The O’s managed a season-worst two hits in dropping the finale to the Astros, continuing a recent trend of quiet bats.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
If you’d told me before the start of the four-game Astros series that the Orioles would manage a split, I would have been fine with that. And if you’d told me the same thing after the Birds’ ugly loss in game one, I would have been thrilled. So I guess I can’t get too up in arms by the Orioles’ 6-3 loss in last night’s finale that finished a 2-2 split with the leaders of the AL West. John Beers recapped the game, and had the misfortune of recapping both losses of this series. Sorry, John.
What was most concerning was not that the Orioles lost but how they lost. Facing a familiar opponent in Yusei Kikuchi, whom they’ve faced 13 times in the last three years and have usually hit fairly well, the O’s managed only two hits against the lefty and none against the Houston bullpen. The Orioles had as many hits as they have hitting coaches.
Their two hits were a season worst, but the overall lack of offense was all too familiar. It was the fifth time in the last eight games that the O’s have scored three or fewer runs, and the fourth time that they’ve generated three or fewer hits.
It’s a galling outcome for a lineup that, on paper, should be a well-rounded, productive unit. But many of their key hitters just aren’t getting hits to fall. Adley Rutschman’s months-long slump continues. Gunnar Henderson, since the All-Star break, has been merely good instead of extraordinary. Jackson Holliday is mired in a 1-for-24 stretch (though of course that one hit was a pivotal one). Ryan O’Hearn is 3-for-his-last-23 and has gone 33 games without a home run. You’d expect at least a few of these guys to start clicking, but it’s not happening right now.
The Birds’ loss dropped them back to 1.5 games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead, but at least it didn’t cost them any ground in the wild card race. The three wild card teams closest to the Orioles — the Twins, Royals, and Red Sox — all lost on Sunday as well. If it’s not too early to start talking about magic numbers, the Birds’ magic number to make the postseason dropped by one.
That’s all well and good. But making the postseason won’t feel like a huge accomplishment if the Orioles’ offense continues to go AWOL once they get there. The Birds have 30 games remaining in the regular season to fix whatever’s ailing their bats.
Links
Astros hit back-to-back homers against Burch Smith to split series with Orioles – The Baltimore Banner
Ideally the Orioles would have a strong enough bullpen that they wouldn’t have to rely on 34-year-old journeyman Burch Smith in the seventh inning of a tie game. But alas, here we are.
Orioles are promoting top 100 prospect Samuel Basallo from Double-A to Triple-A – Steve Melewski
The Norfolk Tides, who’d been fielding a barren lineup since graduating their biggest bats to the majors, are about to get a lot more interesting again. Congratulations to Samuel!
Orioles DFA Vespi and claim Kriske – School of Roch
The Orioles are bringing back a waiver-wire reliever who pitched four games with a 12.27 ERA for them in 2021. If your question is, “why?”, I’m afraid I don’t have a good answer.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 30th birthday to current O’s right-hander Tyler Wells, whose 2024 season was cut short after just three starts with a UCL injury. The O’s are certainly missing the 6-foot-8 righty, who could have filled in as either a starter or a late-inning reliever for a thin pitching staff. Also celebrating an Aug. 26 birthday is 2021 O’s third baseman Maikel Franco (32).
On this date in 1958, Orioles starter Hal “Skinny” Brown pitched a 12-inning shutout to beat Cleveland at Memorial Stadium, 1-0. The right-hander scattered nine hits, all singles, and struck out three. Cleveland starter Don Ferrarese (a former Oriole) also threw a complete game, but lost in the bottom of the 12th by issuing a bases-loaded walk to Dick Williams. Pitch count data from the game is not available, but I’d be fascinated to know theirs.
In 1966, the O’s became the third team in history to hit back-to-back pinch-hit home runs. They were timely ones, too, with Vic Roznovsky and Boog Powell leading off the ninth with pinch-hit dingers to tie the Red Sox, 3-3. The Orioles went on to win in the 12th on Russ Snyder’s walkoff single.
In 1985, Hall of Famer Eddie Murray had the game of his life, crushing three home runs and collecting a franchise-record nine RBIs in a 14-3 O’s rout of the Angels. Murray swatted a three-run blast off starter John Candelaria in the top of the first, then tagged reliever Alan Fowlkes for a pair of dingers in the fourth and fifth, the latter a grand slam. Eddie added an RBI single for good measure.
And on this day in 2012, the O’s made what seemed like a minor trade — reliever Matt Lindstrom for starter Joe Saunders — that reaped major rewards. With the Orioles short on starters in October, Saunders got the ball for the Birds’ first postseason game in 15 years and memorably defeated Yu Darvish in the Wild Card Game in Texas. Saunders then pitched another strong game in the ALDS, though the bullpen blew it.