Hoping to avoid a mini sweep, Hays works his way back, and a promising southpaw.
Good morning, Birdland!
The curse of the City Connects continued on Tuesday night, but this time in the nation’s capital. Despite another good performance from ace Corbin Burnes, the Orioles lost 3-0 to the host Nationals. The offense was to blame, as they had just three hits—all of which were singles—no walks, and 12 strikeouts. They had just one at-bat with runners in scoring position all night. Ick.
The two-game mini series concludes this evening in D.C. That means that the Orioles’ streak of avoiding series sweeps is on the line against their interleague “rivals.” It would be very lame to lose such a run in those circumstances.
At least Kyle Bradish is on the mound for the good guys. He was quite effective in his season debut last week, although he didn’t make it through the fifth inning. Given how the O’s bats looked in game one they might need him to be even better tonight.
Brandon Hyde should have his entire bullpen available as well given the off day on Monday and the additional off day on Thursday. The only relievers used in the series opener were Jacob Webb and Keegan Akin, but neither one exactly labored. So, they could both be in the mix as well.
I believe the two teams will don their City Connects once again tonight. That doesn’t bode well for the Orioles’ chances as they have not played well in them historically. But they will need to figure it out as MLB is probably going to force them to wear them for a while longer.
Links
Orioles’ record streak of avoiding sweeps in danger of ending vs. Nationals | The Baltimore Sun
This streak will eventually have to come to an end. But having it happen in a two-game series feels unjust.
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
All sorts of fun little factoids in this one!
Injuries & Moves: Hays homers in 1st rehab AB | MLB.com
The fanbase has been rather quick to turn on Austin Hays this year. “He stinks, let’s move on to the young guys.” Have we learned nothing from the Mike Elias era? Sure, the guy likes his prospects, but he also has a thing for proven veterans. A remarkable number of key players on this Orioles team were also on some awful versions of this club. Hays has plenty left in the tank, and is capable of helping here.
Examining prospect Cade Povich’s dominant start at Norfolk | The Baltimore Banner
How much the Orioles believe in the likes of Provich and Chayce McDermott could determine how heavily they invest in the big league rotation going into 2025. Neither one would replace Burnes, but promising results from them paired with leaps forward from Grayson Rodriguez (and others) could be enough for them to spend their dollars elsewhere.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Sean Gilmartin turns 34 today. He pitched out of the Orioles bullpen for parts of the 2018 and ‘19 seasons.
- Alfredo Simón is 43. The big righty had a four-year stint with the O’s from 2008 through ‘11. He began his career as a reliever before moving into a starting role.
- John Maine is also 43. He started games for the Orioles between 2004 and ‘05. Prior to the 2006 season, he was dealt to the Mets for Kris Benson.
- The late Mike Cuellar (b. 1937, d. 2010) was born on this day. A club legend, he was a crucial member of the O’s pitching staff from 1969-76. During his time in Baltimore he was elected to three all-star games, won the 1970 World Series, and the 1971 Cy Young award. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1982.
This day in O’s history
1966 – Frank Robinson becomes the first and only player to hit a ball completely out of Memorial Stadium. The home run is estimated to have traveled 541 feet off of Cleveland hurler Luis Tiant.
1979 – Eddie Murray, Lee May, and Gary Roenicke hit three straight homers in the sixth inning to lift the O’s to an 8-2 win over the Oakland A’s. Murray also extends his hit streak to 19 games.
2018 – Dylan Bundy has a nightmarish outing. He becomes the first pitcher to give up four home runs without recording an out as the Royals light him up for seven runs on the four long balls, two walks, and a single before being pulled.