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Baltimore Orioles: Cade Povich cool as a Polar Bear

The Baltimore Orioles put Cade Povich in a bit of a spot tonight. Povich was activated off the IL, and was taxed with starting tonight against Anaheim – in the first game after GM Mike Elias controversially traded Adley Rutschman (among others). And to his credit, Povich delivered. Povich’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Povich has quietly had a great regular season, despite the injury. Coming into to tonight’s game, he had a 3.91 ERA. My personal opinion is that he’s a keeper. Despite having traffic on the base paths for most of the night, he did pitch a shutout over six innings.

The Orioles immediately inserted a couple of their new players into the lineup, including Christian Franklin and Carlos Narváez. The latter of which (who was obtained in the Rutschman trade) was hit by a pitch in the third. The Birds would proceed to load the bases, and Pete Alonso’s two-RBI single would give them a 2-0 lead.

This wasn’t a game noted for its offensive output. With one out Coby Mayo would triple in the seventh. Franklin would then reach on a fielder’s choice, with Mayo being thrown out at home plate.

Craig Albernaz had the contact play on. The O’s always seem to have the contact play on. It didn’t work. The O’s ran into an out. How good a bunter Franklin is, but would a safety squeeze not have been a better idea there? The contact play works well if the game is truly on the line late in the game. The scenario didn’t call for it in that instance.

Grissom’s run-scoring double in the eighth sort of drove home the point about the safety squeeze. Suddenly the Orioles were only ahead by one, and that out at home plate registered greater. To make matters worse, an error by Christian Encarnacion-Strand at third helped drive the run in.

But the Orioles pitched out of it. On top of that, they got an insurance run from Tyler O’Neill in the form of a solo home run in the last of the eighth. Yennier Cano closed Los Angeles out in the ninth, and the O’s took the first game of this series, 3-1.

This was a huge win. Not regarding the postseason race or anything, because the math says the Orioles are still very much alive for that. But it was a big win for the psyche of the clubhouse, given the players who were unceremoniously removed over the past day-and-a-half. The Orioles had no choice but to win the game today. And yes, the standings say they’re very much alive.

They also won this game and beat former starter Grayson Rodriguez. He was of course traded to LA in the off season for Tyler Ward – who was just traded to Seattle yesterday, Needless to say, Rodriguez had injury issues beyond his control. But the Birds certainly didn’t want him coming back in here and beating them.

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

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Baltimore Orioles send Adley Rutschman to Boston

Adley Rutschman was the Baltimore Orioles first round pick in 2019. Not only that, he was the first overall pick in the draft. He was a 1:1.

Today President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias traded Rutschman to division rival Boston. Rutschman is a free agent after 2027, and he’s currently on the IL with a wrist injury. In return for Rutschman, the Orioles are reportedly getting RHP Anthony Eyanson, OF Endy Azocar, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, C Carlos Narvaez, and a player to be named later. Eyanson and Witherspoon are the #2 and #3 prospects in Boston’s system.

Whether that’s a legitimate haul for Rutschman remains to be seen. Perhaps some of that depth was even warranted in the Orioles’ farm system. What IS factual is that six of the eight deadlines in the current Elias regime have been sales.

On top of that, this goes well against the grain of baseball logic. While the O’s got some decent players back, traditionally you don’t trade within your division. Many will say that’s a good thing. While my view is irrelevant, again I’ll just reiterate that regular logic goes against this.

It’s also worth mentioning that the O’s are still 2.5 games back in the playoff race. Adley Rutschman is a franchise sort of player who’s now going to be that for a division rival. There does appear to be something wrong with that picture. But that’s the reality of the situation.

It’s entirely possible that Mike Elias is comfortable with the Orioles continuing their postseason push without the likes of Rutschman, Taylor Ward, and Dean Kremer. It could be that he’s comfortable with those players being on teams who are directly competing with the Orioles. But needless to say, the moves are curious.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Orioles locked C Samuel Basallo into a longterm deal last year. So while Basallo’s injured also for now, there’s no question mark at the catcher position for the foreseeable future. But again, usually you don’t help out your division rivals.

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Baltimore Orioles send Taylor Ward to Seattle

The Baltimore Orioles have traded Og Taylor Ward to Seattle. With the MLB Teade Deadline set for 6 PM this evening, Ward appears on the move. Neither side has confirmed the deal.

In return, the O’s appear poised to receive RHP’s Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. All three appear to be high leverage relievers. Perhaps they can be stretched out. Time will tell.

Despite an unfortunate turn of events over the weekend against Philadelphia, the Orioles are 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. In Seattle and Minnesota, they’ve now traded with two teams with whom they’re competing for that spot. I find that odd. But perhaps I’m outdated in my thinking. In my world you never make someone who’s a threat to you better.

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Baltimore Orioles: Nothing good happens after a walk – or after bad challenges

You can’t pitch better than Shane Baz did tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. Sadly tonight’s game against Philadelphia was also par for the course, as the Orioles don’t seem to score runs in games when Baz pitches. Beginning and ending with tonight – where they put up zero. Baz’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Philadelphia’s starter Sanchez matched Baz. Both were outstanding. The Orioles lost a challenge in the third inning, on a pitch that was outside the strike zone by over an inch and a half. In the moment however it was a non-issue because Baz got out of the inning. In the moment being a key phrase there.

Philadelphia would take a 1-0 lead in the fifth on an RBI-single by De La Cruz. This with two outs in the inning, and on the heels of a walk. The only walk of the game that Baz issued. Which was followed by the only run of the game that he allowed.

Remember that bit above about that missed challenge not hurting the Orioles in the moment? It began to hurt them in the seventh when Taylor Ward missed their second and final challenge of the game. On a pitch that was clearly a strike. Putting them out of challenges for the game.

I fundamentally disagree with computers calling balls and strikes. But the system is what it is; the O’s haven’t been good with challenges this year – either offensively or defensively. They either challenge the wrong pitches or let bad calls go unchecked. Or, they shoot their wad early and often.

With Philadelphia still leading 1-0 in the top of the eight, Schwarber walked on a full count with one out. Ball four was CLEARLY in the strike zone to the naked eye. A fact that was backed up by pitch track. But the Orioles couldn’t challenge. Grant Wolfram tapped his hat, but the Birds were out of challenges. Everyone in the ballpark knew thatwas strike three. But it went as ball four.

Following a second walk and a wild pitch, Bohm’s RBI-single extended the lead to 2-0. After Bohm’s RBI-single it was 3-0. Crawford would tack on a two-RBI single later in the game, extending the lead to 5-0. Most of the runs in that sequence came off of walks…

…and nothing good happens after a walk. Walks may only equal one base, but they’re runners on base. Philadelphia took advantage of their opportunities once those runners got on. Meanwhile the Orioles were 0-for-3 with RISP. You can’t win games like that.

You also can’t win games by challenging pitches that you have no business challenging, leading to you being out of challenges. Again, that system isn’t something in which I believe. But it’s there, and you have to utilize it correctly. When the Orioles were faced with a pitch that was an OBVIOUS strike three, they couldn’t enforce it.

It’s easy enough to say that it’s nobody’s fault but their own that they allowed the inning to balloon after that. AND that they couldn’t put a run on the board, losing 5-0. And that’s true. However does nobody on and two outs not sound better than one on and one out? Do we think that inning still balloons the way it did if that’s a strike three instead of a ball four? And make no mistake, IT WAS a strike three.

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

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Baltimore Orioles trade Dean Kremer to Minnesota

Word on the street is that the Baltimore Orioles traded starter Dean Kremer to Minnesota shortly after last night’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia. Again word on the street is that in return they’re receiving Jhomnardo Reyes, a single-A outfielder. Neither the Orioles or Minnesota have announced the trade.

Kremer heads to Minnesota with a 6.50 ERA on the season. (It ballooned to that level after his most recent starts in Boston and Detroit.) For his part, Reyes was Minnesota’s 12th prospect in their organization. He also bats from the left side.

The Orioles are a game-and-a-half back from the final Wild Card Spot. So they aren’t selling – per se. This is a curious move to me, especially given the fact that the team currently in the final Wild Card spot is…Minnesota. The trade deadline is Monday, which is an off day for the Orioles. Does this foreshadow the addition of another pitcher?

Kremer was slated to start on Tuesday, so the O’s will need a starter for that game against Anaheim. They could also skip the start, given the off day. The Orioles also head to Minnesota in just over two weeks. Needless to say, best wishes to Dean Kremer.

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Baltimore Orioles: Brotherly “Gun”

Brandon Young pitched well for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Wellish. He had his struggles, but also his share of misfortune. Young’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Young gave up an infield single and a walk to lead off the game. And the infield single was a good pitch – Turner just hit it soft enough to be an infield hit. Harper’s RBI-single would give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. An RBI-single hit the opposite way.

Later in the inning Marsh’s RBI-groundout would extend the lead to 2-0. But keep in mind that the O’s had to come to bat as well – nine times at that. Dylan Beavers would lead off the game with a double, and after a wild pitch that sent him to third, Pete Alonso would tie the game at two with a two-run home run.

Oriole bats couldn’t get much going after that. Philadelphia’s starter (Painter) settled in and shut them down. Philadelphia on the other hand took their lead back at 4-2 thanks to two solo homers. One by Turner in the third, and one by Realmuto in the sixth.

Solo home runs aren’t supposed to hurt you. But they almost hurt the O’s. After Painter left the game, things started to shift. The Orioles had runners at first and second with one pitch in the seventh. Christian Encarnacion-Strand sent a deep liner to the gap in center, which fell as a two-RBI double which immediately tied the game. Talk about a guy who’s been dialed in of late!

But that only set the tone. After Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch the Birds had runners at the corners, needing one to take a lead against a good Philadelphia team. Gunnar Henderson strode to the plate. Gunnar Henderson who’s struggled all season.

You could see in his eyes he wanted this. He wanted to play the hero at least once. And boy did he. He would eventually smack a two-RBI triple, and the Orioles led, 6-4. Gunnar was noticeably animated after sliding in safely. He knew what he had done. And it felt good.

The Oriole pen shut down Philadelphia 1-2-3 in both the eighth and ninth. The eighth inning belonged to Yennier Cano, who of course signed a two-year contract extension before the game. And he earned every penny in that eighth inning.

This is the Orioles’ second consecutive game where they’ve come from behind. Granted, this one wasn’t as dramatic as the other day in Detroit. But it shows a never say die attitude. And at least today, it came off the bat of a player in Gunnar Henderson who had been hoping for such a moment all year.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Detroit swung, the O’s didn’t

Dean Kremer was unable to muster any sort of momentum for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in Detroit. Nor was anyone else who pitched in the game. Neither in the game or in the wake of last night’s win. Which ended up being a big deal, given tonight’s result. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

In short, Detroit hitters were swinging away at will against Kremer and everyone else the Orioles threw up there. The Orioles almost assumed their outs were fait accompli. An opponent hellbent on winning and a passive approach at the plate on your part rarely ends well.

Keith’s two-RBI triple in the first was really all Detroit needed. Their pitching shut down Oriole hitting. However Kremer also couldn’t find the strike zone. He lived on the fringes, as did every other Oriole pitcher. One inning later Valencia’s solo homer, combined with Torres’ two-RBI double extended the lead to 5-0.

Kremer should have been pulled there. But he went back out. Before the fourth inning was over, Detroit led 8-0. The big play in that? A two-run homer by Torres. On a cutter that stayed up.

At times it almost looked like Detroit knew what was coming. And I don’t say that in an effort to say a team was stealing signs. I say that in the context that I think the Orioles have tipped pitches (accidentally, of course) for some time, and that they need to figure out what they’re doing to in effect tell other teams what they’re doing.

None of that explains the Orioles’ passive approach at the plate tonight. They tallied three hits in the game. You can’t win games with that sort of output. In short, guys are guessing where pitches are going to be. And they’re guessing wrong.

Detroit really wasn’t in the mood to stop, when the smoke cleared it was a 14-0 final. To be clear, the final two runs came on a two-run home run by Valencia in the eighth inning. Off of Chadwick Tromp.

Which is equally baffling. I’m not sure whose idea it was to have a catcher be the position player to pitch in a blowout, but it’s a curious choice. Needless to say. Granted, it could also mean that a roster move is forthcoming, involving Tromp.

This is a game you have to just forget about. YES, they have to figure out if someone’s tipping pitches, and then how to stop it. However that’s been true for two years. But you have to forget about it and move onto tomorrow.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Comerica Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 1 PM,

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Baltimore Orioles: A win for “Rocky J. Squirrel!”

The Baltimore Orioles found themselves sending Kyle Bradish to the mound in this evening’s series opener in Frostbite Falls – Detroit, that is. Bradish wasn’t at his best, although he never trailed in the game. Bradish’s line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

As the game began and our hero’s settled in, the O’s took an early lead. Taylor Ward’s first inning RBI-groundout gave them an early 1-0 lead. Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI-groundout an inning later, followed by Dylan Beavers’ RBI-single. And the O’s led 3-0.

Detroit’s McKinstry would lead off the home half of the second with a triple. The ball bounced in front of Leody Taveras, and the run later scored on on Lee’s sac fly-RBI. Needless to say, that’s about as good of an outcome as you could have hoped for.

But the O’s would get that run back on Coby Mayo’s RBI-single in the third. Detroit would net two in the fourth, cutting the lead to 4-3. It was almost like the game was hanging in the balance.

But the O’s were having none of a comeback for Detroit. Like Rocky & Bullwinkle shut down Boris & Natasha however, the Birds put a stop to Detroit’s aspirations of winning today. Leody Taveras’ solo home run in the fifth, followed by a two-run homer by Coby Mayo. However Detroit would put two back on the board in the fifth, et the O’s managed to hold the lead at 7-5.

Of all people, it was Tyler O’Neill who put the exclamation point on the night. His solo home run in the seventh extended the lead to 8-5. But the game for once wasn’t the entertainment.

That fell to the black squirrel who worked its way onto the field. That squirrel had to have touched every blade of grass on the field. Not to mention running on the infield dirt. Hoke plate umpire Bill Miller had the Detroit grounds crew (with an assist from Leody Taveras) remove the squirrel during a time out, Miller then got on the mic and personally thanked the grounds crew. Crazy; the squirrel was later removed.

The series continues tomorrow night at Comerica Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Troy Melcom. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles missing Rutschman and Basallo

Shane Baz started out in a promising way for the Baltimore Orioles in the series finale against Atlanta today. He was fairly economical – at first. But Atlanta wore him down early. Baz’s line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 2 K.

Baz threw more of a mix than only knuckle curves and four-seam fastballs. That goes without saying. But apparently the order came down today that Baz was to throw predominantly knuckle curveballs and four-seam fastballs.

To be fair, Atlanta hitters weren’t exactly getting to them. But when you throw only a mix of two pitches predominantly, the opponent takes notice. Atlanta in essence piecemealed their way into tiring Baz out. They fouled off pitch after pitch, driving up Baz’s pitch count.

Harris led off the second inning with a first pitch single off of a Baz four-seamer. However Colton Cowser bobbled the ball in center field, allowing the runner to take second on an error. Harris would take third on a groundout, and score on a run-scoring single by Smith.

Interestingly, the Orioles let just about every pitch go by. They were out of ABS challenges after the third inning, which is a huge problem. And the two pitches that they challenged weren’t even close. It’s good that they seem to have broken out of the habit of not using challenges at all. But be smart with your challenges.

With two outs and a runner on third in the top of the fourth, Smith sent a line drive to left. Dylan Beavers laid out, but he trapped the ball and a run scored. I’ve said for several years that the O’s play their outfield too deep. Smiths knock wasn’t shallow and it wasn’t soft per se. But had Beavers been positioned slightly more shallow (ever so slightly), that’s an out and the inning’s over. Instead it’s a run.

The most curious thing to me was the pitch selection when Baz was in the game, and the approach at the plate. If I’m the person who’s calling pitches, it stands to reason that relying on two pitches isn’t going to cut it. That said, two runs is hardly a problem. However as I said, Atlanta wore down Baz fouling off pitch after pitch. At a certain point you have to mix it up.

Consequently, the Orioles let several hittable pitches just go by. This AFTER having burned their ABS challenges. Interesting strategy. And it didn’t work. Hitting coaches, and whomever is calling pitches on defense should take note.

All of that is still true. However Pete Alonso’s solo home run in the eighth cut the lead to 2-1. Come the last of the ninth the O’s had one on and one out. Leody Taveras bounced into what should have been a game-ending double-play. However the ball rolled through the second baseman’s legs, and the O’s had life.

Jackson Holliday grounded out, scoring the runner from third, and tying the game. As listless as the Orioles looked through seven innings, they turned it on at the right time. The O’s loaded the bases with nobody out in the tenth. But…

…things went sideways quick. Gunnar Henderson smacked a liner earmarked for right field, but before it could get there it was snagged by Olson at first base. He was also able to double up Pete Alonso at first base. That left two outs, and the inning ended with Taylor Ward popping out.

The Orioles challenged the double-play. It was close; predictably, the call stood. One of those not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field deals. The runner was probably safe. They just couldn’t prove it with video.

Riley’s run-scoring double in the 11th gave Atlanta a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the frame the O’s had runners at the corners with two outs. And Atlanta opted to walk Jackson Holliday to get to Sam Huff, who grounded out to end the game.

That’s where having BOTH Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo on the IL hurts. Not just one catcher, but BOTH. Either could be a full-time catcher on another team. Either could be a perennial all-star. BOTH are hurt. Which is insane.

The Henderson at-bat in the tenth was tan awful one. That should have snuck through. Olson made a great play, and got some luck. Gunnar got none (luck, that is).

The O’s now head to Detroit to open up a three-game series at Comerica Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Keider Montero. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Leave it to Beavers

You can’t say enough about Brandon Young for the Baltimore Orioles. I would go so far as to say that he should at least be in the running for the Most Valuable Orioles award this year. Needless to say, he provided the Birds with a quality start tonight when they needed one against Atlanta – this after a tough loss last night. Young’s line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Sadly for Young, Atlanta’s Elder was equally as good against the Birds tonight. Good pitching always shuts down good hitting. Both sides ran up against good pitching tonight.

Pete Alonso reached on a fielding error by Atlanta’s Jarvis in the third. He would later score on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s run-scoring single to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. Encarnacion-Strand has made quite an impression with the O’s thus far, especially being a replacement due to injury. Needless to say, he’s made an impact this week alone.

Gunnar Henderson’s solo home run in the last of the fifth extended the lead to 2-0. It was his first home run in two weeks. Atlanta would get back on an RBI-groundout in the sixth, but Young limited the damage and got out of the inning.

Well after Young had departed with his quality start however, the Orioles lost the lead – non decisioning Young. Rico Garcia threw a solo home run to Albies in the top of the eighth, tying the game at two. The sad thing is that the last of the seventh had been extended due to Atlanta errors – and the O’s couldn’t take advantage. You have to take advantage when opponents give you an opportunity if you want to go places in this league.

Luckily however, it didn’t hurt the Birds. In the last of the ninth Jackson Holliday smacked a one-out double, and moved to third on Colton Cowser’s sacrifice fly. And make no mistake, Cowser was swinging for the fences. But it was a good team at-bat in that he got the runner to third.

That brought Dylan Beavers to the plate, with two outs. The O’s had a runner at third, and needed one run to win. And Beavers delivered. His RBI-single to right field drove in Holliday, and gave the O’s a 3-2 win.

That ninth inning symbolized what the concept of TEAM should be. Cowser was a pinch-hitter, and while he didn’t get the result he wanted, he did get the runner to third. And that made a difference. Coming off of a bad loss last night, this was a huge win for the Birds.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Reynaldo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: First inning halts Boston’s win streak

In his first start since signing a contract extension over the weekend, Kyle Bradish was charged with throwing a quality start for the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway. This in hopes of salvaging one of three, splitting the doubleheader, and of course halting Boston’s 15-game winning streak – which tied a franchise-record. And he did all of that. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Earlier in the day the O’s put Samuel Basallo on the IL. This after sending Adley Rutschman to the IL earlier in the week. The Orioles are now down both star catchers. And they could be without Tyler O’Neill, who was lifted from the game after wincing as he rounded first base on a base hit. The injury bug goes on.

Boston had to sue a spot starter for the game, and the Orioles didn’t allow him out of the first inning. With two outs in the first inning and Dylan Beavers at the plate, the pitcher Rivera uncorked a wild pitch scoring Pete Alonso.

Beavers immediately smacked a two-run single, and the O’s led 3-0 early on. But not for long – later in the inning Jonathan Rodriguez’s RBI-double extended the lead to 4-0. Boston lifted Rivera with two outs in the first inning.

That broke the game wide open early. Boston obviously had plenty of time to come back, however Bradish and later the bullpen wasn’t going to allow that. Bradish allowed an RBI-single to Yoshida in the fourth, but other than that Bradish shut Boston bats down.

No lead is safe at Fenway. But especially when Boston had won fifteen straight, and was going for sixteen. Again, that would have been a Boston Red Sox team record. This of course had it happened.

But it didn’t. While the Fenway Faithful tried to rally their team, the Oriole bullpen wasn’t having none of it. They sent down hitter after hitter. In the mean time the O’s got an insurance run, this on another wild pitch on the seventh which scored Gunnar Henderson. Yennier Cano held things over into the ninth, and the ball went to Tyler Wells, who shut Boston down.

It’s tough to drop two-of-three, however the O’s did go 4-2 on the road trip. Had Rutschman or Basallo been in the lineup, could the O’s have won one of those other two games? Probably. But end of the day, the Orioles are one game up in the win column than they were when the roadtrip began.

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Baltimore Orioles: Hot teams eat errors for dinner

Shane Baz was victimized by Baltimore Orioles’ errors in the field this evening at Boston’s Fenway Park. It’s probably a poor idea to commit a bunch of errors against a team who had won 13 straight games coming in. Especially when that team’s a division opponent who sort of refuses to lose. Baz’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R ( 2 earned) 0 BB, 6 K.

I’m not someone who believes in vibes in the moment or at all. But Boston is certainly feeling something along those lines. When you’ve won 13 straight games, that’s probably part of the deal – regardleas of what I say.

However the Orioles were far from blown out in this game. It was a struggle to the end. Tyler O’Neill got the Birds on the board in the first with a ground-rule RBI-double. Duran’s sac fly-RBI in the third would tie the game at one, and Boston would put two across in the third to take a 3-1 lead.

However keep in mind that those two runs in the third were unearned. Jeremiah Jackson committed a two-out error, which led to those two runs. Baz pitched well; he deserved better.

But the O’s battled back. They lost this game, but they certainly battled. Which makes a difference – not in the standings, but it makes a difference. Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s solo homer in the fifth cut the Boston lead to 3-2. One inning later the O’s led 4-3. This after an RBI-single by Jeremiah Jackson, followed by an RBI-single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

However Boston led off the sixth with a single by Abreu, who advanced to second on a throwing error. He walks later score on Contreras’ run-scoring double, tying the game at four. Tyler O’ Neill would ground out on the seventh, scoring a run. And the Birds led, 5-4.

However Boston would tack on two in the later innings. This included solo homer by Durbin in the last of the eighth, which won the game for Boston. End of the day, you can’t commit four errors and expect to win. Which is why the Orioles need to continue looking at and addressing their defense going forward.

The series continues tomorrow at Fenway Park. Kyle Bradish gets the call for the Orioles, and Boston is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles sweep Houston with a master class performance

Brandon Young got the start this afternoon in his de facto hometown of Houston for the Baltimore Orioles. Young of course grew up approximately 100 miles from Houston, and this was his second start at Daikin Park. The first one wasn’t too shabby, as he almost threw a perfect game. Not the case today, but still very good. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Houston put two runners on with nobody out in the second, but Young pitched out of it. That was the main threat that Houston made in the game. At least early. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the third gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning the O’s had Pete Alonso on first and Henderson at third. Craig Albernaz called for a double-steal, and it was executed perfectly. Henderson stole home plate, and the Birds led 2-0.

Houston would get on the board in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-double by Alvarez. But Young limited the damage, and got out of the inning. Pitching is as much about that as anything else – limiting the damage. Teams are going to score runs – most teams, that is. But no reason to turn that into a big inning.

The O’s would load the bases in the fifth, and Leody Taveras’ two-RBI single extended the lead to 4-1. Coby Mayo sent the second pitch of the sixth inning over the wall in right, extending it to 5-1. Altuve got Houston one back in the eighth with a solo homer, but the Birds went onto win 5-2.

One area of concern now is catcher. The Orioles called Sam Huff up to join the team before the game, making one wonder if Adley Rutschman isn’t dinged up. Samuel Basallo started behind the dish today, but left the game in the second with what the Orioles called right shoulder discomfort. He appeared to wince while swinging the bat in the top of the inning.

It might be fair to say maybe Rutschman had a scheduled day off. However odds are against the O’s doing that and calling up a third catcher for today’s game as a result. Something to watch as we go onward.

The O’s have now swept their previous two series’. They’ll go to Boston, who’s won 13 straight games. The Orioles’ win streak is at seven. So for the next few days we’ll see the two hottest teams in baseball.

The O’s now head to Boston to open the aforementioned series at Fenway Park. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Payton Tolle. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: The Tyler O’Neill game

Trevor Rogers was non-decisioned in a hard-luck manner for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in Houston. He by and large pitched well enough to win. And he should have won. Rogers’ line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

Dylan Beavers got the Orioles on the board in the fourth on an RBI-double. Rogers was lifted after allowing two on in the sixth, with two outs. Rico Garcia was greeted by a bunt RBI-single by Allen, tying the game at one.

The game went to extra innings, and it got interesting fast. Leody Taveras was the Orioles’ ghost runner in the tenth, and he went to third on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s single. Taveras would later score on a sacrifice bunt by Jeremiah Jackson, and the O’s led 2-1.

However Houston would get the leadoff runner on in the bottom of the tenth, and Alvarez’s ground rule run-scoring double would tie the game at two. Following a Gunnar Henderson throwing error, Houston had the bases loaded with nobody out. Not exactly a scenario conducive to winning.

Altuve came to the plate needing to get one run in to win the ballgame. He sent a fly ball medium depth to right field. Tyler O’Neill made the catch for an out, and immediately turned his attention to the runner at third who was tagging up.

O’Neill made a somersaulting throw to home plate, and Samuel Basallo tagged the runner on the helmet as he tried to slide in and score what would have been the winning run. Houston persisted and tried to have Wade lay down a quick bunt for a base hit – back to the pitcher, Andrew Kitteredge. However he calmly threw the runner out at first to end the inning. And we played on.

Everything had to come together for the Orioles to avoid losing the game in that inning. None however moreso than the Tyler O’Neill throw. Say what you will about him at the plate. But his play in the field was outstanding today.

And speaking of O’Neill at the plate, he came up in the top of the eleventh with two outs and runners on first and second. After working the count, he sent a swinging bunt to Altuve at second. However for whatever reason, Altuve was playing slightly further back than he probably should have been.

With the runners going on contact, O’Neill ran on a dead sprint down the first base line. And he was safe. In the mean time, Gunnar Henderson (the ghost runner) astutely never stopped running. This until he had crossed home plate, giving the Orioles a 3-2 lead.

Later in the inning with Leody Taveras batting, Houston’s batter had some major issues with their pitchcom device. The game was paused for a few minutes while they worked on it. Did that effectively freeze the pitcher, De Los Santos? Possibly. Either way, Taveras smacked an RBI-single extending the lead to 4-2. Resulting in an unlikely 4-2 victory.

The O’s have now won this series in Houston. Which given the Wild Card standings, is a big deal. However again, make no mistake that this was Tyler O’Neill’s day. As hard of a season as he’s had, he found a way to contribute and to help the team win a ballgame. Heck of an effort, which was about as gritty as you’re going to find.

During the game we also learned that the O’s had signed pitcher Kyle Bradish to a contract extension. The deal is believed to be for five years and in excess of $90 million. That’s two pitchers (Bradish and Shane Baz) that the O’s have locked up for the foreseeable future.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Daikin Park. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Hunter Brown. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles lifted late by Taylor Ward after tight rope walk

Dean Kremer got the start for the Baltimore Orioles in Houston last night in the first game out of the break. He only lasted four innings, but his first inning perhaps foreshadowed the end of the game. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

After a leadoff walk Alvarez’s RBI-double gave Houston a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning Houston had runners at the corners with only one out. Kremer appeared on the ropes early. However he induced Altuve to ground into a double-play, ending the inning.

Kremer gave up a run. But he limited the damage. And that was huge in the moment, as well as in the grand scheme of the game.

The Orioles would tie the game in the third when Pete Alonso drew a bases loaded walk. Houston challenged the call of a strike, but it was upheld on replay. However Houston got their lead back in their half of the frame on a sac fly-RBI by Paredes.

The game wore on, and neither team could push anything across. Which in theory benefited Houston. However the O’s turned to reliever Cam Sanders in the eighth – with the bases loaded and one out. The Birds traded for Sanders over the break after he was DFA’d by Pittsburgh.

He was thrilled to join the Orioles, who obviously threw him into the fire right away. he immediately struck out Paredes, and induced Walker to pop out to end the inning. He had delivered the Orioles from the brink of Houston potentially breaking the game wide open.

Adley Rutschman hit a leadoff double in the eighth, bringing Taylor Ward to the plate. But Ward wasn’t going to walk this time. Instead he smacked a two-run home run, propelling the Orioles into the lead.

From the brink of disaster into the lead. It happened that quickly. Tyler Wells closed Houston out in the ninth, striking out Walker with two on to end the game , giving the Orioles now a five-game winning streak.

For once this year, it was the O’s holding their opponent accountable. Sanders stopped a golden opportunity for Houston to take a bigger lead. When they failed at that, the O’s pounced. And they won as a result.

The series continues this afternoon at Daikin Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles begin the second half

The second half of the 2026 season starts tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in Houston. It opens with the Orioles being on notice that they’ll be without lefty reliever Keegan Akin for some time. Akin underwent Tommy John’s surgery over the All-Star break.

Akin reported elbow surgery after his June 27th outing against Washington. Akin, a seven-year MLB veteran, has spent his entire career with the Orioles. The surgery leaves Grant Wolfram as the only southpaw in the Orioles’ bullpen.

This news comes of course on the heels of Blaze Alexander suffering a broken arm Sunday against the Kansas City Royals after being hit by a pitch late in the game. The benches emptied, but order was restored quickly. Perhaps it’s fitting that the Birds go into the break with a fresh slew of injuries.

The series with Houston opens this evening at Daikin Park. Dean Kremer get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Peter Lambert. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: First four-game winning streak of the year to end the first half

The Baltimore Orioles now have their first four-game winning streak of 2026, this in the final game of the first half of the season. It took awhile to get here, and this was no picnic. But Shane Baz set the tone for the O’s, and the bats eventually came around to record a three-game sweep of Kansas City. Baz’s line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R (one earned), 0 BB, 9 K.

Baz was throwing strikes, evidenced by the nine strikeouts. Kansas City also got to a few pitches, which can also be a derivative of throwing strikes. They got a runner aboard in the top of the second on a throwing error by Blaze Alexander, and Kansas City made them pay. Collins’ subsequent run-scoring triple gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead.

Put the ball in play, and things happen sometimes. We’ve said it all season. But the O’s weren’t to be stopped today. Not yet, at least. In the bottom of the second Leody Taveras hit a LONG two-run homer to give the O’s a 2-1 lead. The ball traveled 448 feet to the batter’s eye. Kansas City would tie the game an inning later, and we were knotted at two.

Baz only lasted 4.2 innings due to a few laborious innings. He probably deserved to win the game. But he set the tone, and put the team in a spot to win. That’s the goal.

All year we’ve seen the Orioles fall victim to fluky plays. Today they got one back, and it sparked a big time rally. With one on and one out in the last of the sixth Tyler O’Neill pinch hit for Colton Cowser, and he popped up a shallow fly ball to right. Cagliqnone, the KC right fielder, appeared to not pick up the ball in the sky, and it fell to the turf. Runners at the corners ensued.

Leody Taveras came through again immediately after. His RBI-single gave the O’s a 3-2 lead. Another pinch-hitter, Jeremiah Jackson, added an RBI-double. And the Birds led, 4-2.

Next up was Gunnar Henderson, who was credited with an RBI before he even got a base hit. Kansas City pitcher Straham was called for a balk, and with a runner on third the Orioles led 5-2. Henderson’s RBI-single extended it to 6-2.

But the O’s weren’t quite done yet in the inning. Pete Alonso’s RBI-single made the margin five with an RBI-single, and the Orioles led 7-2.

Samuel Basallo led off the seventh with a solo home run to center. The one downside of this game came after that, with the Birds leading 8-2. Blaze Alexander, who despite his error today has had a great first half, was hit with a pitch right after. Alexander was hot, and the benches cleared.

Order never really was in question. This was never destined to be a benches-clearing brawl. It was more of a gathering at home plate. However Alexander was pulled from the game. It’s unclear if an injury factored in. One has to hope not. That’s the last thing the Orioles need or can afford.

With the 8-2 win, the Birds now have their first four-game winning streak of 2026. They finish the first half with a three-game sweep at home of Kansas City, and with a record of 46-51. Needless to say, they wish they were better than that, and the plan was to be better than that.

Adley Rutschman now heads to Philadelphia to be a part of the AL All-Star team. The rest of the players and coaches will disperse for a few days. As will I. Surf’s up, dude!

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Baltimore Orioles: Teeing off on Kansas City

Kyle Bradish probably should have been the big story for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Needless to say, he was part of the big story. Bradish’s line: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Bradish didn’t surrender a hit until the sixth inning. That’s why I say he should have been the big story. But it was what went on at the plate for the Birds which took the cake tonight.

Pete Alonso led the second inning off with a double, and he later scored on Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single. Basallo did make the unfortunate decision to try to stretch the single into a double, and was thrown out at second base. Sometimes common sense needs to overrule exuberance.

But the O’s didn’t let that bother them. Pete Alonso smacked a two-run home run in the last of the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. But one inning later it was Coby Mayo who gave us the highlight of the night. He smacked a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-0, and in doing so hit the ball off the facade of the second deck in left field.

Keep in mind, earlier in the season when these teams met in Kansas City, Mayo hit a tape measure homer. Then earlier this week against Chicago he joined an elusive club of players (which includes Pete Alonso as an opponent) who had hit the ball into the second deck. And then he more or less did it again tonight – smacking it off the facade.

Taylor Ward joined the homer parade in the sixth, his first home run at Camden Yards as an Oriole. After breaking up Bradish’s no-hit bid, Kansas City would get on the board in the seventh on a sac fly-RBI by Perez. But just to show the Birds weren’t kidding, Gunnar Henderson restored their five-run margin with a solo shot in the eighth, leading the O’s to a 6-1 victory.

The O’s once again have a shot at a four-game winning streak if they can win tomorrow. Either way, they’ve won the series. But a four-game winning streak would go a long way towards helping the O’s to perhaps get over the hunp.

The series and the first half conclude tomorrow at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Seth Lugo. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles select Eric Booth Jr #7 overall

The Baltimore Orioles selected OF Eric Booth Jr. with the number seven overall pick in today’s MLB draft. Booth entered the draft straight out of high school, and he comes to the Oriole organization from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, MS. He was the top-ranked outfielder in the draft.

Booth has committed to Vanderbilt. Presumably the Orioles have done their homework and are confident he’ll sign. The O’s have never taken a pitcher in the Mike Elias era.

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Baltimore Orioles: Sammy slams it home

The Baltimore Orioles needed and received another quality start from a pitcher in last night’s series-opener against Kansas City at Camden Yards. And they got it out of Brandon Young. While he didn’t qualify for the win – which came later- he put the Birds in a spot to win with how he pitched. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

At first at least it appeared that Young might be victimized by a lack of runs offensively. Or become the most recent Oriole starter to suffer that fate. RBI-singles in the third by Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson gave the O’s a 2-0 lead. As much as Henderson has struggled of late, he needed that.

However Young allowed Kansas City to equalize. Caglianone’s solo home run in fourth cut the lead to 2-1, and Rojas’ RBI-double later in the inning tied the game at two. However it wasn’t tied for long. Blaze Alexander’s solo homer in the bottom of the inning gave the O’s the lead back at 3-2.

Young lasted through seven, and was sent back out in the eight. He led off the inning by surrendering a solo homer to Collins, tying the game at three. He was promptly lifted. Young probably deserved to win the game, and he probably shouldn’t have come back out to pitch the eighth. But again needless to say, he set the Orioles up for success in the game.

And in the last of the eighth inning, it was Samuel Basallo who delivered that success. With Pete Alonso aboard, he jumped on a hanging slider and smacked a two-run home run. The Birds took a 5-3 lead, which was closed out in the ninth and turned into a 5-3 win.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Noah Cameron. Game time is set for just after 7 PM,

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Baltimore Orioles: Opponents either guess right or know what’s coming

Most of the decisive blows in this evening’s Baltimore Orioles’ loss to Chicago came after starter Dean Kremer had departed. Yet, he still got the loss. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Crow-Armstrong smacked a solo home run in the top of the third, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. The O’s would tie the game in the bottom of the inning when Gunnar Henderson grounded into a double-play with runners at the corners, tying the ballgame at one.

Pete Alonso smacked a two-run home run in the fourth which gave the O’s a 3-1 lead. Yet that was the only thing the O’s were able to do that inning. They had additional runners on, but couldn’t convert.

However Chicago could. Once we went to the fifth, that is. The first two pitches of the inning, one by Conforto and the second by Kelly, were hit out of the ballpark. Consider that – THE FIRST TWO PITCHERS. Meaning that in the snap of a finger, the game was tied. That fast. To make matters worse, Crow-Armstrong smacked a third solo homer later on the inning, and Chicago led 4-3.

The most intimating part of the game was that inning. The beginning of that inning, that is. Whomever is calling pitches (from the dugout or above) should be advised that those were back-to-back home runs ON THE FIRST PITCH. Meaning two pitches, and two home runs. To lead off an inning.

Conforto, Kelly, and others are either guessing right, OR they know what’s coming. Has the current regime not seen or understood that yet? Do they not see how incriminating it is to throw two pitches to lead off an inning and have two solo home runs?

Solo home run aren’t supposed to beat you. But when you have multiple solo home runs in a game (heck, in an INNING), that adds up. I would severely caution the current regime going forward, that someone COULD be tipping pitches. Notice I didn’t say stealing signs. I said tipping pitches. That fourth inning was perhaps the most incriminating part of the game.

I’ve insinuated since early last year that people were tipping pitches. Notice, I’m not suggesting that signs are being stolen. I’m saying that the Orioles are somehow tipping pitches. Someone’s doing something which indicates what’s coming, AND/OR where it will be. The alternative is that opponents are getting lucky. Argue amongst yourselves which is more likely, and/or which is more incriminating.

Chicago put up five runs in the seventh. They loaded the bases early in the inning and scored on Crow-Armstrong’s sac fly-RBI. Grant Wolfram uncorked a wild pitch netting another, and Suzuki’s three-run home run extended the Chicago lead to 9-3. For the record, the slider that Suzuki hit out of the ballpark was on a two-strike count. How many two-strike and/or two-out rallies have we seen against the O’s this year?

The O’s did battle back. Or they attempted to, at least. Tyler O’Neill smacked two solo homers – one in the seventh and one in the eighth. Coby Mayo would also smack a two-run home run in the eighth, and Ward’s RBI-single combined to cut the lead to 9-7. The O’s went quietly in the ninth, and have now dropped the first two games of this series.

Keep in mind that the margin of victory for Chicago was two runs. Think back to those two solo homers to begin the fifth inning. Two pitches, two home runs. And I maintain that the two hitters (Conforto and Kelly) either got lucky or knew what was coming. Assuming it’s the latter, that’s incriminating. To whomever is truly guiding this franchise.

If pitches are being tipped, it goes without saying that it’s unintentional. However the pitch selection (or more realistically how the pitches are being guarded) needs to change. Granted, some might argue that the late runs were in garbage time. But the margin of victory was still two no matter how you market it. Something needs to change.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s David Peterson (a southpaw). Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Can’t hit to southpaws and a lack of situational hitting

Shane Baz became only the latest Baltimore Orioles pitcher to throw a quality start in a losing effort last night. The Birds are starting to get decent starting pitching, and at times those outings are wasted because the bats can’t get anything going. Baz’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The real villain of last night’s loss to the Chicago Cubs is the fact that the Birds haven’t been able to hit left handed pitching all year. Chicago starter Boyd is a southpaw. Which all but doomed the Orioles before the game even started. The sad thing is that the O’s have improved against lefties. In the beginning of the season they were at risk of getting no hit by them at first.

Last night’s game began in a 56-minute weather delay. The rain never quite came, and the field was never covered. Yet the game was delayed. Mercifully when it did Gunnar Henderson recorded a base hit in the first inning, meaning that the Chicago southpaw wasn’t going to no-hit the Birds.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI-single by Bregman. However Baz limited the damage and got out of the inning. Crow-Armstrong’s RBI-single in the fifth extended the lead, as did Bregman’s fielder’s choice-RBI. And the O’s trailed 3-0.

The Orioles had chances in this game. They put two runners on in the fourth without recording an out. However what looked at first like a promising inning quickly faded. Boyd struck out the next three Orioles to get out of the inning.

A lack of situational hitting is as much to blame with the Orioles’ struggles (with pitchers from both sides) as anything. Granted, Samuel Basallo was the first hitter to come up in the fourth with two on. But a well-placed bunt would push both runners into scoring position. A sacrifice fly would then scratch across a run.

Instead, the O’s are swinging away. And opposing teams are taking advantage. It’s almost as if the Birds are surrendering the advantage when in theory they have it. But you have to push those runners into scoring position in that situation. Many will say that’s giving away outs; but isn’t that better than three strikeouts? Incidentally, you can’t even totally blame the players for that. You can blame them for not executing, but the decision to put on a bunt play or not isn’t theirs.

Chicago would push a fourth run across in the seventh with Busch’s sac fly-RBI. The Orioles finally did put two up in the bottom of the inning with a two-RBI single by Adley Rutschman. However Chicago would tack an insurance run across in the eighth on an RBI-single by Swanson, to lead them to a 5-2 win.

The Orioles are one-dimensional. The lineup which came down last night was intended to beat a lefty. First off, that lineup didn’t do that. However whichever program that is used from above the field to decipher the lineup day in and day out only take the matchups and potential into account. It doesn’t pay any attention to things such as situational hitting. Rendering results such as this.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Kyle Bradish a hard-luck loser

The Baltimore Orioles’ Kyle Bradish almost achieved a statistical anomaly this afternoon in Cincinnati. He almost pitched a complete game in a losing effort. Needless to say, Bradish goes down as a hard-luck loser this afternoon for the Orioles; he was outstanding. Bradish’s line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Needless to say, it’s about commanding the zone. Bradish did that today. He retired the first twelve hitters Cincinnati sent up, before allowing a walk to lead off the fifth. That brought Steer to the plate, who smacked a two-run homer. The ball barely made it over the wall. But it was enough.

But Bradish rebounded. That was but a mere blip in the radar in a sense. Until the end, that is. The O’s would get on the board in the sixth on an RBI-single by Coby Mayo. The O’s would proceed to leave the bases loaded that inning, which never bodes well.

I want to give both Bradish and manager Craig Albernaz credit. Albernaz went to the mound with two outs in the eighth and a runner on second to lift Bradish – again after a great outing and a quality start. But Bradish talked him out of it. All of the analytics said to change pitchers there. But Albernaz relented.

That shoes feel for the game. Which is what the Orioles have lacked to this point in many cases. That doesn’t mean it always works out; in this case, Bradish surrendered an RBI-double to Stewart, the O’s trailed 3-1.

Many fans will say that’s why you should trust the analytics. I reject that sentiment. Feel for the game and standing behind your players means more. Sport often mimics life; nothing in life is set in stone. With each day we leave everything to chance.

This isn’t a video game; sometimes the other guy’s going to win. And you accept those moments with grace. But if the last two years’ of Orioles’ baseball tells us anything, it should be that you can’t use a computer to achieve a projected outcome in the real world. It doesn’t work that way.

And the O’s did make it interesting in the ninth. They loaded the bases and Gunnar Henderson’s sac fly-RBI cut the lead and the final to 3-2. End of the day, the elusive four-game winning streak still hasn’t happened. But overall the Birds took two-of-three in the Emerald City over the weekend. There are worse spots in which to be.

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Baltimore Orioles brought back by a big inning

It wasn’t always a guarantee that Brandon Young was going to make it deep into tonight’s game for the Baltimore Orioles in Cincinnati. Young had a rough second inning, needless to say. But to Craig Albernaz’s credit, he stuck with the young right hander. And it paid off. Young’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

I’ve said many times that pitchers will have ten good starts, ten bad, and ten in between. That last category is where the success or failure of your season lies. Tonight Brandon Young was able to work through some choppy waters and stuck around enough to qualify for the win.

In short, the story of this game is pitchers’ vulnerabilities being taken advantage of. The O’s did it early against Cincinnati’s Greene, who was making his first start of the season. Gunnar Henderson led the game off with a walk, and Pete Alonso walked later in the inning with two outs. Samuel Basallo then smacked his second home run in as many games, this one of the three-run variety. And the Birds led, 3-0.

Cincinnati would get one back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-single by Suarez. However the Cincinnati rally would continue in the second. Following a leadoff single, Trevino’s RBI-double would cut the lead to 3-2. Friedl’s RBI-triple would tie the game at three, and Cincinnati would take the lead at 4-3 on De La Cruz’s RBI-single.

The startling thing was the O’s surrendering the lead in one fatal swoop after taking it. We’ve seen that far too often this year, and in many cases the O’s couldn’t come back. Tonight wasn’t one of those times.

The turning point in the game overall was a fourth inning at-bat by Jackson Holliday, The O’s had two on with nobody out, and Holliday was attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt – which is not something Holliday usually does. While he struggled to get the bunt down, the pitcher Greene uncorked a wild pitch – allowing both runners to scoot into scoring position. That saved the Orioles an out, and it still got the job done.

Holliday would end up walking, and Blaze Alexander’s subsequent two-RBI single gave the O’s the lead back at 5-4. Adley Rutschman tacked on a two-RBI double, and Pete Alonso an RBI-single. That expanded the Orioles’ lead to 8-4.

The impressive part is that the Orioles came back. And they did it with a big inning, something which has evaded them a lot of the year. And as I’ve said often this season, things happen when you get guys on base. Jackson Holliday isn’t a great bunter. To Craig Alberbaz’s credit, he told Holliday to get a bunt down so as to have the O’s stay out of a double-play. But things can happen with guys on base – in this case a wild pitch. And that began the rally.

Cincinnati would tack one on in the seventh on an infield RBI-single by Suarez. End of the day this is a series with two teams in similar spots. However the Orioles showed that they were the better team. Thus far at least. This was a good team win, and hopefully one on which they can build.

With the 8-5 win, the Orioles have won the series in Cincinnati. Tomorrow is yet another shot at winning four in a row. It would also be a series sweep if the O’s can win. Incidentally this game couldn’t have been won without Colton Cowser making a diving catch with runners on base in the ninth, saving at least one run.

It was also announced during the game that catcher Adley Rutschman was selected to his third All-Star game, representing the Orioles. A well-deserved honor, and one that manager Craig Albernaz announced to the team prior to the game starting. Rutschman will be at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on the AL All-Star team on July 14th.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Great American Ballpark. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Nick Lodollo. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: An emerald win in Cincy

The Baltimore Orioles sent Trevor Rogers to the mound last night in Cincinnati to open a three-game series. If it begins and ends with starting pitching, it began and ended last night with Trevor Rogers setting the tone for the ballgame. He only went five innings, but that’s all the Orioles needed. Rogers’ line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K.

As we’ve said previously, things happen when you put the ball in play or guys on base. With two on in the first, Pete Alonso was called out on strikes to record the second out of the inning – and of the game. The O’s attempted a double steal on the play, with Gunnar Henderson trying for third. As he slid in safely, he was also able to score on a throwing error with the ball going into left field.

Again, you never know what’s going to happen when you put people on base. In that instance it yielded the Orioles a run. With a runner at third and two outs in the third, it did the same. This time however, it came on a two-run homer by Samuel Basallo. And the Orioles led, 3-0.

As great as Rogers was, the bullpen equaled him. They put up zero’s across every inning. Most notably, with Ryan Helsley again on the IL, one question was who was going to close. Last night it was Tyler Wells, who put up zero’s just like the rest of his pitching brethren. And the Birds sailed to a 3-0 victory in the opening game in the Emerald City.

The series continues this evening at the Great American Ballpark. Brandon Young gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene. Game time is set for 7:10 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: You often decide whether you win or lose on your own

Trey Gibson started what might have been his final game for the Baltimore Orioles for the time being tonight. Dean Kremer is expected to be recalled off the IL to make the start in tomorrow’s game. I would expect Gibson to be the corresponding move. Gibson’s line: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 BB, 5 K.

Trey Gibson didn’t totally NOT command the strike zone tonight. When he did, over the course of his short start, he recorded outs. But when he shifted to pitching on the fringes, he got hit HARD. Which mind you, is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what the idea of nibbling in an intended to do. I

t’s intended to induce putting the ball in play – resulting in an out, of course. Needless to say, they’re putting the ball in play against Oriole pitching this year. And last.

The teams traded runs in the first – Chicago on a Benintendi RBI-double, and the Birds on an RBI-single by Samuel Basallo. Benintendi reached base again to lead off the third, followed by a two-run home run by Montgomery which gave Chicago a 3-1 lead. And that home run was hit a LONG WAY. Off of a low slider, for the record.

Gonzalez’s two-RBI single later in the inning extended the lead to 5-1. That came on a pitch well on the lowest of the lower fringes of the strike zone. The ball hit its spot, but Gonzalez was waiting for it. It’s no mystery what the Orioles are doing, and that became more evident later in the inning when Perez’s there-run home run broke the game wide open at 8-3.

That came on a curve in the zone. However it was the first pitch of the at-bat. Why you would start an at-bat on a curve ball is beyond me. Pitchers at times do that so as to steal a first-pitch strike. It didn’t work. It hasn’t worked all year. When teams hit pitchers the way they do those of the Orioles, they either know exactly what’s coming, or they got lucky. Or both. Interpret as you wish.

Save for a Gonzalez RBI-double in the fourth off of Josh Walker, the Oriole bullpen was very solid. Especially Albert Suarez. People who want to stir trouble will argue that the ChiSox called off the dogs. Whether they did or didn’t is beside the point. The Orioles bullpen was strong tonight, which got the Orioles through. It also may have saved a reliever for tomorrow in a bad situation tonight.

The Birds did get an RBI-double by Dylan Beavers and an RBI-single by Pete Alonso in the fifth which cut the lead to 9-3. But again, the bullpen was strong tonight. It may have been the lone bright spot.

I maintain that you can’t nibble on the fringes of the plate. Opponents are well aware of the fact that the Orioles either want to do that, or have to do that. And guys are either ready for the nibble job, or they’re stealing signs. Or both. Either way, balls are going a long way.

So my point would be to attack the strike zone. If you do and they hit the ball a long way, then you know that you need better pitchers. And again, look at how many balls get hit strangely or at weird angles. Look at how many balls get buried in the corners, well away from outfielders – who are playing too deep to have a shot at the balls.

Could that be due in part to the fact that Orioles pitching is throwing so much off the plate and guys are going so far out of the zone that the balls come off the bat oddly? How many more strange bounces will we need to see before it’s understood that exactly the tactics that are meant to stop these things are causing them?

Incidentally, the same is true with the training staff. The Front Office dismissed Brian Ebert, who had been with the team for a long time – this after 2024, and after Ebert was on the All-Star staff that year. As soon as the “new regime” came in, it was injuries galore. So when exactly will they realize that something is off?

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Neither side has announced a starter, although again it’s assumed to be Dean Kremer for the Orioles. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

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Baltimore Orioles: Computers can’t play the game before it happens

Shane Baz turned in an outstanding start tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. A quality start at that. The Orioles simply couldn’t get any run support behind him. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve said this, but if you command the strike zone you can win games. Baz did that tonight, and he put the O’s in a spot to win the ballgame. The bats just couldn’t capitalize.

Gunnar Henderson led the game off with a double, which was good to see from his perspective. He would advance to third on a flyout, and score on Adley Rutschman’s sac fly-RBI.

The lead didn’t last past the third as Gonzalez’s RBI-double would tie it at one. Another one of those ball which went all the way to the wall, splitting the outfielders. Is it possible that the Orioles’ outfield was ill-positioned to allow for any nuance?

Chicago would take the lead later in the inning when Teel hit a ball off the mound to Gunnar Henderson at short. However the ball grazing the mound seemed to throw Gunnar off a bit, and he couldn’t make the throw. That allowed a run to score, and the O’s trailed 2-1.

Adley Rutschman would tie the game back up at two in the bottom of the inning with another sac fly-RBI. You have to figure that it’s incriminating on some level that the team which was supposed to live by the home run ball scored only two sacrifice flies tonight.

However they were picked up by Shane Baz. Even on that Teel RBI I mentioned above; after Henderson ate the ball, it was Baz who threw it home to get the final out at home plate on the trail runner. He pitched well enough to win. But the bats didn’t do much to help.

Baz departed however after seven innings. Grant Wolfram immediately hit a batter, who later scored on Montgomery’s RBI-double. Wolfram had Montgomery in a two-strike count, but couldn’t put him out. On top of that Grichuk’s RBI-single extended the Chicago lead to 4-2.

On paper that’s the story. But there’s more to it. For starters, Grichuk challenged two strike calls in the at-bat that were overturned to balls. When he did hit the ball, the runner (Montgomery) appeared to be out at home plate ending the inning. The home plate umpire actually called him out at first.

However the ball was dislodged from Adley Rutschman’s glove at the last second, and Montgomery was safe. It wasn’t a play that appeared destined to score a runner from first. But Chicago was aggressive and it worked out for them.

Things like that add up. One inning later, Chicago put two runners in scoring position after Gunnar Henderson couldn’t snag a ball hit to him at short. It was ruled an extra-base hit, but it’s a play Henderson should have made. The ball kind of dove right before it got to Henderson; Gonzalez’s subsequent two-RBI single extended the lead to 6-2.

On top of that, Teel sent a bouncer to Blaze Alexander at third, and it took a short hop in front of him and went into left field. That was a two-run error, and Chicago went home 8-3 winners. Like so many things this season, this game took a huge number of strange hops on the Orioles.

The Orioles have an over-reliance on analytics or Sabre metrics. Where it comes from or on whose orders it’s implemented is irrelevant. But it’s well known that they rely heavily on numbers and analytics over anything else.

But you have to temper that with feel for the game. It’s almost as if the Orioles assume that the game is played and thus over before it starts. The computer tells you the probability of success based on what you input. It infernally CANNOT play the game for you. As many games in baseball are won or lost on the fringes, that’s dangerous.

Look back to yesterday; Coby Mayo’s throw short-hopped Samuel Basallo. You can talk until you’re blue in the face that the numbers say this or that, but the numbers don’t play the game. Quirky things happen in games that computers can’t predict or understand. In fact, the computer may well explode knowing that its probability was off.

Probability isn’t a guarantee. The game is still played by human beings. And part of the story of human beings is that they’re flawed. Also unpredictable. So when your game plan is. Asked on a computer or AI, you’re backing yourself into a modus operandi in ink. Neither baseball, nor the world, is played or managed in ink. It’s done in pencil.

You have to adapt and change. Managing by analytics only doesn’t allow much leeway, and thus doesn’t allow you to adapt and change. If you’re so rigid that a dropped ball at home plate, a short-hopped throw, or splitting the defense on ill-positioned outfielders beats you every time, you aren’t putting yourself in a spot to win. All of those things combined? You’re really in trouble.

Instead you have a Chicago team which doesn’t have the skill of the Orioles and other teams. Yet they’re outperforming all of them. Why? Because they take the game as it comes. This as opposed to having the computer manage the game before it’s even played.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Trey Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Erick Fedde. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

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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.