Again Friday, pitching was front and center.  Sabathia (2-0 in the series) completed the game, allowing just six baserunners (4H, 2BB), and was really only in trouble at one time.  The Orioles put together a promising looking rally in the eighth, loading the bases with just one out.

Matt Wieters led off with a single, moved to second on a Manny Machado walk, and scored one out later on a single from Lew Ford.  When Robert Andino reached on a comebacker that Sabathia was indecisive about, the bases were filled with Orioles.  Then, Sabathia became Sabathia.

Nate McLouth struck out swinging for out number two, and JJ Hardy continued his offensive misery (just .136 in the series) with a slow bounce out to Derek Jeter.

Of course, by the time we reached the eighth, the Yankees already led 3-0.  It didn’t appear that would be the case early on.  O’s starter Jason Hammel (L, 0-1) was again terrific, taking a perfect game into the fifth.  Mark Teixeira broke it up with a single to right leading off inning number five.  With Mark Reynolds not holding him and Jason Hammel not paying much attention to him, Teixeira stole second base.  It was a surprising move for Teixeira, already slow afoot, AND hobble by a calf injury.  But it would turn out to be an enormous play.

Next up, Raul Ibanez’s roller toward second found its way past the diving Andino and into center for a hit, scoring Teixeira for a 1-0 Yankees lead.  Hammel got Nick Swisher on a big 6-4-3 double play, though, and what looked like the start of a big inning was minimized to just the one run.

The O’s though they’d tied it in the sixth.  With two outs, McLouth blasted a 3-1, 93 MPH fastball deep into right field, directly down the line.  The ball was initially ruled foul, but Buck Showalter came out to argue, asking the umpires to review the call.  They did, and the play stood as called.  Replays showed the ball definitely coming down on the foul side of the foul pole, but there was some question as to whether or not the ball hit clipped the pole.  As it turned out, it was simply a long, loud strike, making the count full.  McLouth swung through a tough slider next, striking out for out number three.

With one out in the bottom of the bottom of the sixth, Hammel walked Jeter.  Next, Ichiro ripped the first pitch of his at-bat, a 91 MPH fastball in a poor location, off the wall in right center.  Jeter scored, making it 2-0.  Hammel got Robinson Cano on strikes, intentionally walked Teixeira, and was lifted for Troy Patton.  The move set up a lefty-lefty matchup against the Yankees hottest hitter in Ibanez.  Patton won the battle, getting Ibanez to chase a 77 MPH curve in the dirt.  But the Yankees would not allow the O’s lefty to leave without a big blemish.

Patton fanned Swisher to start the seventh.  Next up, it was another lefthanded hitter in the struggling Curtis Granderson.  Patton hung an 81 MPH slider on a 2-1 pitch, and Granderson turned on it, parking a long home run into the second deck for his first homer of the series.  The lead grew to 3-0, and all of Orioles Nation had to know, with Sabathia on the hill facing an ice-cold offense, it was going to be tough to come back.  The Orioles were in a spot where they had to score at least three runs before the big lefty recorded six outs.  It did not come to pass.

So the magical season, which began with a Jake Arrieta win over Minnesota, and featured so many amazing feats (a 16-game season from Nolan Reimold, who looked like the league MVP in those two-plus weeks; a win out of the bullpen for Chris Davis in a 17-inning affair in Boston; the breakthrough season for Adam Jones, who was rewarded with a long term deal; dramatic late inning heroics from everyone from Jones to Taylor Tegarden;  a 51-save season from Jim Johnson, anchoring an absolutely shut-down bullpen; 16 extra-inning wins in a row, etc, etc, etc), all combining to give the Baltimore Orioles their first playoff appearance—heck, their first winning season—since 1997, is over.  What an amazing, incredible, unthinkable ride.  Anyone else wishing 2013 could start next week?

The post O’s Season Ends in 3-1 Loss in New York appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Three rookies had the Orioles out in front of the Yankees through 8.5 innings.  Ryan Flaherty blasted a one-out homer in the third, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.  Manny Machado broke a 1-1 tie with a homer into the Orioles bullpen in the fifth.  And rookie righthander Miguel Gonzalez held the potent Yankees offense at bay, striking out eight, walking none, giving up just one run on five hits through seven innings.

In fact, Gonzalez’s numbers SHOULD HAVE been much better.  Given the lead on Flaherty’s homer, Gonzalez opened the bottom of the third by striking out Curtis Granderson.  Next, Russell Martin doubled to left.  Eric Chavez grounded to first, moving Martin to third with two outs.  Derek Jeter, longtime Oriole killer, strode to the plate.  But instead of Jeter killing the O’s in this at-bat, the Orioles did it themselves.

Jeter picked on a fastball up and in.  He put his trademark inside-out swing on it, and drove it to deep right center.  Adam Jones, who was playing shallow, did not get a great break on the ball, and never really seemed too concerned that he may not reach it.  At the last moment, Jones reached up for the ball, only to have it sail over his glove.  It went for an RBI triple, but it was a badly misplayed ball that Jones usually makes the play on.  And, in the end, it was extremely costly.

Machado’s home run gave the O’s the lead in the middle innings, and that lead lasted into the late innings.  Darren O’Day pitched a perfect eighth in relief of Gonzalez.  The Orioles offense was stagnant in the ninth, as it had been since Machado’s fifth inning home run.  In fact, the Orioles would only pick up two more hits the rest of the way after Machado’s shot.

Into the bottom of the ninth we went.  Jim Johnson, who’d imploded in game one, and set the Yankees down in order in game two, was called in to save the 2-1 lead.  And he did not get it done.  Batter one-Ichiro-put a charge into one, driving left fielder Nate McLouth deep for the catch, and out number one.  Next, Joe Girardi pulled a shocker, lifting the struggling Alex Rodriguez for pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez.  Yes, it was a bold move.  Yes, it worked out pretty well for the Yankees.

Ibanez turned on a thigh-high, 94 MPH fastball, and blasted a no-doubt-about-it shot into the right field seats, tying things at 2.  For Johnson, it was a horrible pitch at a time where there was absolutely no room for error.  The Orioles, just two outs away from a 2-1 series lead, were now headed to extra innings.  And, yes, that has been a strength for this team, statistically to a mind-blowing extent.  But these games are playoff games.  And playoff games are different, especially in The Bronx.

Robert Andino led off the tenth with a single to left.  One out later, though, he was caught leaning off the bag at second on what would turn into an unassisted double play on a sharp line drive from McLouth.  The birds went three-up, three-down in the eleventh.  In the bottom of the eleventh, Brian Matusz came on in relief of Jim Jihnson.  Matusz got the Yankees in order.  In the O’s twelfth, a two-out hit from Mark Reynolds went undelivered.  And Matusz headed back to the hill in the bottom of the twelfth, facing a pair of left handed hitters to start things.  Actually, he never made it past the first lefty.

Matusz’s first pitch to Raul Ibanez missed its spot.  Matt Wieters set up for a pitch down and away.  Matusz’s 91 MPH fastball was up, and Ibanez launched it—a second-deck, walk-off home run to win it for the Yankees, 3-2.

The O’s will be playing for their lives Thursday night in New York.  Phil Hughes (16-13, 4.23) goes for the Yankees.  Joe Saunders (3-3, 3.63) gets the Game 4 assignment for Baltimore.  Gametime is 7:30.

The GOOD:

• Rookies Flaherty, Machado, and Gonzalez led the way.  If only the veterans would have followed.

The BAD:

• The O’s fourth inning opportunity (two on, none out…bases loaded, two outs) was totally missed.
• Jones:  1/5, 1K, 1LOB, 1 huge misplay in center.
• Jim Thome:  0/5, 2LOB.  JJ Hardy:  0/5.
• Jim Johnson:  13.50 ERA, 1.80 WHIP in the ALDS.

The post O’s Choke On The Big Apple, Down 2-1 in ALDS appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Facing this daunting task of a must-win, the Orioles reverted back to their winning ways of the early part of 2012.  The birds picked up that win, but they did so despite themselves.  They were sloppy afield, with a couple of errors and two missed tags at the plate on the same play.  They were less-than-little-league on the basepaths, with JJ Hardy costing the O’s an important run on a huge blunder.  They were not great at the plate, collecting just 7 hits and 1 walk.

But  the hits they did get were timely (3-6 w/ RISP), and the pitching was outstanding all the way around.  Wei-Yin Chen (W, 1-0) hadn’t won a game in nearly two months, and had an ERA well above 5 since August.  One of his roughest outings of that stretch—and, indeed, of the entire season, was his last start against the Yankees.  At Camden Yards September 7, he gave up 7ER in 4.2 innings, taking the loss for the second straight start.  But Monday night, Chen’s A-Game reappeared just in time.

Chen escaped a harrowing first inning relatively well.  Derek Jeter led off with a single.  He moved to second on a Mark Reynolds error that put Ichiro on first.  Alex Rodriguez absolutely scorched a line shot that O’s second baseman Robert Andino made a terrific diving catch of, then flipped to Hardy at second to double off Jeter.  That ended up being a very big play in this game, because the next batter, Robinson Cano, lined one off the wall in right.  Chris Davis made a nice play off the wall and a good throw to Andino for the relay.  Andino’s throw was a bit up the third base line, but was in plenty of time to nail Ichiro coming in.

Matt Wieters, though, appeared to catch the ball inside the third baseline instead of outside.  He then had to reach back to try to tag Ichiro, who avoided Wieters.  But Ichiro’s momentum pulled him well off the plate, and he blew past the dish, having to turn around and come back.  Wieters made a lunge across home plate and threw his glove in Ichiro’s direction.  But the veteran outfielder did a bit of a dance, and reached his right hand around Wieters, touching the plate before Wieters touched him, and the Yankees led 1-0.

It stayed 1-0 until the Orioles were finally able to make something happen against Andy Pettitte (L, 0-1) with two outs in the third.  Andino picked up the first O’s hit, a bloop to center.  Nate McLouth’s single to center moved Andino to second.  A walk to Hardy loaded the bases with two outs for Davis.

Davis picked on a 1-0 hanging slider from Pettitte and singled to right.  Both Andino and McLouth scored for a 2-1 Orioles lead.  Next, Adam Jones hit a slow roller toward the hole at short.  This is a play Derek Jeter has probably made 5,000 times in his career, but this time, the ball found its way under Jeter’s glove.  But with two outs, and with third base coach DeMarlo Hale frantically waving Hardy home, the Orioles shortstop held up.  Not only did he not try to score, he didn’t even round third base, suggesting he may have been decoyed by Alex Rodriguez, who’d held his glove up as if anticipating a throw from Jeter.  It was a terrible baserunning play by Hardy, and when Pettitte got Wieters on a popout to Cano on the very next pitch, it proved to cost the Orioles a run.

But Chen would make sure to hold the Yankees right where they were until he got a little more offensive help.  He wasn’t perfect in so doing.  In the fourth, he gave up two hits.  A Hardy error allowed Russell Martin to reach in the sixth.  Into the Orioles half of the sixth, Wieters led off with a double.  Reynolds, looking to move Wieters along to third, was willing to make a productive out.  The pull hitter instead slapped one to the right side, and the ball had eyes, squeezing under Cano’s glove and into right for a hit.  Wieters scored, and the Orioles were up 3-1.

Chen gave up an RBI hit to Jeter in the seventh, and left with one out, but the tying run on first in Ichiro.  Darren O’Day came on for one batter, Alex Rodriguez.  O’Day struck ARod out, but Ichiro stole second.  Buck Showalter called on Brian Matusz out of the pen.  The lefty, a disaster as a member of the Opening Day rotation and a godsend out of the ‘pen, did his thing again.  After an intentional walk to Cano, Matusz got Nick Swisher on a fly out to left, for out number three.  Rarely used much past a batter or two in relief, Showalter left Matusz out there for the eighth.  Matusz responded by giving up a leadoff hit, then setting the next three Yankees down in order.

Into the top of the ninth, and the Orioles held the 3-2 lead.  The closer, Jim Johnson, who’d saved 51 games during the regular season, was called on out of the pen.  After Sunday night’s complete collapse by Johnson (5R, 4ER, 0.1 IP), Orioles Nation had every reason to be petrified.  But Johnson pitched as uneventful a ninth as he has all year, getting Rodriguez swinging to wrap up a 1,2,3 inning, and the 3-2 Orioles win.

Game three of the series, which is tied at 1 game apiece, happens Wednesday night in The Bronx.  Hiroki Kuroda (16-11, 3.32 during the regular season) goes for New York, vs. Miguel Gonzalez (9-4, 3.25) for the Orioles.

The GOOD:

• Chen picked a great time for his best outing since July:  6.1IP, 2R, 1ER, 8H, 3K, 1BB.
• O’Day, Matusz, J. Johnson comibined out of the ‘pen:  2.2IP, 0R, 1H, 4K, 1BB
• Davis:  2/4, 2RBI, now batting .500 in the ALDS.
• Andino:  1/3, 1R, 1 great play.  He’s hitting .400.

The BAD:

• Hardy picked a horrible time to have maybe his wost game of the year:  0/3, 1BB, 1K, 1E, 1 very big baserunning mistake.  If the Orioles would have lost by a run instead of won by one, that play could go down in Orioles lore.  And not for good reasons.

The post Must-Win Goes to O’s Over Yankees, Series Even At 1 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Cobb (W, 11-9) gave up just one run on two hits through seven innings, outpitching O’s lefty Wei-Yin Chen (L, 12-11), who hasn’t won since August 19.

Chen, for his part, pitched very well through most of his 6.2 innings.  Ben Zobrist touched him for a solo homer leading off the fourth (20), and, through six, that was the only run the Rays would score.  Chen had given up just three hits until running into trouble in the seventh.  By then, Matt Wieters had tied things at one with his 23rd home run, an opposite field drive down the left field line.

In the seventh, Evan Longoria led off by reaching on an error from Manny Machado.  It was a big error by the kid who, without a doubt, has otherwise solidified the defense at the hot corner.  Jeff Keppinger singled to right, moving Longoria to third.  A Ben Francisco sac fly made it 2-1 Tampa.

Next, Sam Fuld picked up an artificial turf hit, a high chopper that bounced over first baseman Mark Reynolds glove.  One out later, Rays catcher Chris Giminez delivered a killer, two-run double that knocked Chen from the game, and gave Tampa a 4-1 lead.

Tampa Bay scored another run in the eighth, and it was 5-1.  But the Orioles had some fight left.

JJ Hardy led off the ninth with a single off of reliever Kyle Farnsworth.  Next, Chris Davis hit a bomb that hit the catwalk on the roof at the Trop, for a ground-rule home run (32).  Rays’ closer Fernando Rodney came on and gave up hits to Adam Jones and Wieters, before striking out Jim Thome and Mark Reynolds, then getting pinch-hitter Endy Chavez on a comebacker.

The O’s, who will be in the playoffs, again battle the Rays, who still have a slim shot at postseason play, Tuesday night at 7:10.  James Shields (15-9, 3.62) goes for Tampa, vs. Baltimore’s Miguel Gonzalez (8-4, 3.45).

The GOOD:

• Wieters and Hady:  2 hits each.  Wieters homered.
• Nice life shown by the Orioles in the ninth, including Davis’ homer, his sixth in the last five games.

The BAD:

• Pedro Strop, who may be pitching himself off the playoff roster, and Troy Patton, did not pitch well in relief.
• Numbers 6-9 in the order:  a combined 0/14 with one walk, 6 strikeouts, and 8 LOB.
• The Yankees beat Boston 10-2, and the O’s fall out of the first place tie atop the AL East.

The post O’s Lose Grip On First, Fall In Tampa appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Yes, the Orioles clinched their first playoff appearance since 1997 Sunday, with some help.  The Rangers split a double header with the Angels, which locked in the Orioles postseason berth.  But first, the O’s did what they’ve been doing all season:  they took care of their business.

Joe Saunders (W, 3-3/9-13) threw 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits.  He struck out five and walked none in shutting down the sorry Boston Red Sox, who have now dropped five straight games and nine of their last ten.

Saunders was helped immediately by his offense.  Nate McLouth led off the bottom of the first with his 7th home run off Sox starter Zach Stewart (L, 1-4), and a 1-0 Orioles lead.  JJ Hardy singled, Chris Davis singled, and Adam Jones was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out.

Hardy scored when Matt Wieters hit into a double play, and Davis came in on a Jim Thome single for a 3-0 Orioles lead.  Hardy then went deep into left in the third (22), and it was 4-0 birds.  Another RBI from Thome made it 5-0.  After Cody Ross homered, the Orioles came into the top of the fifth up 5-1.  Up stepped the sizzling Davis.  On a 2-1 changeup, Davis blasted his 31st home run…his fifth in four games…and it was 6-1.

Daniel Nava blasted a two-run shot in the seventh, closing the gap to 6-3.  But Darren O’Day and Jim Johnson slammed the door from there, sealing the 6-3 win, the sweep of the Sox, and, eventually, the playoff invitation.

The Orioles are still involved in very big games, though.  The Rays will host the Orioles for three games starting Monday.  Tampa still has a very slim playoff chance, and while the O’s have clinched a playoff spot, they would LOVE to steal the AL East from the Yankees.  Alex Cobb starts Monday for Tampa (10-9, 4.18) against Baltimore’s Wei-Yin Chen (12-10, 4.11), and game time is 7:10.

The GOOD:

• PLAYOFFS?  YES!  PLAYOFFS!
• Numbers 1, 2, and 3 in the O’s order:  a combined 6/10, scoring 5 of the 6 O’s runs, and driving in 3 with 3 solo homers.
• Thome:  2/4, 2RBI.

The BAD:

• A comeback win from the Yankees in Toronto keeps the O’s and Yanks tird for first.
• He Orioles charter jet had to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville, en route to Tampa Sunday after smoke was seen in the kitchen area of the cabin.  You know you’re hot when you’re smoking up your cabin.

The post PLAYOFFS! O’s Clinch, Sweep BoSox appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

There are four games left in the regular season, and the Baltimore Orioles are tied for first place in the American League East.  Go ahead.  Read it again.  We’ll wait…

That’s four games LEFT, not four games IN.  September 29, and the Orioles are in the penthouse.  In 2012.

Before the game Saturday night, the Orioles honored Brooks Robinson with the unveiling of his statue.  There was a sell out crowd.  The Orioles also found out before the game that the Toronto Blue Jays had beaten the first place New York Yankees for the second time in three days.  With a win over Boston, the Orioles would slide back into a tie for first.

Rookie Steve Johnson took the mound for the O’s, carrying a 4-0 record with an ERA well under two. He set the Sox down in order on the first, but ran into some trouble in the second, giving up a walk and a hit.  But he was helped out when Matt Wieters caught Cody Ross trying to steal.  A strikeout and foul out later, and the threat was over.

In the O’s second, Manny Machado smoked a single to center, scoring Chris Davis for a 1-0 Orioles lead.  In the fourth, Orioles star center fielder Adam Jones, who has played ever single game this year (including the All-Star Game) generated a run with his ever-present hustle.

On a grounder to short, Boston’s Mike Aviles fielded and threw high to first.  First baseman Mauro Gomez leaped, grabbed the throw, and came back down on the bag.  But Jones, as he always does, busted it down the line.  Running full speed all the way, Jones crossed the first place bag before Gomez came down.  As it turned out, this play was enormous.  One out later, Chris Davis launched another homer, his fourth in the current homestand and 30th on the season.  Jones’ hustle turned what would have been a solo home run into a two-run shot, and a 3-0 lead.

In the Sox fifth, Johnson gave up a two-run homer to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the lead was quickly back down to just one.  After Johnson gave up a leadoff hit to Jacoby Ellsbury and a walk to Scott Podsednick in the sixth, Buck Showalter went to the bullpen for Tommy Hunter (W, 7-8).  A ground out and sac fly later, the Sox had tied the score at three.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Orioles rookie provided the game’s big blow.  Machado ripped a 1-1, 92 MPH fastball just over the left field wall for home run number seven, and a 4-3 lead.

Brian Matusz and Darren O’Day provided the O’s with a shut down eighth inning, and Jim Johnson set the Sox down in order in the ninth for his 49th save, and the 4-3 win.

The Orioles will hope to finish off the sweep of the Red Sox Sunday at 1:35.  Joe Saunders (2-3, 3.62/8-13. 4.08) pitches for the O’s, vs. Zach Stewart (0-1, 27.00/1-3, 7.91) for Boston.

The GOOD:

• On the night the Orioles honored Brooks Robinson, the defense came to play.  Manny Machado started a brilliant 5-4-3 double play with a fine, backhanded pickup on a short hop.  Fading into foul ground off balance, he spun and delivered a perfect throw to Robert Andino at second, who fired to Mark Reynolds at first for two.  Reynolds himself too over the fifrth, with a diving, double-saving stop and put out, followed by a spectacular catch in foul ground that actually saw him end up pinned between the tarp and the stands, and Endy Chavez made a great diving catch in right.
• Bullpen of Hunter, Matusz, O’Day, J. Johnson:  4IP, 1H, 0R, 1k, 1 inherted runner scored.
• Davis:  2/3, 2R, 1HR, 2RBI.
• Machado:  2/3, 1R, 1HR, 2RBI.

The BAD:

• JJ Hardy looked very bad against Sox starter Felix Doubront (L, 11-10).  0/4, 1K, 3LOB.
• Andino:  0/2, 2K, 1LOB

The post Machado and Davis Lead O’s Past Sox, Back Into 1st Place Tie 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.

Miguel Gonzalez (W, 7-4) threw 6.1 innings, giving up both Red Sox runs on seven hits and a walk.  Gonzalez struck out three, and threw 72 of his 101 pitches for strikes.  The Sox did strike first, however, on an RBI double from Pedro Ciriaco.

The birds plated two in the fourth on a Matt Wieters single.  The Sox rallied with three straight, two-out hits off of Gonzalez in the fifth, tying things at two.

Wieters added an RBI double down the left field line in the sixth, plating Adam Jones for a 3-2 O’s lead.  An RBI single off Mark Reynolds’ bat followed, and the Orioles were up 4-2.

Darren O’Day was outstanding in relief, bridging the gap between Gonzalez and closer Jim Johnson.  O’Day threw 1.2 innings of perfect relief.

The O’s got a scare in the top of the ninth, as Red Sox reliever Mark Melancon drilled Robert Andino in the helmet with a fastball.  Andino actually started toward the mound before making his way to first base.  He was lifted for a pinch-runner and sent to the hospital for testing, the results from which will come Saturday.

In the bottom of the ninth, Johnson slammed the door on the Sox, giving up one hit in so doing.

The O’s and Sox do battle again Saturday at 1:10.  Randy Wolf (2-0, 5.23/5-10, 5.66) goes for the Orioles, vs. Boston’s Aaron Cook (4-10, 4.93).

The GOOD:

• Johnson’s save was his 46th, a new Orioles record.
• Wieters:  2/4, 1 2b, 1R, 3RBI
• Jones:  2/3, 1 2b, 2R, 1BB
• Andino:  2/2. 1BB, 1HBP

The BAD:

• Nate McLouth, JJ Hardy, and Manny Machado:  3LOB
• The Orioles hit into three double plays.

The post Typical 2012 O’s Win, 4-2 Over BoSox 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.

Starter Joe Saunders (L, 8-12/2-2) pitched a decent game, going six innings and allowing all three A’s runs on six hits.  He walked two and struck out six, but was hit hard in the middle innings.  Down 1-0 in the fourth, Cuban import Yoenis Cespedes crushed a two-run homer (19) into left, and the A’s were on top 2-1.

Chris Davis the led off the O’s fifth with a home run to center, his 26th.  But the A’s began their half of the fifth with three straight hits, and took the lead for good.

The Orioles had a chance to do something against A’s closer Grant Balfour in the ninth.  Matt Wieters led off with an infield single, and Buck Showalter went to Xavier Avery to run for him.  Endy Chavez was called on to pinch hit after his 2/2 performance in Thursdays 14-inning marathon, but he struck out.  Mark Reynolds then flew out to Cespedes for out number two.  Then, with Davis at the plate, Avery, on a 1-2 pitch that was called a ball, was thrown out trying to steal to end the game.

The A’s and Orioles battle again Saturday night at 9:05.  Zach Britton (5-2, 4.72) goes for the birds.  The A’s send out Jarrod Parker (10-8, 3.56).

The GOOD:

Machado:  2/2, 1R, 1BB.

Davis:  1/3, 1HR, 1RBI.

The BAD:

The O’s hit into four double plays, including two from Robert Andino.  They were killers.

Taking the bat out of Davis’ hands in the ninth?  That play is ONLY good if Avery makes it.  And, well, you know…

The post Game One In Pivitol Series With A’s Goes to Oakland appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

And Wednesday’s 3-2 win wasn’t just ANY win.  This was a victory Orioles Nation has been waiting 14 years for.  This was the Ding-Dong win, the one that killed the witch.  It was win number 81 for the 2012 Orioles, the one that clinches the Orioles’ first non losing record since 1997.  If you’re going to slay that kind of dragon…if the monkey you’re chasing from your back is King Kong…you should probably do it with a 14-inning, walk off win, delivered by the representative of the future of the franchise.  And so, the Orioles did.

Yes, being Manny Machado is good.  The 20 year old once (and future?) shortstop played a starring role in Tuesday night’s walk off win, both in the field and at the plate.  Wednesday would be similar, though it certainly didn’t start out that way.  In his first at-bat, after Chris Davis doubled in the second, he struck out swinging.  At-bat number two can following a walk to Adam Jones and a Davis single.  With one out, Manny hit into a 4-6-3 double play.  In the seventh, Manny led off by reaching on an error.  Taylor Teagarden would chase him home, but we’ll get to that…

More on Manny:  In the eighth, Lew Ford led off with a hit.  One out later, Davis reached again on a single to right.  Endy Chavez came on to run for Davis, and Manny stepped in with runners on first and third.  But after falling behind Manny 2-0, reliever Joel Paralta got nasty in a hurry, throwing three straight stikes to set the kid down, again leaving runners on.

On to the tenth.  With two outs, Chavez picked up a hit.  But Tampa closer Fernando Rodney, one of the game’s very best, got Manny on a force out.  In the thirteenth inning, Manny came up second.  After Chavez walked, Manny dropped a nice sac bunt, and wound up on first on a throwing error by Rays pitcher Chris Archer (L, 0-3).  Mark Reynolds followed that with a bloop hit, and the Orioles loaded the bases with no one out.  But in one of the most frustrating series of at-bats this year, the O’s simply refused to take what the Rays nearly insisted on giving them.

Rays manager Joe Maddon pulled one of his outfielders, replacing Sam Fuld with Reid Bignac, a fifth infielder.  Robert Andino stepped up, and hit directly into the new defense.  Second baseman Elliot Johnson fired to Catcher Jose Molina for the force on Chavez.  One out, but the bases were still loaded.

Matt Wieters pinch-hit for Teagarden, whose hit in the seventh SHOULD’VE been the game winner, but for Teagarden himself.  But, I promise, we’ll get to that…

Archer’s first three pitches to Wieters were all well off their mark.  But just when it looked like the Rays would walk in the walk-off, Archer started pitching again:  Called strike one…called strike two…foul ball.  Then, on the at-bat’s seventh pitch, an elevated, 93 MPH fastball (just what Wieters needed for a game-winning sac fly, really), Archer got Wieters swinging.  Next, Tuesday night’s other hero, Nate McLouth, struck out swinging.  From bases loaded and none out in the bottom of the thirteenth tied at 2, the Orioles could score no runs.

In the bottom of the fourteenth, JJ Hardy and Lew Ford went two-up, two down.  Then, Adam Jones drew a walk.  Endy Chavez singled to left, and up stepped the kid.  Manny Machado, with the winning run on second, was 0/5 on the day with 6 runners left on base.  He had played a nice third base, but offensively, he’d seemed overmatched all day by four different Rays pitchers.

Like he did with Wieters the inning before, Archer started Manny off with three straight balls.  Pitch number four was out of the strike zone, too.  But Manny took a hack at the 91 MPH fastball up and in anyway.  He blooped it down the left field line, just out of the reach of Matt Joyce on the dive.  Jones flew around third with the winning run, and the Orioles had their second walk-off win in a row, and the historic 81st win in the 2012 season.

If all goes well, there will never again be a string of 14 straight losing seasons.  In a perfect world, there won’t be one more losing season—not one more—for at least another 14.  If so, Manny’s fourteenth inning swing, to snap to 14 straight losing seasons, will be an image that will go down in the annals of team lore.  Think Brooks leaping into the arms of Dave McNally after the final out of the ’66 World Series.  Think Earl Weaver’s sendoff after the final game of ’82.  Think Eddie Murray blasting two homers off the scoreboard at Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia to help clinch the ’83 Series.  Think about the goodbye party thrown by the Orioles—similar to none previous, but so often duplicated now—to bid farewell to Memorial Stadium.  Think of a record-setting night in September, 1995, when the city of Baltimore invited the world to look in as she honored her favorite son and begged him to take a victory lap for breaking The Unbreakable Record.

While goal number one–or should we say, FAN’S goal number one—has been achieved,  O’s goal number one…Buck’s goal number one…is still being chased.  The Orioles will continue that chase out west, beginning with a crucial, three-game series in Oakland starting Friday night.  For the Orioles,  it’ll be Joe Saunders (8-11, 4.22/2-1, 4.24) on the mound.  Oakland counters with Tommy Milone (12-10, 3.90).  First pitch is 10:05.

The GOOD:

• Starter Wei Yin Chen:  7.1 IP, 8H (only 1 of which was hit hard), 2ER, 1BB, 7K.  He deserved far, far better.
• The bullpen was spectacular.  Darren O’Day, Luis Ayala, Jim Johnson, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, and finally, Randy Wolf (W, 5-10, 5.69/2-0, 5.68) combined to go 6.2 innings, 0R, 4H, 9K, 1BB.  As it would happen, Wolf, the winning pitcher in a 14 inning game, threw just 4 pitches.
• Welcome back to Baltimore, Endy Chavez:  2/2, 1BB, 1SB.
• Chris Davis (the guy Chavez entered for):  3/4, 1 2b.
• Taylor Teagarden’s big, 2-run double in the seventh with one out and two on was another clutch hit from the O’s backup catcher.  It put the Orioles on top 2-1, and may have won the game but for…

The BAD:

• …A passed ball by Taylor Teagarden.  It was big.  With Desmond Jennings on first, it allowed him to get to second.  Jennings then stole third, and scored on Ben Zobrist’s 38-foot screamer down the third base line.  That tied the game, and got the hook for Chen.
• Orioles:  3/14 with RISP, 16 left on.
• The 1-4 spots in the Orioles lineup:  combined 3/25, 1R, 3BB, 8K, 12 LOB.

The post O’s Walk-Off Again, This Time With Win 81 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Not enough pressure?  How about this:  The Rays leadoff man, the red-hot B.J. Upton, smacked O’s starter Miguel Gonzalez’s second pitch into the left field stands, for a 1-0 Rays lead.  Unfazed, the Orioles would answer in their half of the first, and then some.

New Orioles leadoff man Nate McLouth started what would be an enormous night with a single to Upton in center.   Tuesday night’s hero, JJ Hardy, singled to left.  Then Adam Jones smashed a liner to left center.  Upton made a nice leaping catch on it, for one out.  Then Matt Wieters hit a soft liner to left to score McLouth, tying the score.  On Rays’ starter Alex Cobb’s very next pitch, Wilson Betemit doubled to the gap in right center, and it was 2-1 Orioles.  When Chris Davis walked one out later, the Orioles had Cobb on the ropes, but with two away.

But Cobb was able to get O’s rookie Manny Machado to bounce to short to end the inning.  It would be the first of a few opportunities the Orioles would not be able to cash in on, but Machado would get his revenge.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez was not having an easy time of it himself.  He issued a walk and gave up a single in the second, but was bailed out when Jose Molina bounced into a 5-4-3 double play.  In the third, Gonzalez gave up a couple of softly hit singles.  Ben Francisco then ripped a double to left, and we were tied at two.

Gonzalez would settle down after that hit, retiring seven in a row.  Into the sixth with the score still knotted at two, Francisco hit a one-out single.  Gonzalez walked Carlos Pena, then balked the runners up to second and third, with just one out.  Gonzalez, with his start, and more importantly, another BIG game on the line, got nasty.

He got Ryan Roberts looking at strike three.  He intentionally walked Matt Joyce to load the bases.  Due up next was Molina, hitting just .201. With the the likes of Luke Scott (who, granted, was hitting just .217) on the bench, Rays manager Joe Maddon decided to let Molina hit.  With the 26,076 in attendance all on their feet, Gonzalez got Molina on a grounder to Mark Reynolds at first.  It was Gonzalez’s last pitch of the night, and wrapped up a gutty effort that saw him shut the door on Tampa more often than not, even without his best stuff, even with no margin for error.

The O’s offense, however, was  struggling to gain any traction whatsoever.  Jake McGee replaced Cobb with two outs and two on in the fifth.  The hard throwing lefty struck out all four Orioles he faced.  Into the top of the seventh, and the ever-steady Darren O’Day came on for Gonzalez.  O’Day walked Upton leading off.  Opton then swiped his 30th base of the year, and with no one out, the go ahead run was in scoring position.  Gut-check time for O’Day.  And he, like Gonzalez before him, was up to the challenge.

He got Jeff Keppinger to pop out to first. Then, Ben Zobrist—hitting .667 lifetime against O’Day—popped to second.  With the 2/3 Francisco on deck, O’Day intentionally walked Evan Longoria.  But he was able to  get Francisco swinging.  We were STILL tied at two.

It stayed that way through the bottom of the seventh.  Pedro Strop came on in the eighth, gave up one hit, but no walks or runs.  In the bottom of the eighth, Wieters ripped a one-out double down the right field line, but ended up staying right there.  And it was on to the ninth, still tied at two.

In every season, good or bad, there are defining moments.  These are the moments that we’ll look back on and point to a representative of the essential qualities of these 2012 Baltimore Orioles. The late inning heroics of a new leadoff man named Nolan Reimold back in April.  The other new leadoff guy named Nick Markakis providing a spark after returning from injury, despite being inserted to a spot in the lineup he’d never before filled.  A win for pitcher…yes, PITCHER Chris Davis in a 17 inning game at Fenway.  The walkoff heroics of guys like Adam Jones and Wilson Betemit and, yes, Taylor Teagarden.  There have been numerous, wonderful defining moments from these Orioles.  In the ninth inning Wednesday night, they provided another.

Closer Jim Johnson (W, 2-1) entered, and got Upton on a grounder to short.  Keppinger, though, singled back through the middle.  Long time veteran minor leaguer Rich Thompson, called up to provide speed off the bench for the Rays, came in to pinch run.  Next up, Ben Zobrist flew out, for out number two.  Longoria stepped in.  Thompson stole second on a very close play that Buck Showalter actually came out to briefly argue over.

On a 3-2 pitch, Longoria nubbed a dribbler down the third base line.  Young Manny Machado, playing just his 30th major league ballgame at 20 years old, and—it’s easy to forget—learning a new position at the major league level, raced in.  He made a nice barehanded pickup, but had no chance to get Longoria at first.  But with Thompson racing toward third, Machado did his best Joe Flacco pump fake of the throw to first.  He spun back toward third, where he immediately noticed two people:  ONE-Thompson, who’d rounded third, and TWO-JJ Hardy, who trailed Thompson to the bag, and was there waiting for the quick toss from Machado.  Hardy got that toss, ran Thompson toward Wieters at the plate, who then tagged him out.  It was a remarkable, instinctual-yet-heady play by a kid who really cannot possibly fathom what he has meant to this team defensively.

Speaking of that kid, he led off the ninth, now facing veteran Kyle Farnsworth, and he did so with a single off the end of his bat into left field.  Next, Robert Andino executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, moving Manny to second.  Up stepped Nate McLouth.

On Farnsworth’s second pitch to him, McLouth hammered a liner down the right field line.  The question, immediately off the bat, was “Fair or Foul?”  The liner hit about two-thirds of the way up the out of town scoreboard in right, just inches to the fair side of the line, for a game-winning, walk-off single.  Machado trotted home with the winning run, and the O’s sealed another one-run victory, at 3-2.

The O’s and Rays get right back to it Thursday afternoon.  Wei-Yin Chen (12-9, 4.06) battles Jeramy Hellickson (8-10, 3.33).  First pitch is 12:35.

The GOOD:

• Just how big is this win?  The Orioles a guaranteed the series win.  More importantly, they are now 3 games up on Tampa.  They will leave Baltimore for the west coast road trip no worse than 2 up on the Rays, and possibly up 4.  And, by they way, next up for Tampa is a trip to New York to take on the Yankees.  Yes, this was a HUGE win.
• How can you NOT love Miguel Gonzalez?  A great effort in this one from the 28-year old rookie:  6IP, 2ER, 6H, 5BB, 4K, 1HR.
• O’s bullpen combo of O’Day, Strop, and Johnson:  3IP, 0R, 3H, 1K, 2BB
• Every O’s starter had a hit except Mark Reynolds.  McLouth (2/5, 1R, game winning hit) and Wieters (2/3, 1RBI, 1BB) had multi-hit efforts.

The BAD:

• 9 runners left on.
• Reynolds:  0/3, 3K, 1BB, 2LOB.

The post O-mazing 9th Gives Orioles Another Walk-Off 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.

O’s fans had something to feel good about as their squad took the field against the Yankees.  The Orioles had their hottest pitcher on the mound in Zach Britton.  The Yankees countered with the on-and-off Freddy Garcia.   Neither would last very long in this one, though.

Britton gave up one in the first, then appeared to settle in.  He set the side down in order in the second and third innings, but in the fourth, Britton imploded.  He walked four in the inning, and gave up three hits, and only retired one.  The Yankees scored four in the inning, all of which were charged to Britton.  It could’ve been far worse, too, but Jake Arrieta came on in relief with the bases loaded and one out, and struck out both Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez.

Down 5-0, the Orioles actually made a game of it in their half of the fourth.  Nate McLouth, the Orioles’ leadoff hitter in this one, drew a walk to start the inning.  Garcia then hit JJ Hardy with an 0-2 pitch.  Wilson Betemit raked a double to right center, scoring McLouth and Hardy for a 5-2 Yankees lead.  Matt Wieters’ single to right one out later scored Betemit, making it 5-3.  Yankees manager Joe Girardi displayed a quick hook, and replaced Garcia with Joba Chamberlain.  The husky right hander struck out both Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis, ending the threat.  The Orioles would pick up just one more hit on the day.

Meanwhile, the Yankees just rocked the Orioles bullpen.  Arrieta finished with three runs given up in three innings.  Zach Phillips coughed up a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.  Kevin Gregg was torched:  Four runs on three hits and two walks.

Curtis Granderson, who didn’t even start for New York, paced the Yankees offense, going 3/3 with a pinch-hit home run, a double, and five RBIs.

The O’s get a rare off day at home Monday.  Beginning Tuesday night, the third place Tampa Bay Rays come to Camden Yards.  Matt Moore (10-9, 3.66) goes for the Rays.  The Orioles will send Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.62) to the bump.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Tommy Hunter was the only effective pitcher of the game for the Orioles:  1IP, 1H, 2K.  His fastball was clocked as high as 97.  Hunter is a guy, looking forward, who may very well find a long relief role in his future.  He has a unique knack of cruising through 3-4 innings, then getting hit hard.  So, why not just make 3-4 innings in relief his role?
• Nate McLouth, filling in in the leadoff spot goes 0/2, but with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a run.  The Orioles will need similar production out of that spot the rest of the way.

The BAD:

• O’s pitching gave up 14 hits, 2 home runs, and 8 walks.
• The Yankees with RISP:  7/15.
• The Yankees bullpen has been a weak spot all year,  but Sunday’s numbers against the Orioles looked like this:  5.2IP, 0R, 1H, 9K, 1BB.  And that’s against the likes of Chamberlain (8.71 ERA coming in), Boone Logan (3.78 ERA before play), Cory Wade (6.17), and Derek Lowe (5.50).

The post Yankees Pound Orioles Pitching To Earn Series Split appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

OK.  Now, how many times has a story with such an opening, had SUCH a happy ending as Thursday night’s fairy tale at Camden Yards?

The O’s honored Cal Ripken with the unveiling of his statue before the game.  Jason Hammel, the Orioles’ best pitcher before a knee injury sidelined him in July, returned to the mound.  A sellout crowd, a VERY large majority of which was actually root-root-rooting for the home team, crammed into the ballpark to see the O’s and Yankees.  And the Orioles were in position, with a win, to claim a share of the AL East lead.

Hammel began things with a ten-pitch, three-up, three-down first.  The Orioles offense would not be as accommodating to Yankees starter David Phelps.

Robby Cano robbed Nick Markakis of a leadoff hit with a diving stop and throw to first for out number one.  JJ Hardy and Mate McLouth followed with singles, and advanced to second and third on a balk by Phelps.  Next, Adam Jones started a big night for him with a RBI hit to center, trapped by Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson.

On Phelps’ very next pitch, catcher Matt Wieters drove one just over the left field wall for a three-run homer (19), and a 4-0 Orioles lead.

Hammel made sure it stayed right there until the fourth.  The inning started with a liner from Cano that nailed Hammel in the right elbow, and ricocheted into left field.  Here was Hammel, pitching in the bigs for the first time since July 13, and pitching a shutout, and he got drilled.  Hammel threw some practice pitches during an injury delay, and decided he could continue.  Two outs later, though, Granderson singled to center, scoring Cano, and making it 4-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Orioles hammered the ball off of Phelps, though not always with success.  Chris Davis drove Granderson to the deepest part of the ballpark.  The Yankees center fielder jumped up just before the 410’ marker, and made the catch for out number one.  Next, Manny Machado drove one to deep right center.  Granderson made a nice running catch against the wall, for out number two.  That brought up Robert Andino.

The Orioles second baseman worked the count to 3-1, then got a pitch he could handle.  Andino hammered it into the Orioles bullpen in deep left center for his 6th home run—his first since July—and a 5-1 lead.

O’s pitchers (Hammel through five innings plus one batter, then Randy Wolf) kept it 5-1 through the top of the sixth.  In the bottom half of the sixth, Mark Reynolds led off with yet another home run (19), and it was 6-1.  The Orioles were in total control, up by five, with just nine outs to go.

An uneventful seventh, and the Orioles were six outs away.  But just as O’s fans thought it was going to be just that easy, it got hard.

Wolf retired Derek Jeter leading off the eighth.  Nick Swisher walked.  Cano flied out.  The Orioles were just four outs away from the easy, 6-1 win.

But Alex Rodriguez doubled into the gap in left center, scoring Swisher. Wolf walked Eric Chavez, putting runners on first and second, and out popped Buck Showalter.  It was a good time to go to Pedro Strop.  The set up man has struggled recently, but needing just one more out in the inning, this game was certainly already in the bag.  Right?

Well…

Granderson singled to center, scoring ARod, and it was 6-3.  Strop crossed up Wieters, allowing Chavez and Granderson to advance to second and third.  Strop walked Russell Martin, and the bases were loaded.  Darren O’Day began to loosen in the Orioles ‘pen, but Buck stuck with Strop.

Pinch hitter Chris Dickerson walked on four pitches, forcing in a run, and making it 6-4.  Strop was visably upset with himself.  The go-ahead run was now on first with the bases loaded.  O’Day was in the ‘pen, ready to go, but Buck stuck with Strop.

Next, Ichiro Suzuki rolled one into right field, scoring Granderson and Martin.  The game was tied.  Strop was beside himself.  The go-ahead run was now on third base.  Jeter, long-time O’s killer and future Hall-of-Famer, was coming up.  And in the bullpen, O’Day was just waiting for the call.  And Buck…went to him.  It took O’Day (W, 7-1) two pitches to get Jeter on a pop out to second.  The damage was done, though.  The Yankees, turning back to a page from 1998 (or 1999, or 2000, or…well, you know), had taken the wind out of the Orioles sail, taken a crowd of 46,000+ fans out of the game, and flipped the momentum of the contest.  Or, so we may have thought.  But THESE…are the 2012 Orioles.

David Robertson(L, 1-6) entered in the bottom of the eighth in relief for the Yankees.  Catcher Martin called for his 1-2 pitch to be upstairs.  It was not, and Adam Jones blasted a home run (28) deep into the left field seats for a 7-6 lead.  Wieters singled to right, bringing up Reynolds.  On Robertson’s sixth pitch in a 3-2 at-bat, Reynolds blasted one deep to left.  The shot, like many of Reynolds’ latest, was as high as it was deep, and it was deep enough to get out of the yard.  His second homer of the night, 20th of the year, and eighth in the last seven games, made it 9-6.  Joe Girardi made the move to the bullpen, getting Boone Logan to go after Davis in the lefty-lefty matchup.  That…would be a fail.  Logan’s first pitch, an 81 MPH hanging slider, was blasted onto the flag court in right for a homer (24), and the Orioles led 10-6.

Needing some work, Jim Johnson came on and slammed the door on the Yankees in a non-save situation in the ninth, wrapping up one of the most exciting wins of 2012.

The Orioles and Yanks do battle again Friday night, and first place is on the line.  Wei-Yin Chen (12-8, 3.79) goes for the Orioles, vs. Phil Hughes (13-12, 4.18).  First pitch comes at 7:05.

The GOOD:

• 46,298 at Camden Yards.  Black and Orange all around, with LOTS to cheer about.
• Hammel’s return:  5-plus IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 6K.  A super effort after nearly three months off.
• A season-high six home runs for the O’s, the most they’ve hit in one game since 2007.
• Jones:  2/4, 1HR, 2R, 2RBI.  Wieters:  2/4, 1HR, 2R, 3RBI.  Reynolds:  2/3, 2HR, 2R, 3RBI, 1BB.
• O’Day with a two-pitch win.

The BAD:

• Obviously, Strop is really in a funk at a very bad time.  In his last five outings, Strop has given up 5ER, 7H, 4BB in 2.1IP (19.31 ERA).  And that doesn’t count inherited runners.

The post Flipped Script Reflipped, O’s Power Past Yankees 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.

Neither rust from 11 days off, nerves from pitching in Yankee Stadium, or the challenge of becoming the first O’s pitcher to throw a meaningful game in New York this late in the season since Scott Kamieniecki in 1997 would slow the O’s rookie.  Through five innings, Gonzalez retired 15 of 16 batters he faced.  By the time he ran into some trouble in the sixth, he was pitching with a 4-0 lead.  The Orioles got to Yanks starter Hiroki Kuroda (L, 12-10) in the second.

Adam Jones and Matt Wieters started tings with back-to-back singles to right, putting runners at the corners with no outs.  Chris Davis was given the chance to make a productive out, and he did, plating Jones with a sac fly to Raul Ibanez in right.  The next batter, Mark Reynolds, blasted a 2-0 fastball into the second deck in left field for a two-run homer (13), and a 3-0 Orioles lead.  A solo homer from JJ Hardy in the sixth made it 4-0.

Things looked like they were about to go downhill for Gonzalez in the bottom of the sixth.  Ichiro led off with a hit and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Lance Nix walked, and with two on and no outs, the top of the order was coming up.  But Gonzalez got Derek Jeter on a force out, Nick Swisher on a strikeout, and Robinson Cano on a foul out to third baseman Manny Machado.  The rookie, staked to a lead in New York, slammed the door on at least on future Hall-of-Famer, one All-Star, and one superstar…a spectacular performance.

In the seventh, running out of gas, Gonzalez wiggled out of a two-on, two-out jam, by getting another future Hall-of-Famer—this time, Ichiro—to tap out to short.

The birds added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth.  With two outs and none on, Mark Reynolds hit his second homer of the game and 14th of the year off of reliever Derek Lowe.  Robert Andino and Machado followed that with consecutive hits, and Andino scored on Nick Markakis’ base hit.

Brian Matusz relieved Darren O’Day in the ninth, and gave up a one-out, solo homer to Curtis Granderson to break up the shutout.

The Orioles send Wei-Yin Chen (12-7, 3.78) against Freddy Garcia (7-5, 4.90) for the Yankees Saturday.  Game time is 1:05.

The GOOD:

• Gonzalez was extremely pitch-efficient, throwing just 55 pitches through 5.  He was in total control in this game, even the few times the Yankees were able to get runners on.
• Reynolds’ overall game was one of his best as an Oriole.  Two big homers, and a pair of gold glove caliber plays defensively.
• Machado and Markakis with multi-hit games.
• The Yankees’ Nick Swisher:  0/4, 4K, 2LOB.
• If the Orioles are going to continue to beat the Yankees, they will have to continue playing solid fundamental baseball.  Reynolds’ homer will grab all the highlights from the O’s three-run second, and he deserves it.  But look what happened prior:  Jones went first-to-third on Wieters’ single to right.  Then Davis hit an RBI sac fly, and on Ibanez’s throw home, Wieters took the extra base, going to second.  For a team so reliant on the long ball, a little small ball heading into September can go a long way.
• The Rays lost in Toronto 2-1, in a game that ended with the Rays’ would-be tying run thrown out at the plate.

The BAD:

• Being relegated to rooting for the Red Sox just feels icky.  Boston is playing Oakland out west this weekend.  Well, they’re IN Oakland.  Whether they’re actually playing is debatable.  The A’s beat the Sox Friday night 20-2.  The Tigers beat the White Sox, and the Angels beat Seattle.

The post Big (Apple) Win Courtesy of Gonzalez and Reynolds appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Acquired over the weekend from Arizona for reliever Matt Lindstrom, Saunders’ honeymoon lasted exactly one pitch, the first of the game.  On the 0-1 to White Sox leadoff man Dewayne Wise, Saunders gave up his first hit as an Oriole.  He would give up a walk, a double, and two more singles in a four-run first inning that the Orioles never recovered from, as the White Sox won game three of this four-game series, 8-1.

At no point in time was Saunders NOT in some kind of trouble.  He gave up hits in each of his 5.1 innings of work.  His new teammates helped him out defensively in the second and third with double plays after leadoff base hits.  But in the fourth, his new battery mate let him down, as Matt Wieters dropped a foul pop.  That play gave Tyler Flowers new life, and he made a productive out with it.  Alexei Ramirez, who had singled, moved to second on Flowers’ tap out to Saunders.  Gordon Beckham then doubled off the left field wall, plating Ramirez with Sox run number five.

Saunders would be pulled with one out and runners on second and third in the sixth.  Kevin Gregg allowed the inherited runners to score against the first batter he faced.  Again it was Beckham doing the damage, with a two-run single to center.  Gregg’s outing was certainly less than stellar, allowing five of the seven batters he faced to get on base, and giving up a run of his own in the seventh.

The lone Orioles run scored on a sac fly from Carlos Quintanilla in the fourth, making it a 5-1 game.  The Orioles were never really in this one, as Sox starter Dylan Axelrod (W, 2-2), just back from Triple-A, gave up just one run on three hits and four walks through 7.1 innings.

The birds and Sox wrap up their four game set Thursday afternoon at 12:35.  Coming off back-to-back good outings, Zach Britton (3-1, 5.59) goes for the Orioles, against Chicago left hander Jose Quintana (5-2, 2.86).

The GOOD:

• Things could’ve been worse, and likely, would have been had the O’s not turned three double plays.
• Two perfect innings in relief at the end of the game.  Luis Ayala and Steve Johnson combined to deliver those two innings, striking out three in the process.

The BAD:

• Saunders:  5.1IP, 10H, 7R, 6ER, 2BB, 4K.  Over his last 10 games, Saunders has yielded 73 hits and 14 walks in just over 60 innings.  He is 2-7 with a 5.67 ERA in that time.
• Gregg:  1.1IP, 2H, 1ER, 3BB, 0K, 2 inherited runners scored.  Over his last 10 games, Gregg has given up 18 hits and 7 walks in 11.1 innings.  He has struck out 9, but has pitched to an ERA of 6.35.
• Wieters’ error was his 10th!
• Only three Orioles had hits:  Wieters, Chris Davis, and Nick Markakis.

The post Saunders Lit Up In O’s Debut appeared first on Orioles-Nation.