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Baltimore Orioles haunted by walks, errors, and too much precision in loss to Washington

Kyle Bradish was looking to build off of his previous start in Anaheim this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles in the series finale against Washington. Bradish attacked the strike zone early. However as his outing went on he began to get too precise on his spots. Which is shocking because that modus operandi hasn’t worked for Oriole pitchers all year. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 4 R (3 earned), 5 BB, 2 K.

Bradish was effective early in the game. In fact, on top of that the Orioles had a lead. Pete Alonso smacked a two-run home run in the first inning. This on the heels of a base bit by Adley Rutschman, who returned from the concussion IL this afternoon.

However as we’ve seen all year, the O’s get out to an early lead only to sort of stop there. Bradish started getting too cute in the third, And it seemed to happen as usual – with two outs. It’s almost as if Bradish stopped trusting his stuff.

He issued two walks on pitches on the fringes. Garcia then smacked a two-RBI double that split the defenders and went all the way to the wall. This on a high slider – which shouldn’t have gone that far. When you try too hard to hit such a fine spot, you sometimes miss. And that can be the result.

To make matters worse, Bradish in a way did seem to right himself. Sort of. He induced the next hitter, Mead, to ground to third. A routine play that would have been the final out of the inning. However Coby Mayo’s throw took a short hop in front of Samuel Basallo, who was making his first start at first base today. The ball got by Basallo, allowing the run to score and giving Washington a 3-2 lead.

On a side note, that’s an error on Coby Mayo. With Rutschman back in the lineup, Craig Alberbaz wanted to keep Basallo in the lineup. Coby Mayo has to know that he has a novice at first. Maybe put a little extra on the throws today.

Bradish continued to be too fine, however. As I said, it appeared he wasn’t trusting his fastball. The misses weren’t egregious, but the pitches were out of the zone. Hence the five walks. It’s a valuable lesson in a way; if you try to be too perfect you’ll be anything but.

Bradish was lifted after a walk in the fifth. The problem of course was that Garcia smacked a two-run home run extending the lead to 5-2. Nothing good ever happens after a walk. On top of that, Garcia would send a solo shot over the wall in the seventh (umpire reviewed).

But the O’s also battled back in the seventh as well. Jackson Holliday’s two-run homer cut the lead to 6-4. However they couldn’t get any closer, falling 6-4. End of the day, you have to pick yourself up and go on. That’s how baseball works. Never allow yourself to reach rock bottom.

The Mayo error stands out. So do the walks. And the pitch selection thus by extension.

The O’s now open a three-game set with the ChiSox tomorrow at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Sean Burke. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Results don’t dictate right and wrong

Out of all the plays in the Baltimore Orioles’ 4-3 loss to Washington last night, none of them are scrutinized as much as a moment in the last of the tenth. Nevermind the strikeouts or anything else. But lots of people are talking about the contact play.

The Orioles of course had a ghost runner on second to start the inning (in the form of Jeremiah Jackson). He moved to third on a Jackson Holliday groundout. So the Birds had one out and the tying run at third. In extra innings.

The question in this situation is whether or not the team at bat has the contact play on. Meaning will the runner at third break for home on contact (at the crack of the bat). The alternative of course is waiting to see if it’s safe to run.

Taylor Ward grounded the ball to third, and in fact the contact play was on. Jackson was dead in the water at home plate. To make matters worse, Gunnar Henderson immediately got on base with a single – which would have tied the game had the runner held up at third.

In general I believe in playing conservatively in games. However this is situational baseball in a sense. If that exact same scenario (with a real runner having hit his was to third in lieu of a ghost runner) plays out in the third inning, there’s no reason to have the contact play on. Do teams (including the Orioles) do it? All the time. And it’s frustrating.

But you’re down by one in extra innings. The situations ARE NOT the same. You need one run to extend the game – and then let things lie where they may. Having the runner break for home on contact was the right move.

People may ask, why is it okay in extra’s but not earlier? When you play for one run, often you’re going to get one run (at best). Earlier in the game you might look for a big inning. Plus you have time to make your move to make up one run. Down one in the tenth, you need exactly one run to extend the game. It makes sense to run on contact there.

In anything, you can’t let the result dictate whether or not something was fundamentally sound. It’s very unfortunate when you do the right thing and it works to your detriment. But you can’t second-guess making the correct move. And having the runner go on contact was the correct move in that situation.

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Baltimore Orioles: Tough loss in extra’s

Brandon Young labored through five innings tonight for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards against Washington tonight. He made one bad pitch, and suffered a few unfortunate bounces and rolls. Such is life as a starter at times. Young’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K.

Young surrendered a ground rule double to Lile in the second. Leody Taveras appeared to have it in his grasp, but it sailed on him and bounced into the stands. Vivas folllwed with a softly-hit RBI-single to left field giving Washington a short-lived 1-0 lead. in the bottom of the frame Chadwick Tromp’s run-scoring single tied the game at one.

The tie only lasted a couple of innings, however. Garcia smacked a deep home run onto Eutaw Street in the fifth. That was the one bad pitch that Brandon Young threw. But solo home runs shouldn’t hurt you. Unless you allow them to.

Blaze Alexander committed an error to lead off the sixth, allowing a runner to get to second. Millas’ run-scoring single would extend Washington’s lead to 3-1. However Garcia came up again in what ended up being the end of the inning. I say that because Garcia sent a shot off the wall in right. Tyler O’Neill relayed the ball in, while the Washington third base coach inexplicably waved the runner from first around. And the Orioles had the final out of the inning at home.

That was a huge play. This as we found out later. This is why I say not to take risks in games. Over-aggression at times can cost you runs. And wins.

However the O’s made no attempt to hold Washington accountable for that – until the eighth inning. Washington starter Griffin, who was as outstanding as outstanding can be, was lifted due to his high pitch count. That’s all the Birds needed.

With two outs in the last of the eighth, Pete Alonso’s RBI-double cut the lead to 3-2. Craig Albernaz pinch hit Samuel Basallo for Coby Mayo. First pitch swinging, Basallo stroked an RBI-single tight down the first base line. That tied the game at three.

Unfortunately for the O’s however, Washington is a team who can take advantage of the ghost runner in extra innings better than most. Because they’re capable of spraying the ball all over the place if need be. They get on base. Lile’s run-scoring single in the top of the tenth gave them a 4-3 lead.

The O’s would load the bases with two out in the last of the tenth, but Samuel Basallo grounded out to end the game. This is the sort of game that has bounced and skips which decided it. It’s easy to point at the Orioles’ errors as incriminating- and they are. But the game ends in nine if the Washington runner isn’t thrown out at home. Tough loss, but it’s a game of margins.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Zack Littell. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Pitching rules the night

It begins and ends with starting pitching – for the Baltimore Orioles and all other teams. They got it last night from Trevor Rogers against Washington. As much as people try to say bullpens matter more now, they just don’t. There’s no substitute for solid starting pitching. Rogers’ line: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

Rogers attacked the strike zone so much that he didn’t even issue a walk. He overpowered Washington hitters. Mind you, the Washington Nationals are baseball’s highest scoring team. Trevor Rogers shut them down.

The O’s ran themselves out of an inning in the second when Leody Taveras was caught stealing with two outs and runners on the corners. Rogers also got himself into a slight bit of a pickle in the fourth. Washington put two runners in scoring position after a softly hit double and a softly hit single. The sort of thing that’s plagued the Birds all year. But he pitched out of that, including an out recorded at home plate.

In their half of the frame the O’s also put two runners in scoring position. Jackson Holliday drew a walk, loading the bases. The Orioles would then take a 2-0 lead on Blaze Alexander’s two-RBI single. Alexander would later be thrown out at third on a Taylor Ward single, and the out was recorded before Jackson Holliday crossed home plate – negating a third run.

That’s the second time in a few weeks that’s happened. Both times it was Alexander being thrown out before Holliday could touch home plate. Whether it’s Holliday lallygagging around the bases or Alexander making poor decisions on the base paths – or both, you can’t give away runs. Especially in close ballgames.

Washington would cut the lead in half in the fifth on an RBI-single by Ruiz. Rogers was pulled in the seventh with one on and one out. Again, this after an outstanding outing, albeit after only 87 pitches. My personal opinion was that Craig Albernaz pulled him too early. However Tyler Wells picked up right where Rogers left off, ending the inning.

Coby Mayo’s RBI-double in the last of the seventh gave the Orioles the insurance run they needed. Grant Wolfram set up Ryan Helsley for the ninth, and he sent Washington down 1-2-3. With the win, the O’s got the taste of Wednesday’s game in Anaheim out of their mouths.

The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Foster Griffin. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Throw the script out if you want to win

Trey Gibson got the start this afternoon in the series finale in Anaheim. Also the finale of a long three-game west coast road trip. Perhaps a defining moment in a sense given the distance and time. And a win going into today would have given the Birds a winning record on the trip. Gibson’s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Gibson nibbled here and there, and perhaps a little too much. But he also got his fastball over for strikes towards the end of his outing. I found it interesting that Gibson only lasted four innings. Granted, with the off day tomorrow, almost anyone was eligible to work out of the ‘pen today.

Gibson gave up a two-run home run to Soler in the first inning. Tough way to start, but he righted himself. As did the O’s overall; Pete Alonso led off the top of the second with a base hit. That brought Samuel Basallo to the plate.

Basallo wasn’t at the plate for long. Just like the ball wasn’t in the ballpark for long. Basallo sent a deep fly ball 434 feet from home plate, and over the wall for a game-tying home run. It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish.

Leody Taveras walked one inning later, and we know what that means for the team in the field! That brought Pete Alonso to the plate, and his RBI-double gave the Birds a 3-2 lead. Which brought Basallo back to the plate.

Basallo didn’t hit it quite 434 feet this time. But he did take it 373 feet to right, which was far enough to clear the wall. And the O’s led, 5-2.

The Oriole bullpen took it from there. Again, I found it interesting that Gibson was lifted early. With the likes of Dean Kremer and Cade Povich potentially eyeing returns in the near future, might the O’s be looking at moving Gibson to the bullpen?

Grissom’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the lead to 5-3. With two on and Guzman coming to the plate, Craig Albernaz again went to the bullpen, this time to match up. He brought in righty Andrew Kittredge to face the righty Guzman.

However I suspect Anaheim expected that. They also expected Kittredge to try and command the fringes of the plate – which he did. Guzman drew a walk to load the bases. Meckler’s subsequent two-RBI single tied the game at five and we went to extras.

Craig Albernaz follows a certain script in games – both games trending towards a win, or towards a loss. It’s almost the same script that was followed by Brandon Hyde/Tony Mansolino the last couple of years. With almost the same players. And with similar results at times.

This is why opponents allow themselves to be loosely goosey at times, and evolve with the game. Which is why at times we see teams sitting on pitches (and ultimately getting them), AND we see the Orioles making curious mistakes in games. The Orioles play so rigid that they can’t allow themselves to evolve with the game. Opponents can.

The Orioles began the tenth with the ghost runner at second, which quickly became runners at the corners. Gunnar Henderson grounded into a fielder’s choice with the out being at home plate, but before the ball king ended Pete Alonso’s RBI-single gave the Orioles the lead back at 6-5.

Albernaz had to turn to Keegan Akin to close the game out in the tenth. He recorded two quick outs, putting the Birds on the precipice of a win and a winning road trip. With the ghost runner having moved to third, Schanuel rolled a ball over to Jeremiah Jackson at second. This appeared to be a routine play…until Keegan Akin decided to come off the mound to make the play. Jackson threw to first base, where Pete Alonso was waiting – but Akin inexplicably seemed to launch himself towards the bag to field the ball, which trickled up the first base line and allowed Schanuel to get to third.

It’s inexplicable why Akin did that. He came off the mound on a dead sprint, almost thinking that Alonso wasn’t at first base to field the ball. His misjudgment and the urgency thereof literally allowed what he thought was preventing – the tying run.

Granted with two outs, but that also allowed the winning run to get to third. O’Hoppe swung at the fourth pitch, and on an excuse me check swing, sent a swinging bunt down the third base line. Samuel Basallo quickly fielded the ball, but the runner squeezed by him and scored, sending the O’s down to a 7-6 defeat.

A lot had to happen for that to end up being the endgame. None of it was expected. None of it went according to the script. Schnauel ran hard down the line to first – just in case he had a shot to reach safely. And he did. His speed caused that play in a sense. Anaheim was ready for whatever happened. The Orioles got caught up in their script.

It’s worth at least mentioning that on the game-winning run, Schnauel may well have been out of the base path – similar to what we saw in Toronto a few weeks ago. Can we definitively say that the umpire blew the call? No. It’s a judgement call. But the runner clearly deviated out of the base path as the tag attempt was being initiated by Basallo.

Tough to say t definitely should have been called. But it was at least something Craig Albernaz should have addressed, and in a fairly spirited manner at that. I guess a potential ejection (after the would-be final out) wasn’t part of the script.

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Baltimore Orioles: From feast to famine in Anaheim

After Monday’s win, the Baltimore Orioles had quite a different sort of game last night. Shane Baz struggled, but roughed his way through five innings. Baz’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

I mentioned yesterday that Kyle Bradish commanded the strike zone. Baz did his share of nibbling last night, and the result speaks for itself. You can’t live on the fringes or the plate or off the plate. Bradish mowed down hitters left and right. Baz had balls put in play and runners reaching base.

He surrendered a two-run homer in the first to Schanuel, giving Anaheim a 2-0 lead. Baz kept them off the board until the fifth after that, when Grissom’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 4-0. Soler racked on a sac fly-RBI in the end of the inning, and the O’s trailed 5-0.

The O’s didn’t get a hit against Anaheim’s Johnson until the sixth. They got on the board in the seventh on an RBI-single by Leody Taveras. In total in the game, they only had three hits.

So it’s feast or famine in Anaheim. The one bright spot for the Birds was Albert Suarez, who pitched three innings of relief for the O’s, surrendering only one hit. He also kept the bullpen fresh for the series finale today. A win in the finale would give the Orioles a winning west coast road trip.

The series and the roadtrip conclude the afternoon at Angel Stadium. Trey Gibson gets the start for the O’s, done he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Jose Soriano. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: The Leody Taveras game

The Baltimore Orioles got another sparkling start out of Kyle Bradish last night at “The Big A” in Anaheim. Despite a rough start in Seattle, the Orioles really have a good shot to make this a great road trip. If they win tonight or tomorrow, it would be an above .500 west coast swing. Bradish’s line: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K.

Pitchers who have commanded the strike zone have succeeded this year. Bradish struck out nine Anaheim hitters last night, and in doing so he avoided nibbling. He simply overpowered the hitters. That’s the goal. That wins games.

Taylor Ward smacked the fourth pitch of the ballgame out of the park to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. Gunnar Henderson later led off the fourth with a walk. And we all know what that means – nothing good happens after a walk (for the team in the field, that is). Pete Alonso followed with a single, bringing Coby Mayo to the plate. And Mayo hit a ball far out of “The Big A,” giving the O’s a 4-0 lead.

Pete Alonso added a sac fly-RBI in the fifth, and Gunnar Henderson an RBI-triple in the seventh. Rico Garcia would give up a solo home run to Soler in the ninth, but he quickly righted himself. He retired the side 1-2-3 after that, the O’s took game on in Anaheim, 6-1.

However the bigger story in the game was Leody Taveras. The outfielder entered the game at third base for the first time in his career in the last of the third, replacing Blaze Alexander. Curious move.

As it turned out, Alexander had fouled a ball off his knee in the second inning, and it later locked up on him. For one reason or the other, the Orioles opted to insert Taveras at a position he’s never played in lieu of simply surrendering their DH, and moving Coby Mayo (the starting DH) into the field. I’m not suggesting that Kyle Bradish having to hit would have been ideal. But for my money it would have been the lesser of two evils as opposed to Taveras playing third.

But Taveras was flawless at the hot corner. The first hitter grounded a ball right to him, and he easily made the play. It makes you wonder if in the moment perhaps he didn’t have time to think about it and it sort of came more naturally to him. But one way or the other that saved the game. Anaheim was presented with a huge advantage, and Taveras didn’t allow them to take it.

Alexander was said to have a muscle contusion in his knee after the game. Craig Albernaz said he’d be “fine.” Again my personal opinion is that surrendering your DH would have been a better option, but Taveras at third worked out. This time.

The series continues tonight at Angel Stadium. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Ryan Johnson. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM,

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Baltimore Orioles win until the “cows” come home in the City of Angels

While the City of Angels was on fire this morning due to a neighborhood fire raging out of control, the Baltimore Orioles sent Brandon Young to mound in Chavez Ravine. Young wasn’t at his best. But needless to say, he got the job done accordingly. And Oriole bats delivered – especially Colton Cowser. Young’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

The Oriole Way jumped over Dodger Blue from the very beginning. And for once, it wasn’t close in the ninth inning. Samuel Basallo and Colton Cowser each smacked RBI-singles in the last of the first to give the Birds a 2-0 lead. Muncy would get one back for LA in the home half of the frame with an RBI-single, but that was the home team’s lone highlight in the game.

Instead, the Orioles turned the colors of this game to orange & black – similar to the fire roaring in Los Angeles as the game wore on. Taylor Ward’s solo homer in the second extended the lead to 3-1. Colton Cowser hit a solo shot of his own one inning later, as well as a two-RBI single in the fourth. When the smoke cleared, the O’s led 6-1.

The bats took a couple of innings off, but picked back up in the seventh with an RBI-double by Jeremiah Jackson. If the game hadn’t already been blown wide open, Pete Alonso’s three-run homer later in the inning did just that. And to prove the O’s weren’t kidding, Blaze Alexander’s two-run homer in the eight acted as an exclamation point.

With the 12-1 blowout win, the O’s took two-of-three from the defending champions over the weekend series. It was hit-or-miss after Friday night’s loss. But the O’s certainly battled back against Dodger Blue in a great way. Everyone contributed. With three to go on the three-game west coast road swing, the Birds are .500 on the trip.

The O’s now head down the freeway to open up a three-game set against Anaheim at Angel Stadium. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Sam Aldegheri. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: A career start for Trevor Rogers

The Baltimore Orioles got one of the best starts of Trevor Rogers’ career last night at Dodger Stadium. Anytime you only surrender one hit in the bulk of the game, you’re going to put your team in a spot to win. Rogers’ line: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Rogers mowed ‘em down from the beginning. Following Friday night’s debacle, this was a game the Orioles needed to win. Rogers did his part. Oriole bats did just enough.

The O’s put runners at the corners with nobody out in the second. Coby Mayo grounded into a force out at second, which scored Leody Taveras and gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. One thing I found fascinating is that Betts at short fielded the ball and took the force out at second, could he have not tried to nail the runner at home plate?

Maybe they thought the contact play wasn’t going to be on. Maybe the angle wasn’t ideal. Or maybe they figured it was only one run and they would get it back. Or that the Orioles would squander the lead. If it’s that last option, that’s a dangerous mentality.

With one out in the fourth the O’s loaded the bases. Keep in mind that this is a team that struggles with runners in scoring position. Jackson Holliday struck out, and you all but expected Blaze Alexander to do the same – or put the ball in play and record an out. But he didn’t – he smacked a two-RBI double down the third base line, giving the Birds a 3-0 lead.

The lead held up until the end. Los Angeles did threaten to spoil the party again, however. Ohtani’s solo homer in the last of the ninth cut the lead to 3-1. After putting a couple of additional runners on, Los Angeles got a second run when Edman reached on a fielding error by Leody Taveras in right field when he bobbled the ball. But the O’s closed out the final out, and took a 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium home – or back to their hotel.

That’s too close for comfort, however the Dodgers are the best team in the league. And the two-time defending champions. But a win is a win. And the Orioles will take it.

Before the game the O’s sent Adley Rutschman to the seven-day concussion IL after he showed concussion symptoms. Rutschman of course was hit in the head on a relay throw back to first base after he grounded into a force out on Thursday in Seattle. Not news the Orioles wanted to report. Not an injury that the training staff or anyone else could have prevented. Just something that’s about par for the course for this year’s Orioles’ season – and last year’s.

The series concludes today at Dodger Stadium.

Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Emmett Sheehan. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: You can’t game the system

With last night’s start for the Baltimore Orioles, Trey Gibson has the distinction of starting games in his first year both at Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium. Last night he wasn’t great. Beginning and ending with the fact that the game plan seemed to be to stay out of the strike zone overall unless absolutely necessary. But he did pitch out of a major jam, which is telling. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 8 K.

Gibson seemed almost to have been told to not throw the ball in the strike zone. Granted, Los Angeles is probably the best team in the league. But you can’t surrender base runner after base runner and think that by putting the ball in play you’re going to record outs. With two on in the first inning Gibson felt compelled to throw a fastball to Muncy, who jumped on it for a two-RBI double.

Backing up just a bit, the Orioles also seemingly cause more headaches for themselves trying to game the system. Beginning with Taylor Ward trying to stretch a single into a double on the first at-bat of the game, and being thrown out at second. Ward led off the ballgame with a solid base hit which was quickly cut off. Odds are that made him think he could get to second, but was thrown out. That killed a rally before it started.

One inning later with one out and a runner on first, Pages lined an RBI-double to Jeremiah Jackson in left. First off, the pitch was out of the strike zone; when teams anticipate hittable pitches out of the zone, they know where to look. However that run (while ruled an RBI) came because Jackson slightly slipped and bobbled the ball, albeit briefly. It was a close play at the plate which was confirmed on review.

Again, you can’t game the system. The Orioles have been ravaged once again by injuries this year, such as Heston Kjerstad and Dylan Beavers. (Not to mention Chris Bassitt, Dean Kremer, et al.) But the answer isn’t playing infielders like Jeremiah Jackson in the outfield. In fact, they’re doing guys like Jackson no favors, as playing out of position makes them look inept as fielders. You have to put people in a position to succeed in anything.

Gibson proceeded to load the bases in the third with nobody out. However at that point for once, things started to work out. Gibson relied on almost exclusively breaking pitches. With the bases loaded, he struck out three hitters to get out of the inning. It’s fair to say that Gibson caused the traffic on the bases. But also fair to say he single-handedly got himself out of the jam.

Oriole bats came alive in the sixth with a two-run home run by Gunnar Henderson. He was followed by Pete Alonso, who smacked a solo homer which tied the game at three. One inning later, Jeremiah Jackson’s two-RBI single put the O’s in the lead at 5-3. A late lead…at Dodger Stadium?!

Part of the reason that Jackson was in the outfield was so his bat could get into the lineup. Whomever sends the lineup in probably sees that two-RBI single as justification. And needless to say, it is good that Jackson pulled that off. But my point remains the same; you can’t think that defensive metrics aren’t going to sneak up on you when guys are out of position in the field.

The Orioles carried that lead into the ninth. Remember, Ryan Helsley gave up a couple of home runs in his last outing against Seattle, but the O’s held onto win. He gave up a solo homer to Betts to cut the lead to 5-4. He also issued two walks in the inning.

With two outs, Rushing smacked a single to Tyler O’Neill in right, allowing the tying run to score. O’Neill all but air mailed the throw to the plate, which arrived up the third base line. Samuel Basallo did what he could to field the ball, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the winning run from scoring, and the O’s dropped a 6-5 game late at Dodger Stadium,

That final play is obviously more memorable given the fact that it ended the game. But the more glaring thing is Jeremiah Jackson’s slight mishap in the outfield in the second inning. That cost the Orioles a run by the slimmest of margins.

Is it fair to suggest that he showed why they needed to get him in the lineup with his go-ahead hit? Sure. But that illustrates the fact that the front office needs to put more of an emphasis on defense. If Jackson’s bat is that valuable, DH him. Make no mistake that an infielder playing in the outfield made a small mistake that cost the Orioles a run early. And the Orioles proceeded to lose a very winnable game by one run.

For the record, there’s not much blame that can be put on Jeremiah Jackson. He’s the guy who was set up to fail in a sense. The Orioles’ front office is trying to outsmart the system. You just can’t do that. When you put an infielder in the outfield, he doesn’t suddenly become a natural outfielder. Was there a hot dog wrapper on the field which caused Jackson to briefly slip, or did he briefly slip because he wasn’t playing his natural position? You can’t game the system.

Incidentally that final play – it’s one that many people think Basallo should have made. Maybe it is. But why did Tyler O’Neill decide to rush a throw home?

The series continues tonight at Dodger Stadium. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Late night win

It begins and ends with starting pitching – for the Baltimore Orioles and everyone else. The Birds got a quality start in Seattle for the second consecutive game last night, this time from Kyle Bradish. He mowed ‘em down – Seattle hitters, that is – from the beginning. Bradish’s line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K.

Twelve strikeouts. There’s something to that. Some of the best pitching outings that the Orioles have gotten this year had high strikeout totals from their own staff. This as opposed to pitching on the fringes of the plate with the idea that a high spin rate is going to induce putting the ball in play. All that’s done is induce soft contact and assisted opponents in getting on base. Twelve strikeouts is also a career-high for Kyle Bradish.

The O’s struck first when Gunnar Henderson smacked a two-run homer in the third. Bradish would surrender his one run one inning later when Canzone’s RBI-single got Seattle on the board. However Bradish also minimized the damage. Which is often a key to a quality start.

The O’s would begin to tack on in the sixth. Leody Taveras’ RBI-triple extended the lead to 3-1. It’s also worth noting that Tyler O’Neill robbed Raleigh of at the very least an extra-base hit in the sixth. Raleigh sent a deep drive to right field; O’Neill scaled the wall and caught the ball on the railing. O’Neill has seen a lot of criticism from fans for his lack of production at the plate, but that was as big a defensive play as you’ll see.

The O’s put runners at the corners in the seventh, and Taylor Ward drove in a run by grounding into a double-play. Not the ideal way to score, but it’s still a run. Jackson Holliday would smack a solo home run in the ninth as an insurance run.

The Orioles got Ryan Helsley back off the IL coming into this series. The one slight blip in the radar from last night’s game was that he surrendered back-to-back solo homers in the last of the ninth. Again, not ideal. But Helsley did seem to right himself and he sent Seattle down in order after that, soaring the Birds to a 5-3 win.

The series concludes this afternoon at T-Mobile Park. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Bryan Woo. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles drop late night pitchers duel

Brandon Young gave the Baltimore Orioles a quality start late last night in the series opener in Seattle at T-Mobile Park. Sadly, the bats didn’t cooperate once again. Young has been a pleasant surprise thus far this season, and last night was no exception. Young’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K.

Taylor Ward jumped on the first pitch and almost smacked it out of the ballpark. However it hit off the top of the wall and Ward ended up on second base. He would later score on Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single to give the O’s a 1-0 lead.

That would have indicated that the O’s were going to put some runs up. However the issue is that despite that quick jolt on the first pitch, that was the only run the O’s scored – in that sequence and at all. You just can’t let opportunities go by the wayside like that. And it’s happening too often.

Seattle got to Young in the third on Rodruiguez’s RBI-single. That came on the heels of two walks. In a tight game, every base runner matters. However that was the only run that Young allowed in that sequence as well. He pitched himself into a jam, and minimized the damage.

Young gave a quality start, which is always outstanding. It’s a tragic twist of fate when it occurs in a losing effort. It’s certainly not Yonng’s fault that Oriole bats couldn’t muster anything. The Orioles only registered three hits in the entire game. That shouldn’t be the case.

Despite Young’s quality start, he can’t last forever in the game. He came back out for the seventh and Allowed two singles before manager Craig Albernaz pulled him. Those two runners would both score on a two-RBI single by Raleigh, sending the O’s to a 3-1 defeat.

It’s easy to say that Craig Albernaz left Young in too long. Granted that almost goes without saying. But pitchers can often lose it in a game very quickly. The real villain in this game would be the offense. Seattle pitchers struck out twelve Orioles. 12. They only had four opportunities with runners in scoring position, as they struggled to get on base. You can’t win many games like that.

The series continues tonight at T-Mobile Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s George Kirby. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: A loss on the fringes

Trevor Rogers didn’t pitch poorly for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. But he had just enough things go awry to hurt the O’s. Some within the bounds of his control, and some outside of it. Rogers’ line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

San Diego’s Taylor led off the second inning with a bunt – which seemed fairly unorthodox. However the ball went back to Rogers, with Pete Alonso also making a play on the ball. Which meant that Jeremiah Jackson probably should have covered the bag. He didn’t, and Taylor was safe.

He would later score on another play involving Jackson at second. Duran grounded the ball to second, but it hit the bag and went into center field. My question is why did Jackson allow the ball to hit the bag instead of fielding it before it got there? Nevertheless, it went as an RBI-double. Tatis would tack on an RBI-single before the inning ended and the O’s trailed 2-0.

Jackson would quasi-redeem himself in the last of the fifth with a solo homer. However Duran would come on again in the seventh with one on. This following a walk – and nothing good happens after a walk. Duran smacked a two-run homer, breaking the game wide open.

The Birds would get one back in the bottom of the inning on Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single. However Henderson and Jackson Holliday would combine to commit three errors in the top of the ninth. Tatis appeared to hit into a double-play when he lined out to Blaze Alexander in right field to end the inning. But…

…San Diego challenged the tag at the plate. And the umpire ruled that Wagner slide in safe by a fingernail before the tag at home plate. The O’s went 1-2-3 in the ninth, dropping the series. And the homestead before going out west.

Oriole pitchers, including Rogers (who pitched well) aimed for the fringes of the plate all day. Many of them missed. That combined with the bizzare stretch in the second inning surrounding Jeremiah Jackson…in various ways, this game was lost on the fringes.

Here’s another intangible point. San Diego indubitably seemed to use the theatrics in yesterday’s game (surrounding the hit batsmen) as fodder going into today. And you have to wonder if part of the reason Craig Stanmen fought as hard as he did with the umpiring crew was to fire up his team. Needless to say, the result today would indicate that it did.

Instead, Craig Albernaz seemed to try to diffuse the situation in his postgame comments – this last night. The professional term would be that he took the high road. Which in general is a virtuous thing both in life and in baseball. But is it possible that he inadvertently allowed the wind to be taken out of his team’s sails, and put into the sails of an opponent?

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Baltimore Orioles: Nothing good ever happens after a walk

The Baltimore Orioles sent Trey Gibson to the mound this afternoon against San Diego, this in lieu of the injured Chris Bassitt. The young Gibson turned in a so-so outing, which is fine for a young pitcher. But he also set the tone early in the ballgame. Gibson’s line: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 BB, 7 K.

Gibson gave up two two-run homers in the first inning. One off the back of Merrill (a Baltimore native), and the other off the bat of Taylor. Both came on the heels of walks. And nothing good ever happens after a walk.

But the Orioles immediately got back into the game. Pete Alonso smacked a solo home run in the last of the first. Samuel Basallo immediately drew a walk, and then scored on Leody Taveras’ RBI-triple. Nothing good ever happens after a walk (for the team in the field).

On top of that, Gibson stabilized. He started mowing hitters down with strikeouts. Again, it was a so-so outing for Gibson. It wasn’t disastrous. So he has a few things on which to hang his hat in this outing.

In the fifth however something good DID at least appear to happen after a walk for Gibson. He induced a nifty double-play…which on review was overturned. The runner at first was safe, so San Diego had one on and one out in lieu of two outs and nobody on. Big difference, especially when Gibson hit Bogaerts in the head in the next at-bat.

It was obviously not intentional. A littbit down the line in the game, Bogaerts would come out. However San Diego would also plate two runs in the wake of that with the bases loaded. Taylor sent a bloop RBI-single that was very softly hit into center, and Solak added a sac fly-RBI.

As I’ve said before, the O’s play their outfield very deep. Which in general is risky, but especially when you induce as much soft contact as the O’s do. It seems the last two years each time they’ve turned around someone else was hitting a bloop into the outfield – and getting on base.

San Diego would extend the lead in the seventh on a solo home run by Sheets – also an area native. But the O’s did try to rally. Pete Alonso’s RBI-double in the last of the seventh got the Birds to within 7-3. But San Diego wasn’t going to be stopped on this day. Duran would hit a solo home run in the eighth and they went home 9-3 winners. The ninth run coming on a solo home run by Machado in the ninth.

The sad thing about the Duran home run probably should have never happened. Duran’s. Their backup catcher, and he entered the game because the starting catcher Fermin got crossed up warming up a new pitcher, and had to leave the game. Depending on his and Bogaerts’ status’ San Diego may be playing with a short bench tomorrow.

The end of the game wasn’t without controversy, however. San Diego seemed to purposely target Gunnar Henderson in the wake of Bogaerts being hit – which seemed like nothing more than a tragic mistake. They threw at him twice, and missed both times.

Then with two out in the last of the ninth reliever Maranaccio drilled him. Henderson and manager Craig Albernaz were visibly upset, and the umpires huddled up. After a short discussion, Maranaccio was ejected.

Answer Craig Stammen wasn’t far behind, as he vehemently argued that the ejection was unwarranted given the lack of a warning. Gibson hitting Bogaerts wasn’t intentional, but if you want to retaliate, fine. They made their point in brushing Henderson. In short, they had their chance. They couldn’t do it. When they went back to the well again and in garbage time at that…needless to say it was intentional and the ejection was well-warranted.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Walker Buehler. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles led by Shane Baz’s tentative five innings

Shane Baz struggled through one of those in between starts tonight against San Diego for the Baltimore Orioles. You’ll always have ten great, ten poor, and ten in the middle. That was tonight. Luckily the bats also showed up. Baz’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 earned), 2 BB, 1 K.

Two of those runs were driven in by hometown boy, Gavin Sheets – son of former Oriole Larry Sheets. The first of those was in the top of the first on an RBI-double. However the O’s would immediately get even on Adley Rutschman’s sac fly-RBI in the last of the first.

The difference was that the Orioles didn’t stop at just one run in the first inning. Pete Alonso drew a two-out walk, bringing Samuel Basallo to the plate, who smacked a two-run home run. And that set the tone for the ballgame.

San Diego would inch back closer in the second on Tatis’ RBI-single. However the great thing about Baz’s outing and the defense behind him tonight was that they never allowed big innings to start to unfold. Whenever San Diego put a run on the board or a couple of runners on base; the rally would get shut down.

Jackson Holliday would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the fourth. Later in the inning Pete Alonso would come up with a runner on base, and he smacked his second home run in as many games. This one of the two-run variety. One inning later Gunnar Henderson tacked on a solo homer, the 100th of his career.

Sheets would plate his second run in the fifth on an RBI-single. Baz was clearly starting to tire, but Craig Albernaz got him through the fifth, qualifying him for the win. The Oriole bullpen was rock solid for the final four innings, and the O’s took game one of the series, 7-3.

Baz won tonight when he wasn’t perfect. That makes a difference. He tired quickly at the end. But the bullpen picked him up. And the Birds are now within three of .500.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trey Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Randy Vasquez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Big innings and an insurance run

Kyle Bradish got the start for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the series finale against Seattle. A win for the Birds would tie the series, of course with the O’s heading to Seattle next week to play them again. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Bradish surrendered a solo home run in the first at-bat of the game. However he stabilized himself – for a period. Mercifully Oriole bats gave themselves a bit of a cushion.

The O’s however were able to figure out Seattle starter Woo after one turn through the order. Colton Cowser tied it in the third with a solo homer. The Birds strung together a couple of base hits and a walk, and before you knew it they had the bases loaded, and the potential for a big inning.

Woo uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Jackson Holliday from third. This reinforces the point that when you get guys on base, anything can happen. To show that the Orioles weren’t kidding, Adley Rutschman smacked a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 4-1.

To top it off, Pete Alonso uncorked a mammoth two-run home run. The O’s led 6-1. And Bradish was dealing. Until he wasn’t.

Sadly Bradish fell victim to the same thing that Woo did. Seattle seemed to figure him out after everyone had seen him. Raley’s two-run home run cut the lead in half at 6-3 in the fourth. Canzone would follow with a solo shot back-to-back. Seattle would tack one more on on Rodriguez’s RBI-single before the inning ended.

When the smoke cleared the Orioles’ lead had shrunk to one run at 6-5. That’s not an ideal situation. But needless to say the ball was flying tonight. Adley Rutschman would tack on an RBI-single in the fifth, which proved to be a big run.

If only for the fact that it gave the O’s just a slight bit of breathing room. And that helped the bullpen to navigate through the remainder of the game, closing Seattle out. With how this series started, to come back and salvage a split is uplifting. Especially against a first place team.

The Orioles now welcome in San Diego tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Griffin Canning. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holliday picks up Brandon Young

Despite the struggles thus far this year by the Baltimore Orioles, Brandon Young continues to be a great story. Young’s pitched outstanding all year, despite not having been supposed to be a part of the rotation. Tonight he served as the Orioles’ stopper – but the offense didn’t make it easy, at least early on. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Bluntly put, Young attacked the strike zone tonight. However if you look through his starts this year, he always has. From a defensive perspective, that’s how you record outs and win games. BECAUSE…winning begins and ends with starting pitching.

But he didn’t get much help. The Orioles did put men on base. But they couldn’t plate them. That came to a head when they loaded the bases in the third with nobody out. And couldn’t score.

Ironically they did get a hit with a runner in scoring position in that sequence. Gunnar Henderson got a base hit but the runner had to stop at third. And before long the inning ended and the Birds couldn’t score.

The O’s needed to get something across. They needed to thrust Brandon Young into the lead. He didn’t deserve to be non-decisioned. And he certainly didn’t deserve to lose. Luckily Pete Alonso’s sixth inning solo homer made that a bit tougher – to leave in line to lose.

Colton Cowser would steal second following his walk after the home run. He would later score on Leody Taveras’ RBI-double. Taveras would score later in the inning on a subsequent RBI-double by Blaze Alexander. And the Birds suddenly led, 3-0.

One inning later it was over. In theory. The O’s loaded the bases again, bringing Jackson Holliday to the plate. On a 1-1 count, Holliday sent a deep shot to right center, which ended up in the seats. With the grand slam, the O’s opened the game wide open and led 7-0.

Grant Wolfram would make it interesting in the eight, allowing two runs. But Yennier Cano shut the door, and the Birds snapped a four-game losing streak with the 7-2 lead. The situational hitting was off early. But they got it together late.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Bryan Woo. Game time is set for just after 7 PM,

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Baltimore Orioles: Balls in play give you a shot

Trevor Rogers was pulled in the sixth inning tonight by Baltimore Orioles’ manager Craig Albernaz. Rogers put the O’s in a spot to win the game, but he got no help from Oriole bats. Rogers’ line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The Orioles loaded the bases in the first inning. However they could only scratch across a sac fly-RBI by Leody Taveras. He sent a liner to center field, and the Seattle center fielder Rodriguez made a diving catch. That saved at least one other run for Seattle.

The O’s had other chances early. But they always let Seattle off the hook. Seattle however wasn’t that charitable. With two outs and two strikes in the fourth, Garvey smacked a three-run home run. And Seattle led, 3-1.

Arozarena’s RBI-single in the seventh would also give Seattle an insurance run. The difference early on at least between the O’s and Seattle was that the Orioles were trying to make hard contact. Seattle was trying to put the ball in play. Things happen when you put the ball in play.

And on the flip side, it doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball if it’s right at someone. The assumption CANNOT be that if you hit the ball hard the ball’s going to either end up in the stands or the opponent won‘t be able to handle it. In fact, if recent history means anything, you should assume that your opponent IS going to make an amazing play.

Coby Mayo would score on a wild pitch in the seventh, which cut the lead to 4-2. Interestingly, Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman were both on the bench to start the game (Sam Huff was behind the plate.) Basallo would pinch hit and figure into the game later, however Rutschman was on the bench in a sweatshirt during the game. Is he injured? On top of that, why was Basallo well enough to pinch hit, but not well enough to start?

Coby Mayo smacked what could have been termed a meaningless solo home run in the ninth with one down. However a single and an automatic double (on a ball that one-hopped the wall and into the stands) suddenly put the winning run in scoring position. Samuel Basallo would eventually reach on a fielder’s choice back to the Seattle pitcher, Ferrer, who inexplicably decided to throw home. Jeremiah Jackson beat the throw, and the game was tied.

The Orioles had the bases loaded in the last of the ninth. Gunnar Henderson grounded into a force out at home plate, and Pete Alonso did the same at second base to end the inning. The Orioles challenged the play hoping that Gunnar Henderson got his hand in before the tag – but to no avail. Was Gunnar running hard on contact?

Again, when you put the ball in play sometimes things happen. With the ghost runner on second in the tenth, Arozarena smacked a two-run home run to give Seattle a 4-2 lead. Putting the ball in play gives you a shot. As I said, it doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball to someone.

Leody Taveras would smack a run-scoring single in the tenth, and the O’s had an opportunity to win with the winning run on base. However Tyler O’Neill struck out to end the game, culminating in a 6-5 loss. You have no choice but to come back and fight tomorrow.

Attention to detail matters as much as putting the ball in play. Going back to Mayo’s solo homer in the ninth, Leody Taveras struck out for the first out in the inning. But he did so on a pitch timer violation – he wasn’t ready in the box. You CAN’T allow that to happen. AT ALL, but especially in that spot in that moment. It’s one thing to say all things aren’t necessarily going to be the same, and that’s very true. But all things being the same, it’s a very different game.

Furthermore I do question if Gunnar Henderson could have run just a little bit harder on the Alonso fielder’s choice to end the ninth inning. However there’s also always going to be something you could have done different. Seattle held the O’s to account for their mistakes. The same wasn’t true in reverse.

Craig Albernaz said after the game that Adley Rutschman was dealing with hamstring discomfort. Fair enough, but needless to say his absence in the lineup is felt. Again I reiterate…why was Basallo not in the lineup from the beginning? I would simply say that computer scientists play a role in our society and world. They shouldn’t play a role in making baseball lineups.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s George Kirby. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Sunk by over-managing?

The Baltimore Orioles sent Chris Bassitt to the Il before tonight’s game at Camden Yards against Seattle, replacing him in the rotation with Trey Gibson. Between that and Samuel Bassalo being slightly dinged up over the weekend in Toronto, injuries are suddenly bubbling to the surface again. Gibson’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Inexplicably, Craig Albernaz started Sam Huff (who joined the team over the weekend on the taxi squad) behind the plate tonight in lieu of Adley Rutschman. We may well find out after the game that Rutschman himself was was injured as well. However while Huff caught a great game, there’s no comparison with him and Rutschman. That’s curious, needless to say. I’d be curious what the statistic is which says that Huff was the better option than Rutschman.

It could well have something to do with keeping Blaze Alexander’s bat in the lineup. Needless to say, Alexander’s a gamer. He gives the Orioles a great option in the order. But was it worth putting him in an unnatural spot – right field?

The O’s loaded the bases in the third, but couldn’t afford to hold Seattle accountable. they did manage to scratch one across in the form of a Pete Alonso sac fly-RBI. So they did have a brief 1-0 lead.

Seattle would put two on with one out in the fifth. Bliss would tie the game with a sac fly-RBI, and Seattle would then put two on after a single by Young. Craig Albernaz then opted to pull Trey Gibson.

I found that curious. Granted, Gibson’s a young pitcher and he did put runners on base. However he brought in a righty in Anthony Nunez. This to face a righty in Rodriguez. Who he walked on five pitches, three of which were off the plate inside. Naylor’s subsequent grand slam gave Seattle a 5-1 lead.

I understand the point; a righty-righty matchup allows the pitcher to command the inside of the plate. It makes sense. But…does it really matter if the batter doesn’t offer and the pitches are out of the zone? And then the next hitter hits a grand slam on a four-seam fastball that was high and out of the zone?

The O’s would later narrow the lead to 5-2 in the seventh on a wild pitch. The O’s would load the bases, and Pete Alonso appeared to walk – giving the Birds another run. However Seattle used an ABS challenge, and…they were right. Colton Cowser would ground out, ending the inning.

Seattle would tack on an insurance run in the eight. However they got a second insurance run in the form of taking an Oriole run off the board as well. Blaze Alexander got aboard in the last of the eighth with an RBI-single. However Samuel Basallo came off his sick bed and was used as a pinch hitter.

And Basallo appeared at first to deliver. He sent a deep shot to center field, which appeared at first to be targeted to the batter/‘s eye. But the ball died in the air, and fell into the fielder’s mitt. HOWEVER…

…Blaze Alexander tried to tag up to get to second. And he was thrown out. But on top of that…Seattle challenged the call.

This on the basis of the fact that Jackson Holliday crossed home plate AFTER the third out had been made at second base. And the challenge was upheld. The run came off the board, and the O’s ended up falling 6-3.

The tone was set for later when Gibson was lifted with a pitch count still in the 60’s. Now you never know what happens if things go the other way. However it seemed like over-managing to me. Just like Blaze Alexander’s rouse later in the game seemed like over-aggression.

Could Holliday have run faster? Maybe. But if Alexander stays at first like he should have, it’s beside the point. (The same goes for Albernaz pulling Gibson so fast) The defense is yielding you a run – which is why that play calls for the throw to come into second base. Take the run; don’t try to take more.

Another point about over-managing; the Orioles allowed several pitches to go unchallenged with the ABS system. Opposing teams, including Seattle this evening, don’t do that. I understand the Orioles are trying to conserve their challenges – a perspective with which I actually agree. But there’s a point where you’re being derelict in allowing bad calls to stand. Which again, comes across to over-managing. Whether that’s over-managing in the dugout or from above is another story.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Logan Gilbert. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles fall on a technicality

Shane Baz deserved to be the winning pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles today. For all intents and purposes, he was. Until he wasn’t. And until the Birds weren’t winners. Baz’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 3 K.

Baz was strong for most of his outing. He was able to get a decent lead in the fifth. Colton Cowser smacked a solo homer to give the Birds a 1-0 lead. After a Jackson Holliday triple, Blaze Alexander’s RBI-double doubled the lead, and eventually Taylor Ward would score him with a two-run homer. Things were moving along nicely.

Baz surrendered a solo homer to Pinango in the sixth. Shouldn’t have been a problem. Solo home runs don’t beat you. Especially when you have four already on the board. But remember that you always see something new in baseball everyday.

With one out and a runner on after a double, Clement reached on a Gunnar Henderson error. Which is a problem in and of itself. That put runners on first and second with one out and one in. This before all hell broke loose.

To their credit, Toronto always takes advantage of opportunities they’re presented. This whether they deserve them or not. Valenzuela grounded out to short; Gunnar Henderson moved to tag Clement for the first out at second before throwing back to complete the double-play at first. However…

…the base runner Clement veered WAY off the base path. By that, I mean he was almost on the outfield grass. Gunnar Henderson all but abandoned his attempt to tag so he could make the play at first. And…Clement was ruled safe at second base by second base umpire Derek Kelley. As opposed to a double-play, it was a fielder’s choice and a run scored, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 4-2.

Multiple players, including Baz and Henderson protested vehemently about Clement being out of the base lines. Craig Albernaz came out and argued as well, but to no avail. The run scored. Clement would later score on an RBI-single by Okamoto, who later scored on an RBI-double by Giminez.

To top it off, Lukes sent a liner deflected off of pitcher Yennier Cano to Jackson Holliday, scoring a fifth run and giving Toronto a 5-4 lead. Valenzuela would smack a solo homer in the eighth to extend it to 6-4. The Orioles did threaten a couple of other times, and to top it off Jackson Holliday was called out for…being out of the base line in the ninth. And he was out of the base lines; but the juxtaposition speaks for itself.

Craig Albernaz said after the game that he was told that the runner established himself in a lane from the beginning of the play. Fair enough, but as Henderson tried to tag him he took a hard turn towards the outfield. Hardly staying in his established lane. Furthermore the rules state that any player three feet off the base path is out.

Simply put, Clement should have been ruled out. Nobody who’s seen that replay would say otherwise. On top of that, Albernaz was also told that Henderson didn’t make a good enough attempt to tag the runner. Admittedly it was a weak lunge to make the tag. But Clement was so far out of the base path, that he had no choice unless he wanted to risk missing out on the out at first base. On top of that, he probably assumed the umpire would make the call.

The only thing that Shane Baz said after the game when asked about that play was that he didn’t want to speak about it because if he does he’ll get fined. That tells you all you need to know. Wins and losses are all the sum of the parts. Gunnar Henderson’s error played a role also. But obviously that play stands out. And it cost the Orioles the game – if the correct call is made there, the inning ends with the Birds leading, 4-1.

The Orioles now head home to open a three-game set against Seattle at Camden Yards. The O’s are yet to announce a starter, but Seattle is throwing Emerson Hancock. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles’ comeback falls short

Kyle Bradish was probably due a clunker for the Baltimore Orioles. That came today in Toronto, although one could also argue that things just didn’t line up for him today. Needless to say, he was heavy on breaking pitches, many of which stayed up. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s did have an early lead. Colton Cowser smacked a solo home run in the top of the second inning. However Toronto would tie it in their half of the frame on Okamoto’s RBI-single. One inning later Toronto would record two quick outs, before the bottom fell out for the Birds.

Bradish issued a walk to Guerrero, and despite the two outs we know nothing good happens after a walk. Following a Sanchez single, Clement would smack a three-run home run and Toronto led, 4-1. I said above that Bradish had some things that didn’t line up for him today. On that aforementioned single by Sanchez, the ball deflected off of Jackson Holliday’s glove at second and trickled away. It was called a base hit, but probably a play Holliday normally makes. Giminez’s RBI-single later in the inning extended the lead to 5-1.

Toronto would tack on another run in the fifth on a sac fly. Needless to say, it didn’t seem like the Orioles’ day. However, neither did last Saturday.

Pete Alonso would tag a three-run homer in the sixth to get the Birds to within 6-3. Fittingly, it came off of Toronto’s Hoffman. Some things remain the same, I guess.

Blaze Alexander would smack a solo shot one inning later. But the O’s couldn’t muster much else, and the comeback attempt fell two runs short. They will have a chance at a series victory however tomorrow afternoon.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Got Aldey?!

Brandon Young turned in another great outing for the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto tonight. Young attacked the strike zone from the beginning. He threw strikes. He mixed his pitches. He put the Birds in a position to win. Young’s line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Young had the lead before he even climbed the hill at Rogers Centre. Adley Rutschman sent one out in the top of the first, and the O’s led 1-0. That Rutschman at-bat would really set the tone for the game. He was down 0-2 in the count early. But he battled back, fouled off a ton of pitches, and worked the count even. And wound up smacking one after (after an umpire review).

However Springer would lead off Toronto’s half of the frame with a double, and would later score on Guerrero’s sac fly-RBI. Young would make one mistake by leaving a slider up in the fifth, and it resulted in a two-run home run by Valenzuela. However if there’s one thing that last weekend’s series taught us, it’s never to say it’s over until it’s over.

The Orioles would put two on with one out in the sixth, and Adley Rutschman coming back to the plate. Once again, another outstanding at-bat. And I say that because it only took two-pitches; his two-RBI double tied the game at three.

One thing to watch, but Samuel Basallo’s spot in the order was due up next. The Orioles sent up Jeremiah Jackson to bat in his place. The team later said he left the game with right abdominal discomfort. You hope it’s just precautionary, but that’s something to watch which could be a problem.

The good news however is that Jackson smacked an RBI-single to give the O’s the lead back at 4-3. And if that wasn’t enough, Coby Mayo smacked a two-run homer later in the inning. That gave the O’s some breathing room, as they led 6-3.

The best news perhaps of the game was that the Orioles didn’t stop adding on. Jackson’s next turn at the plate was in the top of the eighth, and his RBI-single extended the lead to 7-3. And that’s important because it took the Orioles’ pen out of a save situation. Not that it was ever going to be a save situation.

An RBI-single by Colton Cowser and a fielder’s choice-RBI by Leody Taveras later in the inning extended the lead to 9-3. That broke the game wide open. And to finish things off in the inning, Adley Rutschman would smack a two-RBI double in the eighth. And the O’s led, 11-3.

This was an aggressive team win. The Orioles took outstanding at-bats all night. Adley Rutschman had five RBI tonight. Which bodes well for the Orioles’ offense.

The Basallo injury is something to watch. That’s the last thing they need. And he’s the last guy to whom they want to see it happen. As I said, hopefully it’s precautionary. But the silver lining is that Jeremiah Jackson (his replacement as a DH) drove in two runs. Just for good measure, the O’s loaded the bases in the ninth and scored two runs on a Toronto throwing error.

This is the sort of game that would happen to the Orioles earlier in the season. They just kept adding on. And in some instances Toronto gave them gifts. And they warmly embraced those gifts. Very quietly, the Orioles have now won ten of fourteen.

The series continues tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Everything was up

Chris Bassitt had a curious outing tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in Boston. This in a curious game. In short, neither Bassitt nor subsequent relievers could keep the ball down. Bassitt’s line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

The Orioles snapped a three-game winning streak with the loss tonight – something that was going to happen at some point. But especially when playing in a park like Fenway, you have to keep the ball down. Not only did Boston put the ball in play a lot tonight, the balls they put in play took just about every favorable bounce possible for the home team.

The Birds out two on in the first but couldn’t plate any runs. However in their half of the frame Boston didn’t offer that same charity. Abreu’s RBI-single would give them a 2-0 lead. Abreu would smack a two-run home run in the third.

During that third inning however manager Craig Albernaz came out to check on Chris Bassitt. He was later seen talking to trainers, and Bassitt was lifted after the inning ended. He didn’t necessarily look comfortable as his outing went on.

The Orioles cannot afford to sustain another pitching injury. Part of the “charm” of the roster this year was supposed to be the depth. If the entirety of that depth ends up on the IL, that’s a massive problem. We don’t know that Bassitt’s injured. However that didn’t look good.

Again however, everything Bassitt threw was up. The same was true of every Oriole pitcher. Gasper’s two-RBI triple in the third extended the lead to 5-0. The quirk on that play was that it was a lazy fly ball to center. Blaze Alexander appeared to lose the ball in the sky. This after the Boston outfield did the same thing in the previous half inning. The difference is that Boston held the Orioles accountable for that mistake. The same wasn’t true in reverse.

Two RBI-doubles and an RBI-single later in the inning would run the score to 8-0. End of the day this was a donnybrook sort of game for Boston bats. Sometimes you get games like that. And again it goes without saying that you aren’t going to win every game. And eventually winning streak ends. Luckily the O’s did manage to get on the board and avoid being shut out for the first time, this on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-triple in the seventh.

The first concern isn’t losing the game. It’s Chris Bassitt. Again, the Orioles can ill afford to lose another starter. (Or a position player for that matter.) The Orioles also fought back from the hole they had dug by attacking the strike zone. Neither Bassitt nor any other Orioles’ pitcher did that tonight…

…they lived above the zone and on the fringes of the plate. Here’s what’s worse; Boston hitters were making contact. Pitches that shouldn’t have been hit, were hit. And hit a long way. It’s one game. The recent tends with this team are still positive. But they need to avoid another cold snap. That may well begin and end with Bassitt’s injury status.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and Boston is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles led by Baz and blasts

Shane Baz went to the bump at “the Fens” for the Baltimore Orioles this evening. If something turned in terms of the direction of the season over the just-completed home stand, it continued to turn tonight in game one of three against Boston. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Earlier in the season the Orioles didn’t necessarily try to strike guys out. It seemed that they wanted teams to put balls in play, and they were. Something seems to have shifted, because as strikeouts have piled up, so have wins.

Baz actually started in an inauspicious manner tonight, giving up a leadoff triple. Boston would then take a 1-0 lead on Abreu’s sac fly-RBI. However Baz limited the damage, and got himself and his team back in the dugout. You can live with that – most games aren’t going to end 1-0. Especially at Fenway Park.

And Baz was rewarded for limiting the damage. Coby Mayo smacked a solo homer to tie the game at one in the second. A home run that was reviewed, for the record. It appeared to clear the green monster, yet it was called a double. Upon review, Mayo was awarded home plate and a home run.

Following an Adley Rutschman single in the third, Pete Alonso smacked a two-run homer that didn’t need to be reviewed. It was a no-doubter, and the O’s led, 3-1. And Shane Baz followed the lead of his teammates from there. He mowed down hitter after hitter throughout his start.

Blaze Alexander would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the fourth, as would Boston’s Mayer in the fifth. Incidentally, that Alexander sacrifice fly was set up by Leody Taveras sacrifice bunt. Needless to say, the O’s are starting to manufacture runs, which is a good thing.

Whether it’s intended or not, Taveras has begun making bunting more and more a part of his game. Later in the game he bunted for a base hit. This is a welcome addition to the lineup, as it gives the Orioles and old school element of their offense. More than just hitting the ball hard.

With the 4-2 win, the Orioles now have their fourth three-game winning streak of the season. Tomorrow night they’ll go for their first four-game win streak. Needless to say, the season appears to be turning around – for now.

The series continues tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Payton Tolle. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: The party buss rolls on, as Birds split with Toronto

The Baltimore Orioles sent Kyle Bradish to the bump in the final game of four with Toronto, and of the homestand. Needless to say, Bradish wasn’t fooling around this afternoon. Neither were Oriole bats. Bradish’s line, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R (unearned), 3 BB, 4 K.

The Orioles of course were coming off one of the most dramatic wins of the season yesterday. The last thing you want to have a let down in the wake of that. Especially on the longest home-stand of the season, in which they were already 6-3. But a 7-3 stretch is better than 6-4.

Luckily, Bradish was strong. So were the bats. After Leody Taveras sacrificed two runners into scoring position in the second, Colton Cowser gave the O’s a 1-0 lead on a fielder’s choice-RBI. One inning later, Pete Alonso’s RBI-single extended the lead to 2-0, and Samuel Basallo’s RBI-double ran it to 3-0.

But the inning wasn’t over yet. Neither was the game. The Birds had two on, and Colton Cowser coming to home plate. You know, the guy who engineered two of the three walk-off’s on this home stand? He still had some magic in his bat. Cowser’s three-run homer gave the Orioles a 6-0 lead.

It begins and ends with starting pitching. Bradish certainly played that role masterfully this afternoon. But the better news is that the team put together a team win. Too often it’s been decent starting pitching and poor hitting – or the inverse. Today they put it all together at once.

Taylor Ward grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI (with an assist from replay) in the sixth, followed by an RBI-double by Gunnar Henderson. Adley Rutschman would tack on a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds led 9-0. And it’s a good thing they built that lead.

Toronto would score a lone run in the seventh on an errant throw by Jackson Holliday. However Tyler Wells would come on in the top of the eighth and surrender four runs, cutting the lead to 9-5. Three of those runs came on a three-run homer by Pinago. The Orioles came back on Toronto yesterday. The last thing you want is the same to happen again in reverse.

But it didn’t. That was just a blip in the radar for Tyler Wells. Everything he threw was up, for the record. While on paper this was a series split, make no mistake that the Orioles got the better of Toronto this weekend.

The O’s finish the longest home stand of the year at 7-3. What happens from here remains to be seen. But needless to say, a good and very interesting ten games at home. After an off day tomorrow, the O’s head to Boston on Tuesday night.

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Baltimore Orioles: Polar Bear Plunge for the win!

The Baltimore Orioles have gotten decent starting pitching of late, most recently this afternoon with Brandon Young. He’s stepped up of late nicely, but he’s also been let down – in various ways. Young’s line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Simply put, Young mowed Toronto hitters down all game long. And it wasn’t even close. He was absolutely outstanding. The only thing that could have saved him today however, was perhaps throwing a no-hitter. Maybe a perfect game.

Toronto walked ejght Orioles today – EIGHT. But the O’s also grounded into four double-plays. You can’t have that when you’re getting free passes on base. The whole concept in Moneyball about guys getting on base only applies if you can bring them in.

A couple of walks did come in to score in the third. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single following two walks gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. And that inning did have some promise for awhile, however it ended in a double-play.

But the fourth inning did the O’s in – or so we thought for most of the day. With two outs and one on, Sanchez sent a deep shot to center. It ticked off of Leody Taveras’ glove for an RBI-double. It was ruled an extra-base hit. But it’s a play Taveras probably should have made.

To make matters worse, Sanchez would come around to score on Clement’s RBI-double which was in short a fist to center. Taveras pulled up and let it drop without much of an effort. It’s possible that the shadows and sun didn’t give him a good read, or that he thought he could throw the runner out at home plate. That also is a hit, however it’s most definitely a play that has to be made.

The O’s had a shot to do some damage in the last of the fourth, however. Taveras somewhat redeemed himself by putting down a great bunt which advanced two runners into scoring position. Keeps you out of a double-play, right? And as many double-plays as they were piling up, that’s a good thing…

…until it’s not. Jeremiah Jackson grounded the ball directly to third, and the third baseman Okamoto stepped right on the bat for one, and threw across the diamond for the second out at first base to end the inning.

Not only did they not stay out of the double-play, but a okay that was designed to keep them out of it all but led them into it. It’s uncanny how that worked out.

Everytime the O’s were close to doing something that sort of thing would occur. Predictably, Toronto eventually opted to pull away rather than wait for the Orioles. Okamoto’s two-RBI double in the eighth extended the lead to 4-1.

And it came on a two-strike slider, which is an interesting pitch selection. It was also poorly placed. Toronto would top it off with a run-scoring double by Guerrero in the ninth. With an assist on a Colton Cowser error in the outfield.

The game felt over. Especially after Samuel Basallo appeared to injure himself slightly striking out. Then Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch. And that changed everything.

Mayo would score on a Leody Taveras triple which cut the lead to 5-2. Big deal, right? It sort of was given that Jackson Holliday’s RBI-triple scored Taveras and cut the lead to 5-3. Following a Colton Cowser double and a Taylor Ward walk, the bases were loaded.

The Orioles had Toronto’s Hoffman on the ropes. He proceeded to walk Gunnar Henderson, and the tying run was suddenly at third. That brought Adley Rutschman to the plate, also with the bases loaded. After he walked, the game was tied.

The best thing about baseball is that you never know what you’re going to see. Today it was Pete Alonso striding to home plate with four runs in, the game tied, and the bases loaded. And it was Pete Alonso winning the game with a walk off RBI-single for the Orioles, and the Birds going home with a 6-5 win.

You may never see a more improbable victory in any sport. Anyone could have been excused for thinking the game was over. I wrote it above myself. The Orioles have been on the other end of games like that before also. But that’s just because baseball is the best sport. Heck of a game, and heck of a win.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and Toronto’s starter is TBD. Game time is set for 12:15 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Fine line between bullpen management and mismanagement

Save for the tail end of his time in the ballgame, Trevor Rogers was outstanding for the Baltimore Orioles this evening. For the most part, he mowed down Toronto hitters and allowed Oriole bats to amass a lead. Rogers’ line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The stat line is incredibly deceiving in terms of his outing. The four runs are in essence an anomaly. The real question is was he lifted too late?

The Orioles did squander some opportunities early. Guerrero committed and error in the second with two runners on by dropping a foul pop. The O’s allowed Toronto to squirm out of it.

They also loaded the bases in the last of the third. Adley Rutschman walked with the bases loaded. Samuel Basallo would also scratch across a run with a sac fly-RBI. That did give the O’s a 2-0 lead.

But could it have been more? Keep in mind, the Orioles had the bases loaded (with nobody out). Only scoring twice, and in fairly humble fashion, is almost a win for the team in the field. They could have buried their opponent early. Instead they all but let them off the hook.

One inning later Jackson Holliday would add a solo home run in the fourth. Pete Alonso would go back-to-back with solo home runs in the fifth. Again, that’s a good thing, and a good sign. But solo home runs don’t beat you, the O’s need to get more runners on base.

As I said, Rogers pitched well – through six. Understandably, he seemed to begin to tire in the seventh. He allowed a leadoff double to Guerrero, and then a two-run home run to Okamoto. That narrowed the lead to 5-2. After Varsho got aboard with a double, it was obvious that Rogers was tiring.

However Craig Albernaz opted to keep Rogers in the game. Was it due to Tyler Wells in the bullpen not quite being ready? Or was it due to the fact that McAdoo, a guy without a hit at the big league level (and a righty) was coming up?

The latter option checks out with the Orioles’ insistence on Sabre metrics being used at all costs. There’s a fine line between managing and mismanaging. If the pitcher is tiring, you have to recognize that. You have to put that above matching up. The computer doesn’t and cannot take into account that a pitcher is tiring. Only that the matchup makes sense – all things being equal.

So not only was McAdoo due his first career hit, he decided to make it a two-run homer. McAdoo’s yearn to make an impact in a big spot outdid the computer. Go figure. To his credit, Craig Albernaz admitted after the game that he left Rogers in for two long.

Albernaz then went to Yennier Cano in the eight, which in reality does make sense. But Cano was injured on Wednesday…was he 100% tonight? The computer can’t tell you that, which again explains why feel for the game matters. Cano surrendered a two-run homer to Guerrero, signaling a 6-5 loss for the home standing Orioles.

Mercifully, Rogers left with the lead. Because he pitched too well to have to take the loss. He needed a solid game like this, and he provided it. However again I maintain that a computer isn’t winning anyone any games. It makes no sense to leave an ailing pitcher in to match up. And it cost them the game.

I would also look back to early in the game when the O’s had the bases loaded in the third. You can’t win games consistently if you let the opponent off the hook. Granted, they did score two – which is good. But if that inning yields a crooked number, this is a different game.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Trey Yesavage. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Tough to win on one run

Chris Bassitt was outstanding against his former team tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. Needless to say, he kept a potent Toronto offense at bay – perhaps because he knew them? Bassitt’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

This was a pitcher’s duel from the beginning. Not exactly what anyone would have expected, but it’s the game we got. And sometimes that’s how you have to win.

Bassitt surrendered a solo homer in the third to Giminez, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead. They say that solo home runs never hurt you / but that’s not true. Coby Mayo smacked one of his own in fourth, tying the game at one.

Toronto would scratch another across in the eighth, when Pinago walked with the bases loaded. The Birds were unable to come back with one final run. And they fell in game one of three, 2-1.

The Birds had their chances. They had various situations with runners on base, but couldn’t deliver. You have to take advantage of situations where you can score runs. Especially in division games. But the beauty of baseball is you can always win tomorrow.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, abd Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Revenge is a dish best served in a Blaze of glory

Behind starter Trey Gibson, the Baltimore Orioles defeated Tampa this evening at Camden Yards. In doing so, they completed the three-game sweep…this against the team who swept and embarrassed them last week in Tampa. This behind an outstanding starting effort. Gibson’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 1 K.

In the wake of that ill-fated and aforementioned series in Tampa last week, the Orioles started to right a few things over the weekend, a trend that continued and enhanced itself in the Tampa series this week. However Oriole bats exploded in this game tonight, hopefully in an attempt to right the ship…hopefully.

The Orioles started early and often. Gunnar Henderson smacked a two-run homer in the first, followed by an RBI-single by Leody Taveras. Before the crowd had seemingly settled in, the Birds led 3-0.

But the inning didn’t end there. Blaze Alexander’s two-RBI single extended it to 5-0. The onslaught continued in the third on an RBI-single by Tyler O’Neill. Two innings later, the score was broken wide open on a two-RBI double by Blaze Alexander. The most promising part of that? It was set up by Leody Taveras stealing second base. Taveras had been a pest to opposing teams on the base paths all year.

Tampa would scratch a rub across in the top of the sixth when Vilade grounded into a force out with a runner on third. BUT…the Birds weren’t done. Gunnar Henderson smacked a solo homer in bottom of the inning to extend the lead to 9-1.

To put Blaze Alexander’s night in perspective, he came back in the last of the seventh with a two-run homer. A two-run home run which was a SHOT off the bat. The extended the lead to 11-1, and the rout was on.

The one downer was Yennier Cano. He promptly loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with nobody out. However he also pulled up lane with an apparent leg injury. It’ll be interesting to see what Craig Albernaz says after the game, however Cano left the game. Which could be a concern going forward for the O’s.

Andrew Kitteredge did allow an inherited runner to score with a HBP with the bases loaded. But he ended the inning. And the Orioles put an exclamation point on the series.

You CANNOT get too excited about sweeping Tampa. However this Tampa team embarrassed the Birds last week. So turnabout is fair play. And ultimately, it’s a series sweep against a division foe.

Blaze Alexander also had a career-high six RBI tonight. Needless to say, the offense clicked in this series. Not to mention, they need to keep the party going both offensively and defensively from here.

The O’s now open a four-game set against Toronto at Camden Yards tomorrow night. Chris Bassit gets the start for the O’s (against his former team), and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Patrick Corbin. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Shane Baz presides over role-reversal

Shane Baz got a rematch against his former team this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched well last week in Tampa. He was outstanding this evening at Camden Yards. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

It started somewhat suspect for the Birds and Baz. Following a leadoff double, Aranda’s RBI-single in the first inning gave Tampa a 1-0 lead. However if that’s going to beat you, then under no circumstances is that on you. Baz limited the damage to that one run, which is a good sign.

Tampa seemed to come unglued one inning later. In a fashion that we’ve seen this year from the O’s. Samuel Bassalo reached on a fielding error, and Leody Taveras on a single- which smacked off of Tampa’s starter, Jax. There was a brief injury delay, but Jax stuck in there to his credit. He would later depart before the third.

After the O’s loaded the bases in that second inning, Blaze Alexander reached on an error, scoring the tying run. That brought Jackson Holliday to the plate, who delivered a run-scoring single. Taylor Ward would add a sacrifice fly, and suddenly the O’s led, 3-1.

Keep in mind that just about every bounce in baseball has gone Tampa’s way this year. And every bounce has trended against the Orioles. This from injuries to the ball bouncing the wrong way on the cut of the grass. In the first two games of this series, we’ve seen Tampa victimized by bounces and errors. Are both teams pro/regressing to the mean?

To further that point, with Jackson Holliday on first in the last of the fifth, Gunnar Henderson grounded into a fielder’s choice at second. However the O’s challenged the call, in that Tampa had missed the bag on the exchange. And they were right. Was it close? Yes. But so was Colton Cowser sliding into home plate yesterday. In both cases the Birda challenged, and in both cases they were right.

That gave the O’s two on. Samuel Basallo came to the plate later in that fifth inning, and reminded Birdland why he signed that extension last year. His three-run homer broke the game wide open, giving the O’s a 6-1 lead. The Oriole bullpen held through the final two innings, and after two wins against Tampa the Orioles have a shot to sweep tomorrow.

Tampa’s made their share of mistakes which in essence have given games away yesterday and today. However we’ve seen that all year from the O’s. Maybe this evens things out in a sense. Shane Baz was stellar in his outing against his former team tonight. And he set the tone and drew the boundary for the game by only allowing that lone run in the first inning.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. The O’s are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by Tampa’s Steven Matz. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles brought the cows home on Memorial Day

It seems like years ago when Kyle Bradish started against Tampa this afternoon at Camden Yards on Memorial Day. In a game where the somewhat suspect O’s played against the creme de la crème of the division (record-wise), Bradish pitched perhaps his best outing of the season. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

That lone run came on a solo homer by Aranda in the sixth inning. The way the game had gone, you could totally see the game ending 1-0 with Tampa winning. The Orioles had only mustered a few singles to that point, and had even had a runner picked off first base (with another pickoff coming later).

Needless to say, Bradish didn’t deserve to lose the game 1-0. He didn’t deserve to lose the game at all. And he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t get the win either, but he did get non-decisioned – as did Tampa’s McClanahan, a Baltimore native, who also deserved the win.

Leody Taveras drew a walk and promptly stole second base in the seventh. He would later score on Blaze Alexander’s RBI-single, and the Birds would take the lead later in the inning with an RBI-single by Taylor Ward. But we were only getting started.

Palacios’ RBI-single in the eighth would tie the game at two. Needless to say, despite their flaws, the Orioles battled in this game. They did everything they could to scratch and claw their way ahead, which is what we expect ironically of Tampa. The teams went to extra innings tied at two on Memorial Day at Camden Yards. But again, things were just getting started.

Neither side scored in the tenth, however Tampa landed what felt like the decisive blow in the top of the eleventh – that being a two-run home run by Mesa. For the record, keep in mind that both teams begin every inning with a ghost runner on second base. But that obviously means the Orioles get the same courtesy. And they took advantage also with a run-scoring single by Pete Alonso in the home half of the frame. Alonso would advance to second on an errant throw. He would later score on a run-scoring single by Jeremiah Jackson to tie the game.

However the Birds couldn’t get a third run, so on we went to the twelfth tied at four. Aranda’s sacrifice fly gave Tampa a 5-4 lead. When the Orioles took their turn at bat in the bottom of the inning, Ward led off with a fly out which also sent Colton Cowser (the ghost runner) to third. Gunnar Henderson would then hit into what appeared to be a fielder’s choice which plated the runner. He sent a bounding grounder to first, and Tampa nailed Colton Cowser at home plate.

That put the Orioles on the brink. But…did it? Craig Albernaz challenged the play at home plate. Needless to say, it was a close play. But the umpires ruled that Cowser had his hand in across the plate before the tag. Meaning he was safe, and the game was tied.

That was about as close of a play as you’ll see. However the umpires ruled that there was clear and convincing evidence that the call on the field of safe was incorrect. When you’re in extra innings and you’re already trailing. A play like that is almost wishing on a prayer. But the Orioles took that risk. And it worked out.

But true to form, Tampa put two runs across in the top of the thirteenth . They took a 7-5 lead, in what felt like about the 18th ultimate blow of this Memorial Day game. Needless to say, it appeared that the Orioles may be out of magic for this day. But the home team bats last.

Leody Taveras led off the last of the thirteenth with a run-scoring double which scored Jeremiah Jackson (the ghost runner). That wasn’t totally meaningless, but at the time it was somewhat meaningless. However it also did leave the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. Following a Blaze Alexander single, Jackson Holiday’s sac fly-RBI once again tied the game – this time at seven.

And that brought Colton Cowser back to the plate. Keep in mind that Cowser ended game one against Detroit yesterday with a walk off two-run homer. It was perhaps the most unlikely of outcomes at the time. Do you can imagine the odds of it happening again.

Sometimes things just happen. Anyone following that game in any capacity knew that Cowser’s deep fly ball was gone as soon as he hit it. And when it officially cleared the wall and became a souvenir for a lucky fan, the Orioles had a 9-7 win.

The two teams almost switched places today. It was Tampa who seemed to want to give the game away. And the Orioles struck at precisely the right time. Make no mistake that’s a huge win. But only the Orioles know if it’s going to be a win on which we look back as the start of something.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Griffin Jax. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles drop nightcap, win series

As can happen in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles played a vastly different ballgame in the second game of today’s doubleheader. Trevor Rogers’ struggles continued, this as opposed to game one when Brandon Young was stellar. Rogers’ line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Rogers spent his entire outing on the inside edges of the plate. Which is a problem when the opponent seems to know that’s what you’re going to do. Other teams read the same Sabre metrics as the Orioles do.

Detroit got on the board early with a two-run homer by Dingler in the top of the first. One frustrating aspect of that was that Dingler reached on a fielder’s choice. Vierling led the game off with a single, and McGonigle grounded the ball to Pete Alonso at first base. However the ball was so slow that the Birds could only get the one out.

The O’s would send Adley Rutschman to third base with nobody out in the fourth, and he would score on a sac fly-RBI. However one inning later Detroit would load the bases. Prior to departing the game, Rogers surrendered a two-RBI single to McGonigle. Oriole bats couldn’t muster much the rest of the way, and the O’s fell 4-1.

Detroit came into this game having lost eight straight – the eighth one coming earlier today. They were eventually going to snap that streak, according to the law of averages. However the Orioles were the obvious better team for this series. Which is why they won it.

Trevor Rogers continues to baffle. It’s overly simplistic to say get him out of the rotation. This is last year’s MVO. If it were me, I would start by canceling my subscription to whichever computer program is telling him to throw only on the inside of the plate.

The biggest bright spot was Albert Suarez who came out of the bullpen. Suarez pitched four innings and gave up three hits. In a doubleheader it’s imperative to preserve your bullpen. And he helped the Orioles to do that.

The O’s now open a three-game set against Tampa tomorrow on Memorial Day at Camden Yards. The O’s are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by Tampa’s Shane McClanahan. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM

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Baltimore Orioles: The milk has been delivered

In game one of a twin bill, Brandon Young was outstanding for the Baltimore Orioles. In short, he gave up two unearned runs – which were very unearned, if you will. He left the game in the top of the seventh to a standing ovation. Young’s line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 runs (0 earned), 2 BB, 4 K.

This is exactly the sort of start that the Orioles want out of their starters. With only four strikeouts, the Detroit hitters were putting the ball in play. And they were largely recording outs. Until fate stepped in.

With one on in the fourth, Young induced Dingler to smack a soft liner to Pete Alonso at first base. With a runner on first base, Alonso allowed the ball to fall in front of him – which was a smart play. Because why not try and record a double-play.

This is a different game if not for the fact that when the ball bounced, it took a strange bounce, directly past Alonso. When he finally got to the ball, he tried to throw the lead runner out at second, but one-hopped the throw. It went as a fielder’s choice and an E4.

Again, smart play by Alonso. Smart to let the ball fall, that is. Many people will criticize that, however that’s based on the result. Others will say that despite the opportunity to turn two, he should have taken the sure out because as we saw anything can happen. But you have to manage to the rule, not an anomaly; the ball bouncing like it did is an anomaly.

However the fact is that Vierling’s subsequent run-scoring single gave Detroit a 1-0 lead. Keith would tack on a sacrifice fly later in the inning, and the O’s trailed 2-0. The Pete Alonso play at first may have been an anomaly, but it also cost the Orioles two runs.

Gunnar Henderson would get the O’s on the board in the sixth with a solo home run. Brandon Young was finally pulled in the top of the seventh with well over 100 pitches under his belt. That’s a career high. And needless to say, he deserved the win.

Keegan Akin retired the side on one pitch to finish the seventh, but then walked the leadoff man in the eighth. That runner of course came around to score on an RBI-single. The O’s pulled to within 3-2 on an RBI-single by Taylor Ward in their half of the frame. And we went to the ninth.

While it had been a slog of a game to that point and Oriole bats had been far from in shape, the home team bats last. Jackson Holiday walked, and immediately stole second base – without a throw no less. Following another walk to Leody Taveras plus another out, Craig Alberbaz once again put his runners in motion. And this time BOTH of them advanced without a throw. Bringing Colton Cowser to the plate with the tying and winning runs in scoring position.

Cowser’s struggled across the board this year to this point. Does that mean he couldn’t do some damage with this at-bat? Of course not. And the game hinged on something happening on his end.

And it did. Cowser didn’t just hit a walk off three-run homer. He hit it 457 feet into oblivion. It was almost a moment worthy of The Natural, with Robert Redford. It’s a moment that won the series for the Birds, and set them up to potentially sweep the series tonight.

The series concludes this evening in the nightcap of the twin bill at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Troy Melton. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holiday leads a rain-soaked win

The Baltimore Orioles announced before tonight’s game at Camden Yards that Keegan Akin would act as an opener against Detroit. The Birds lifted him after one inning in favor of Chris Bassitt, who was the bulk pitcher. This in a game under a perpetual threat of rain. Akin’s line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K, 0 BB.

The problem with the one hit was that it was a solo home run, this on the first pitch of the game by McGonigle. The literal first pitch of the game. And the Orioles immediately trailed, 1-0.

Bassitt would somewhat stabilize things, but he did give up back-to-back doubles in the third, with Lee’s being an RBI-double. However the O’s did start to get things going in that third inning as well. They put two runners on with one out, including Gunnar Henderson who reached on an error.

As often as we’ve talked about holding opposing teams not being held accountable for their mistakes by the Orioles, here was one instance where they did just that. Pete Alonso followed., unloading a deep shot to right the opposite way. And in an instant, the Orioles led 3-2.

However Detroit battled back. With one on in the fourth Torkelson’s double to left field put two runners in scoring position. And as we know, anything can happen when you have runners on base. McKinstry smacked a hard grounder that was smothered by Pete Alonso at first. Alonso fired the ball to home plate…

…and the tag was late by Adley Rutschman. Needless to say, the throw was there and the tag was just missed. Later in the inning Lee would strike a swinging bunt to third which Coby Mayo smartly put in his pocket. It went as an RBI-single, giving Detroit the lead back at 4-3.

Weird things can happen when you put people on base. Including a tag being just late. Or a guy getting a swinging bunt up the line with a runner at third. But two can play at the anything can happen with guys on base game.

Leody Taveras led off the home half of fourth inning with a bunt up the same third base line…and it worked. Following a Colton Cowser single, runners were at the corners. Incidentally the Orioles were facing Detroit’s Flaherty, who had ironically never been called for a balk. But there’s a first time for everything.

Flaherty balked home a run, sending Cowser to second. Later in the inning Jackson Holiday came up, and before you knew it the O’s had the lead back. Holiday sent a deep shot through the rain drops towards left. The ball slid underneath the foul pole. Yes, underneath. But despite being a softly-hit home run, it was still a home run. And the Orioles led, 6-4.

It was Holiday’s first home run of the season, for the record. Again, anything can happen when guys get on base. We’ve seen the Orioles be victimized by that premise so many times this year, including tonight. But for once they made the opponent pay. Maybe by a hair, but they made them pay.

That felt fairly final, especially with the rain around the ballpark. But there’s rain delay and eventual cancellation never came. Many, myself included, thought this would be a rain-shortened game. But somehow the umpires allowed the game to go on, and Pete Alonso’s sac fly-RBI in the sixth extended the lead to 7-4.

The Orioles’ bullpen reverted to the form we’ve seen most of the season. And a game that many thought would be rained out ended in a complete game Orioles win. Detroit may well have been the one team that was struggling moreso than the Orioles were coming in. But the O’s made sure they didn’t snap out of it tonight at their expense. And the eventual game-winning rally began with a bunt, which does still have a place in baseball – as evidenced tonight.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Framber Valdez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM (weather permitting).

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Baltimore Orioles: Two-out rallies and interesting management

Kyle Bradish pitched well enough to win tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. He had a rough first inning in terms of pitch count, but he hung in there afterwards. And he was rewarded with a loss, with which he had very little to do. Bradish’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Bradish had the lead before even getting on the mound at Tropicana Field. Taylor Ward smacked a solo home run on the second pitch of the game to give the Birds a 1-0 lead. A lead that was short-lived.

Bradish quickly recorded two outs in the last of the first. He proceeded to throw approximately 36 total pitches in the inning to record the final out. He would walk Aranda, and then surrender a perfectly-placed RBI-double to Diaz to tie the score at one.

There are two points on this play. First and foremost, it’s another situation that starts innocently enough, but ends up a two-out rally. The Orioles absolutely CANNOT put people away with two outs and/or two strikes. There has to be something that’s being tipped to opposing teams. It’s almost impossible for that not to be the case, because we’re well past the point to where it could be coincidental. Yet two consecutive coaching staffs and an Ivy League Front Office have been unable to get that figured out.

The second point is the fact that the play in question split two outfielders and went all the way to the wall. We saw this a lot last year – not quite as much yet in 2026. The Orioles play their outfield deep and dramatically to pull. This opens up holes in bad places; holes that opponents always seem to find. No doubles defebse is good late; not so much with two outs and a runner on first in the first inning.

To Bradish’s credit, he stabilized. He had a few shut down innings, not surrendering a run. He made it through five innings with over 90 pitches – which was much less than his pace in the first inning. He was aided by Samuel Basallo seeming to buck the trend of not using ABS challenges on anything to record the final strike and out in the fifth. But he made it through five.

Inexplicably, he was sent back out for the sixth. He promptly surrendered a solo homer to Diaz. Is it fair to suggest that he should have been pulled? Maybe, maybe not. Needless to say unless he had a clean and quick inning he wasn’t going to last the entire sixth.

That’s where it’s important to have feel for the game in terms of coaching. Of course the player is always going to say he wants to go back out there. Obviously the Sabre Metrics were on that side as well. But do either of those points take into account where a pitcher is in terms of fatigue or anything else? Again, feel for the game has to take over at a certain point.

The Orioles’ offense was never going to be able to find a way to come back in this game. But similar to what we saw last night, Tampa was going to take a mile every time they were given an inch. Yennier Cano recorded two easy outs in the eight. But again the O’s found themselves at that dreaded two out spot.

Cano would hit Diaz with a pitch, giving Tampa a two-out base runner. Again, conventional wisdom says you move past that and quickly mop up the situation. Instead, Tampa and their intense joie de vivre won out. Rico Garcia replaced Cano, and promptly surrendered an RBI-double to Palacios off the wall in right. However Diaz didn’t get a good read on the ball, yet was sent to score anyways. Colton Cowser relayed the ball in, and Samuel Basallo was positioned in front of the plate to receive the relay throw. The runner was safe, and Palacios sensed up at third.

Palacios would immediately score on DeLuca’s RBI-single, giving Tampa a 4-1 lead – which was the eventual final. The DeLuca hit was dumped in – very softly, to left field. Again, the number of two-out rallies, and opponents’ ability to dump balls in precisely where Oriole fielders aren’t located is uncanny.

Again, Craig Albernaz needs to look closely at how he’s positioning his fielders – first off. Secondly, he needs to study hard and long at how his team gives up so many two-out rallies. It’s almost as if opponents are waiting for two outs to put their offense in motion. Again, this is something Albernaz can’t grasp for now; neither could Brandon Hyde. Neither seemingly can the Ivy League-educated front office. There is however a common denominator in that algorithm.

The series concludes tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and Tampa is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: In a parody of errors sort of game, the challenges stand out

Trevor Rogers got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this evening on the opener against Tampa at Tropicana Field. Needless to say, it wasn’t what anyone wanted to see. To Rogers’ credit, he stabilized himself very late in the outing. But the damage was done. Rogers’ line: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R (7 earned), 2 BB, 3 K.

Rogers was greeted coldly from the beginning as he gave up a leadoff double. That runner went to third on an error, and later scored on Vilade’s sacrifice fly. Tampa continued their barrage on a two-RBI single by Diaz in the second. Caminero wouls add an RBI-single, and DeLuca a two-RBI single before the inning ended, extending the lead to 6-0.

Adler Rutschman would get the Orioles on the board in the third with an RBI-single. Yet Tampa didn’t let that bother them. And maybe that’s part of their secret; they just play and keep playing no matter what. Vilade’s RBI-triple in the fourth gave them a 7-1 lead. It would run to 8-1 on an infield RBI-single by DeLuca.

The fifth inning is what should give fans some sort of hope – at the plate at least. Weston Wilson smacked a solo home run, and Pete Alonso’s two-RBI double almost went out. But it did plate two, cutting the lead in half at 8-4.

I say that should give Orioles fans some hope because of the fact that they have put out some runs the last two games. Going back to the Yankee series last week, that’s doubly true. However that’s a small consolation with how the games end up.

You also have to do all the intangibles to win games. To be clear, none of this directly equaled a loss tonight, but every little bit counts. The O’s led off the last of the fifth with a 3-1 count to Tampa’s Walls. What was clearly strike three was called ball four…with no ABS challenge from pitcher Cameron Foster or Adley Rutschman.

It was strike three. It would have been the first out. But it was inexplicably called ball four. What’s more inexplicable is that the Orioles almost infernally refused to challenge the call. Worse yet, the next hitter (Palacios) got a gift ball three call on a 2-0 count, again with no ABS challenge.

Whether that would have yielded two outs is another story. The Walls pitch most certainly would have been an out. The Palacios call needless to say wouldn’t have been a four-pitch walk. Instead, Tampa plugged on, not willing to be limited. Aranda’s RBI-groundout extended the lead to 9-4. Caminero followed that up with a three-run homer.

By this point, Rogers was long gone. But his pitch track shows him with a lot of balls either on the fringes, or well off the plate. And with those balls getting down for hits. Which makes you wonder if he isn’t tipping his pitches. Others may be as well.

Tampa refused to give up no matter what. Adley Rutschman would smack a solo home run in the seventh, and Blaze Alexander an RBI-double in the eighth. But Tampa didn’t stop until they had 16 runs, and a 16-6 win over the Orioles.

The lack of challenges didn’t lead to this loss. Not in any way, shape, or form. However it does show a glaring lack of attention to detail in how the Orioles operate. Or perhaps, it’s the opposite. They may be SO detailed and SO tuned in, that they can’t see simple facts. There were countless other pitches that could have been challenged. But the two aforementioned led to a barrage of runs that blew the game wide open.

Are the players being told flat out to NEVER challenge? I don’t know. And I hope not. I do think you need to be conservative in how you challenge – especially in the first few innings. But you have to challenge when necessary. The Orioles limited themselves tonight by refusing to challenge calls.

It also shows that the O’s may not be as good as they want people to believe in terms of judging the strike zone. The Orioles, right or wrong, refuse almost infernally to NOT pitch on the fringes of the plate. And the fact is they can’t always hit the corners. Which furthers the point that someone might be tipping pitches.

However on the flip side, when a pitch is borderline they don’t challenge. They’re thus telling the umpire that they can call anything and everything a strike with no protest. It also tells opponents that they can command the fringes of the plate – which is EXACTLY what the Orioles want to do themselves.

Jackson Holliday was activated just prior to this evening’s game, and is now on the active roster. It would stand to reason that we’ll see him tomorrow. Adley Rutschman was also caught by a backswing…late in the game on a pitch from Weston Wilson – a position player. Rutschman didn’t appear to be injured, but it does show how you aren’t running from risk by bringing in a position player. Will the next analytical aspect of the game be to just forfeit at a certain point so nobody gets hurt?

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Griffin Jax. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Sunday is for the Birds in DC

Brandon Young was taxed with setting the tone for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Nationals Park, with the Baltimore Orioles already having dropped the first two games of the series. While he didn’t stick around long enough to qualify for the win, he did set the tone. Young’s line, 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s, after two incredibly frustrating games, got at it early this afternoon. Gunnar Henderson ambushed a pitch in the first inning and sent it into the seats for a solo homer, giving them a 1-0 lead. Coby Mayo would lead off the second with a single, and he would score later in the inning on a two-run homer by Coby Mayo.

Washington would also get one back that inning on a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, but the O’s persisted. A walk and a Gunnar Henderson single gave the Birds runners at the corners in the top of the fourth, and they would extend their lead to 4-1 on Pete Alonso’s sac fly-RBI.

The O’s put up what might be thought of as early insurance in the fourth. To be clear, that’s a bad term; insurance runs don’t kick in until later innings. But given that teams now match up in the earlier and middle innings, maybe it’s fine to use a term like that. Needless to say, Colton Cowser’s two-run home run extended the lead to 6-1. And make no mistake that it was a big moment in the ballgame.

However Washington loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half of the frame, in a sequence that also saw Brandon Young chased from the ballgame. Ruiz would tack on a sac fly-RBI, and Oriole pitching would combine for two strikeouts to end the threat. And the Orioles held onto their lead at 6-2.

That’s a high leverage sort of moment, despite being only in the fourth inning. The game easily could have gone caddywampus in a sense. But regardless of anything else, the O’s pitched their way out of it. Brandon Young and Anthony Nunez after him both combined to attack the strike zone after the bases were loaded. That’s a key – attack the zone instead of attacking the fringes. And make no mistake it saved the game.

Washington would tack on a sixth inning run on an RBI-single by Abrams. However it was Gunnar Henderson in the ninth who produced a true insurance run with an RBI-single. And that’s another key – the O’s went home (or onto Tampa) winners today in part because of the insurance runs. Washington would get a runner to second in the last of the ninth, but that insurance run allowed the Orioles to attack the zone even with a runner on base.

The Orioles now open up a three-game set with Tampa tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Shane McClanahan. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Late rally falls short

Shane Baz may have pitched his best game as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in DC tonight. It was far from perfect, but it was a quality start. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

That’s a quality start for Baz. He also threw 108 pitches. Both teams made solid contact on balls all night. The Orioles’ shots either ended up foul or in a fielder’s mitt. In short, Washington starter Litell has struggled this year. But he mowed down Oriole bats.

Baz allowed the first two hitters to reach in the fourth, putting runners at the corners. House’s sac fly-RBI gave Washington a 1-0 lead. The good news was it should have been a base hit. Tyler O’Neill made a diving catch resulting at least in an out.

Baz would walk the leadoff man in the sixth – obviously a no-no. Following a flyout, Lile smacked a two-run homer, giving Washington a 3-0 lead. Nothing good ever happens after a walk.

That felt fairly final. But it wasn’t. As often as analytics have allowed the Orioles to get in their own way this year, it almost worked in reverse at the end. The Birds loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Jeremiah Jackson’s sac fly-RBI cut the lead to 3-1.

Washington then was one out from a win. And they changed pitchers to bring in a southpaw to face Gunnar Henderson. I have no doubt the algorithm said that was a favorable matchup – and it doesn’t take a genius given that it was lefty-lefty. But…

…burning a reliever for one out? Granted, an important out, the winning out (from Washington’s perspective). But the computer will burn through a bullpen if you let it.

And go figure, Gunnar Henderson smacked an RBI-single and cut the lead to 3-2. The O’s would eventually load the bases again before Adley Rutschman struck out to end the game. Too little too late for the Orioles.

We’ve seen the O’s play the algorithms and lose out – a lot. This year and last. This time it almost worked in their favor. But that should serve as a warning. As I said, a computer doesn’t take into account the number of bullpen relievers you’re using. How tired your bullpen is, etc. It only says if you bring in this relievers you have a higher probability to record an out.

People act like that’s a no-brainer. Needless to say, it comes off as such. But the computer can’t overrule good baseball sense. If you need one out with a three-run lead, you have to rely on the guy YOU put in the game to get that out.

The series continues tomorrow at Nationals Park. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washjngton’s Cade Cavalli. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: One bad inning…plus letting NY off the hook

Trevor Rogers returned from the IL to start tonight against New York for the Baltimore Orioles. End of the day, Rogers had one bad inning. One. Rogers’ line: 4.0 I, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

For starters, we found out just prior to game time that tomorrow’s game time has been changed. The Orioles coordinated with the league and with the NYY and changed tomorrow’s game to a 1 PM start time. This due to the threat of rain late in the day tomorrow.

The O’s played from behind from the get go. Rogers surrendered a solo homer to Goldschmidt on the first pitch. He ambushed the ball, setting the tone for the ballgame. However Rogers sent New York down with only a base hit surrendered in the wake of that for the remainder of the inning.

New York loaded the bases in the third, and Bellinger grounded into a fielder’s choice which scored a run. It was almost a double-play, but the angle just didn’t allow the Orioles to turn it. Rosario would tack on an additional run in that sequence with an infield RBI-single. He grounded the ball to Coby Mayo at third, but again the angle just didn’t allow him to record an out.

I said an additional run in that sequence. That doesn’t mean those were the only runs in the inning. Grisham’s three-run home run extended the lead to 6-0. I think people have a naive idea that you can simply record outs on the base paths at will when runners get on. But the fact is that anything can happen when just get on base. And for the past few years, anything HAS HAPPENED to the analytics-driven O’s with guys on base.

New York committed multiple errors in the last of the third, allowing the Orioles to load the bases with nobody out. For a brief moment it appeared that the O’s had a shot to get back in the game. Remember how on Saturday they loaded the bases with nobody out against the Athletics, and they let them off the hook? Yeah, about that…it happened again. Taylor Ward flied out and Adley Rutschman grounded into a double-play.

You can’t let your opponents off the hook. Especially when they themselves aren’t in a giving mood. There isn’t one mental or physical mistake that the Orioles have made over the last two years, for which they haven’t been held accountable. Yet opposing teams make similar mistakes, and they get away with it.

The O’s would put two on the board in the last of the sixth. Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single followed by an RBI-double by Tyler O’Neill cut the lead to 6-2. Which ended up being the final.

Incidentally, the Orioles are also going on something like 20 or 21 straight innings without challenging a pitch with the ABS challenge system. To be clear, I think it’s smart to be conservative when it comes to this. You want to have at least one challenge in the later innings. That’s a no-brainer,

But the Orioles are letting obvious bad pitches stand without a challenge. Even at moments when it would be okay to challenge them. I’m not sure if players are being told never to do it, or if there’s a computer algorithm which says the probability of winning is greater without a challenge. But bad calls are being allowed to stand. And opposing teams are having them overturned, to the Orioles’ chagrin.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Ysrds. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by New York’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: A win with a side of Mayo

Everyone with the Baltimore Orioles remembers last weekend’s series against New York in the Bronx. Needless to say, the O’s sent Brandon Young out there this evening at Camden Yards in the first game of three against New York. Young wasn’t stellar, per se. But not awful either. Young’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

New York, despite what they did to the Orioles last weekend, came into the game having been swept over the weekend in Milwaukee. And Young, despite having a long first inning, seemed to play on that for awhile. He did issue a walk in the third with one out, followed by a two-run homer by Rice. And the O’s trailed, 2-0.

But that was Young’s only real blip in the radar. He did keep the Orioles in the game. Oriole bats, that is, who couldn’t even muster a hit for some time. NY starter Weathers threw low changeups all night. And the Orioles swung through many of them.

However with Weathers tiring in the last of the seventh, Adley Rutschman hacked away at yet another changeup down low. But this time he made contact, and muscled the ball into right field. At the very least, the Birds wouldn’t be no-hit on this night.

Tyler O’Neill walked, giving the O’s two on. New York lifted Weathers, and Coby Mayo strode to the plate. Mind you, Mayo has been much maligned of late – and perhaps rightfully so. He also wasn’t in the original lineup – one hour before game time Craig Albernaz inserted him into the lineup in lieu of Samuel Basallo – who’s knee was injured after the play at the plate yesterday.

What could have been expected of Mayo in the moment is beside the point. He sent a high drive towards the left field foul pole. It was a matter of whether it stayed fair…as it wrapped itself around the pole for a three-run home run, Coby Mayo sent Camden Yards into a frenzy. And the hometown team led, 3-2.

That’s as big a moment in a game as you’re going to see. Especially for a guy who’s struggled mightily in games to this point. And for one who wasn’t supposed to be in the game at all. Needless to say, he played a crucial role in bringing it home this evening.

Rico Garcia replaced Detrich Enns (who pitched well in relief, and was credited with the win) for the eighth. And he was thrown right into the fray, but sent New York down 1-2-3. He struck out Rice and Bellinger, and in between he induced a Judge fly out on the second pitch. That in and of itself might have been the most important moment of the game.

It also meant that Anthony Nunez was through the heart of the order in taking the ball in the ninth. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, however. With one out McMahon sent a deep shot to right, which appeared to be out at first glance. However Tyler O’Neill felt he had a shot. And he caught the ball jumping right up against the wall. A game-saving catch.

New York did get a runner on however, in the form of Goldschmidt. New York pinch-ran Caballero, who’s about to go back to NY tomorrow for an MRI on his finger. But they used him in that capacity for his speed. After two throw-overs by Nunez, Caballero tried to steal second. He was called safe, but the Orioles challenged. The replay clearly showed Blaze Alexander fielding Adley Rutschman’s throw and just glazing Caballero’s jersey, meaning he was out and the game was over.

That’s a big win. This on the heels of last weekend’s series. But as many individual plays and players combined to win this game, none was bigger than Coby Mayo. He’s had a tough go of it lately. Many fans and analysts alike have called him out both at the plate and in the field. For one game at least, he played the hero.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by New York’s Will Warren. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: With an assist from Leos Taveras

The Baltimore Orioles changed things up this afternoon and started Keegan Akin as an “opener.” While I’m not a fan of the practice myself, it was by all accounts a success. Akin’s line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Chris Bassitt was the pitcher of substance, however. Technically in relief, but he was outstanding. He gave up one run, the result of an error he himself committed. The run came in the second on a Cortes sacrifice fly.

Home plate umpire Carlos Torres was the victim of scrutiny from both dugouts all game. Samuel Basallo appeared to challenge a ball in the second, and the ump didn’t grant it. As a result, infield coach Miguel Capri was ejected. In fact, he had to be restrained. While both teams raised questions about the umpiring, that was the only ejection.

Dylan Beavers snagged second base after an infield single in the third. He would later score on Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single to tie the game. Gunnar, the team, AND the crowd needed that.

The O’s put two in in the sixth – two runners in scoring position, in fact. Dylan Beavers worked a nine-pitch at-bat, culminating in an RBI-single. That gave the O’s their first lead in the series, at 2-1.

However it was the next inning which in effect won the game for the Birds. This in the field. With two outs and a runner on second, Gelof sent a single to center. Leody Taveras fielded it and came up throwing. Throwing home…

…Samuel Basallo fielded the ball on one hop and tagged the runner out at home plate. It took a perfect throw and a perfect tag. Both happened. Both preserved the lead. A lead that turned into a win.

That’s the sort of play that can rally a team. The Orioles needed this game. And it was plays like that which delivered it for them.

The Orioles now open a three-game set against the New York Yankees tomorrow night at Camden Yards. The O’s haven’t announced a starter, but NY will toss Ryan Weathers. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser prevents a shutout

Maybe it was the 14-pitch at-bat that got Shane Baz and the Baltimore Orioles today. However Baz also struggled from the beginning, giving up a double to start the game. That set the tone. Baz’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Langaliers’ RBI-single following the leadoff double gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead. However the real turning point in the game was Soderstrom’s at-bat with two on and nobody out in the third. Soderstrom fouled off just about everything that Baz threw up there. To the tune of 14 pitches.

Soderstrom eventually popped out. However a few pitches later Rooker hit a three-run homer. Rooker, who’s hitting below the Mendoza Line. Did that long at-bat do Baz in?

The short answer is probably. Even though Naz recorded the out, that took its toll. On top of that, Langaliers’ sac fly-RBI in the fifth extended the lead to 5-0.

The O’s looked poised to battle back. They loaded the bases in the last of the fifth with nobody out. Yet, they let the Athletics off the hook with a strikeout and two fly out’s.

They had to score there. One big theme the last two years has been the O’s not holding their opponents accountable. That and their opponents refusing to return the favor.

Before the Athletics would tack on an insurance run in the ninth, the O’s did get on the board in the eighth. A single and a double put two runners in scoring position. Colton Cowser pinch-hit for Coby Mayo, and snacked a two-RBI single. But the O’s fell, 6-2.

Mayo’s hitting .158, and has multiple errors in the field under his belt. Between Cowser pinch-hitting, Pete Alonso taking ground balls at third before the game, and Jackson Holliday taking grounders at third (on his rehab assignment), it stands to reason that Mayo is trending downward. Is a move imminent? No idea. But it’s not sustainable.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by the Athletics’ Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish done in by analytics?

Kyle Bradish pitched outstanding this evening for the Baltimore Orioles against The Athletics. It was by far Bradish’s best start of the season, and maybe one of the best of his career. And it was for naught. Bradish’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 10 K.

The Orioles are the only team in baseball who’s never won this year against a southpaw starter. And that continued this evening. Yet all things being equal, it probably should have been a 2-1 Orioles’ win.

Pete Alonso continued his hot streak with a solo home run in the last of the fourth to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. But it came unglued in the fifth – through no fault of Bradish. Wilson began the inning with a softly-hit but perfectly placed infield single to first base. Butler would then single to left, and suddenly the Athletics had a rally going. It started that innocently. And Gelof’s RBI-single tied the game at one.

Later in the inning a two-RBI triple by Kurtz gave the Athletics the lead at 3-1. The O’s would get one back in the sixth on a solo homer in the sixth. Bradish would leave after seven, and the newly called-up Kyle Gibson (who took the roster spot of the injured Cade Povich) would surrender a softly-hit RBI-single by Wilson. And the O’s fell, 4-2.

The Gelof single to left field I mentioned above in the fifth inning; it was curious. According to various internet stats’ sites, Gelof is a guy who a lot of teams play to bunt. That’s what the analytics say. And the Orioles appeared to do that, expecting a Gelof bunt.

However Gelof swung away. And he grounded the ball to Gunnar Henderson at short. Henderson did get to the ball; but he didn’t have time to quite get to it, and it trickled into left field. That set up an inning of consequence in the game, which ultimately led to an Athletics’ win.

Henderson would later bobble what should have been a double-play ball, further setting the inning up for the Athletics. That turned into a fielder’s choice, meaning it wasn’t an error. However that’s a play that has to be made. It would have been a double-play. Instead it was only one out.

Did the Athletics see the analytics behind Gelof’s at-bat and reverse-engineer it? Every opposing team knows the Orioles are married to these analytics. So would it not stand to reason that they would weaponize it? They think I’m bunting, so I’m going to swing away. And when the ball was put into play, the Orioles were slightly out of place.

This might be part of the reason for the struggles the past two years. Since June of 2024 in reality. To me it stands to reason that many teams just look at their own tendencies and try in many cases to do the opposite. They think we’re going to bunt, so we’ll do everything BUT. That’s why you have to use some situational awareness in games, as opposed to dealing only in stats.

And when Samuel Basallo smacked an RBI-single in the last of the ninth, all of the runs truly mattered. Perhaps the line between winning and losing is at times that fine. Especially when you consider that the Orioles had the winning run on base in the last of the ninth.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by the Athletics’ Aaron Civale. game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles fall on late error

First and foremost, the Baltimore Orioles potentially received suffered a new injury this evening, this to starter Cade Povich. With no injury outwardly apparent as having occurred, Povich was lifted after three innings. The Orioles later said that he was suffering from left forearm discomfort. Povich’s line: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Povich surrendered a two-run homer to Hicks in the first inning, putting the Birds behind the eight-ball 2-0. For the record, the runner who was on base was Norby, who walked on four pitches that were well out of the strike zone. Did analytics say not to touch the zone against Norby?

The Birds put two runners on in the third, and Gunnar Henderson smacked an RBI-single to cut the lead to 2-1. Keep in mind, the Birds absolutely need Henderson to get back on track to get the season itself back on track. This was a start. But again it was Norby who stepped up for Miami. His RBI-single in the last of the frame extended Miami’s lead to 3-1.

Yet, back-to-back hits by the O’s got them back on the board in the fourth. Samuel Basallo led off the inning with a double, and he later scored on Tyler O’Neill’s RBI-single. That cut the Miami lead to 3-2. It was also in the bottom of that inning that Craig Albernaz inserted Yennier Cano in lieu of Cade Povich.

Again, we learned later of the left forearm discomfort. However the question is whether this really affects the O’s that much. It does – make no mistake. But Trevor Roberts is eligible to come off the IL on Monday. Does it stand to reason that Povich goes to the IL? Do the O’s have to make a roster move for the bullpen before then?

The Oriole bullpen was outstanding overall tonight. Cano, Dietrich Enns, et al. And Pete Alonso continued his big series on top of that with an RBI-single in the eighth to tie the game at three. Which was a big moment.

The O’s would easily record the first two outs in the last of the ninth inning. However following a Mack double, Sanoja would send a bouncer to third. Coby Mayo would bobble the ball, but easily recovered. However that probably caused him to press, and he made an errant throw to first on what should have been the final out of the ninth.

Instead it was an error, allowing the runner to score. That also walked the O’s off losers, 4-3. Manager Craig Albernaz highlighted after the game how good the bullpen was. They gave up one unearned run. The winning run, yes. But needless to say, they did everything they could have.

Tough loss. But a good series overall in Miami. The Orioles have to hope that Pete Alonso and the bullpen stay strong. Despite the walk off error, Coby Mayo also had a decent game at the plate. Needless to say, the O’s took two-of-three in Miami, and left town in a much better spot than when they got there.

The O’s now head for home to take on The Athletics tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start tomorrow for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Polar Bear sets the tone

After a horrendous series in New York, the Baltimore Orioles have played two games in Miami in a back on track sort of manner. Tonight Brandon Young got the start, and Pete Alonso set the tone. Young’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

After a HBP and a walk, Pete Alonso set the tone for the Birds. his three-run home run in the top of the first on Miami tonight gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead. However Miami battled back. Marsee’s RBI-single in the last of the first cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-2. Caisse’s RBI-single later in the inning tied the game at three.

This has been a tough road trip for the O’s. And here, both last night and tonight, they have the opposing team (Miami) infernally insisting on tying the game after they take an early lead. But the Orioles and Brandon Young played on. And luckily they had a couple of big innings in them.

Dylan Beavers’ RBI-double in the fourth, and. Adley Rutschman’s in the fifth, gave the Birds a 5-3 lead. Rutschman would add an additional RBI-double in the sixth, extending the Orioles’ lead to 6-3. Following a sixth inning triple, Edwards’ RBI-groundout would cut the lead to 6-4 in the seventh.

An RBI-triple by Blaze Alexander in the top of the eighth would put the Birds over the top, and they went home 7-4 winners. Make no mistake, last night was a big win for this team. But so was tonight. After a series like the Birds had in New York( you always want to win a series. And the O’s did just that.

The series concludes tomorrow night at loanDepot Park. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Max Meyer. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman steals a win

The Baltimore Orioles won ugly tonight, but in doing so snapped a five-game losing streak. That’s often how it goes; losing streaks don’t go easily. One might have thought the O’s would get a better outing from starter Chris Bassitt, but he alarmingly seemed to struggle midway through his outing. Bassitt’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s were swinging from the beginning. With two on and one out, Pete Alonso’s two-R I double gave the O’s a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Alonso would later score on an RBI-double by Samuel Bassalo (who finished the game a home run short of the cycle), and the O’s led 3-0.

Bassitt would surrender a run in the last of the first on a wild pitch – a bit of a harbinger in a sense. However he started to struggle with control in the second inning, loading the bases with two outs. There’s that two-out number again – the Birds seem to let their guard down after the first two outs of an inning. Hicks’ two-RBI single would tie the game at three.

But the Orioles got the lead right back. Samuel Basallo’s two-RBI single in the third gave them a 5-3 lead. Miami would narrow it to 5-4 on Mack’s RBI-single in the bottom of the frame, but Bassalo came back up in the fifth. And his RBI-triple extended the lead to 6-4. Colton Cowser would reach on a fielder’s choice later in the inning which scored Basallo. And the O’s led, 7-4.

This was lining up to be a big team win. Again, the O’s had lost five straight coming in (including four against New York). Call this whatever you want, my term being a series of consequence. But Miami spoiled the party with back-to-back home runs in the seventh. They would then tie it in the eighth when Ruiz stole third base, and Samuel Basallo double-clutch on the throw, and tossed it into left field scoring the tying run.

The O’s are going through adversity right now, make no mistake. However we also saw a little bit of their character in this game, as they put two on in the ninth with one down. Both runners were the result of walks, which again is a good thing. With Basallo’s spot coming up, Craig Albernaz sent up Adley Rutschman as a pinch-hitter.

Miami played Rutschman very deep in the outfield. Incredibly deep – similar to how the O’s played their outfield last year. And Rutschman made them pay, dumping an RBI-single into left field and giving the O’s an 8-7 lead. They would even get an insurance run on Leody Taveras’ subsequent RBI-single.

Rico Garcia made quick victims of Miami in the ninth, shutting them down 1-2-3. Make no mistake, despite the massive struggles to date this was a huge win for this team. What happens going forward is anyone’s guess. But stopping a losing streak like this is a big deal. And onward we go.

The series continues tomorrow night at loanDepot Park. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Eury Perez. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles derailed by lack of attention to detail

Shane Baz pitched well enough to win tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. And the Birds had their chances. But even the best pitcher on earth can’t win games if the team around him can’t pay attention to detail in games. That’s as Baz’s fate tonight at Yankee Stadium. Baz’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R (5 earned), 5 BB, 4 K.

After the O’s stranded one in the first, New York led off their half of the frame with a Grisham double. That brought up Judge, who’s always an at-bat of consequence. Baz worked Judge to a 2-2 count. He threw an 89 MPH slider, and it was called ball three.

The pitch track seemed to indicate that it caught the bottom of the box. There isn’t one person in the ballpark, or watching at home on television who thought that wouldn’t be overturned by way of an ABS challenge…

…except Adley Rutschman. To be clear, Rutschman is cerebral, which is a good thing. However the ABS system doesn’t reward that. It rewards decisiveness – right or wrong. I agree with Rutschman’s apparent conservative philosophy in terms of challenging, Play it safe, and ensure that you have an option to challenge toward the end of the ballgame.

But maybe Rutschman took that too much to heart. Again, play it safe. But that pitch was in the zone; literally every replay and pitch track showed that. It would have been strike three upon review, and the Orioles would have been out of the inning. Instead, Judge hit a two-run home run, giving New York a 2-0 lead.

Grisham would double in the third, and advance to third base on a throwing error by Leody Taveras. Bellinger’s sac fly would tack onto New York’s lead making it 3-1. Again, the result of a mental lapse.

Colton Cowser quietly had a good game at the plate. He walked in his first at-bat, and then came up with the bases loaded in the sixth. He didn’t drive the ball and net a power hit with runners in scoring position. But he didn’t drive draw a walk. And in doing so he cut the NY lead to 3-1.

In the home half of the frame New York appeared to record the final out of the inning at home plate when Baz uncorked a wild pitch and a runner from third was called out. Yet..:New York did what the Orioles didn’t. They challenged. And they won.

Somehow, they were rewarded for rolling the dice. They put two additional runs on the board before the inning ended. And six more in the eighth, defeating the Orioles 12-1. Needless to say, this was another one which got away from the O’s. The game was closer than the score indicates. But still a loss.

It’s too easy to point at that minuscule moment in the first inning – the Adley Rutschman challenge. I thought it was a strike. I thought it might have been worth challenging. I also have replay. Rutschman did not. The rules mandate that he goes out on a limb and runs a risk to potentially get a call.

Of course, Judge hit a home run. And while the final said 12-1, it wasn’t a 12-1 game – until the end. However that moment did set the tone. And it illuminates the fact that the Orioles refuse to be bold. New York, despite their talent, fights for everything. They were challenging calls late into the game, and well after the outcome wasn’t in question. They didn’t care. They weren’t about to give away outs. The Orioles weren’t sure, so true to my own philosophy, they sat on their hands.

The O’s now head to South Beach to open a three-game set with Miami at loanDepot Park. Christ Bassitt gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Sandy Alcantera. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles fall due to defensive mishaps and poor lineup construction

Trey Gibson was put in an impossible position by the Baltimore Orioles today. Beat New York in the Bronx, while they’re having everything in their grasp bounce the right way. Also to be the Orioles’ stopper – this in his major league debut. In what should have been the most exciting moment of his life, he was thrown into a pressure situation. And he delivered. Gibson’s line: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Unfortunately for Gibson, he was also pitching against New York’s Fried – their ace, and one of the best pitchers in baseball. While Fried didn’t have a great game and looked uncomfortable at times, he still is who he is. As a result, the Orioles used what I would term a less than impactful lineup, in an effort to stack the deck with all righties.

Gibson gave up two home runs. One to Rice in the first, and one to Judge in the third. Home runs are going to happen, especially to rookies the first was a solo shot – no harm no foul. The Judge home run SHOULD have been a solo shot. But Weston Wilson and Blaze Alexander almost collided in shallow left field, allowing Rice’s flair to drop as a double.

However Wilson also got aboard in the second and promptly stole second base. He would score on an RBI-single by Blaze Alexander. This of course before that defensive mishap.

The Orioles did hang around in this game. They would take advantage of Fried not being himself and load the bases with nobody out in the fourth. Leody Taveras’ infield RBI-single cut the lead to 3-2. It also kept the bases loaded, and the O’s would eventually tie it. This as Jeremiah Jackson grounded into a double-play, scoring the third run of the game for the O’s.

That was a huge moment. The Orioles could have put a crooked number up on a few different occasions, but they opted for piecemeal runs. Mind you, that’s not the worst thing – no runs would be worse. But if you play for one run, that might be all you get.

The game remained tied until the sixth when NY put a runner at third with one out. McMahon grounded to Coby Mayo at first base, who appeared to try to throw the ball home before he cleanly had it. Instead, the run scored and McMahon was safe at first base. The O’s got out of the inning without further incident, but they trailed 4-3.

That was ruled an infield RBI-single. But it’s also a play Coby Mayo has to make. Of course you want to cut off the run. It goes without saying. But you have to know when to live to fight another day. The correct play there was to take the out at first base.

New York took a one-run lead into the last of the eighth, and then exploded. They put up eight runs against Oriole pitching, resulting in an 11-3 win. Much of that against Andrew Kitteredge. The play that really glares however was once again on Coby Mayo. With two runners on, Caballero sent a swinging bunt up the third base line. Mayo I explicably tried to field the ball, presumably to make the play at first base.

It was a play he wasn’t ever going to make, despite having a good arm. However the ball was clearly rolling foul. Instead by touching the ball, it was an infield hit. And New York made the Orioles pay.

Analytics say to load your lineup with righties when you face a guy like Fried. I understand that, however is it really worth sacrificing defense for that? You leave a guy like Gunnar Henderson on the bench for that reason? I think you’re handicapping the lineup doing that.

Analytics are important. But not at the price of sound logic. Coby Mayo made two massive mistakes in this game, ironically from both corners of the infield. (He switched to third later in the game.) You can’t allow that to happen. The mistake at first led directly to New York taking the lead.

The Orioles’ front office has more data than they know what to do with. You can’t win games on computers – this isn’t Atari or Nintendo. This is baseball. Computers don’t play the game. Humans do.

Incidentally, I’m not saying that the Orioles should throw in the towel on this year. It’s too early for that. But toss the computer analytics out the Warehouse window. And maybe look around and see if a trade can be made for a veteran or someone with some experience to help steady the ship.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Cam Schlittler. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Attacking the strike zone wins games

Kyle Bradish actually pitched better than the numbers indicate today at Yankee Stadium. Not great, but better than the numbers might indicate. He didn’t get much help. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 earned), 4 BB, 4 K.

Bradish gave up a solo homer in the second to Bellinger. A walk and a double in the third put two runners in scoring position. Rice struck out for the second out of the inning, however a run would score on a pass ball by Adley Rutschman. After an intentional walk, Bellinger’s RBI-double extended the lead to 3-0.

Granted, Bradish put the runners on base. But a run scoring on a pass ball in the wake of a strikeout doesn’t exactly reflect on him. Needless to say, it’s a team effort. Unless of course you’re hitting solo home runs, which Pete Alonso did in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1.

Bradish, along with just about every other pitcher on the staff, doesn’t attack the strike zone. Oriole pitchers are trying to live under and outside of the strike zone. Opposing teams know this, which is why they at times look unbeatable against the Orioles. That’s why you see so many wonky plays. The ball goes all over the place. That’s why so many times balls are just outside the reach of fielders, or line drives split defenders.

You can’t win games that way. It could also be why we see so many two-out rallies. Teams know what to look for. They have analytics also. And they can almost predict what’s coming. That should be glaring to the people in the front office who chart out the direction of the organization, especially as it happened again in the last of the fourth when Grisham smacked a two-run home run with two outs to extend the lead to 5-1.

Following a second solo homer by Bellinger in the fifth, the O’s did try to come back in the sixth. Tried. They loaded the bases with nobody out. However Pete Alonso would only plate one with a GIDP. However later in the inning Samuel Basallo would smack a pinch hit RBI-double, cutting the lead to 6-3.

Dylan Beavers walked to lead off the seventh, and would later steal two bases. Taylor Ward would ground out, scoring Beavers. It’s risky to attempt two steals – but Beavers did, he was safe, and he later scored, bringing the O’s to within two at 6-4.

Bellinger was a pest all day. With two on in the home half of the seventh his infield RBI-single extended the lead to 7-4. It ticked off of Jeremiah Jackson’s glove. Valiant effort, but just out of reach. Again, you wonder if the strategy of staying out of the strike zone doesn’t work counteractive to the Orioles’ intentions. All guys have to do is make contact and get the ball in play – and all bets are off.

Later in the inning Chisholm’s RBI-single would extend the lead to 8-4. Tyler O’Neill flubbed the ball slightly in right field. When he played the ball back into second base, Gunnar Henderson seemed to forget there was a runner behind him at third. The sad thing is Bellinger (the runner) didn’t appear to be looking to score. When Henderson didn’t make an attempt to throw home, he broke for the plate and scored easily. Ruled an RBI and a run scored on an error – charged to O’Neill.

The error may have been on O’Neill, but Gunnar Henderson can’t have mental lapses like that. And he wasn’t the only one who did things like that – today, or this season. You have to focus and pay attention. That’s something that shows up in the scorebook as an E9, but it’s an intangible thing which can’t be allowed to happen.

The Orioles need to start attacking the strike zone and clean up the mental lapses – and fast. When you look at the great Oriole rotations of the past, they had power pitchers – like Jim Palmer and Mike Flanagan. As hellbent on analytics at all costs as the current Front Office is, would it shock anyone if their attitude is they’d rather guys fly or ground out to save pitches?

That’s a theory – not an absolute. Strikeouts usually take a lot more pitches. So since efficiency is at a premium, the only explanation for infernally having your pitchers throw pitches outside the zone is you want to get them to put the ball in play early and record an out.

Again, this needs to be figured out quickly. It would also attest for how often we see soft contact. Opposing teams are doing everything they can to just put the ball in play. And the fielders are positioned in spots not anticipating wayward contact. Accounting for the number of softly hit singles, AND two out rallies.

On top of that, the Orioles are calling up pitching prospect Trey Gibson to make tomorrow’s start. A rookie, making his big league debut, against New York, in the Bronx. And being asked to be a stopper.

The series continues tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. The aforementioned Trey Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: You have to attack the strike zone

Chris Bassitt attacked the strike zone in game one of this afternoon’s doubleheader against Houston for the Baltimore Orioles. Brandon Young tried to live on the corners and outside of the strike zone in the second game. The Birds blew Houston out in the first game. Not so much in the second. Young’s line: 4.0 IP, 10 H, 10 R (7 earned), 2 BB, 2 K.

In short, Houston had two big innings in the ballgame. Those being the first and the fourth. Harris’ two-RBI single in the first set the tone, giving Houston a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning a three-run home run by Smith extended the lead to 5-0.

Alvarez would tack on a solo home run in the second, before Houston would tack on six in the fourth inning. They led 10-0 at that point, and sent nine to the plate in the inning. However the fourth inning was also noteworthy because Pete Alonso got the O’s on the board with an RBI-double, and Leody Taveras would cut the lead to 10-3 with a two-RBI triple.

Houston would tack on an additional run in the fifth on a wild pitch. But the O’s would tack on two more before all was said and done. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-double in the seventh, and Coby Mayo’s sac fly-RBI in the ninth. But the O’s fell in the second game of two, 11-5.

I wrote this a lot last year; you HAVE to attack the strike zone. Whichever AI program the Orioles use which tells them to live off the plate isn’t working. We often hear that pitchers don’t want to give in and throw a fastball. Sometimes that’s how you make your living.

If you don’t attack the strike zone, firstly you’ll walk a lot of guys. But the second phase of this is that opposing teams seemingly know where the ball is going to be – BECAUSE they have the same AI/analytical programs. So they’re sitting on your cutter or sweeper off the plate, similar to how they might sit on a fastball. Which defeats the purpose.

You have to attack the strike zone. I’m not suggesting that you should live in the middle of the plate – BAD IDEA. But that’s why mixing your pitches is important. And we saw that contrast in game one vs. game two.

All of that said, fans should keep in mind that the Orioles did take two of three from Houston. They split a doubleheader, which is the law of averages. In fact, teams in generaly dislike doubleheaders – not because of the lack of rest, but because it’s all but accepted that you end up splitting it. Meaning it’s a guaranteed loss.

Again, two of three. That should be the goal in every series. So consider this a bounce back series after the Boston series over the weekend.

The O’s now head to New York to open up a four-game weekend set at Yankee Stadium. The Birds are yet to announce a starter for tomorrow night’s game, but whomever he is will be opposed by New York’s Will Warren. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.