Tag Archives: John Means

John Means started for the Baltimore Orioles at Coors Field last night, and turned in his normal great effort. He didn’t last as long in the game as he has in previous starts, but Coors Field can do that to a pitcher who’s. It used to pitching there. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The O’s trailed early in the game as Arenado smacked a solo homer in the last of the first. But they got back on track quickly. Newly acquired center fielder Keon Broxton got the O’s on the board in the second. In fact, he gave them the lead. He smacked a two-run homer and the Birds led 2-1.

Normally players don’t come to the Orioles and immediately pay dividends like that. In fact, usually it’s the opposite. The fact that Broxton came in and immediately made an impact is a good sign for the O’s.

Later in that second inning Pedro Severino smacked an RBI-double which extended the Orioles’ lead to 3-1. One inning later Dwight Smith Jr’s solo homer made it 4-1. These home runs are good signs for the O’s for sure. However one does have to take into account that this game was played in Coors Field in Denver. Camden Yards is a hitters park which surrenders a lot of homers. Coors Field is even more so. With the air in Denver being so thin, the ball can really sail.

Jonathan Villar‘s fourth inning RBI-double ran the lead to 5-1. However in a park like Coors Field, no lead is truly safe. Colorado started to fight back. They netted two runs off of an RBI-single and an RBI-double in the last of the fourth. While the O’s also produced an additional home run (from Núñez) in the seventh, it wouldn’t be enough.

Colorado would tie the game at six in the last of the seventh with two home runs. The game looked destined for extra innings. However as we know, the home team hits last. Story’s homer in the last of the ninth walked Colorado off winners, and the Orioles fell 7-6.

The series continues this evening at Coors Field. Andrew Cashner gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado’s Kyle Freeland. Game time is set for just after 9 PM.

John Means pitched a decent outing for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. Or at least an outing that’a more decent than what his numbers say. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

Means did what a starter is supposed to do. He put the team in a good position to win the ballgame. Means struggled a bit in the fifth, which drove his pitch count up. Otherwise odds are he’d probably have gone deeper into the game. He wasn’t pitching poorly.

The O’s got on the board in the fourth inning when Trey Mancini broke a scoreless tie with a solo homer to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. Mancini’s shot was on a line to left field. At first it looked like it wouldn’t have the gumption to get out, but it cleared the wall and the Birds had a lead.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, that lead didn’t last long. Luplow’s two-run homer in the bottom of that fourth inning gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead. It wasn’t a deep shot, but it cleared the wall so it counts.

Lindor’s RBI-single one inning late me extended Cleveland’s lead to 3-1. That ended up chasing Means after the inning, as a Cleveland wore him down. Means has probably been the Orioles’ most impressive starter this year, and this afternoon’s game in a losing effort is no exception.

What hurt the Orioles this afternoon was the silence of their bats more so than anything else. They were 0-for-1 with RISP in the game. That’s a problem on two fronts. First off they couldn’t get a hit with a runner in scoring position. However they also only had one opportunity with a runner in scoring position. Both are problems, although as games go on there are always peaks and valleys. Last night’s game was good in terms of offensive output for the Birds. Tomorrow’s could be as well.

Cleveland would get an insurance run in the eighth on a solo homer by Santana. The good news is that anytime Means or any other pitcher found himself in trouble in this game, they did a great job of minimizing the damage. But that doesn’t do much good when you can’t put runs on the board. But part of the beauty of baseball is that tomorrow is the next opportunity to win a game. However it’ll take more than one hit, which is what the Orioles has today – the Mancini homer.

The series concludes tomorrow at Progressive Field. Yefry Ramirez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

It’s tough to pitch better than John Means once again did this evening. This time it came against Boston, of course the defending World Series Champion. If you’re going to play games against the defending champs, you may as well win them. Means put them in a spot to do that this evening. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Means kept Boston hitters guessing all game long. And that began in the first inning, when he sent them down 1-2-3. But they were never quite able to figure Means out, and it showed in the result.

Jonathan Villar hit what appeared to be a lead off homer in the first inning. However upon review it was ruled that a fan had impeded the Boston outfielder from getting to the ball. Villar was called out. One almost thought this was the Kentucky Derby!

However Villar wasn’t going to be kept off the board tonight. The Birds loaded the bases with nobody down in the second inning, and Villar came to bat with two down. He smacked a grand slam to center, giving the O’s a 4-0 lead. You can’t score more than four runs at a time, but the Orioles managed to do just that.

Boston would get one across in the fifth on a sac fly-RBI. But that was as close as they got. As I said, John Means was dominant tonight. So was the Orioles’ bullpen. Combined, they held a potent lineup to three hits.

Means is showing a lot of promise. It goes without saying that he’ll hit a bump in the road at some point. But he shut down one of the best lineups in baseball last night. Despite still being young, he may be the best starter that the Orioles have right now.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. David Hess gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Hector Velazquez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles looked unstoppable last night against Tampa. That wasn’t the case this afternoon, as something did stop them: the weather. The series finale against Tampa at Camden Yards was rained out.

The game will be made up as part of a split admission day/night doubleheader on July 13th. Fans with tickets to today’s game can use them for the first game of the doubleheader, at 1 PM. Otherwise they can be exchanged on a dollar-for-dollar basis for any other game this season. The exchange must be done before July 13th.

The Orioles tomorrow will open a three-game set with Boston at Camden Yards. John Means (who was set to start today) gets the start for the Birds, and Boston is yet to name a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles came into tonight’s game with a shot at taking the series with the Chicago White Sox. And that they did, behind the birthday boy, starter John Means. You really have to hand it to Means; he worked hard and made this team out of spring training, and he’s been superb in the games in which he’s appeared – especially as a starter. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

I’ve said so many times that the main job of a starting pitcher is to put the team in a spot to win the game. Means did that tonight. Means put Chicago out of their comfort zone from the get go, which again put the O’s in a spot to win.

The O’s got on the board right away on an RBI-single by Renato Nunez in the first inning. Rio Ruiz would single Nunez home later in the inning, and the Birds led 2-0. Hanser Alberto‘s sac fly-RBI in the second ran the lead to 3-0.

Chicago would fight back, however. Abreu would smack an RBI-double in the third, but msolo homer off the bat of Stevie Wilkerson in the fourth have the Orioles a 4-1 lead. However as I said, Chicago battled back. They threatened a few times, but most poignantly in the sixth. They loaded the bases with nobody out, but the Orioles managed to minimize the damage. Cordell got hit by a pitch, cutting the lead to 4-2. But other than that, the O’s minimized the damaged (whatever that means).

Chicago threatened again in the ninety, but the Orioles’ pen shut them down after Abreu accounted for one run on a RBI- double. They clamped down, for the final outs, and headed home for the night.

This was the first series win for the O’s at home in 2019. And that’s noteworthy because there has to be chemistry in an organization. If everyone’s not on the same page, things won’t mesh properly. And in order to win series’ things have to be meshing. This was a good team win for the Orioles, and as I said it marked their first series victory at home this year. They’re certainly hoping for many more.

The Baltimore Orioles can’t win many games if they don’t put any runs on the board. It really doesn’t matter who the starter is, or how good he looks. And this on a day where starter John Means looked pretty good. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

On the flip side however, games such as these will happen to young teams. And the Orioles are certainly a young team. Furthermore, they’re a young team playing against the defending champions. At Fenway Park. Just for context.

Bogaerts would put Boston ahead in the last of the fourth with a sac fly-RBI. That would be the lone run the aforementioned John Means would surrender. Speaking for myself, I’m fairly impressed with Means and the two starts he’s made thus far. They both came in losing efforts and they both were shorter outings, however Means showed promise in both.

They key today was that he attacked the zone. Boston hitters almost looked as if they were expecting him to nibble. (Maybe because they’ve seen Oriole pitchers nibble at Fenway for years.) But Means attacked the zone, potentially providing for some shocked gazes from the BoSox and their fans when their players would strike out.

However in the end, it would be Bogaerts who would put the game out of reach as well. His eighth inning three-run homer against the Orioles’ bullpen gave Boston a 4-0 lead. That would end up being the final, as Boston blanked the Orioles on this Sunday afternoon at Fenway Pahk.

The Orioles originally had Dwight Smith Jr. in today’s starting lineup, however he was scratched about 90 minutes before game time with a sore leg. However manager Brandon Hyde said that he would be available to play if needed.

Hyde also said that the team is eyeing next weekend as a potential return for starter Alex Cobb. Cobb of course has been on the Injured List with back issues. The O’s want to be as cautious as they can, given the sensitivity of back problems. However the aim is next weekend’s home series with Minnesota.

The weekend series with Boston of course culminates tomorrow at Fenway Park for the annual Patriot’s Day morning game. Dan Straily gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Hector Velasquez. Game time is set for just after 11 AM. (Yes you read that correctly – 11:00 AM!)

Dylan Bundy would have been in line to record the Baltimore Orioles’ first quality start of 2019 this afternoon in the Bronx. After a three hour and twenty minute rain delay to start the game, Bundy was masterful. The only reason he didn’t get a quality start was due to a very high pitch count. Bundy’s line: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 7 K.

The O’s jumped all over NY early on. Renato Nunez smacked a three-run homer in the first inning. Trey Mancini would add a solo shot in the third. And we were off to the races!

While Bundy looked very good today (his three surrendered runs crossed after he left the game), the real star of the show was reliever John Means. When Bundy loaded the bases in the fourth, Means entered to mop up. Means would walk in a run, and allow a two-RBI single to Judge. But he limited the damage as best he could.

And…he pitched the Orioles through into the later innings. And in a division game that figured to be close, that’s a huge service done for the team. And on a day when the team earned a big win, that made a massive difference.

Dwight Smith Jr. would add an RBI-single in the fifth, but NY’s Sanchez would smack a solo homer in the seventh. However as I said yesterday, often these games come down to insurance runs. And the Orioles got them today.

Those insurance runs came in the form of a three-run homer in the eighth inning by Joey Rickard. That extended the Orioles’ lead to 7-4. While NY would threaten in the ninth and tack on a run, Bird was the word in the Bronx today.

For what it’s worth, the Orioles took two-of- three in this series. The season is very young. That goes without saying. But how many people saw this coming? Very few, that’s for sure. And again, the key guy in this one was John Means. Incredible effort. But it was an overall team effort as well. And that’s how big wins are supposed to be.

The O’s now head to Toronto where they’ll open up a three-game set at Rogers Centre. David Hess gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Sean Reid-Foley. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.