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| Photo: Mark Blinch/ AP |
That was the kind of week true contenders have. They'd finally taken over the AL East lead, playing three against a lingering divisional opponent (game one of this series on the 8/1 report) and then another trio against the free falling Mets before an off day. A dominant week would truly signal the Orioles arrival, as a team that you need to bring your A game against every night if you want to hang.
How's 5-1 sound for dominant? Outside of a blip against Toronto, there wasn't really a game that felt in doubt. The pitching was very good and the bats are heating up like this August humidity. Let's take a look back at all the fun.
Record since Last Orioles Report: 5-1
Overall Record: 70-42
Three More in Toronto
Game two up in Canada was one of the more satisfying ass kickings you'll get to witness as a Orioles fan. Ryan Mountcastle, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman knocked in runs in first two innings to build up a 3-0 lead. Kyle Bradish proceeded to serve up two long balls in the bottom of the second and third, allowing Toronto to knot things up. They were the only mistakes he'd make the rest of the day.
On a night when the bullpen needed him the most, the impromptu ace of this motley crew lasted seven strong innings, allowing just the three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts. To further assist the relievers, the offense decided to explode for ten runs in the final four frames, courtesy of Gunnar's solo bomb and two-RBI single and an Anthony Santander grand slam, among other contributors. The Blue Jays pitchers looked helpless against the onslaught, falling at home 13-3.
It was all going too smoothly Wednesday night. Grayson Rodriguez was throwing well, Adley just tied things up at one on an infield single, and Doc placed our very Birds as the first live "Hot Spot" on the Chopping Lines podcast, a historic moment.
Then back to back hit by pitches forced in two runs, in one of the more odd developments you'll ever see in a professional baseball game. An error later in the inning by Jorge Mateo let in a fourth run, which was more than Toronto would need. 4-1 Blue Jays.
Thursday night was the series finale, with trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty taking the bump for his Orioles debut. And what a debut it was, giving up just one earned run over six innings, plus eight K's. He looked completely locked in, every bit of the starter this team needed.
Offensively, the lineup tallied fifteen hits and six runs. Ryan Mountcastle went 4-4 with an RBI, further establishing ownership of the Blue Jays. Austin Hays added four hits and drove in two, while Adley and Adam Frazier each brought in runs of their own to round things out. 6-1 Baltimore victory, taking three out of four versus their AL East foes.
The Sad Mets Come to Town
Good Dean started the game Friday night for the Birds, shutting the Mets out until an ugly sixth that he couldn't escape. He had a ton of trouble locating during the inning, walking three straight batters before giving up a game tying, two RBI single to Francisco Lindor. The vulture, Michael Baumann, was called in to replace him, forcing a Pete Alonso double play to prevent any further damage from being done.
Then the bats woke up. James McCann doubled in the sixth and singled in the seventh to bring in three against his former team. Ryan O'Hearn and Rutschman drove in runs on a single and sac fly, respectively, while Jordan Westburg hit a three run home run to really blow things open. The eight run explosion over the two inning span put the good guys ahead for good. 10-3 victory, as Baumann improved to 9-0 on the season.
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| Photo: Karl Merton Ferron/ Baltimore Sun |
What a Kyle Gibson start we got Saturday: seven innings, three earned runs and nine K's. New York hung most of the game, but just couldn't put enough together at the plate to keep up with Baltimore. Gunnar and Santander each went yard, Adley and Ramon Urias had run scoring doubles and O'Hearn added an RBI single. Never felt in doubt, 7-3 Orioles.
With a sweep on the line, Kyle Bradish took the bump Sunday afternoon. Despite the final score, it was far from his best work, surrendering five walks and a hit by pitch during 4.2 innings of shutout ball, getting pulled before he could register a decision.
Cionel Perez was entrusted to replace Bradish after he loaded the bases. A true hold-your-breath moment as a fan... Fortunately, DJ Stewart was the opposing batter, who predictably grounded out to second to end the rally. Cole Irvin, Shintaro Fujinami and Felix Bautista would hold to goose egg from there, allowing the O's to escape with a 2-0. Both runs came off of ground outs.
Despite this series coming against a team that's essentially publicly quit for the next season and a half, it was a statement for the Orioles to whoop them they way they did, outscoring them 19-6 in three games. Good on all fronts.
Farm Report
-Joey Ortiz stayed hot at the dish for Norfolk all week, going 10-24 with five RBI and six runs
-Really impressive start for Garrett Stallings Tuesday, giving up six hits and two unearned runs over eight frames, plus nine strikeouts. He should be primed to make a push for the rotation next spring
-Chayce McDermott will also be in the mix for a starting spot next March. He went six scoreless with one hit, two walks and seven K's, winning International League Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week
-Jackson Holliday went nuclear. Not much else to say. After missing the first half of the series, the #1 prospect in baseball came back with a vengeance against the Sea Dogs, homering in both weekend games while going 6-11 at the plate
-After an unusual mid-series promotion from Aberdeen to Bowie, Dylan Beavers popped during his first AA games, ripping eight hits in twenty at bats with three RBI and four walks. Productivity
-Jacob Teter found his footing some vs. Portland's pitching as well, batting .333 this week with a dinger and three runs batted in
-The Ironbirds went 0-6 against the Hickory Crawdads in an ugly display of baseball across the board. The team racked up 17 errors in the series, including an eye-popping eight errors on Friday alone
-Collin Burns was the most impressive hitter, producing a solid .363/1/6 line with three stolen bases and a 5:4 K:BB ratio. He received a promotion to AA yesterday
-Cameron Weston was sharp in relief Tuesday, giving up just one earned run over four, plus five strikeouts
-Trace Bright had another bright performance for Aberdeen, tallying ten K's in four frames of action, allowing two hits, three walks and one earned run
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| Photo: Pressbox Online |
-We recorded at Arthur Perdue Stadium during Wednesday night's game vs. Lynchburg, make sure to check that out on Apple, Spotify, Google or iHeartRadio
-Carter Young played well for Delmarva against the Hillcats, batting .292 with two stolen bases and three RBI. It was announced Monday that he'll be moving up to the Ironbirds
-Juan de los Santos was excellent to kick off the series, going a scoreless 5.2 frames with just three hits and a walk allowed. But he was immaculate Sunday, not allowing a baserunner over five. He's given up just 9 earned runs over his last 29.2 innings of work, good for a 2.77 ERA. Even more impressively is all nine of those runs were scored in just two of his seven appearances during that stretch
Concluding Thoughts
The Kevin Brown-John Angelos saga has been a pretty pitiful storyline to watch unfold over the last few days. Brown, a pretty well received baseball announcer not only locally, but on a national level, made comments on the broadcast about the Orioles having won more games this season against Tampa Bay than the previous two seasons combined. Pretty tame, factual...but not well received by the overcompensating ownership. He's been currently placed on suspension while Angelos finishes his temper tantrum, with no timeline in sight for either. Sad development in an otherwise outstanding season.
Not a lot to really say outside of that though at this point. Being 28 games over .500 on August 8th feels surreal-- we're literally tied for the most wins in Major League Baseball. Cedric Mullins and John Means should be healthy soon, DL Hall seems like he's working his way back into the picture and Tyler Wells projects interestingly as a reliever too. Maybe the bullpen wasn't such a glaring need after all? Here's to hoping.
Without blowing our load at the trade deadline, it seems like we've managed to put together a team that has some depth and enough pieces to seriously contend. It's far from the flashiest rotation in the world, but the guys do the job. The defense is generally above average, while the hitting gets it done more often than not. This team just wins, a lot.
The momentum is building, it feels like Camden Yards is teeming with confidence every single night. A shared vision, execution and passion all culminating into a push for not only the postseason, but a bye and shortened road to the World Series. Honestly feels weird discussing a bye in the baseball playoffs, but regardless, we're in the driver's seat.
Buckle up Birdland, and start saving for playoff tickets.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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