Tag Archives: Bruce Zimmermann

Jordan Lyles was supposed to start game two of today’s doubleheader against Toronto for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. However he woke up “under the weather” this morning, and Brandon Hyde moved him back to starting the night cap. However he was unable to go even for the second game, and reliever Keegan Akin was told he’d be starting about ten minutes before first pitch. Akin’s line: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Given the timeframe of when he found out he was starting, Akin was really good. He had the lead early when Roughned Odor smacked a solo homer in the last of the second. However Bichette smacked a three-run homer in the third, giving Toronto a 3-1 lead. Two of those runs were charged to Akin, putting him in line for the loss.

However the biggest takeaway from this game was Bruce Zimmermann, who was activated between games. He came in to pitch the fourth, and despite giving up five runs, pitched the duration of the game. He lobbied to come back out and pitch the ninth, as he knew he’d be doing the team a favor by saving a reliever. Despite dropping this doubleheader, there are still two games to play in this series (tomorrow and Wednesday). And basically a whole month’s worth of games to play, which will decide this Orioles’ team’s fate for 2022. Zimmermann’s effort means a lot. And it shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Toronto got solo home runs in the sixth by Bichette and Biggio. They also got a two-RBI double by Bradley (JR), extending their lead to 7-1. The O’s would attempt a small rally, although it’s tough to come from six down in just a few innings. They loaded the bases in the seventh, and Roughned Odor was awarded home plate on catcher’s interference. Adley Rutschman grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI later in the inning as well.

Prior to that however, Toronto’s Bichette smacked his third solo homer of the ballgame, and the O’s finished the seventh inning down 8-3. Bichette would finally record an out in the ninth, leaving him at 3-for-4 on day, with three homers.

Rutschman would add a solo home run in the last of the ninth, but the O’s fell 8-3. They’re now 4.5 games back of Toronto for a wild card spot. You hate to get swept in a doubleheader, especially at this stage of the season, and in the position in which the O’s find themselves. And at home on top of that. But there’s still a lot of baseball left to play. And a lot of baseball against Toronto at that.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Mitch White. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Bruce Zimmermann had another struggling outing last night against Kansas City. Awhile back I suggested that the league was figuring Zimmermann out, and I stand by that. However Zimmermann can’t stand by and continue to allow opponents to figure him out. He needs to re-adjust as well. Zimmermann’s line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Zimmermann gave up an RBI-double to Benintendi and a two-run homer to Perez in the first inning. Perez would come up again in the last of the third and smacked another home run. A solo shot, for the record.

Two innings later in the fifth Melendez would smack a three-run homer, breaking the game wide open. Zimmermann pitches-to-contact almost exclusively. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing in the least. But when you pitch-to-contact and the opponent is touching up just about everything you put out there, you’ll see starts like this.

Taylor smacked a solo homer of his own in the sixth, running the score to 8-0. The O’s would threaten in the eighth with the bases loaded, but Kansas City worked out of the jam. The Birds’ lone run came in the top of the ninth on a solo homer by Anthony Santander.

The series continues this afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Bruce Zimmermann struggled for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in the first of three with Cleveland. They jumped on him early and often. In fairness, Oriole bats were “off” also; the Birds didn’t get their first base hit until the sixth inning. But it all begins and ends with starting pitching. Zimmermann’s line: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

As I said, Cleveland jumped on Zimmermann, swinging early and often. And Zimmermann was pitching to contact, as evidenced by the aforementioned ten hits, zero walks, and one strikeout. Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-RBI double by Miller.

Miller would come up to bat again in the third, and produced a two-RBI single, doubling the lead. Later in the inning Naylor added an RBI-single, and then an RBI-double in the seventh. Again as per Zimmermann’s line score referenced above, that last run wasn’t charged to him (he had already left the game). B

But the O’s did put up a fight. Trey Mancini smacked a two-RBI double, and Anthony Santander an RBI-single in the last of the eighth. However while these O’s don’t quit and they play until the end, Cleveland took game one of the series, 6-3.

In his last four starts (including tonight), Bruce Zimmermann has surrendered between 4-6 runs. That’s way up from the 0-3 he was giving up in the beginning of the season. So…what gives?

I would submit that in effect, the rest of the league has adjusted (or is adjusting) to Zimmermann. Which means that between now and his next start, he has to really buckle down with his coaches and come up with a plan.

When the league adjusts to you and your style, it’s incumbent on YOU to adjust also. Otherwise your stay in the majors won’t be long. If you keep your stuff and your game plan fresh, you can end up having staying power. So again, Zimmermann needs to work with his coaches between starts to tweak his stuff up so as to keep opponents guessing.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Tristan McKenzie. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles sent Bruce Zimmermann to the mound this afternoon at Fenway Park, and with not-so-hot results at that. Zimmermann struggled, giving up five homers to Boston hitters. Zimmermann’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Zimmermann was pitching to contact this afternoon. And Boston hitters were looking to swing from the get-go. That can often be a bad combination from a pitcher’s perspective.

The Boston took a 2-0 lead on Dalbec’s two-run homer in the last of the second. Cordero added a solo shot later in the inning, and Devers a solo homer as well in the third. Tack on a two-run shot by Hernandez and a solo by Arroyo in the fourth, and Boston sent Zimmermann to the showers early with a 6-0 lead.

I would point out that every pitcher, especially young guys, is going to have a game like this here and there. Zimmermann wasn’t done any favors by having to pitch in Yankee Stadium AND at Fenway this week. But you have to dust yourself off and move onto the next start.

The Orioles did net a run in the fifth on Trey Mancini’s RBI-single. But Boston kept the pressure on; Vasquez smacked an RBI-double in the bottom of that fifth inning. Boston would then proceed to put up five runs in the last of the eighth, on the heels of several walks. Many of which came with the bases loaded.

Chris Owings would add an RBI-groundout to cut the final to 12-2. However this game was all Boston from the beginning. Even still, Trey Mancini had a great day at the plate. He had three hits, a walk, and an RBI. Bright spots may be few and far between in this game, but that’s definitely one of them.

For what it’s worth, this series was supposed to be a three-game set; the O’s originally had Memorial Day off. But MLB made yesterday a doubleheader and added a game tomorrow night (creating a five-game series) to make up games that weren’t played early in the season due to the lockout. In case you were curious.

The weekend series in Boston concludes tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Rich Hill. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles sent Bruce Zimmermann to the mound this evening against Minnesota. Despite being removed after five innings, I personally thought that he pitched a solid outing. Zimmermann’s line: 5.0 IP. 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Zimmermannn was scoreless through three innings, and gave up an RBI-single to Miranda in the fourth. (Miranda’s first big league hit – for what that’s worth.) However Zimmermann would pitch out of the inning, and remain unscathed save for that.

Tyler Nevin reached on an error in the fourth, allowing the first Oriole run of the night to score. However Minnesota would strike back in the fifth with an RBI-single. Mancini would tie the game later in the inning with an RBI-single of his own.

After Zimmerman had departed, Minnesota did some real damage. Polanco’s three-run homer in the top of the sixth gave Minnesota a 5-2 lead. This off of Joey Kreyhbiel. Kreyhbiel has been strong, just not on this night. Minnesota would add an additional two runs in the ninth, which rounded out the scoring.

As I said, Zimmermann was pitching well. So if you’re Brandon Hyde, why pull him out. To be fair, in many cases pitchers aren’t pitching well enough to justify leaving them in early on. But that’s not always the case, including tonight.

Granted, the Orioles’ rotation seems to be in a constant state of flux given injuries. But when a guy’s sent out as a starting pitcher, the goal should be to pitch between 7-9 innings. Because what happens is eventually an otherwise strong bullpen will show cracks. And then people start to talk about the ‘pen being inconsistent.

This isn’t to say that Hyde doesn’t know what he’s doing. He wouldn’t be a manager if he didn’t. But the last thing he wants is for a reliever’s arm to fall off.

The series continues tomorrow night with Minnesota at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by former Oriole Dylan Bundy. GMe time is just after 7 PM.