Baltimore Orioles fall, almost get no-hit

Keegan Akin of the Baltimore Orioles was almost the opposing starter in a no-hitter last night. Luckily the O’s held that off, however they couldn’t hold off Houston. Despite his numbers, Akin pitched decent enough. He was also failed by the defense behind him. Akin’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 5 K.

The start of the game was delayed an hour by biblical-like storms that passed over Camden Yards, With two runners on, Houston’s McCormick sent an RBI-single in the third inning. However Austin Hays’ attempted to cut the run off at home plate as opposed to playing it back into second base. That allowed two runners to enter into scoring position.

And that did have a negative impact, as Gurriel sent a sac fly-RBI into center field later in the inning. You have to hit the cutoff man, because that sort of thing will cost you runs. While Akin obviously put the guys on base, he was failed by the defense behind him once they were there.

But Alvarez’s subsequent three-run homer broke the game wide open. Even the best defense behind you can’t prevent that. Gurriel would add another sac fly-RBI in the seventh, but by then the story was Houston tossing a no-hitter. It was shaping up to be a staff no-no, as they had used various pitchers. But the Orioles were desperately trying to scrimp a hit together.

Before they could however, Houston would run their lead to 10-0. The competitive portion of the game was long over. The question was could the Birds muster a hit.

And yes, they found a way. Maikel Franco ended the no-hit bid in the last of the eighth with a two-run homer. So the no-hitter and the shutout were lost in one fatal swoop. It doesn’t change the fact that the O’s lost the game, but at least they didn’t suffer the ignobility of being no-hit.

The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Zack Greinke. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Four-run fifth sinks the O’s

Matt Harvey pitched a decent outing for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He probably didn’t go as deep into the game as manager Brandon Hyde would have liked, but in theory he put the team in a spot to win. Although a four-run fifth inning wiped that out. Harvey’s line: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Oriole bats gave Harvey an early lead. Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer in the first inning. He hit to about the deepest part of the ballpark, giving the O’s a 1-0 lead. And Harvey held Toronto at bay for four innings.

But things changed in the fifth. I’m not sure if he tired quickly or what, but while he was previously recording outs, he seemed to just lose it all at once. Which again tells me he doesn’t have the stamina to go much further than about 70 pitches or so in a game.

Bichette’s RBI-single in that fifth inning got the Toronto rally started, tying the game at one. Hernandez added an RBI-double to give them a 2-1 lead. Grichuk and Biggio added RBI-singles before the O’s could record the third out.

But the damage was done. And on top of that, Toronto would add two runs in the eighth and take the game – following a solo homer by Pedro Severino in the last of the eighth, and a two-run shot by Trey Mancini. The O’s made a run at it, but couldn’t come all the way back. Toronto would add on an insurance run in the ninth to take the game, 7-4. And take the series.

As I said, the O’s made a valiant run at coming back. This game was never pretty from the get-go. They never gave up though, which for a rebuilding team is really all that counts. But obviously we’re also in the business of wins and losses. Every game counts.

I’ve said this before, but I do wonder if the Orioles are too predictable in terms of how they position their fielder’s. If I’m Brandon Hyde I think it’s at lease worth looking at. Because often the O’s are playing their outfield straight up, and guys are pulling the ball tightly down the line. Basically hitting ‘em where they ain’t.

One bright spot today was reliever Adam Plutko. He pitched 2.2 scoreless innings in the immediate relief of Matt Harvey. That may well have saved another bullpen reliever, and it stemmed the tide of Toronto momentum. Not that it mattered on the scoreboard, but that’s one of those things that happens in games which are intangible.

The Orioles will open up a three-game set with the Houston Astro’s tomorrow at Camden Yards. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Jake Odorizzi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Father’s Day takes on a new meaning this year

At some point during every Baltimore Orioles game, I think of my Dad. He doesn’t follow the team as religiously as he used to, but that’s okay. I obviously pen this column, so I pick up the slack! However I’m always reminded of the grand Saturday afternoon when he took me to my first game at Memorial Stadium.

It was the greenest grass I’d ever seen, the best hot dogs I’d ever tasted, and the coldest Coca-Cola on earth. I thought about that day a lot 15 years ago when he was diagnosed with cancer. There was little doubt that he’d beat it given the type of cancer that it was and how early we caught it, but it was still scary. However that was a breeze compared to this past year.

Just before Christmas my Dad got a COVID test, as he had been feeling ill. He tested positive. To anyone reading this who didn’t have COVID or know someone who had it, I can’t put into words what goes through your head when you get that news about your parent. On top of that, I see my Dad just about everyday; so I was exposed to it also.

I’m happy to report that if I actually had the virus, it was asymptomatic and I never knew the difference. But while you hear about people who had the virus and were able to treat themselves at home without incident, you also hope that it doesn’t end up being your loved one who’s grasping for breath in a hospital. Away from family and loved ones.

Needless to say it was a unique Christmas. We had our respective Christmas Dinners for one or two over FaceTime, and my parents were happy to know that I did my best to make all of the traditional foods that our family would have for Christmas (Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, and ravioli on Christmas Day). But my Dad’s condition deteriorated as the week went on. (Ironically my mother tested negative. Certainly strange given that they live together, but for that we were thankful.)

He was admitted to the hospital on Monday, December 28th. Again, I can’t properly put into words what goes through your mind when news like that comes. The first thing I did was to alert my two Uncles – my Dad’s brothers. In a moment like that, you look for something comforting. Both of them said the exact same thing: “everything’s going to be okay.”

The message in and of itself was comforting for sure. But in various situations in my life I had also heard those same words in that same tone of voice from my Dad. In that moment, hearing that message coming from his brothers, it was like hearing it in my father’s voice.

He was in and out of intensive care for awhile. He never lost consciousness, but could only talk on the phone or on FaceTime for maybe a minute at a time before he’d lose his wind. The whole experience was morbidly awful. This virus is no joke.

It got incredibly real when they asked my mother what her wishes would be if a ventilator became necessary. We had a family conference, and we all agreed that if it came to that, they had our blessing. Around that same time I touched base with a priest to at least go over options for what’s now called Anointing of the Sick. I never wrote my Old Man off, but honestly there were about two or three days where I didn’t think things were going to end well.

But as quickly as he deteriorated, suddenly he began improving. He was sent out of intensive care, and a few days later (January 9th) he was released. I don’t know what anyone reading this believes religiously or spiritually, but I’m a fairly religious person. And I saw it as a miracle.

His “rehab” continues to this day. I’m not sure he’ll ever be the same. For the most part he can do most of the things he was doing before he got sick (he’s a fairly active 68-year old). But he gets tired easily, and still doesn’t have the stamina he had previously. But if this is how the rest of his life unfolds, I’m very thankful. Because he’s alive; and there was a moment where that wasn’t always going to be the case.

As was the case when he had cancer, I thought a lot about that first day at Memorial Stadium so many years ago. I thought about how it would be walking into Camden Yards to write about the team that he originally loved and passed onto me, knowing he was no longer of this world. And it ate me alive. Mercifully, it wasn’t his time.

So as the title indicates, Father’s Day takes on a different meaning for me this year. And the fact is that I know a lot of people weren’t as lucky. I know that there are people at every game who are missing someone lost in this pandemic. Maybe missing them through the Orioles, or maybe using the Orioles as a temporary diversion. That could have been me.

Maybe my Dad will watch the game today. Maybe he won’t. But whatever he does, he’s alive. And that wasn’t always guaranteed. And make no mistake, all of us are very thankful. Thanks for sticking with us, Dad. Happy Father’s Day!

Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen spoils Ryan Mountcastle’s career day

He was greeted rudely, but the Baltimore Orioles’ Dean Kremer settled in nicely this afternoon. He gave up solo homers to Semien and Guerrero in the first inning before the crowd had even settled in. But he got it together, and pitched to a quality start. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

This is a game that Ryan Mountcastle won’t soon forget. For starters, he smacked a solo homer in the last of the second which cut the Toronto lead in half. Cedric Mullins would continue hot at the plate and inning later with a solo shot of his own, tying the game at two.

Mountcastle would come up again in the fourth with a runner on base. And his two-run homer gave the Birds the lead at 4-2. Mind you, that was his second homer of the day. Had he stopped there, he would have still had a darn good game. Incidentally, DJ Stewart added to the homer parade, going back-to-back with Mountcastle and smacking a solo shot – giving the O’s a 5-2 lead.

However remember a moment ago when I said Mountcastle could have stopped there and had a pretty good day? He didn’t do that. He came up again in the sixth, and – you guessed it – smacked a solo homer (his third home run of the game). You don’t get much better than that in terms of performing at the plate. Did we mention that Mountcastle was a rookie?!

After Toronto put one across in the top of the seventh, the Birds got it back on Mullins’ second homer of the game – a solo shot. The Orioles took a 7-4 lead into the top of the ninth. Life appeared to be good.

The Birds called on Paul Fry to close the game for the second consecutive game. He promptly loaded the bases and walked a run in. Bichette and Guerrero proceeded to smack two-RBI singles, giving Toronto a 9-7 lead. Grichuk would add an RBI-double, and the Birds fell 10-7. This despite Mountcastle’s three homers, and Mullins’ two.

Bichette hardly hit the ball hard, as it was a dying quail into right field. But Paul Fry hardly looked comfortable, and when that’s the case you don’t have to hit the ball hard. It’s tough to lose a game like that, with the opponent putting up six runs in the ninth inning to come from behind. But you have to get right back at it tomorrow.

Incidentally, Toronto’s starter Manoah was ejected with one out in the fourth inning after he hit Maikel Franco. This after the DJ Stewart solo home run. The benches and the bullpens emptied, but no real fight ensued. Just the Toronto pitcher being ejected.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Hyun-Jin Ryu. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins with an All-Star performance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baltimore Orioles: Should Brandon Hyde have played under protest?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baltimore Orioles: Faux pas’ once again bury the Birds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baltimore Orioles: Cleveland feeling it against the Birds

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

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

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

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

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

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

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

Baltimore Orioles on the wrong side of bizarre events

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

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

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

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

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

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

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

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

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

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

Baltimore Orioles: Did Brandon Hyde out-think himself?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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