The Orioles managed just three hits in this one, and just one off of Rays starter Jeremay Hellickson (W, 10-11).  The Rays, meanwhile, scored all four of their runs on solo homers, three off of O’s starter Chris Tillman (L, 9-3), and one off of Jake Arrieta in his one inning of relief.

Tillman lost for the first time since August 11.  It’s not that the young O’s righthander—perhaps the biggest individual surprise in an Orioles season that’s seen more surprises than a magician on a Christmas Eve bender—pitched poorly (5IP, 4H, 5K, 3BB, 3HR).  In previous seasons, who wouldn’t have taken that line from Tillman every time out?  But this is Tillman 2.0, and for Tillman 2.0, Wednesday night’s performance—especially with so much on the line—has to go down as a bit of a disappointment.

The Orioles didn’t get on the board until the ninth.  JJ Hardy led off with his 30th double of the year, and took third on defensive indifference.  One out later, Adam Jones tacked on to his 82nd RBI of 2012 with a sac fly, making it 4-1.

The Orioles now head toTexasto take on the team that scored the most runs in baseball (808).  The Orioles were 1-2 inTexasthis year, and 1-3 at home against the Rangers.  The Orioles will battle Yu Darvish (16-9, 3.90) for the first time ever.  Either Joe Saunders (3-3, 3.63/9-13, 4.07) or Steve Johnson (4-0, 2.11) is expected to go for the Orioles.  The winner of the game (Friday night at 8:30) faces the Yankees in a best-of-five series.

The GOOD:

• Playoffs, and 93 wins, 24 more than 2011.

The BAD:

• The matchup against the Rangers doesn’t look good on paper.  Josh Hamilton and Esteban Beltre have both had huge days off the O’s.

The post O’s Fall to Tampa in Season Finale, Head To TX For Wild Card appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

If you want an idea of what the starting rotation is going to look like, obviously, you don’t even need to pick up a copy of the Opening  Day roster.  Brian Matusz?  He’s in the ‘pen.  Tommy Hunter?  He’ll be in the ‘pen also, IF he makes it.  Jason Hammel?  If he’s healthy, you’ve got to believe he’s in.  Jake Arrieta?  He won’t be on the post season roster.  Wei-Yin Chen has a September ERA of over 5, but he MUST be in the rotation.  Right?

So we’ve got Hammel (maybe) and Chen.  Who else?  Joe Saunders?  Probably.  He’s a veteran who’s been there.  And starter #4 will come down to two guys who didn’t break camp with the Orioles this spring.  Miguel Gonzalez, who pitched in Wednesday’s 12-2 win over Toronto. And then, there’s Friday night’s starter.

Chris Tillman, like Gonzalez, has been a savior for this team.  Since he joined the club just before the All-Star break, who’s been better?  No one on this staff.  Tillman improved to 9-2 on the season with Friday night’s dominating performance in the O’s 9-1 win over the Red Sox.  Tillman surrendered just one hit—a bunt single on the game’s second pitch to Scott Podsednick.  Podsednick went to second on a throwing error by Ryan Flaherty.  One out later, he scored on a sac fly from Dustin Pedroia, and the Sox had a 1-0 lead.

Tillman would walk Daniel Nava in the third, and that was it.  The Sox went in order after that, 14-up, 14-down, and Tillman, provided plenty of run support by the suddenly sizzling offense, thre eight innings, giving up just the one unearned run on just the one bunt hit.  He fanned four, and walked one—a stifling performance.

Back to that offense.  Down 1-0, the Orioles got right to work against Red Sox starter Aaron Cook (L, 4-11).  Nate McLouth singled on Cook’s first pitch.  One out later, Chris Davis, who’d homered twice Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Hammered a line drive home run (29) into the right field seats, for a 2-1 Orioles lead.

One out later, Jim Thome singled.   Mark Reynolds walked,  Manny Machado singled, and he bases were loaded for Ryan Flaherty.

Flaherty jumped on a low, 2-1 fastball and drove it deep into the right field seats for his first career grand slam (6).  The Orioles led 6-1, and the game was essentially over.

Back-to-back-to-back doubles from Reynolds, Machado, and Flaherty plated two more O’s runs in the fifth, and Taylor Teagarden’s single scored Flaherty for the 9-1 win.

The Orioles will send Steve Johnson (4-0, 1.62) to the mound Saturday vs. Boston’s Felix Doubront (11-9, 4.91).  First pitch:  7:05.

The GOOD:

• Tillman is, right now, the ace of this staff.  How crazy is that, for a playoff-bound squad?
• Flaherty:  2/4, 2R, 1HR, 5RBI.
• Multi hit efforts from Thome (3/4) and Machado (2/4), as well as Flaherty.

The BAD:

• Flaherty’s error, though he certainly made up for it.

The post Tillman and Flaherty The Heroes in 9-1 O’s Win Over Boston appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Chris Tillman was very solid again, giving up one run on six hits and a walk in six innings.  Tillman struck out four Sox batters, and was hurt by a Robert Andino error on a would-be double play.  Andino bounced his relay throw to Mark Reynolds, allowing Cody Ross to score.

The O’s answered in the fifth.  Lew Ford led off with a single off Red Sox starter Felix Doubront.  Chris Davis’ double moved Ford up to third with no one out.  Manny Machado blooped one into shallow right.   Sox second baseman Pedro Ciriaco never got a good read on the ball, drifted into shallow right, and could not grab it.  Ford scored to tie it at 1, and the Orioles had runners on first and third with no one out.

Needing a fly ball, or even a double play grounder to score another run, the birds fell flat.  Andino was called out on strikes.  Nate McLouth struck out swinging.  And JJ Hardy grounded out to first.  The O’s, who’ve been doing a nice job of cashing in at opportune moments, let a golden opportunity get away.

Reliever Luis Ayala was touched for the losing run in the eighth.  Dustin Pedroia led off with a double to right, and scored on Cody Ross’ double high off the Green Monster, making it 2-1.  Brian Matusz came on and retired pinch-hitter Mauro Gomez.  Then, Buck Showalter went to the pen and ordered up the major league debut of 19 year old Dylan Bundy.

The top prospect got Ryan Lavarnway on a flyout to left, and Danny Valencia on a fly ball to right, to get the O’s back in the dugout.

In the ninth, the O’s again put themselves into a terrific position to steal the game.

On a 3-0 pitch, Matt Wieters thought Sox reliever Andrew Bailey had walked him with a pitch that appeared to be up and away.  It was called a strike.  On the next pitch, Wieters grounded out to second, for out number one.  Mark Reynolds singled to left, and Jim Thome, pinch-hitting for Lew Ford, ripped a ground-rule double down the right field line.  Bailey intentionally walked Davis, and the birds had the bases loaded with just one away.

But Machado hit a slow chopper to first, and Reynolds was forced out at the plate, for out number two.  Pinch-hitter Ryan Flaherty then took a called third strike to end the game.

The O’s head back home after their 6-3 road trip.  The O’s will face Toronto in a double header at Camden Yards Monday.  Steve Johnson (3-0, 1.91) and Wei-Yin Chen (12-9, 3.98) pitch for the O’s, with Johnson starting game one at 4:05.

The GOOD:

• Manny Machado’s defense was again on display.  In the seventh, Machado dove to his right to snare a grounder, sprang to his feet, and fired across the diamond to nail speedy fellow rookie Pedro Ciriaco.
• Davis:  2/3, 1BB.

The BAD:

• Buck Showalter’s decision to send Endy Chavez out to run for Jim Thome after Thome’s pinch double.  Now, Chavez is a better baserunner than Xavier Avery, but he’s not faster.  Pure speed matters a lot in that situation.  Not only that, but it forced Buck to then use Flaherty, the Rule 5 rookie, to pinch-hit for Andino.  If Avery runs for Thome, Chavez hits for Andino.  Easy to second guess, because things didn’t work out as they normally do.
• Speaking of Andino, he had a lousy game:  0/3, 3K, 4LOB, 1 very big error.
• Ayala (L, 5-5):  0.1 IP, 2H, 1R.

The post O’s Lose Opportunities, And Lose Boston Finale 2-1 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Thome’s bomb to right with one out in the twelfth bounced on the warning track and over the short wall at Fenway, scoring Adam Jones (who’d led off with a double himself), breaking a 6-6 tie.  Thome’s blast was followed by an RBI hit by Endy Chavez, another by Manny Machado, and the Orioles’ record 47th save from Jim Johnson.  And while an extra-inning win is nothing unusual for the birds—this WAS their 16th in a row—how they got there was odd for this bunch.

The O’s built a 3-1 lead on Boston by the fourth, thanks to an RBI single from Manny Machado, sandwiched between an RBI groundout from Jones, and Mark Reynolds’ 22nd homer of the year.  In their half of the fourth, the Sox tied it up on a two-run Danny Valencia homer off O’s starter Randy Wolf.

Ryan Flaherty plated a pair in the sixth with a triple, and it was 5-3.  Jones’ 31st home run of 2012 made it 6-3 in the seventh.  This is the point where the game is usually over.  The back end of the O’s bullpen has been bulletproof, and with a three run lead with nine outs to go, Orioles Nation was already celebrating.   Too soon?  Indeed.

Jake Arrieta, on in relief of Wolf, allowed the first three Red Sox to reach, then gave up back-to-back, run producing groundouts.  It was 6-5.

Pedro Strop came on in the eighth, looking to snap out of a funk.  He didn’t do that.  The Sox mounted a two-out rally, starting with Daniel Nava’s double to center.  Next up, Scott Podsednik hit a fly ball to left.  Nate McLouth, the one-time gold glove winning outfield who has absolutely solidified the O’s outfield defense, misplayed this one.

McLouth started to his left, but overran the ball.  Then, he leaped, thinking his back was against the wall.  In reality, McLouth had another stride left, and the ball hit in a very catch-able spot on the Monster.  Nava scored, and we were tied at 6.

The O’s did get some fine relief work from Luis Ayala and Brian Matusz before Tommy Hunter (W, 6-8) entered.  Hunter was dominant, setting the Sox down in order, and actually hitting 100 MPH on the Fenway radar gun.

The Orioles are going for the sweep of the Red Sox Sunday afternoon, with Chris Tillman (8-2, 3.22) taking the hill against Felix Doubront (11-9, 5.09).  Game time is 1:35.

The GOOD:

• Who knew in July that guys like Thome, Hunter, Matusz, Chavez, and Reynolds would be making such contributions?  Let alone Machado or McLouth…
• Multi-hit efforts from Matt Wieters and Machado (3 hits each), Jones, Chris Davis, and Ryan Flaherty (2).  For Flaherty, the hits were his first big league double, and his first triple in the majos.
• Reynolds vs. Boston this year:   6HR, 16RBIs.

The BAD:

• McLouth’s day was not good:  0/6, 1BB, 2K, 1SB (9), 6LOB, and the misplay in left.
• Hardy:  0/6, 1K, 4LOB. So the 1-2 hitters for the Orioles combined for an 0/12 night with 3 K’s and a combined 10 left on base.
• The Yankees won in 14 over the A’s.

The post Overtime is Orioles Time: Birds Beat Boston in 12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Nate McLouth’s leadoff home run in the first started the offensive barrage.  Mariners’ starter Hector Neosi (L, 2-12) then retired JJ Hardy and Chris Davis, but Adam Jones walked.  Matt Wieters singles Jones to third, and Mark Reynolds singled him home.  A Manny Machado single made it 3-0 after one.

A walk, two singles, two doubles, and a Mariners error led to a four-run second for the birds, and a 7-0 lead.

Chris Tillman, starting for the first time since leaving the game September 2nd with elbow stiffness, made the early lead stand up.  Tillman (W, 8-2) threw 58 of his 91 pitches for strikes.  He gave up just one run on three hits and a walk.  Tillman struck out four, and was helped by terrific defense.  In the third, Machado ranged far to his left to snare a chopper from Dustin Ackley.  He spun and fired across the diamond.  Reynolds made his now famous flop-catch, stretching out onto the ground, holding onto the bag, for the out.

Wei-Yin Chen (12-9, 4.00) pitches Tuesday night for the Orioles against Seattle’s Erasmo Ramirez (1-2, 3.49).  First pitch is slated for 10:10.

The GOOD:

• Tillman:  4-0, 0.98 ERA career vs. his former team.
• Jones:  3/4, 1BB, 4R, 1RBI against his former team Monday.  What we REALLY loved, though, was how Jones hustled all the way down the line on a ground ball to short in the eighth.  The score at that time was 10-1.
• Matt Wieters stays hot:  3/5, 1HR (22), 3RBI, 2R.
• McLouth:  3/5, 1BB, 1HR (4), 2R, 1RBI.
• O’s:  8/15 RISP.
• The Yankees were off Monday.  The Rays lost.  The Orioles train the Yankees by half a game.  Tampa Bay is in third, 5.5 out.  In the Wild Card, the A’s own the top spot, the Orioles own the number 2 spot, 1.5 GB oakland.  Outside looking in are the Angels (3GB), Tampa (5), and Detroit (5.5).

The BAD:

• The bullpen combo of Zach Phillips and Luis Ayala:  2.2IP, 5H, 3R, 2BB, 2K, 2HR.
• Davis:  0/5, 3K, 4LOB.

The post O’s Open With An Offensive Explosion in 10-4 Win in Seattle appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Randy Wolf made his initial O’s start, and was roughed up in the very first inning.  Collin Cowgill led off with a double to center.  One out later, Josh Reddick blasted a two-run homer (29), and it looked like it was going to be another long day in Oakland.

But Wolf’s battery mate Matt Wieters hammered a one-out solo homer (20) in the second, making it 2-1.  The Orioles tied it in the third with some small-ball.  Endy Chavez led off with a hit.  Robert Andino’s sac bunt moved Chavez to second.  Chavez advanced to third on Nate McLouth’s ground out to second, and JJ Hardy picked up a base hit (though it could’ve been ruled an error) that A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson deflected into foul ground.

Wieters led off the fourth with another home run (21), and the birds had their first lead of the day.  In the fifth, the string of one-run innings continued for the O’s, thanks to A’s starter Dan Straily’s wildness.  The rally began with two outs and none on.  Chris Davis walked.  Adam Jones ripped his 34th double of the season, moving Davis to third.  Straily intentionally walked Wieters, bringing up Mark Reynolds.  The O’s first baseman worked a five-pitch walk, and the Orioles had a 4-2 lead, and had knocked Straily from the game.

The fourth was also Wolf’s last inning.  He settled down quite a bit after the first, and finished with just the two runs allowed on six hits.  He walked two and struck out four while throwing 45 of his 72 pitches for strikes.  Tommy Hunter came on for one inning of scoreless, if not spotless, relief.  He gave up a walk and a hit, but struck out the final two A’s in the inning.

On a day when the bullpen would have to shine, it was Brian Matusz (W, 6-10) who burned brightest.  Matusz pitched two perfect innings with a pair of stikeouts.  He was helped by a great diving catch from left fielder McLouth in the sixth.

In the O’s seventh, Wieters and Reynolds led off with back-to-back walks.  Manny Machado the delivered a double into the gap in left center, plating Wieters.  A chopper by Chavez found its way into center field, scoring both Reynolds and Machado, and the O’s were up 7-2.

Both Darren O’Day and Pedro Strop struggled in relief.  Strop’s issues led to a cheap, one-out save for Jim Johnson (43), and the Orioles escaped Oakland with one win in the three game set.

The birds head up the coast to Seattle for a three game set with the Mariners starting Monday.  Hector Neosi  (2-11, 5.54) starts for Seattle against former Mariner Chris Tillman (7-2, 3.39), making his first start since September 2.  Game time is 10:05.

The GOOD:

• Wieters:  2/3, 2HR, 2RBI, 2BB, 3R.
• Chavez:  4/4, 1BB, 2RBI, 2R.
• Robert Andino and JJ Hardy:  2 hits each.  Reynolds drew 3 walks
• Who DIDN’T have trepidation about Brian Matusz coming on as Troy Patton’s left handed replacement in the bullpen?  But like so many other moves the mad geniuses in the Warehouse and Dugout have made, this one has had better results than anyone could have possibly imagined.  As a stater, Matusz was awful:  5-10, 5.47 ERA.  But out of the ‘pen?  1-0, 1.93.  In just over 9 relief innings, Matusz has struck out 13, walked 1 (intentionally), and given up just 3 hits.  He’s a different guy.

The BAD:

• O’Day:  1IP, 2R, 2H, 1HR, 3K.
• Strop:  0.2IP, 1R, 2H, 1K, 1BB.
• Jones:  1/6, 1K, 6LOB.

The post O’s Pull Out Of Oakland With 9-5 Win appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

These are still the Baltimore Orioles, though, so there just HAD to be some adversity.  Starter Jason Hammel, making just his second appearance since returning from knee surgery, had to leave the game in the fourth inning after re-injuring his right knee.  Hardy’s first homer of the night had the O’s on top 3-1 at the time, and Hammel was cruising.  He’d given up just one hit—a Ryan Roberts home run—in 3.2 innings of work when he had to come out.   Hammel has an MRI scheduled for Wednesday, but he almost certainly will be pushed back in the rotation, at best.

Replacing Hammel with two outs in the fourth was Steve Johnson (W, 3-0).  The rookie right hander struggled to get anything off speed over the plate, so he used a fastball that ranged from 88-92 MPH as his out pitch.  He was not spectacular, but was solid, striking out two and walking two in 1.1 hitless, scoreless innings.

The Orioles added runs in the fifth (on an two-RBI double from Matt Wieters), sixth (on a hit from Hardy), and seventh (on Chris Davis’ 25th home run), to extend the lead to 7-1.  Hardy’s second home run of the night was his 21st of the season.  He became the fourth Oriole with 20 or more here in 2012, joining Adam Jones (29), Davis, and Mark Reynolds (21).  Wieters is just one knock away, at 19.

The birds and Rays do battle again Wednesday, with the Orioles looking to lock up a series win.  Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.62) faces Tampa’s Alex Cobb (9-8, 4.28).  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Hardy:  4/5, 1 double, 2HR, 3R, 5RBI, and a great defensive play early in the game.
• Wieters:  3/3, 1 double, 2RBI
• Nate McLouth, leading off:  2/5, 2R, 1SB
• O’s bullpen of Johnson, Luis Ayala, Brian Matusz, Darren O’Day, and Pedro Strop combined:  5.1IP, 1ER, 4H, 1HR, 2BB, 7K
• Minutes after the Strop recorded the last out in this one, the Red Sox walked off with a 4-3 win over the Yankees.  The O’s and Yankees are again tied atop the AL East.  The Rays are 2 games out.

The BAD:

• Fingers crossed for a quick recovery from Hammel.  With Chris Tillman already having been pushed back after experiencing elbow stiffness, and with the team handling Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen with kid gloves due to concerns of overuse, the Orioles do not need to lose Hammel here in the stretch run.

The post Hardy’s Boys Hammer Tampa 9-2 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

This win doesn’t come without its toll.  Chris Tillman, arguably the best pitcher on the staff over the last six weeks, left the game with elbow tightness after three innings.  And, while in the game, it was apparent he was not himself.

In the first, he issued a five-pitch walk to leadoff man Derek Jeter.  He also unleashed a wild pitch in the inning, but the Yankees could not take advantage.  Inning number two featured a walk to Russell Martin, and a screaming line drive homer to right by Chris Dickerson (1).  With two outs, Jason Nix doubled to right.  But Tillman wiggled out of it by fanning Jeter, and the O’s were down 2-0 after two.

Tillman completed a three-up, three-down third, but he could go no further.  In the fourth, Randy Wolf (W, 1-0/4-10) made his Orioles debut, and retired the side in order.

All the while, the Orioles offense was spinning its wheels.  Manny Machado picked up the forst O’s hit in the third, but was stranded.  In the Orioles’ fourth, Nate McLouth singled with one away.  But Yankees starter Phil Hughes (L, 13-12) got Adam Jones and Matt Wieters to retire the side.

The O’s got on the board in the fifth, courtesy of first baseman Mark Reynolds.  On the sixth pitch of a 2-2 at-bat leading off, Reynolds blasted a 91 MPH, high fastball very deep into the stands in left for his 15th homer of the season, and his third in the series.  The Orioles would pick up two more hits in the inning from Chris Davis and Nick Markakis, but could not push another run across.

The Yanks answered in the bottom half of the fifth, with a lead off hit, a sac bunt, and a Nick Swisher RBI, making it 3-1.

But the Orioles mugged Hughes in the sixth.  McLouth walked.  Jones singled him to second, and Wieters singled him home.  Up stepped Reynolds.  Hughes’ second pitch was a hanging, 74 MPH curve, and Reynolds jumped on it.  Another towering home run deep into the seats in left (16) gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead, and completely turned this game on a dime.

The O’s piled on in the eighth.  Wieters led off with a walk against Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlin.  Reynolds’ third hit of the game—a single—moved Wieters to second.  One out later, and with Derek Lowe on in relief, Machado singled to load the bases.  Next up was Robert Andino, who produced a run without ever lifting the bat from his shoulder.  A five-pitch walk made it 6-3.  Again, Joe Girardi went to his bullpen, this time for Boone Logan.  The lefty-lefty matchup against Nick Markakis did not work out well for New York, with Markakis smacking a sharp grounder into right for a two-run single for their 8-3 final margin.

The Orioles head north to Toronto next.  Monday’s game time is 1:05, and features Joe Saunders (0-1/6-11) in his second start as an Oriole.  Left hander J. A. Happ (10-10, 4.77) pitches for the Blue Jays.

The GOOD:

• The Orioles are 15 games over .500, just 2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East chase, and currently hold the lead for the number 2 wild card spot.
• Randy Wolf’s Orioles debut:  3.1IP, 3H, 1R, 1BB, 1K, and 1W.
• Bullpen overall (including Wolf, Luis Ayala, Brian Matusz, and Darren O’Day):  6IP, 3H, 1R, 2BB, 2K.  And 1W.
• Reynolds:  3/5, 3R, 2HR, 4RBI, 0K
• Multi-hit efforts from Markakis and Machado.
• Offense:  4/10 with RISP

The BAD:

• The expansion of rosters may make his loss easier to handle, but losing Tillman long-term would be a shame, both for him and for the Orioles.  There is no question.  Tillman has turned a major corner.  The Orioles will find out more in the next couple of days.  Tillman will undergo an MRI in Baltimore Monday.

The post O’s Earn Series Win In New York appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Nick Markakis’ clutch, two-out, three-run double in the second would be all the O’s needed offensively, but not all they’d get.  Lew Ford hit a solo home run for the second straight night in the fourth, picking on a two-out, 1-0 fastball below the knees, and lining it into the left field seats.  Manny Machado drove in Mark Reynolds with a sac fly in the sixth, making it 5-0.  And in the seventh, Adam Jones snapped a career-high, 110 at-bat homerless streak.  Jones picked on Sox reliever Philip Humber’s eighth pitch of the at-bat, and drove it just over the scoreboard in right for his 25th home run of the year, and 100th of his career.

As plentiful as the offense was, the true story was Tillman.  He didn’t give up his first hit until Dayan Viciedo led off the fifth with an infield hit.  He walked the next batter, for his fourth walk of the night.  But then, he rediscovered his grove, setting down the trio of Gordon Beckham, Dewayne Wise, and Kevin Youkilis.  Then, he retired six more in a row, before turning things over to Brian Matusz , for two scoreless relief innings.

Having taken the first two games of this very big, four-game series, The Orioles roll out their latest import Wednesday.  Joe Saunders, acquired from Arizona over the weekend, will make his O’s debut at Camden Yards against Chicago.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Tillman’s line:  7IP, 0R, 1H, 4BB, 5K.
• Matusz:  2IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 2K.  24 pitches for Matusz, 19 of which were strikes.
• Numbers 7,8,9 in the order (McLouth, Machado, Andino) combined:  5/9, 3R, 2BB, 1RBI, 2SB.

The BAD:

• Only 12,841 at Camden Yards after about 10,000 Monday night.  School being back in session in most places doesn’t help, but…

The post Tillman Dominates White Sox In 6-0 Shutout appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The Orioles picked up another dramatic victory, this time getting two big home runs.  The first was off the bat of Lew Ford, his first in major league play since 2007.  The other—a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth from Nate McLouth—leapfrogged the Sox, and gave the O’s the 4-3 win.  Before you re-read this paragraph, you should probably look outside your window to make sure the monkeys from the Wizard of Oz aren’t out there.

Wait.  Just wait one minute.  The Orioles…13 games OVER .500 at 70-57, in late AUGUST?  The Orioles, with one more win before September than they had in ALL of 2011?  The BALTIMORE ORIOLES…tied for the top wildcard spot in the American league, and ALONE in second place in the AL East, just 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees?  On August 28?  Weren’t these the guys who were supposed to fade away after dropping 6 of 7, then 5 of 6, just last month?  Isn’t this the team that national sports “experts” said would, “fold in June, bless their hearts.”  The Orioles??  Just who do these guys think they are?

They are Lew Ford.  They are Nate McLouth.  Every bit as much as they are Adam Jones and Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis.

Wei-Yin Chen took the mound for the birds, making his first start since giving up five runs on seven hits in a five-inning win against Detroit August 19.  Monday, he was far better, but he hurt himself with a big error, contributing to his no-decision.  Up 1-0 (courtesy of Ford’s homer) in the sixth, Chen got White Sox leadoff man Dewayne Wise to tap to first.  Mark Reynolds made a terrific diving stop, but his toss to Chen was a touch low and a tad behind the lefty.  It was a catchable ball, but it appeared to handcuff Chen, who dropped it for the E-1.

The very next pitch was Chen’s worst of the night.  Kevin Youkilis launched a 91 MPH fastball down the middle into the left field seats, giving Chicago a 2-1 lead.  Chen would finish out the inning, and did not return.

It looked like the Orioles may still reward their ace with a win in their half of the sixth, though.  Wieters walked, and took third on another hit from Ford.  The White Sox went to the bullpen for Jesse Crain, who walked Reynolds to load the bases with no one out.  Next, McLouth worked a full count against Crain, before taking a borderline pitch for ball four.  It was a terrific at-bat by McLouth, who actually ducked the final pitch, perhaps making it appear higher than it actually was.  That walk forced Wieters home, and the birds still had the bases loaded (with good speed on), and no one out.

But Manny Machado tapped out on a force, third to home.  Robert Andino struck out, and Markakis’ bid for a squib-job infield hit was robbed on a nice play by Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez.  The O’s twice loaded the bases with no outs, but could score only one time.

In the eighth with the score still tied at two, Buck Showalter went to Pedro Strop (W, 5-2).  Wise led off against the O’s power arm with a single to left.  Youkilis singled to right, moving Wise to third.  Next up, Adam Dunn hit a slow trickling roller to Andino at second, whose only play was to first.  Or, at least, it would have been, had first baseman Mark Reynolds been anywhere near where he was supposed to be, which was on the bag.  Reynolds, in another of the blackout moments he’s prone to, committed to trying to field the grounder.  By the time he realized it was Andino’s ball all the way, he was in no-man’s land.  Wise scored, Youkilis moved to second, Dunn to first, and the White Sox led 3-2 with no outs.

Strop thew three straight, 97 MPH fastballs to Paul Konerko, who bounced into a big double play.  He then struck out Alex Rios on five pitches—all sliders—and the O’s were out of the mess, albeit down one.

Reliever Brett Myers (L, 2-6) got Ford to start the bottom of the eighth, but then he walked Reynolds.  Up stepped McLouth, who laid into a 91 MPH fastball up and over the plate.  McLouth’s second O’s homer gave the Orioles the lead, which closer Jim Johnson, despite giving up a hit and throwing a wild pitch, was able to hold.

The O’s and White Sox battle again Tuesday night, with Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.71) going against Chris Sale (15-4, 2.65).  First pitch is slated for 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Chen:  6IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 8K, 1HR.
• 3 RBIs for McLouth.  2H for Ford.  Each with a home run.  By the way, am I the only one who sees Brady Anderson every time McLouth puts a good swing on the ball?  The stances are different, but the follow throughs are remarkably similar.  And McLouth wearing Anderson’s old number 9 doesn’t hurt either.
• The Orioles struck out just five times.  They walked seven times.  Meanwhile, Orioles pitching struck out 12 White Sox, and walked only 1.
• Jim Johnson with save #40.  What a season the Orioles closer is having.
• The Orioles have won 13 straight one-run games, tying a team record.

The BAD:

• 0-4 with RISP.  8 men left on base.

The post Late Homer By McLouth Brings O’s 4-3 Win appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Up went Jason Berken. Down came Tommy Hunter.  Down came Berken, up went Dana Eveland.  Up went Stu Pomeranz, down came Eveland.  Joel Pineiro was signed, and talk the talk centered around his future role in Baltimore.  And the transactions kept coming.  Matusz, down.  Hunter back up.  Hunter back down, Miguel Gonzalez up.  Zach Phillips, up.  And down.

He had an out clause in his contract, stipulating that if he was not a member of the 40 man roster at one point, he could opt out and become a free agent.  The Orioles were apparently willing to take that risk, but when Johnson alerted told the team he was going to walk, the Orioles blinked.  Thankfully.  He got his spot on the 40 man, but still had to wait for the actual call.

The call came on July 2, as the Orioles added him as insurance.  Two days later (and still having not made his ML debut), he was back on a flight to Norfolk, trading roster spots with Chris Tillman.  And the roster moves in Baltimore continued…Matusz, back down.  Arrieta, down.  Miguel Socolovich.  Zach Britton.  And Hunter again.  Jason Hammel went on the DL July 15, and Johnson was called back up.  And the next day, he was sent back down.  And Eveland came again.  And Eveland went again.

Now, it’s hard to argue any single one of the transactions made by the Orioles this year.  How Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter have been able to sweat the resources to keep this team in contention all season long is well beyond most baseball folks.  But, for someone like Johnson, who’s paid his dues in the minors since 2005, and who in many ways was putting up the best numbers he ever has this season, being a spectator—and a travelling one at that—has HAD to take its toll.

Saturday night, he finally made his second big league start, 17 days after his first one.  Forget the fact that his first start in the bigs—a six-inning, nine-strikeout, two-earned run win—warranted far more than a two-plus week rotation removal.  Life isn’t fair.  Johnson, we can say with some certainty, has figured this out.

Johnson (W, 2-0) got into early trouble, giving up a long, two-run home run to Edwin Encarnacion (34) in the first.  But he gave up no more runs and just two more hits for the rest of his six innings.  He struck out seven, walked two, and relied heavily on battery mate Matt Wieters to do the rest, both with the bat, and behind the plate.

Wieters nailed all three Blue Jays trying to steal on him.  Offensively, while he did strike out three times, Wieters delivered a sac fly and an RBI single, Joining Adam Jones and JJ Hardy as O’s with a pair of RBIs apiece.  Hardy’s RBIs came on a home run (17) that just did elude Jays’ outfielder Rajai Davis’ leaping attempt at the wall in the fifth.  That shot was one of three hits for Hardy on the day, and gave the Orioles a 6-2 lead.

In relief of Johnson, Luis Ayala threw two shutout innings, and Kevin Gregg struck out the side in order in the ninth.

The O’s will go for the sweep of Toronto Sunday at 1:05.  Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.71) pitches for the Orioles, against Toronto’s Henderson Alvarez (7-11, 4.84).

The GOOD:

• The one thing you have to like about Johnson is his composure.  To a certain extent, he does wear his emotions. But he also carries with him an outwardly obvious “I got this” air.  He pitches with poise and confidence.  Now, he’s pitched in five games total, throwing good starts at Toronto and Seattle, and a good relief appearance against Boston.  When he’s faced good teams, pitching in relief against Detroit and Texas, he hasn’t fared as well.  It’s a very small sampling, so the jury is still out, but you have to be impressed with the tenacity.
• JJ Hardy has a five-game hitting streak, and is now 5 for his last 9.
• Manny Machado, Mark Reynolds, and Nick Markakis chipped in multi-hit games.
• One has to wonder when the league is going to learn NOT to run on Matt Wieters.  Until then, by all means, they should have at it.

The BAD:

• The birds left nine runners on base.

The post Johnson Pitches O’s Past Jays appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

It helps when, before he even strolls to the hill, a pitcher has a lead.  Tillman’s mates saw to it.  Rangers starter Scott Feldman (L, 6-9) retired both Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy in succession to start the game.  Then, Nate McLouth worked the right hander for a walk, coming back in the at-bat from down, 1-2.  McLouth stole second, and moved to third when Geovany Soto, trying to nail McLouth, threw it away.  Feldman then uncorked a wild pitch, and the Orioles, with plenty of help from the Rangers, had a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, the Rangers got even when Ian Kinsler poked his 14th homer of the year, just clearing the wall in left.

The Orioles put together a four-run fifth inning that, offensively, was the difference in the game.  Manny Machado belted a one-out, RBI triple just out of the reach of center fielder Josh Hamilton, breaking the 1-1 tie.  One out later, Hardy reached out for a 91 MPH fastball away, and drove it down the right field line.  Hardy’s 21st double scored Machado, and gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead.  McLouth stepped in, and on Feldman’s third pitch to him—a 90 MPH fat fastball—he blasted his first Orioles home run.  The Orioles were on top 5-1.  But against this Texas Rangers team, with one of the most potent offenses in the game, at no time was it ever really a comfortable lead.

That wasn’t Tillman’s fault, though.  While he was far from dominant, Tillman (W, 6-2) was very good against Texas.  In the fifth, he gave up a two-out single to Mitch Moreland, and stranded him.  Adrian Beltre picked up a two-out double in the sixth, but stayed right there.  In the seventh, he was nearing the end.  David Murphy singled on a second consecutive changeup.  And with one out, a 94 MPH fastball caught too much of the plate, and Soto launched it into the first row of seats in left field for his second home run since joining the Rangers.  After striking out Moreland on his 101st pitch of the game, Tillman’s night was over.  His line:  6.2IP, 3ER, 6H, 2HR, 7K, 1BB.

Darren O’Day came on and got into immediate trouble against his former team.  Kinsler walked, and Elvis Andrus singled him to second.  Buck Showalter again went to the bullpen, this time for Pedro Strop.  The flame throwing righty, usually summoned in the eighth inning when the birds have a lead, would have to come on early, with Josh Hamilton up representing the potential go-ahead run.

Strop fell behind 2-0.  He was down in the count 3-1.  Then, a foul ball, for a full count.  With two outs, the runners would be off with the pitch.  Anything in the gaps would most certainly tie things at 5.  Of course, the balls in the gap aren’t the biggest things to fear with Hamilton up.  Pitch six of the at-bat…an 83 MPH slider…fouled off.  Then, on pitch seven, Strop snapped off another tight slider, breaking hard, down and in, and the All-Star center fielder waved at it and missed.  Strike three.  Out number three.

Strop tossed a less dramatic eighth inning, and Jim Johnson picked up save number 38 in a perfect ninth.

The O’s and Rangers wrap up the three-game series Wednesday.  Going for Texas is lefty Derrick Holland (7-6, 4.98), who hasn’t won since July 31.  Former Ranger Tommy Hunter (4-7. 5.49) goes for the Orioles.  First pitch is scheduled for 8:05.

The GOOD:

• Great rebound for Tillman, after back-to-back sub-par outings.
• Hits for all but two O’s starters (Wieters, Quintanilla).  Two hits for Manny Machado, a single and a triple.  He was actually called out trying to stretch his single into a double, but second base umpire Tony Randazzo missed the call.  They didn’t review it.
• Who is this year’s Orioles MVP?   There is no shortage of candidates, to be sure.  Adam Jones.  Jim Johnson.  Wei-Yin Chen.  Before the All-Star break, you’d have to give Jason Hammel some consideration.  One player it almost certainly won’t be is a guy without whom the Orioles would be nowhere near where they are now.  Pedro Strop is lights-out, throwing heat in the high-90s, and sliders that make some of the best hitters in the game look foolish.  But what he did Tuesday was special, even by his standards.  Not only was he facing, perhaps the most dangerous hitter in baseball…a guy who has murdered Orioles’ pitching…in Josh Hamilton.  He had to do it with inherited runners on, which is not usually his role.  He generally starts the eighth inning, with no one on and no one out.  There’s a little comfort in that situation, as opposed to the utter mess he was thrown into Tuesday.  Another amazing performance for Pedro Strop.

The BAD:

• The normally reliable O’Day was not:  2 Batters Faced.  1 hit.  1 walk.

The post Clutch Pitching Leads O’s Past Rangers appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Facing Ryan Dempster, the O’s mounted a two-out rally to grab the lead.  Nate McLouth doubled with two outs, bringing Adam Jones to the plate.  Dempster started Jones off with a tough, 91 MPH fastball running in on his hands.  Jones tucked the hands, stayed inside the ball, and hit a soft hump-back liner just out of the reach of Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland.  McLouth scored, and the birds were on a pace to score 9 runs.

It looked like O’s starter Miguel Gonzalez was going to give it all back and more in the home half of the first.  Ian Kinsler led off for Texas with his 34th double of the year.  Next, Elvis Andrus picked up an infield hit, and the Rangers had runners on first and second with no out.  But Gonzalez got Josh Hamilton on a fly out to center, Adrian Beltre lined out to short, and Nelson Cruz flew out to right to end the threat.

The birds next threat in the fourth featured another hit from Jones and a walk to Mark Reynolds.  But with two outs, Dempster (W, 7-6/2-1) struck out Omar Quintanilla.  The Orioles, who’d already left four on base through four innings, had blown a big chance.  The slugging Rangers would come up in the fourth against the rookie Gonzalez, and change the complexion of the game.

Beltre led off with a hit.  Cruz drew a walk in a seven-pitch at-bat.  One out later, David Murphy blooped a pop fly that settled into shallow center in front of Jones for a hit, scoring Beltre, and tying things at one.  Former Cubs catcher Geovany Soto singled to left, scoring Cruz ahead of McLouth’s throw, and it was 2-1.  Moreland picked up an infield hit, loading the bases for Kinsler.  The Texas second baseman hit a sac fly to right, plating Murphy, and the Rangers led 3-1.

Texas added a fourth run on a Nelson Cruz double that scored Hamilton from first.  Gonzalez would wiggle out of further damage in the fifth, but with Dempster shutting down the birds offensively, the four runs was more than enough.  Gonzalez (L, 5-3) went five innings, giving up the four earned runs on eight hits.  He walked three and struck out two.

The O’s bullpen shut down Texas for two innings.  Kevin Gregg pitched a perfect sixth, and Matt Lindstrom, a perfect seventh.  In the eighth, though, the bullpen’s new Achilles Heel, the left handed reliever slot, again was exposed,  J.C. Romero was, for a second straight outing, not good.

Michael Young doubled to left.  Murphy, a left handed hitter, smoked a bullet past Romero and into center, scoring Young for a 5-1 Texas lead.  Murphy was pulled for pinch runner Craig Gentry.  With Romero paying little-to-no attention to him at first, Gentry stole second.  Romero added a walk to Kinsler, but was able to get out of the inning, having allowed just to one run, for the 5-1 final.

Game two of the series comes Tuesday night at 8:05.  Chris Tillman (5-2, 3.65) will try to snap a string of a couple of straight less-than-stellar performances.  He’s given up 9 earned runs and 12 hits in his last 10.1 innings over 2 starts.  He faces Scott Feldman (6-8, 4.63) for the Rangers.

The GOOD:

• Orioles pitchers stranded 9 Rangers on the bases.
• Lindstrom was especially sharp, striking out 2 in one perfect inning.

The BAD:

• The 5-9 hitters…a combined 0/16 with 8 strikeouts and 1 walk.
• A show of hands…anyone missing Troy Patton yet?  His return, it appears, will be delayed a bit, and probably won’t happen before rosters expand on September 1.  Meanwhile, down in Norfolk, lefty Zach Phillips hasn’t been scored upon in 14 of his last 17 outings.

The post Offense Falls Flat in 5-1 O’s Loss to Texas appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The O’s put together a nice, two-run first when Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy led off the inning with singles.  A Nate McLouth gound out moved them up 90 feet each, and Adam Jones, on a great piece of hitting, grounded a double down the right field line to score them both.  Scott Podsednik was able to tap a soft line drive just past the dive of Hardy with two outs in the second, scoring Nick Punto, and the Sox trimmed the Orioles lead to one at 2-1.

The Orioles opened the second inning like they were never going to make another out.  Clay Buchholz’s first pitch to Mark Reynolds was drilled into the seats in right center.  Reynolds’ 12th home run made it 3-1 Orioles.  Next up, Manny Machado doubled to left.  When Omar Quintanilla took a four-pitch walk, it looked like the Orioles had Buchholz fighting for his life.  None out, two on, one already in, and Nick Markakis, who’d already picked up one hit, was set to step in.  With 24 outs left to give, this would be the offensive turning point for the Orioles.

Markakis has been the Orioles leadoff man since his return from wrist surgery.  He’s excelled in this role, which was handed to him for the first time in his life.  But let’s not fool ourselves.  With runners on first and second, Markakis’ role reverts back to run producer.  He‘s not exactly a punch-and-judy hitter.  He’s not a slap hitter.  Nick Markakis, while not a power hitter, drives the ball.  He hits line drives in the gaps.  He hits doubles.  Markakis, in this situation, is up there to get a run in, at least.  Instead, on Buchholz’s first pitch, Nick Markakis squared to bunt.

Now, Buchholz did him a favor.  Markakis got the perfect ball to bunt (not that Nick, who’s not an accomplished bunter, would necessarily know what that is by experience)—a slow, 75-MPH curve ball, down.  Markakis totally deadened it right in front of the plate.  Thinking perhaps it was a foul ball, Markakis made matters worse by becoming a spectator, watching as Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia picked it up and fired to third baseman Nick Punto for the force on Machado.  Punto then gunned across to first to easily double up Markakis, who never quite got around to hustling on the play.  The huge double play played a large part in keeping Buchholz and the Red Sox in this game.  Two pitches later, it looked like the cards were stacked against the Orioles on this night despite their early lead.

Hardy picked up his second single to right field on the night.  But Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross made a strong throw in to Saltalamacchia, whose sweep tag beat Quintanilla sliding into home, for out number three.  The Orioles, in the second inning, sent five men to the plate.  Four of them reached, one on a walk, one on a single, one on a double, and one with a homer.  They were 3-4 with a walk and home run in the inning, and they scored just one run.  There’s your ballgame.

O’s starter Chris Tillman was simply not sharp in this one.  He nibbled.  He battled command issues.  He could not overcome.  Laboring into the fifth, Tillman yielded a one-out hit to Carl Crawford, then a double to Dustin Pedroia.  With Adrian Gonzalez batting, Tillman bounced a curve that got away from Matt Wieters for a wild pitch.  Crawford scored, Pedroia moved up to third.  Gonzalez then delivered a sac fly, and the Sox had tied things.  Buck Showalter lifted Tillman after 4.2 innings.  He gave up three earned runs on six hits, struck out five and walked two.  Kevin Gregg, needing just one out to escape the fifth, took three batters to do it, but did so with no further damage.

Luis Ayala entered in the sixth.  With one out, Podsednik doubled.  Ellsbury drew a walk, and Crawford hit into a force, putting runners on the corners with two outs.  Crawford stole second.  On a 2-2 pitch, Ayala threw a 91 MPH fastball down.  Pedroia tapped it slowly toward third baseman Manny Machado, who could not glove it.  Even had the rookie picked it cleanly, there are no guarantees he’d have gotten Pedroia.  The infield hit gave the Sox their first lead, at 4-3.  Next up, Gonzalez picked on a fat fastball and lined an RBI hit to right.  Cody Ross ripped a shot to left on the very next pitch, scoring Pedroia.  Gonzalez was thrown out heading to third after the run scored for the final out.  The Sox, with two outs, had scored three runs on three straight Ayala (L, 4-4) pitches, and led 6-3.

Here on shark week, Buchholz attacked the Orioles in their half of the sixth like a great white to chum.  Adam Jones:  called strike, swinging strike, called strike—one out.  Matt Wieters:  foul ball, swinging strike, called strike—out number two.  Chris Davis:  foul ball, foul ball, swing and a miss—three outs…on nine pitches.

Buchholtz (W, 11-3) was outstanding after escaping that second inning jam.  On the night, he gave up eight hits, but only two after the second.  Buchholtz struck out eight, walked three, and surrendered just 3 runs.  He was also pretty pitch-efficient, throwing 107 pitches over eight.  Chris Tillman threw 110 in just 4.2 innings.  Alfredo Aceves came on and struck out the side in the ninth (though it took him more than 9 pitches to do so).

The Orioles wrap up the homestand with a 7-3 record, and now hit the road for some crucial matchups.  Friday night, the O’s open a weekend set in Detroit.  Tommy Hunter (4-7, 5.54) throws for the Orioles.  Justin Verlander (12-7, 2.46) goes for the Tigers.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Mark Reynolds with another homer and  2-hit game.  Also a pair of hits from Hardy, both to right field which is good to see.

The BAD:

• Everything after Markakis’ bunt attempt, really.  Chris Davis had another one of THESE nights:  0/4, 3K, 3LOB
• Steve Johnson had been scheduled to start Saturday at Detroit, but he pitched two innings in relief in this one.  It was a good outing, but now, what happens Saturday?
• Wilson Betemit heads to the DL with wrist issues.  With the glove, he’s a butcher.  But when he’s on offensively, he’s a big contributor.  Especially now with Chris Davis missing more than he hits again, Betemit’s bat will be missed.

The post Sox Top O’s In Series Finale appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The offensive explosion came seemingly out of nowhere.  Cook had thrown just 53 pitches entering the sixth.  His Sox had given him the lead with two runs off Orioles starter—and former Red Sox farmhand—Miguel Gonzalez (W, 5-2) in the fifth.  Cook even retired Omar Quintanilla on a two-pitch ground out to start the sixth.  But then he walked Nick Markakis on five pitches, and on a 1-0 pitch to JJ Hardy, the O’s shortstop broke the ice with a single to left.  It was as if Hardy had taught his teammates how to ride a bike in that one swing.  After that, for just one inning, it got easy.

Nate McLouth lined a single to right center, scoring Markakis, moving Hardy to third, and making it 2-1 Boston.  Next up, Adam Jones hit a sharp comebacker to the mound for what looked like an easy, inning-ending double play.  But Cook fired the ball into center field.  Hardy scored to tie things at two, and McLouth wound up at third.

Matt Wieters followed that with an opposite field double to left, scoring McLouth for a 3-2 O’s lead.  One out later, Mark Reynolds, Tuesday’s offensive hero, tacked on two enormous insurance runs with his own two bagger, this one off reliever Junizi Tazawa.  The Orioles, having come into the inning without a hit through 15 outs, had scored five times before the Red Sox could get the next three outs.

The Sox added a run in the seventh, aided by a throwing error from reliever J.C. Romero.  But the combination of Luis Ayala, Pedro Strop, and Jim Johnson, who picked up his 35th save, slammed the door, getting the last 7 outs in order.  Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and manager Bobby Valentine were also tossed in the eighth, after Gonzalez, who’d grounded out, argued with home plate umpire Mike Everitt while trotting back to the Sox’s dugout.  Word is, Gonzalez thought Strop had quick-pitched him.

The O’s and Red Sox wrap up their three game series Thursday night at Camden Yards.  First pitch is slated for 7:05, with the Sox sending Clay Buchholtz (10-3, 4.24) to the mound.  For the Orioles, Chris Tillman (5-2, 3.40) will try to bounce back from a poor outing Saturday against the Royals.

The GOOD:

• Miguel Gonzalez…VERY good against his former team:  6IP, 6H, 2ER, 2K, 1BB.  You look at the Red Sox pitching staff right now and you have to wonder how they let THIS guy get away.
• Manny Machado picked up a hit, and made a pair of outstanding plays.  In the fifth, the Sox had already scored two and had Jacoby Ellsbury on third base.  Dustin Padroia hit a bouncer down the third base line.  Machado ranged far to his right and got down to pick the ball.  With his momentum carrying him well into foul ground, Machado fired across his body with that great arm.  Mark Reynolds handled a tough hop on the other end of the play for the final out of the inning, saving a run.  Then Machado made a diving catch on a soft liner to his right off the bat of Nick Punto to end the game.
• The Orioles are 11 over .500 for the first time in nearly two months.
• Sox fans who’d come out to Camden Yards were making some noise as Cook flirted with a no-no.  There wasn’t much to cheer about for them after the sixth, though.

The BAD:

• Omar Quintanilla was one of three Orioles without a hit.  He gets singled out for making two outs in one inning.  In the five-run sixth, Quintanilla made both the first and the last out.  That said, what a huge pick up Quintanilla has been for this team.

The post Big Inning Lifts Birds Past Sox, 5-3 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The two teams sat through a rain delay of over three hours prior to first pitch.  Once under way, the Royals treated Tillman rudely.  For the second time this series, Royals leadoff man Alex Gordon went deep in the game’s first at bat (8).  In the top of the second, Lorenzo cain led off with a hit, and Salvador Perez followed with his second homer of the series (8), and it was 3-0 Royals.

Billy Butler hit his second homer of the series (24) with two outs and none on in the third, making it 4-0.

Tillman lasted into the sixth.  With two outs, Tillman hit Perez with a pitch, then walked Jeff Francoeur on five pitches.  Showalter made the move with Tillman having thrown 109 pitches, 58 for strikes.  Miguel Socolovich was summoned, with the O’s down 4-0, 2 out and 2 on in the sixth.  The game was still within reach.  Offensively, the Orioles had struggled to deliver the big hit at that point, leaving runners on first and third in the first inning, and first and second in the fourth against Royals starter Luis Mendoza (W, 6-8).  But with the game within reach, and the O’s propensity for the comeback, hope was certainly not lost.

By the time Socolovich finally recorded the third out of the sixth, the game’s complexion changed entirely. Eric Hosmer picked on Socolovich’s first pitch—a 79 MPH change up, and singled to center for a 5-0 lead.  Francoeur, who’d advanced to third on Hosmer’s hit, then stole home as part of a double steal, making it 6-0.  Before the Orioles would score their first run, Gordon went deep again (9).  His solo shot leading off the seventh made it 7-0, and really put things out of reach.

The bird put up a three-spot in the bottom of the seventh.  Wilson Betemit lead off with a walk, and moved to second on a single from Chris Davis.  Manny Machado, the talk of the town in Baltimore after his 2-4 debut and his two-homer night number two, delivered again.

Machado grounded a 91 MPH fastball into the left field corner for his first major league double, knocking in Betemit.  Omar Quintanilla followed Machado’s two bagger with a two-run single, and the Orioles pulled to 7-3, which is where it would end.

The Orioles will try to earn a split in the series Sunday at 1:05.  Pitching for Kansas City, it’ll be former Oriole Bruce Chen (8-9, 5.51).  Tommy Hunter (4-7, 5.55) goes for the Orioles.

The GOOD:

• Nate McLouth, batting third, picked up a pair of hits, as did Adam Jones.
• Machado now has 5 hits, 4 for extra bases.
• 2 solid innings of relief in the combined efforts of Matt Lindstrom and Troy Patton.
• It’s easy to get nervous about Tillman when he has an outing like this, but there is something about the way he is carrying himself that says he’ll be OK.  Brian Matusz, Zach Britton, and even Jake Arietta sometimes have that “deer in the headlights” look…kind of a lost gaze when things break down.  Tillman looks like a guy who has certainly figured some things out, even in adversity.

The BAD:

• Tough day for Matt Wieters…0-3 with a walk.  He left 3 runners on, and committed his 9th error.
• It’s always good to pick out a guy or two on the other team that you will not let beat you.  Against Kansas City, those guys are Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.  This series, those two have combined to hit .310 with 8 runs, 5 home runs and 7 RBIs.  Throw in Catcher Salvador Perez’s numbers this series (3/11, 3R, 2HR, 3RBI), and that’s more than half of the Royals run production in the first three games.
• Socolovich probably shouldn’t see action if the result of the game is still within question.  A mop up role, where someone is needed just to eat innings and get to the end of the game, seems a better place for Socolovish’s talents.

The post Royals Take Tillman Deep, Beat Up O’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Machado again paced the club offensively.  Again, he went 2-4, but both hits were home runs.  He drove in four, as the Orioles bounced back from an 8-2 loss on Thursday, to beat Kansas City 7-1 Friday.

Again, it was Kansas City who struck first.  Salvador Perez went after a 1-out, 92 MPH fastball up and away from Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez, and poked it onto the flag court for his 7th home run, and a 1-0 Royals lead.

The Orioles wasted no time coming back, though.  Wilson Betemit, who has apparently lost his job as the Orioles’ starting third baseman to Machado, instead got the start at first over Mark Reynolds Friday. He led off the bottom of the second with a double to right on an 0-2 pitch.  He moved to third when Nate McLouth grounded to second, for out number one.

Machado stepped in with a shot to knock in the first run of his career.  Instead, he bounced to short, with Betemit holding at third.  With two outs, Omar Quintanilla stepped in.  He worked Royals starter Luke Hochevar (L, 7-10) into a 3-1 count, then got a straight, 93 MPH, belt-high fastball, and blasted it just over the fence in right center for a 2-1 lead.

2-1 it remained until the top of the fifth.  Machado, leading off, worked the count—great to see from a young slugger leading off an inning.  It went to 3-1.  Hochevar got a 91 MPH fastball over for a called strike two.  Then, Machado made the KC righty pay for a big mistake.

Hochevar hung a slider over the inner portion of the plate, belt high.  Machado waited nicely on it, then burst the head of the bat through the hitting zone, lifting it high and deep…into the left field seats.  The Orioles had a 3-1 lead on Manny Machado’s first major league home run.  There wasn’t a soul at Camden Yards who believed it would be Machado’s last major league homer, but there probably weren’t many at the park who could have predicted just how soon the next one would come.  How about, before 6 more outs were recorded?

With one out in the sixth, Matt Wieters drew a walk and Betemit was hit by a pitch.  Nate McLouth drove a double to the left-center field gap, scoring Wieters for a 4-1 O’s lead.  With runners on second and third and one away, Machado dug in.

Hochevar got ahead 0-2.  Then 1-2.  And on pitch four of the at-bat, Hochevar again hung one for Manny to blast.  This one was a curve, 78 MPH, a bit more out over the plate than the pitch Manny hit for his first homer.  It, too, was belt high.  It, too, was drilled into the left field seats, where, in fact, the same 15 year old who’d retrieved Manny’s first big league homer, could also retrieve this one.  A second home run for Manny.  Four RBIs total in the game, and a 7-1 lead, which eventually became a 7-1 win.

Tempting as it may be to lay all the credit at the feet of the 20-year old rookie, we cannot overlook the efforts of the 28-year old rookie who took care of business on the hill.  Gonzalez (W, 4-2) was terrific again for the Orioles, striking out five and giving up just the one run on six hits and a walk through 8 innings.  Pedro Strop pitched a perfect ningh, striking out two Royals in the process.

Game three of the series pits Kansas City’s Luis Mendoza (5-8, 4.36) against Chris Tillman for the Orioles (5-1, 2.38) for the Orioles, with first pitch slated for 7:05.

The GOOD:

• One thing easily overlooked in Machado’s first two games:  His performance with two strikes.  He is 4-6 with two strikes against him.
• Gonzalez has now given up just one run on eight hits in hs last two games (15 innings).
• Let’s not forget about the contributions of Quintanilla in this game:  3-4 with a homer and two RBIs.  McLouth also picked up a pair of hits.  In fact, the Orioles’ 6,7,8,and 9 hitters combined to go 8-15.  They scored 6 or the Orioles 7 runs, and knocked in all 7.
• Despite another O’s error, the birds also flashed some leather, particularly in the seventh.  Right after Nick Markakis dropped a foul pop, Riyals right fielder Jeff Francoeur lined a ball up the gap in right center,  Adam Jones hustled after it and fired in to JJ Hardy, who’s relay throw nailed Francoeur at third.  Why Francouer was heading to third base with one out in the seventh, down 7-1 is anyone’s guess.

The BAD:

• 1-5 in the O’s order…3-18.
• Another rough night for Chris Davis…0-4 with 3Ks.

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The birds put together a three-run fifth against Jason Vargas (L, 12-8).  Lew Ford started the O’s off with a one-out single.  Three pitches later, Mark Reynolds drove an 88 MPH fastball into the gap in left-center.  The double plated a hustling Ford, and the Orioles were up, 1-0.  Vargas got Omar Quintanilla to fly out to left, bringing up Nick Markakis.  On a 1-2 pitch, Vargas hung a 76 MPH curve in the middle of the plate, just above the knees.  Markakis deposited it onto the flag court for a two-run home run, and a 3-0 Orioles lead.

The Mariners would be no match for Tillman until the eighth.  Eric Thames led off with a double on a 3-2 pitch.  M’s rookie shortstop Munenori Kawasaki stroked a sharp single to center, easily plating Thames.  The rookie, seeing Jones’ throw head toward the plate, broke for second.  Jones’ throw, as it turns out, was perfect.  Reynolds cut it off halfway between the second base bag and the pitcher’s mound, went into a bit of a slide, and flipped a perfect soft-toss on the bag, into JJ Hardy’s glove.  By the time Kawasaki got to the bag, Hardy was waiting.  Having seen his young right hander shut down the Mariners through 7.1 innings, give up just one run on five hits and a walk, strike out five on 99 pitches, Buck Showalter went to the bullpen.  The crowd of over 21,000 gave Tillman a rousing ovation as he came out of the game.

Pedro Strop came on, and walked his first batter, Dustin Auckley, on four pitches, before getting the final two outs of the inning.

In the ninth, Jim Johnson worked around a couple of infield hits to pick up his 33rd save, and give the O’s their third straight win.

The birds will hope Zach Britton (1-1, 8.35) can find himself after a couple of poor starts in a row.  Britton starts for the Orioles Tuesday against Blake Beavan (7-6, 5.06) for the Mariners.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• This string of starting pitching has been amazing.  Before the Mariners scored in the eighth, the Orioles had a 28-inning scoreless streak.
• Mark Reynolds played a terrific game.  He went 3-3 with a run and an RBI.  Reynolds has been a streaky offensive player throughout his career.  Let’s hope this is the start of something big.  By the way, Reynolds also make several very good defensive plays.
• Two hits from Markakis, including the big blow in the game, his 11th homer.

The BAD:

• The offense didn’t give Tillman much of a choice but to shut the Mariners down.  The birds collected eight hits and no walks, and went 1-7 with RiSP.

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For the Orioles, Miguel Gonzalez was making his ninth major league appearance, and sixth career start.  Each of those appearances had been, at least, pretty good, except one:  July 25th at Camden Yards, against the Rays.  In that one, he was hammered:  2.2 innings, 7 hits, 7 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 home runs allowed.  But if those numbers foreshadowed a tragedy for the birds Sunday, Gonzalez set out to re-write the script.

The right hander, cut by Boston in December, was largely viewed as organizational depth when he signed with the Orioles in March.  In reality, he’s become something of a savior to a rotation mangled by ineffectiveness, inconsistency, and injury.  Sunday, he turned in his best performance to date.  And it’s a good thing he did, because his teammates were completely shut down by the ace on the other side of the diamond.

Price pitched as an ace is supposed to pitch; 8 innings, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks, 2 hits, and no earned runs. In the third, he gave up a single to Robert Andino.  Andino was then thrown out on the back side of a strike-‘em-out, throw-‘em-out double play with JJ Hardy batting.  After that, Price retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced, into the eighth inning.  The Orioles could muster up just a two-out walk to Hardy in the sixth against the dominating lefty.  The game was entirely under Price’s control.  At least, half the game was.

The other half belonged to Gonzalez.  While not quite as dominating as his All-Star counterpart, Gonzalez still matched Price, zero-for-zero.  He threw 7 innings, striking out 4 and walking 4, giving up just 2 hits and no runs.

The Orioles bullpen, too, was nearly perfect on the day.  Darren O’Day replaced Gonzalez to throw a perfect eighth.  O’Day was aided by a great barehanded pick and throw by Andino at third on Elliott Johnson’s bid for a bunt single leading off.

Troy Patton replaced O’Day in the ninth and gave up a leadoff hit to Matt Joyce.  Buck Showalter went to Luis Ayala (W, 3-3) in relief of Patton.  Sean Rodriguez laid down a sac bunt, moving Joyce, the would-be game winning run, into scoring position with one out.  But Jeff Keppinger hit a come-backer to Ayala, who had Joyce caught between second and third, for out number two.  In the rundown, Keppinger moved to second, and the Rays had another chance to end it, with two outs and the winning run at second.  Ayala, though, struck out Ryan Roberts on three pitches, and through 9, there was still no score.

In the tenth, a pair of unlikely offensive heroes emerged for the O’s.  With one out and reliever Joel Paralta on the mound, Mark Reynolds worked his way back from an 0-1 count, for a walk.  Omar Quintanilla struck out, for out number two.  Next up was O’s catcher Taylor Teagarden, who’d helped guide Gonzalez through his seven strong innings, and helped Ayala wiggle out of a pair of at-bats with the winning run in scoring position.  Now, with the chance to deliver on offense, Teagarden would deliver the game’s winning hit.

Paralta(L, 1-4) jumped ahead of Teagarden, 1-2, but he could not close the door.  Teagarden worked the count full, important because it meant Reynolds was off with the pitch on 3-2 with two outs.  On the seventh pitch of the at- bat that featured three foul balls, Teagarden finally got a ball out over the plate, an 89 MPH fastball away, and he did not miss it.

Teagarden belted one into the gap in left center.  The ball hit the perfect spot on the warning track, nearly short-hopping the fence.  Reynolds easily made it all the way around the bases to score, and make it 1-0, Orioles.

Jim Johnson threw a perfect, eight-pitch, 1-2-3 ninth for the save (32), and send the Orioles after a terrific, 4-2 road trip to New York and Tampa.

The birds welcome Seattle to Camden Yards Monday.  Chris Tillman (4-1, 2.70), the former Mariners’ farm hand, takes on Jason Vargas (12-7, 3.71).  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Gonzalez/O’Day/Ayala/Johnson combined for 10IP, 0ER, 2H, 6K, 5BB.
• Teagarden picked up his third Orioles hit.  Two of them have been game winners.
• Reynolds reached base twice Sunday, including once in the tenth when he scored the winning run.  He did not strike out, and did not strand a base runner.

The BAD:

• The O’s were 0-5 with RiSP, and left 6 on.

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