Well, after that disappointing start to the week, things really couldn't have ended any better. A whole nest of eggs laid in St. Louis, followed by an extended weekend of gritty performances vs. the White and Red Sox, all ending in wins.
I'm almost more encouraged by the bounce back from the sweepless streak ending then I was by the run itself. Many teams could have wallowed in the unfortunate moment, but not these guys. Back to the grind with a vengeance. And boy, was it sweet.
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| Photo: Mitchel Layton/ Getty Images |
The Streak is Dead
Two rainy days in the Midwest pushed half of Tuesday's game into Wednesday. Jorge Mateo matched a Nolan Gorman double on Tuesday to tie things up at one apiece. Then the sky opened up.
But a new day brought new hope, which was quickly dashed thanks to another subpar showing from Jacob Webb (stop me if you've read that one before). The righty allowed Gorman to hit a two-run shot to the bleachers, putting the Red Birds ahead 3-1. It felt like a mountain in yet another hapless offensive performance, against Lance Lynn of all mid pitchers. 3-1 Orioles loss.
Part two of the double header was a bona fide disaster. The bats finally managed to provide a little run support for John Means, building a 3-0 lead early thanks to run scoring singles from Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander, as well as a productive out from Ryan O'Hearn.
Then more rain, in what felt like a monsoon of emotion as John Means exited during the delay with elbow discomfort. It was revealed Thursday to be a forearm strain, landing him on the IL for the foreseeable future. As ominous as it is disappointing.
Cole Irvin led the team out of the break, having not pitched in eight days. Call it rust, call it overdue, but it wasn't the man's best work of the season, surrendering the lead to the tune of of five runs in three short innings.
To make matters more agonizing, the Birds actually had a chance late. With runners on first and third and just nobody out, Kyle Stowers roped a ball to right field. Lars Nootbaar made a sensational over the shoulder catch on the play, managing to double up Cedric Mullins at first after the fact. Austin Hays, who was on third base, managed to tag up and score to cut the lead down to one. But a Henderson groundout quelled any further comeback attempt.
106 straight series without being swept, gone at the hands of the sorry ass Cardinals. Baltimore loses, 5-4.
Away for Four vs. the White Sox
With the slate wiped clean, no external pressure, the Orioles ventured into the Windy City for a foursome. Grayson was shaky early in game one, really struggling to locate his pitches over the first few innings. He ultimately settled in to give the team a decent five innings, giving up just two runs alongside five ugly walks.
The bats picked him up though! Adley started things off with an RBI single in the second before Anthony Santander and Jorge Mateo went yard two innings later-- a solo shot and three-run bomb-- respectively. Rutsch and Hays each drove in another on singles in the sixth, building up what felt like a mountain of an 8-2 lead.
Then Jonathan Heasley. I wrote in last week's Farm Report that he'd earned another look based on his AAA performances. He got it, and I've seen enough now. Dude's a liability, through and through. Two hits, two walks and four earned run in an inning plus, disgracefully allowing Chicago back into it. It took a highlight reel home run robbery by Colton Cowser to fully seal the deal at that. Horrendous-- a surefire case of a ballooned ERA (16.88) matching the on-field product. Cost me some $ on a parlay too, but I digress. O's hold on, 8-6.
The offense came out swinging in game two for Corbin. Jordan Westburg drove Gunnar in on a third inning double before Henderson hit a two-run shot in his next at bat. A Ryan Mountcastle sac fly put Baltimore ahead 4-0 in the fifth.
Burnes' wheels started to come off a little from there, with the ace surrendering three runs on a couple of hits to let the ChiSox draw close. Yennier Cano served Andrew Vaughn up a meatball two innings later and things were all knotted up at four.
Adley though, the man who sparked the franchise turnaround, delivered once again, answering Vaughn's dinger with a go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the subsequent inning to save the day. Danny Coulombe nailed down the eighth, setting up Kimbrel to slam the door in the ninth for his eleventh save on the season. 6-4 Orioles win, ensuring at least a split of the series.
But why stop there?! Albert Suarez was back on the bump, due to Dean Kremer's recent move to the IL, which had meant good things for Baltimore in previous starts. He wouldn't receive any run support early though, exiting after four innings with the game tied at zero.
Enter Keegan Akin, whose quickly reverting back to his shit form we saw in every season prior to 2023. Brandon Hyde even called him out for such, which felt appropriate given his recent streak of incompetence. Three walks, three hits, three earned runs in one and a two thirds innings pitched-- purely unacceptable.
Dillon Tate was sent to the rescue from there. In an absolutely critical showing, the long reliever recorded seven hitless, scoreless outs-- four of which coming via strikeout. It was the best he's looked all season by far, affording the team a chance to pull the unlikely win out late.
Which is exactly what they'd do, after an eighth inning barrage of long balls. A two-run shot for Ryan O'Hearn, which Anthony Santander decided to match, followed by Westburg tacking on a solo dong for good measure. The explosion rocked Guaranteed Rate Field, shuttling the O's ahead by two. Cionel Perez would slam the door from there, preserving the score at 5-3 and securing the victory.
Then the brooms came out. Kyle Bradish was on the bump Sunday for the final round of this four game set and he was outstanding. Just two months after speculation that he may not even be able to pitch this season, the righty held Chicago hitless through seven innings. Baltimore built a 3-0 lead for him, courtesy of a two-run homer from Rutschman on top of a solo bomb from Cowser.
Unfortunately, it took Bradish 103 pitches to get through seven, making it an irresponsible endeavor to send him out to complete the job. So it was Danny Coulombe guilty of surrendering a long ball to Danny Mendick, the first batter he faced. Peace out no-no!
James McCann brought in an additional run on a sac fly in the top of the ninth to add a little insurance for Craig Kimbrel. Never a bad thing given the roller coaster he's put us on this season...but it wouldn't be necessary as #46 handled business for his 11th save of 2024. 4-1 Orioles, sweeping the White Sox on the road.
Game One vs. Boston
Back home for a big series with the BoSox and the Birds came out swinging! Eleven unanswered runs to start out the game, thanks to:
-A two-RBI double by Jordan Westburg
-A sac fly and run scoring two-bagger by Adley
-Four RBI from Kyle Stowers, coming via single and double
-A two-run triple from Cedric Mullins
-A Jorge Mateo sacrifice fly
-And Ryan Mountcastle brought Adley in on a single
Cole Irvin didn't have his best stuff, walking three and allowing four hits through five, but he held Boston off of the board and picked up a decision.
Here's to hoping Thyago Vieira has brighter days ahead; not totally sure they could be more dim after a four walk, one hit relief appearance in which he didn't record a single out. Three earned runs came in over that stretch, prompting Cionel Perez and Dillon Tate to come in and finish things up.
They were up to the challenge, as the Orioles won 11-3, officially notching their second consecutive series without being swept. 105 to go to beat that team record!
Concluding Thoughts
-Despite the rough introduction Thyago Vieira had in Birdland, he was a talent well worth taking a stab at by Mike Elias. The deal reeks of the Fujinami trade from 2023, but at a much more attractive price point. Garrett Stallings wasn't cracking this major league roster, plus we got an additional wildcard in 19-year old Aneuris Rodriguez for our troubles. I'll take that return on a guy we'd likely release come October anyway-- let's see if Vieira can earn himself a role
-Hopefully this is an overreaction, but as of now it feels like we've seen the last of John Means in an Orioles uniform. Unless he's willing to take a team friendly, veteran minimum deal-- or his elbow strain is truly as minor as advertised-- I just don't see a way Elias extends him. Truly a shame given the history he's provided the organization, through good times and bad. Fingers crossed this is a completely unnecessary paragraph and he's back out there ASAP
-Curious how aggressively/when the Blue Jays become sellers. Their complete failure as a team through the first two months here has been as amusing as it has been pathetic. Maybe it's coaching, maybe it's culture, but their roster is far too talented to be this bad. Seems like the end of a thoroughly underwhelming era is at hand
-This is definitely the worst Rays team we've seen in recent years as well. That Wander Franco disaster really crushed a roster that's now devoid of top tier talent. It'll be interesting to see how extensive their trade deadline actions are
AL East Standings
1. New York Yankees (37-18)
2. Baltimore Orioles (34-18)
3. Boston Red Sox (27-27)
4. Tampa Bay Rays (26-28)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (24-29)
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@Choppinglines
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