BALTIMORE- What happened? Catcher James McCann’s gritty performance in Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t carry over to the second game and the Orioles split a doubleheader, losing the second game, 8-4, after winning the opener, 11-5.
In Game 2, Oriole staring pitcher Cade Povich lacked control and a supporting defense, allowing six runs, three unearned, on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Colton Cowser, batting leadoff for the third straight game, homered and had an RBI single. Jordan Westburg, who started at shortstop in place of Gunnar Henderson, had a two-run home run, but committed two errors. Ryan O’Hearn also made an error at first base.
“We didn’t play a very good baseball game,” manager Brandon Hyde said, a phrase he must be tired of repeating. The loss was costly because the New York Yankees routed the Philadelphia Phillies, 14-4, to reduce the Orioles’ lead in the American League East to 1/2 game.
In the first game, his first with the Orioles, starter Zach Eflin pitched six innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits. Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander homered.
But it was McCann who inspired the Orioles with his toughness. He was hit in the face, primarily on the nose, by a pitch with the bases loaded in the first inning. He received a standing ovation when he remained in the games despite sustaining what the Orioles suspect is a broken nose. McCann also has a swollen left eye, looking more like a boxer than a baseball player.
The trade deadline is 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the Orioles haven’t made any moves since trading for Eflin from Tampa Bay for three prospects and acquiring reliever Seranthony Dominguez and outfielder Cristian Pache from Philadelphia for outfielder Austin Hays on Friday.
Where did things go wrong for Povich? Povich walked five and struck out one. He was called up for Game 2 as the 27th man and returned after the game.
Povich had a 6.27 ERA in his first seven starts before the Orioles sent him back to Triple-A Norfolk two days before the All-Star break. He’s walked 23 in 37 1 /3 innings.
“That’s been the thing that’s been bothering me so far since I’ve been up here,” Povich said. “It’s something I’m obviously going to take a look at and figure out.”
Povich’s first major league start came at Toronto on June 3rd.
“I’ve been able to learn from every outing all my life, and obviously learn more up here and what needs to be better,” he said. “Allow myself to take some time and figure out what that is and continue to get better from it.”
With the acquisition of Eflin, and the possibility of executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias adding another starter on Tuesday, there doesn’t seem to be a place in the rotation for Povich. He’ll go back to Norfolk as he did on July 12th.
“You never want to go down,” he said. “It’s obviously part of the game even though you always want to stay up here. That time down there was needed to figure some stuff out, to get right back to it when my name was called.”
For Hyde, the key for Povich is control.
“It’s just sharpen up the command. The five walks, we didn’t help him out very much,” Hyde said. “The arm-side up wasted pitches, the really deep counts, understanding how to put somebody away.”
Will the Orioles make additional moves? There were many moves made around the major leagues on Monday, but the Orioles didn’t make any. They’re still looking for another starter, and they’ve been linked with Detroit’s Jack Flaherty, a former Oriole, and San Francisco’s Blake Snell along with Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Chicago’s Garrett Crochet.
They’re also looking for late-inning relief help, and Miami’s Tanner Scott, a former Oriole, has been mentioned.
They also could be looking for another right-handed hitting outfielder.
What does it mean? After two games when they scored 19 runs, the Orioles had another lackluster performance, offensively and defensively, in the second game.
What’s the word? “t did, but at the same time, I feel like I would have battled through as best I could even in just a single game. I take a lot of pride in being tough and grinding through things, and today was no different.”-McCann on remaining in the first game after sustaining a suspected broken nose.
What’s the stat of the day? 7-10. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 7-for-10 in the doubleheader with home runs in both games, three doubles in the second game and five RBIs.
What’s next? Corbin Burnes (10-4, 2.45) will face Chris Bassitt (8-9, 3.78) on Tuesday night at 6:35.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com