Late column, perfect time for a rainout. It's like the baseball god's knew I needed a little extra time.
Appreciate y'all spending the wet one here on Chopping Lines. Let's take a peek back at the last week of O's action
Two Games in DC
Who thought Trevor Williams was going to outduel Corbin Burnes like that?? Burnes didn't have his A+ stuff, surrendering three earned on five hits and three walks, but, at a minimum, he put the team in a position to not lose.
Too bad the O's didn't show up 'til a day later. Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins provided their only hits of the game in a completely hapless offensive effort. 3-0 Nationals.
Now these two games series don't count against Baltimore's historic streak of avoiding sweeps, but that doesn't mean we were content dropping this one. Kyle Bradish did his part to make sure that didn't happen, striking out nine through five strong. It was a little bumpy at times, but his stuff looks great overall. Happy to have him back.
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| Photo: Colin Murphy/ Press Box Online |
Bradish exited the game with a 2-1 lead, thanks to solo dongs from Anthony Santander and Gunnar Henderson. Colton Cowser hit a sac fly to add one, before Craig Kimbrel showed his ass again in the bottom of the ninth. The spurned closer notched his first two outs of the final frame, then gave up a solo homer and consecutive walks before receiving the hook. CJ Abrams tied the game up off Keegan Akin to send things to extras.
A tense and scoreless tenth took us to the eleventh, where Ryan Mountcastle provided some heroics in the form of a two-run home run. The new lead was short lived though, with Albert Suarez unable to convert the save opportunity, as the Nats tied things at five to send us to the twelfth. Hell of a ride if you took the over.
Cue Jorge Mateo, who brought in Jordan Westburg on a single before running his way around all the bases, ultimately scoring on a wild pitch. Speed kills and he's got a lot of it. Joe Webb allowed things to get dicey in the bottom of the frame, but he sealed the deal for an Orioles win. 7-6
Three Against the D-Backs
23 consecutive scoreless innings spanning four starts for Cole Irvin, an incredible run by one of the unlikeliest sources. Shame to see Ketel Marte finally put it to an end with one out in the third, with a conveniently placed graphic detailing the accomplishment in the backdrop. Thanks for that one MASN.
Regardless of a few bad pitches, Irvin stayed sharp, leaving after 5.2 with a 3-2 lead in place. Those three came courtesy a Jordan Westburg double and Cedric Mullins RBI groundout in the second, plus a single by Ryan O'Hearn in the fifth. Gunnar Henderson plated Mateo on a two-bagger to tack on another, providing some welcome insurance for a bullpen that's been shaky. Cano was able to slam the door in the ninth for his second save of the year, as former closer Craig Kimbrel was relegated to the seventh. 4-2 Baltimore win.
The middle game of this set was a real back and forth. Westburg opened the scoring again with a run scoring double, his first of four hits on the night. Marte answered with his second long ball in as many days, putting the Diamondbacks ahead 2-1. An RBI single in the bottom of the frame by Ryan O'Hearn knotted things up until a two run Arizona fifth.
Then Gunnar hit a solo shot to cut the lead in half. In the bottom of the eighth, Santander would bring the score even with a dead center shot of his own. Baltimore was going to extras on their own terms this Saturday.
The bullpen managed to hold the D-Backs off the board in consecutive frames, allowing our guy Westy an opportunity to step into the savior's seat. His eleventh inning single plated Colton Cowser and sent the good guys home victorious. 5-4 Birds.
Bloody Sunday. Zach Gallen on the mound is never an easy assignment, and he showed why Sunday. Two runs over six while his offense did enough to build a 3-1 cushion. Then came the 6 run boom in the sixth, really putting a gap between the two clubs.
Baltimore couldn't recover, as the Diamondbacks avoided the sweep with a 9-2 W.
Game One vs. the Blue Jays
Admittedly, I'm a bit behind on this column so we'll sum up game one of this Blue Jays series quick:
-I hate the Blue Jays
-It sucks that Adley's first two-home run game was marred by this loss. Kid's really rounding into a special form of late
-We can't be affording to keep blowing quality starts from Corbin Burnes. These are games we brought him into win. He did his part
-Send bullpen help
Concluding Thoughts
-Craig Kimbrel appears to be burnt toast. How long is he going to stick as a 6th/7th inning man? We were definitely a better team during his one effective week, so hopefully the reduced pressure can help him get his confidence back up
-The last two times the O's had 26 or more wins through 40 were in 1970 and 1979. They won the Pennant and World Series in those years, respectively. Good omens for a team that doesn't feel like they're always playing up to their potential
AL East Standings
1. Baltimore Orioles (26-14)
2. New York Yankees (27-15)
3. Boston Red Sox (21-20)
4. Tampa Bay Rays (21-21)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (19-22)
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@Choppinglines
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