With all the shit I talked on Orioles pitching through the first sixteen games...I will happily take at least a temporary step back after this last week. Unfathomable how good these guys were throwing. Our starting pitching gave up just one run total during the Nationals and Tigers series. Since last Tuesday, the team as a whole allowed just seven runs over the course of six wins. Outstanding.
Now just a matter of getting those bats back to life and the Birds will be firing on all cylinders. Let's talk about these last couple games though.
Record since Last Orioles Report: 6-0
Overall Record: 15-7
Nationals Series
No rivalry to discuss with this Beltway matchup. The Orioles smoked the Nationals, shutting them out for the entire series. Dean Kremer had his sharpest start of the season Tuesday, settling down after a tough first to go 6.2 with four hits, no walks and six strikeouts. This is the form we've been looking for Dean. An Austin Hays RBI single was the game's only run.
After a shaky rehab appearance in Bowie, Kyle Bradish was back in the starting rotation and did not disappoint, lasting six shut out innings. Adam Frazier's two run bomb in the 4th was the difference offensively, as he's continued to be a productive depth piece in the infield. Cionel Perez continues to find himself on thin ice however, recording a strikeout and two walks before getting the hook. With Yennier Cano's explosion onto the scene, his spot as the set up man has all but vanished. The good guys won this one, 3-0.
Tigers Series
Baserunning was the name of the game for the Orioles sweep over Detroit, starting out Friday with a 2-1 nail biter. Austin Hays' fourth dinger of the year gave the Birds a 1-0 lead, which Felix Bautista unfortunately gave back in the top of the ninth. Cue the heroics.
Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander hit back to back singles that put runners on the corners with nobody out. With the defense in, Adam Frazier hit a chopper to first that Mountcastle immediately broke on. It was a tight play at the plate, but heads up baserunning by Mounty got him in for the walk-off fielders choice, improving Bautista's record to 2-1 overall.
A bit less excitement in the 5-1 Saturday victory, with Kyle Gibson striking out eleven Tigers in 6.1 innings of work. He's been a substantial upgrade to Jordan Lyles through his first four starts. Adley went 2-3 with an RBI and James McCann hit his first home run of the season too. Dominant performance by Baltimore.
Back to the baserunning we go though! Eduardo Rodriguez was masterful Sunday, posting a perfect game through seven innings against his former team. He would not even be able to muster a win though, thanks to the wheels of Jorge Mateo. The shortstop beat the tag at the plate to score all the way from first base on a pretty routine rip down the left field line by Anthony Santander. It was an electric hustle play that separates the good from the great teams, giving the Orioles a chance to win in a game they were dominated throughout.
They would do just that in extras. Keegan Akin worked through a mess in the top of the 10th to keep the score 1-1, giving Adam Frazier the opportunity to score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning. Detroit's catcher didn't seem to react with any urgency to the pass ball, despite the runner on third base. It was an odd play, but we'll take that and the sweep on home with us!
Monday in Boston
What a gutsy win to wrap up this report... Dean Kremer looked good early before digging a 4-0 hole for the Birds by the third inning. The bats started heating up the second time through the lineup vs. Chris Sale, allowing Baltimore to chip away at Boston's lead. Austin Hays came up clutch again in the fifth with what amounted to the game winning RBI single, sending a furious Chris Sale to the dugout after the inning. The dude's done.
Kremer settled in from his rough 2nd/3rd to last 5.2 innings, allowing him to secure his second decision victory. Bryan Baker's a hype man and Yennier Cano is an absolute monster of a reliever. Loving that Jorge Lopez trade more and more with each passing game.
Farm Report
Colton Cowser is all the way back, going 9-23 on the week with three home runs and six RBI. After slumping through the first series, Cowser's looked every bit like the top prospect he was touted to be.
Drew Rom continues to shine, only allowing two earned runs over five innings this weekend.
Cesar Prieto is still a force to be reckoned with at the plate, currently batting .397. He's a real candidate for promotion soon.
Donta Williams made one of the catches of the year in center field.
Coby Mayo has really intriguing power, if his average can stick in the .260+ range as he progresses to the majors, he could be a solid corner infielder.
Jud Fabian hit his second home run of the season for the Ironbirds, his contact has room for improvement though.
Dylan Beavers had hits in four out of five games against Jersey Shore. Reed Trimble, Max Wagner and Luis Valdez each contributed multi-hit games during the series as well.
Aberdeen and Bowie each lost four out of five games.
Jackson Holliday hit his first two home runs of the season went to the opposite field on Friday. At this point, it was clear he was substantially more talented than much of his opposition in low-A, justifying his quicker-than-anticipated promotion to Aberdeen.
Samuel Basallo continued his hot start at Delmarva, with eight hits and ten RBI against Fredericksburg. He looks like an absolute super star at the plate so far.
The Shorebirds' offense leads the Carolina League in runs scored with 114, with the second closest team having just 93
Through the first three series, Bradley Brehmer has still been the Shorebirds' sharpest arm.
Concluding Thoughts
As mentioned above, the pitching was substantially better this week. Playing against bottom dwelling teams like Washington and Detroit makes that an easier assignment on paper, but those guys still get paid to play baseball too. Baltimore left with the wins, as they continue their torrid start to the campaign.
Cionel Perez is a true liability at this point, giving up a hit or walk in every appearance he's made this season. Clearly Yennier Cano is the set up man moving forward, but is there even going to be room in the bullpen for Perez? Not if he continues like this...
Gunnar's bat is picking up a little, but he still has been disappointing thus far at the dish. One of the best eyes' I've ever seen, just not producing to the level we need from our hot corner just yet.
Our Orioles are tied for the fourth best winning percentage in the whole league. Ain't the beer cold?
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@Choppinglines
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