioles went Jorge Lopez to the mound for his penultimate start in the 2020 season. Lopez ended up with the same fate as plenty of other Orioles’ starters against Toronto. They just seem to have the Birds’ number no matter what. Lopez’s line: 2.0 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

Shocker, Toronto’s scoring started with Grichuk’s first at-bat. He smacked a solo homer in the second to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. Grichuk has hit eleven homers on the year (including this one). Six have come against the O’s. It’s uncanny.

Toronto kept the pressure on in the inning, putting base runner after base runner on base. And netting run after run. Before the second inning was over, they led the O’s 6-0.

The third inning brought a Toronto to 8-0, and Shaw’s fourth inning two-run homer put them ahead 10-0. Before the O’s could blink, they were that far behind. However the good news is that after that moment, the Orioles’ pen kept Toronto bats at bay. The damage had been done, but they were kept at bay from that moment forward.

And in fact, the O’s showed signs of wanting to get back into the game. Ramon Urias smacked a solo home run in the fifth. The O’s would get another homer that inning off the bat of Cedric Mullins. They’d also get one in the sixth from Jose Iglesias, and later an RBI-double from Hanser Alberto. That closed out Toronto’s 10-4 victory.

Before the game the Orioles announced that Anthony Santander had been voted the Most Valuable Oriole in 2020. He may have finished the season on the IL, but he made massive impacts on the team this year. Both on and off the field.

The series continues tomorrow in Buffalo. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Matt Shoemaker. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles break out at Fenway

Alex Cobb was the beneficiary of Baltimore Orioles’ bats finally breaking out of their funk last night at Fenway Park. And in fact, Cobb did his part as well, shutting down Boston’s offense that had looked so potent in the first two games of the series. Cobb’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Rio Ruiz‘s second inning RBI-single got the Larry started. Later in the inning Cedric Mullins‘ two-RBI double ran things to 3-0. But they were only getting warmed up.

Two innings later Ramon Urias added an RBI-double, Hanser Alberto a sac fly-RBI, and Jose Iglesias a solo home run. And suddenly the rout was on. One inning later the Birds led 8-0, and Boston netted one token run. It was the lone run they would score in the game.

Everyone got into the act in this game. Pat Valaika‘s solo homer in the seventh gave the O’s a 9-1 lead. One inning later Ryan Mountcastle added an RBI-single in the eighth, and Austin Hays a solo homer in the ninth. The O’s would also tack on two additional runs in the ninth inning to run the final to 13-1.

It’s amazing how the O’s could look so bad in the first two games of this series, only to put everything together in the finale. But we’ve seen time and time again in baseball that things as such do happen. Boston may have won the series, but their final impression of the 2020 Orioles will be getting lambasted 13-1.

The O’s now head to Buffalo for the final series of the year against Toronto. As of now, starters for both teams in tonight’s series opener are TBD. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ bats going to sleep

The Baltimore Orioles are having issues scoring runs. That may not be a huge issue for 2020, as they’ve been officially eliminated from playoff contention, and the season ends on Sunday. But you do want to finish strong if possible. Dean Kremer wasn’t able to do that, as he got hit hard by Boston last night. Kremer’s line: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

Bradley and Plawecki got Boston on the board in the first inning with RBI-singles. That meant the Orioles had to play from behind, which is tough to do at Fenway Park. This much we know.

Martinez added an RBI-double, and Plawecki an RBI-triple in the last of the third. Later in the inning Boston basically ended the competitive portion of the game. Chavis’ RBI-double ran the score to 5-0. And with the bases loaded Devers’ bases-clearing double gave Boston an 8-0 lead.

When you’re down 8-0 in the third, that’s tough to come back from. However Austin Hays would smack a solo homer in the seventh. Boston would also tack an additional run on in the eighth inning, running the final to 9-1.

It’s hard to say why Oriole bats are currently going to sleep. Granted the games now are technically meaningless. However as I said above I do think it’s important to finish strong. That means something going into 2021.

Needless to say, it’s been one of the strangest seasons in history. If not THE strangest. That became the case back on March 12th when spring training was suspended. At the time I recall thinking maybe it would just be a delay of a few weeks. That wasn’t to be. And here we are.

The series concludes this evening at Fenway Park. Alex Cobb gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Martin Perez. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Defensive missteps hit again

Keegan Akin became the latest Baltimore Orioles’ starter to fall victim to defensive missteps in the field. We’ve said time and time again that extra outs for the opponent will allow them to take advantage of the situation. And the Orioles’ opponents are doing just that – with Boston being the most recent beneficiary. Akin’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R (2 earned), 0 BB, 6 K.

DJ Stewart gave the Orioles an early 1-0 lead with an RBI-single in the first inning. However Dalbec’s RBI-double in the second tied the game at one. But it was a Rio Ruiz throwing error that allowed Boston to have a base runner in the first place. Mistakes are going to happen; this much we know. But the O’s need to find a way to limit them, as again opposing teams will and are taking advantage.

Boston would take the lead in that bottom of the second on Chavis’ sac fly-RBI. However the Orioles’ shoddy defense would strike again later in the inning, netting Boston another run. DJ Stewart dripped a routine pop up, allowing another run to score, giving Boston a 3-1 lead. This would extend to 4-1 in the third on Dalbec’s RBI-single.

But the O’s would battle back. Renato Nunez‘s solo homer in the sixth cut the Boston lead to 4-2. Later in the inning Rio Ruiz’s RBI-double would cut it to 4-3. Needless to say, despite the defensive miscues the Orioles were in this game.

Then the last of the sixth happened. Martinez’s three-run homer extended the lead to 8-3, putting it out of reach for the Birds. Granted the coup de grace so to speak had nothing to do with the issues the O’s had in the field earlier. However it all adds up.

The series continues tonight at Fenway Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.