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Thursday, April 27, 2017
Game Stories: Orioles recap: After squandering lead, O's rally in 11th to beat Rays, 5-4, on Smith's walk-off walk The Sun 4/26 On wacky night, O's win in 11 on walk-off walk MLB.com 4/27 Orioles rally to walk past Rays in 11 innings (Fry optioned) MASNsports.com 4/26 Walk-off walk: Seth Smith’s bases-loaded walk gives O’s a 5-4 win MASNsports.com 4/26 Orioles use 4-pitch walk in 11th inning to beat Rays 5-4 Associated Press 4/27 Orioles End Homestand With Extra-Inning Win PressBoxOnline.com 4/27
Columns: Reduced fastball velocity not making Orioles starter Dylan Bundy any less effective The Sun 4/27 Orioles notes: Activation imminent for Joey Rickard; routine day off for J.J. Hardy The Sun 4/26 Orioles' Jonathan Schoop's physical maturation stands out as power continues to show The Sun 4/27 Flaherty uses head to help O's score 2 runs MLB.com 4/27 Gausman looking to find groove vs. Yankees MLB.com 4/27 Because You Asked - The New Batch MASNsports.com 4/27 Flaherty gets rare start tonight (we’re tied) MASNsports.com 4/26 Early notes on Britton, Tillman, Rickard and upcoming starters MASNsports.com 4/26 Without everything clicking, Orioles are playing .700 baseball MASNsports.com 4/27 Bundy on his outing and reduced velocity (plus other quotes) MASNsports.com 4/27 O’s game blog: Dylan Bundy looks for fourth win in series finale MASNsports.com 4/26 After rare bullpen appearance, Alec Asher hopes to stick on O’s roster MASNsports.com 4/26 Anatomy of a Little League homer ESPN.com 4/27 Mark Trumbo's Struggles Symbolize Offense's Woes PressBoxOnline.com 4/26 The Rays Gave Seth Smith a Little League Homer Last Night NBCSports.com 4/27 Bundy’s not worried about velocity dip (and other O’s thoughts: Crazy play, O’Day, Rickard, Fry) BaltimoreBaseball.com 4/27 Orioles' Rickard rehabs with Shorebirds, gets 3 hits The Daily Times 4/26 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-bs-sp-orioles-observations-0427- 20170426-story.html
Orioles recap: After squandering lead, O's rally in 11th to beat Rays, 5-4, on Smith's walk-off walk
Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun April 26, 2017
The Orioles’ 5-4, 11-inning walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night was unusual in many ways, from the beginning – when right fielder Seth Smith circled the bases on his bloop single-turned-second-inning-three-ring-circus play – to the end, when Smith drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk to win the game in anticlimactic fashion.
The Orioles mustered little offense for most of the night, going scoreless for eight straight innings before rallying to score two runs in the bottom of the 11th on three walks, two singles and a sacrifice fly.
No, it didn’t have the excitement of most walk-off wins – and it was one of the Orioles' uglier games of the season – but Smith's four-pitch walk from reliever Danny Farquhar with two outs and the bases full showed the Orioles resilience on a night when they struggled to muster any offense for most of the game.
“We scored the three [going into the 11th] and what did we have, 12, 13, 14 hits?” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I don’t know how many we ended up with. There was some offense there. I’m hoping as we get into the flow of the season a little bit where the weather cooperates a little bit and guys can get into a routine a little bit more. But to be where we are … very seldom are you going to be functional on all cylinders, but those are the types of games you like to win.” and Welington Castillo and a walk to Hyun Soo Kim. Jonathan Schoop then scored the tying run on a line-drive out to center field, scoring Davis on a sacrifice fly. Ryan Flaherty then drew a walk to load the bases again for Smith.
“It's awesome,” Smith said. “Every win is big. That's all that matters at the end of the day, at the end of the season. [To] be down in extra innings and come back and win is always good for the morale and moving forward, probably less so winning than the feeling of losing an extra-inning game at home, but still really good."
After scoring three runs in the second inning, the Orioles (14-6) recorded just three singles and placed just one runner in scoring position in innings three through 10.
The Orioles remained unbeaten in seven series this season (6-0-1) as they head to New York and Boston to continue an opening five weeks that has been dominated by division games.
Rays catcher Jesus Sucre’s broken-bat RBI single with two outs in the 11th off right-hander Alec Asher tied the game. Asher (1-0) put two runners on in the 11th, walking Logan Morrison and hitting Shane Peterson with a pitch before Sucre’s bat shattered as he looped a ball down the right-field line to score Morrison.
The Orioles bullpen was unable to preserve a one-run lead for starter Dylan Bundy.
The Orioles entered the top of the eighth clinging to a one-run lead, but right-hander Mychal Givens, who stranded an inherited runner in scoring position in the seventh – allowed a leadoff double to Derek Norris. Left-hander Donnie Hart then hit pinch hitter Rickie Weeks Jr. with a pitch and walked left-handed hitter Kevin Kiermaier on nine pitches.
That created a no-out, bases-loaded jam for right-hander Darren O’Day, who retired all three batters he faced, but a run scored on Brad Miller’s fielder’s choice groundout, a sharply hit ball on which first baseman Davis dived into the hole to keep in the infield.
Bundy recorded his fifth straight quality start to open the season, allowing just two runs – a pair of homers to shortstop Tim Beckham – over 6 1/3 innings.
Right-hander Brach Brach dodged a pair of hits while pitching scoreless ninth and 10th innings for his first multiple-inning outing of the season.
The Orioles had a rare opportunity to score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning after Manny Machado opened the inning landing on second after an infield single deep into the hole at shortstop and Beckham’s ensuing wild throw into the stands.
But the Orioles came up empty. After Davis walked, struggling slugger Mark Trumbo struck out looking and Castillo hit into an inning-ending double play.
Smith scores himself on 'Little League home run'
Smith rounded the bases on his own single on an error-filled play that had to be seen to be believed. Smith’s single scored two runs – including himself – in the team’s three-run second inning.
With Flaherty on first base, Smith looped a single to center field that Kiermaier took on a hop and threw to third to attempt to nab Flaherty. Kiermaier’s throw was wild, getting past third baseman Evan Longoria.
Rays pitcher Alex Cobb backed up the play, and after seeing Flaherty round third, he threw back to Longoria, but the throw ricocheted off Flaherty’s helmet and into no-man’s land in left field, enabling Flaherty to score easily.
By the time left fielder Peterson chased down the ball, Smith was rounding third and heading home, and he slid under Longoria’s throw home.
“One time in the minor leagues I was on the bad end of that,” Flaherty said. “It's a complete circus play."
The play – on which the Rays were charged with two throwing errors and Smith was credited with a single but no RBI – gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead.
"I hit the single, and then the throw came in, I was stopping at first, and then it got by, and I was stopping at second, Smith said. "The throw went to left. I was going to third, and I saw there wasn't anybody really close, and I knew I might get sent home, but at that point, everything was behind me, and he was sending me; the hard send is where you know there's probably going to be a play, and thankfully I was able to get there before the ball."
"Maybe so, maybe so,” Smith said when asked whether he’s ever been involved in a similar play, even in Little League. “I hope that's the last time it happens."
Flaherty taking advantage of opportunity
Playing time has been rare for Flaherty, but the Orioles utility player contributed right away Wednesday as he made his second start of the season.
Flaherty, who was in the lineup to give starting shortstop J.J. Hardy the benefit of two straight days off (The Orioles are off Thursday before opening a three-game set at Yankee Stadium on Friday night), roped an RBI single off Cobb in his first at bat of the night in the third inning.
“It’s just fun to get out there and play,” Flaherty said. “When you get a chance to get out there, you try to help the team win, move the chains and keep it going. … It can be tough [not playing], for sure. I think, one way to look at it is when Buck puts you in there, he probably thinks you’ve got a decent chance against the pitcher. You just try to do something to help the team win.”
It was Flaherty’s first hit in five at-bats this season and his first RBI of the year. He then scored on Smith’s round-the-bases single and drew a key walk in the 11th to load the bases for Smith’s walkoff walk.
“Ryan looked good tonight,” Showalter said. “I thought he had some good at-bats tonight. He was seeing the ball well. Nobody was seeing as well as Beckham, I can tell you that. You could tell from the first at-bat that Ryan seemed to be … you get to know a guy. Balanced, was seeing the ball and wasn’t jumping. I liked that. I really wanted to give J.J. these two days if I could.”
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/226670726/orioles-top-rays-with-walk-off-walk-in-11th/
On wacky night, O's win in 11 on walk-off walk
By Brittany Ghiroli, Bill Chastain and Jeff Seidel / MLB.com April 27, 2017
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles kept right on rolling Wednesday night, using a walk-off walk from Seth Smith to win a marathon, 11-inning series finale, 5-4 against the Rays at Camden Yards.
Down a run, Jonathan Schoop tied the game on a sacrifice fly -- his 13th RBI of the year -- to bring up Ryan Flaherty, who drew a walk to load the bases. The next batter, Smith, received four consecutive balls from Danny Farquhar to seal the win.
"It's awesome. Every win is big. That's all that matters at the end of the day, at the end of the season," Smith said. "[To] be down in extra innings and come back and win is always good for the morale and moving forward."
The Rays -- who took the lead on Jesus Sucre's broken-bat single in the 11th inning off of reliever Alec Asher -- wasted a fantastic night from Tim Beckham, who homered twice and doubled.
Down a run, the Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth and Brad Miller's one-out RBI groundout -- charged to Mychal Givens -- evened things up. Reliever Darren O'Day worked his way out of the rest of the jam.
Beckham had the first multi-homer game of his career, going deep off of Orioles starter Dylan Bundy in the third and fifth innings. Those were the only runs allowed by Bundy, who went 6 1/3 innings in his fifth consecutive quality start.
Rays starter Alex Cobb went five innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks.
Flaherty, making just his second start of the season, had his first hit, run and RBI. "It's just fun to get out there and play," Flaherty said. "When you get a chance to get out there, you try to help the team win, move the chains and keep it going."
But the Rays came away with a very difficult loss.
"Any time you lose a ballgame on a bases-loaded walk, it's going to be difficult," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "But really happy with the way the guys came back, got back in the ballgame [and] tied it up."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Beckham heating up: Beckham enjoyed a two-homer day, but also had a one-out double in the ninth. After a slow start, Beckham now has four homers and eight RBIs as the shortstop leaves the three-game series red-hot at the plate.
"It [stinks] to keep losing tough games," Beckham said. "I just want to take it day to day and continue to see the ball and continue to trust my approach and [help win] some ballgames. Just take it day by day, at-bat by at-bat, and hopefully good things will happen."
Smith scores on a single: Smith was in the middle of several plays Wednesday, including a memorable one in the second. The O's scored a pair of runs on two throwing errors by the Rays, on the same play. Smith, who advanced to second on Kevin Kiermaier's errant throw, headed home after Cobb's throw to try to nab Ryan Flaherty at third base hit off his helmet and sailed into the outfield.
"That was an upper," O's manager Buck Showalter said of the play. "They helped us a little bit, but that was aggressive in the right places. Sometimes you can be aggressive in the wrong places."
ROSTER MOVE
The Orioles optioned Paul Fry back to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. Fry was recalled as insurance for the bullpen prior to the game and did not pitch.
QUOTABLE
"As a bullpen guy, I mean, those are the spots that you live for. You want to be in those big- game moments. So I think, as a reliever, you dream for those spots. My mindset was, obviously, to get ahead. I couldn't do that, and by the time I started throwing strikes, it was too late." – Farquhar
WHAT'S NEXT
Rays: Following an off-day, Blake Snell takes the mound at 7:07 p.m. ET Friday in the series opener at Toronto. He is looking to get deeper into the game, having gone five innings or less in 11 of his last 13 starts.
Orioles: The Orioles have an off-day Thursday, and starter Kevin Gausman will take the mound at 7:10 p.m. ET Friday to kick off the series against the Yankees. The righty was already off to a tough start to 2017 before his most recent outing against Boston in which he gave up five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/orioles-rally-to-walk-past-rays-in-11- innings.html
Orioles rally to walk past Rays in 11 innings (Fry optioned)
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com April 26, 2017
An Orioles bullpen that allowed only one run in its last 19 2/3 innings before tonight couldn’t hold up in the eighth inning. It also couldn’t hold a slim lead.
With the game advancing to the 11th inning, a tie also disappeared. But not the Orioles’ opportunity to win another series.
Seth Smith drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk off Danny Farquhar with two outs in the 11th to give the Orioles a 5-4 win over the Rays at Camden Yards.
The Orioles have won six series and split one while crafting a 14-6 record. Alec Asher gets his third major league win, his first in the American League.
The Orioles loaded the bases twice in the 11th, which began with Tampa Bay ahead 4- 3. Jonathan Schoop had a sacrifice fly off Alex Colomé and Ryan Flaherty battled for a walk that brought Farquhar to the mound.
He wasn’t there long. Asher gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th on catcher Jesús Sucre’s two-out, broken- bat blooper into right field after a walk and hit batter.
Logan Morrison walked with one out and Shane Peterson was hit with two down. Sucre, who replaced starter Derek Norris behind the plate, saw his bat explode and the go-ahead run score. Asher also hit Rickie Weeks before getting back to the dugout.
The Orioles wasted a chance in the bottom of the eighth after Manny Machado led off with an infield hit off Erasmo Ramírez and took second base on shortstop Tim Beckham’s throw, the ball almost reaching one of the suites on the club level. Chris Davis walked, but Mark Trumbo took a disputed called third strike and Welington Castillo grounded into a double play.
Dylan Bundy turned in his fifth quality start in five outings, but settled for the no-decision. Morrison doubled with one out in the seventh to end Bundy’s night, and Mychal Givens recorded two outs on two pitches to preserve a 3-2 lead. But Derek Norris doubled to lead off the eighth and Donnie Hart hit Weeks and walked Kevin Kiermaier on nine pitches.
Darren O’Day inherited the bases-loaded mess and got Evan Longoria to ground into a force at home, with Davis making the throw. Davis made a diving stop on Brad Miller’s grounder and had to settle for the out at second base as the tying run scored, and Steve Souza Jr. popped up. Brad Brach stranded Beckham at third base in the top of the ninth and Longoria at first base in the 10th.
A game wasn’t won or lost in the bottom of the second inning, but a comedy routine was born. Smith lined a single into center field and kept running, with two errors allowing him to slide safely into the plate. It’s one of those you-had-to-be-there moments, but witnesses were challenged to describe it.
Two runs scored on the play following Flaherty’s RBI single. It bordered on insane. Bundy allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. He served up his first two home runs of the season in five starts, both to Beckham in the third and fifth innings.
In his last three starts, Bundy has allowed two runs and 15 hits in 19 1/3 innings. He’s sporting a 1.65 ERA in 32 2/3 innings.
The Orioles strung together five singles off Alex Cobb with one out in the second. Hyun Soo Kim got it started with his 100th career major league hit. Schoop singled and Kim scored on Flaherty’s single - his first hit and RBI of the season. Schoop was thrown out a third. The Rays’ accuracy was fleeting.
Smith followed with his second hit in two innings and it got weird. Kiemaier’s throw skipped past third baseman Longoria, allowing Smith to take second. Cobb, backing up on the play, tried to get Flaherty retreating to third and bounced the ball off the infielder’s helmet.
Flaherty and Smith raced home and SportsCenter had its blooper for the night if there’s anyone left at ESPN to cue it up.
(What an absolutely brutal day for some of the absolute best writers, reporters and on-air talent in the industry. They deserved much better.)
Beckham led off the top of the third inning with a home run, the first surrendered by Bundy in 33 1/3 innings dating back to last season. Beckham jumped on an 88 mph four-seam fastball.
Bundy’s velocity was down, as many fans noticed. He was living in the upper 80s over the first three innings and touched 92 on a couple of pitches in the fourth.
Bundy retired eight in a row and Beckham got him again to reduce the lead to 3-2 with two outs in the fifth. Bundy went curveball, slider to Beckham and watched another ball disappear into the seats.
Beckham produced his first career multi-homer game. Bundy also was credited with having the cleanest forearms among the two starters.
Cobb clearly had a substance on his left arm and kept touching it with his pitching hand. The Orioles didn’t request that umpires check it, but Twitter blew up.
Was it pine tar? Did Cobb use his arm as a napkin during his pregame meal?
Cobb allowed three runs (two earned) and eight hits in five innings. Ramírez, scratched from last night’s start, replaced him in the sixth because the weather was nice.
Manager Buck Showalter on keys to game: “A lot of things in that game that kind of get passed off because you end the game that way. Bundy was good again. Didn’t actually think he was carrying real crisp stuff, but he found his way through it. Darren had a big outing for us. Of course, Brad. And a lot of good at-bats there off a really good pitcher. We were fortunate.
Thought Chris’ at-bat gave us some hope there, some life. And then Welington hooked a slider, I think.”
On a good team win: “We scored the three and what did we have, 12, 13, 14 hits? I don’t know how many we ended up with. There was some offense there. I’m hoping as we get into the flow of the season a little bit where the weather cooperates a little bit and guys can get into a routine a little bit more. But to be where we are ... Very seldom are you going to be functional on all cylinders, but those are the types of games you like to win.”
On whether Orioles are more patient at plate this year: “We went through periods last year where we were. It’s just to be able to carry out that approach over a long season is really challenging, especially when you’re not getting a return with the swings and you allow them to take you out of the zone. Not many pitchers make a living in the strike zone up here.
“You cannot take until you hit up here. You’ve got to hit until you take. So, our take button lately has been good. And Seth brought that with him.”
On Flaherty: “Ryan looked good tonight. I thought he had some good at-bats tonight. He was seeing the ball well. Nobody was seeing as well as Beckham, I can tell you that. You could tell from the first at-bat that Ryan seemed to be ... You get to know a guy. Balanced, was seeing the ball and wasn’t jumping. I liked that. I really wanted to give J.J. (Hardy) these two days if I could.”
On crazy second-inning sequence: “They helped us a little bit, but that was aggressive in the right places. Sometimes, you can be aggressive in the wrong places. I like Jon there getting thrown out at third with one out and pushing that envelope. If he can get there with one out, that’s a great play. We’ve had two or three plays this year where we weren’t very smart in that situation. I mean with a two-out situation.”
On substance on Cobb’s arm: “Getting some moisture from his sweat? I don’t know. I’ve got a real frank answer about it, but it’s not conducive to us being good for the rest of the year. I saw it, too. Saw it the first inning. Saw it the last time he faced us last year. I’m sure a lot of other managers see it.”
On Bundy’s velocity drop: “He went and got it a couple times tonight. Sure, I see it. And we talk to him. He’s had great work days. He’s evolved into, I don’t want to say he paces himself, but he’s so much more of a pitcher. I thought this was one of his better outings considering he needed all of his weapons tonight to get through that. Early on, he was really struggling to get the ball where he wanted to get it.
“It is something you notice because you have a history with guys. Keep in mind when he started last year it was after the All-Star Break and he didn’t have any innings at all. I like to think he’s kind of pacing himself through this and knowing when to go get it and when not to. But it’s something we’re going to keep an eye on.”
On O’Day: “That was probably the biggest part of the game other than Dylan’s outing was Darren doing that job in that situation. Chris made two great plays that not many first basemen make. That was big for us. Darren’s been, I think we all have a lot of confidence when there’s a bump in the road or something that he’ll get back on track.
“You think about from his delivery and everything he does, the whole world, especially in our division, know exactly what he’s going to throw at him and he continues to have success. That’s when you know you got pretty good guys. They know what Zach (Britton) is going to do and Brad and Darren and they continue to do it.”
Note: The Orioles have optioned left-hander Paul Fry to Triple-A Norfolk, presumably to create a roster spot Friday for outfielder Joey Rickard. Fry warmed up tonight but didn’t pitch.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/the-orioles-bullpen-will-not.html
Walk-off walk: Seth Smith’s bases-loaded walk gives O’s a 5- 4 win
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 26, 2017
The Orioles scored two runs in the last of the 11th tonight, turning defeat into victory, to beat Tampa Bay 5-4 and improve to 14-6 through 20 games.
Down 4-3 heading to the 11th, they loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with one out against Alex Colome. They would tie the game on Jonathan Schoop’s sac fly and won it when Danny Farquhar walked Seth Smith on four pitches with the bases loaded. The Orioles avoided losing their first series of the year.
The Orioles loaded the bases on a single by Chris Davis, a one-out single by Welington Castillo and a Hyun Soo Kim walk. Schoop drilled a sac fly to center, and a walk to Ryan Flaherty again loaded the bases. Farquhar replaced Colomé, but couldn’t find the strike zone, walking Smith on four pitches to end the game.
The Orioles bullpen will not give up many leads this year, but it happened tonight. The Rays tied it in the eighth and went ahead 4-3 on Jesús Sucre’s RBI single in the 11th off Alec Asher.
The Rays scored a run off the ‘pen to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the eighth. After a Derek Norris double off Mychal Givens, Donnie Hart came on and hit his first batter and walked the second. That brought on Darren O’Day, who could not wiggle out of that major jam, but held Tampa Bay to an RBI groundout by Brad Miller that tied it.
The O’s bullpen had allowed just one run over 19 2/3 in the previous seven games.
Dylan Bundy gave the Orioles another strong outing tonight. But when Tampa Bay tied it in the eighth, he was denied his fourth win.
But Bundy still recorded his fifth quality start in five outings. Bundy gave up a pair of solo homers, but not much else, allowing four hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings with two walks and three strikeouts. His fastball velocity was down during the game, often at 88-90 mph and he threw curves, sliders or changeups on 68 of 106 pitches.
Over his past three starts though, Bundy’s ERA is 0.93 with two runs allowed over 19 1/3 innings. This was the Orioles’ 10th quality start over their past 13 games and the rotation ERA is 3.07 in that stretch.
The Orioles scored three runs in the second to take the 3-0 lead with the last two coming on when Smith singled and raced home on a pair of throwing errors. First, they moved ahead 1-0 on singles by Kim, Schoop and Flaherty with one out. Flaherty singled in the run after starting the year 0-for-4. Kim’s single was his 100th career major league hit.
With two outs, Smith followed Flaherty and singled to center and Flaherty headed toward third. The throw from center fielder Kevin Kiermaier went past the base and was backed up by pitcher Alex Cobb. Cobb’s throw back to third as Flaherty was headed back that way after rounding the base hit him and caromed into left field. Flaherty scored and Smith came all the way around to score. Yep, it was a crazy play with Smith circling the bases on an E-8 and an E-1. It was scored a single, no RBI and two errors on the play for a 3-0 Orioles lead.
Meanwhile, most of the Rays lineup did little against Bundy through five innings. Most, but not all. Shortstop Tim Beckham hit solo homers off the right-hander in the third and fifth innings to pull Tampa Bay within 3-2. It was Beckham’s second and third homers and his first career two- homer game.
The homer in the third was the first allowed by Bundy this year and his first over a stretch of 33 1/3 innings dating to last year.
After improving to 3-0 in extra innings and to 6-1 in one-run games, now the Orioles take Thursday off before beginning a seven-game road trip against the Yankees and Red Sox on Friday night at New York.
http://scores.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370426101
Orioles use 4-pitch walk in 11th inning to beat Rays 5-4
Associated Press April 27, 2017
BALTIMORE -- First, Seth Smith circled the bases on a single. Then, much later in a very strange game, he drove in the winning run without lifting the bat off his shoulder.
Smith drew a bases-loaded, four-pitch walk from Danny Farquhar to force in the deciding run with two outs in the 11th inning, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Wednesday night.
The 4-hour, 8-minute contest featured a play more appropriate for the Little League -- or the Big Top.
The wacky sequence began when Smith singled with Ryan Flaherty on first. After Kevin Kiermaier threw wildly to third base from center field, starting pitcher Alex Cobb retrieved the ball near the Tampa Bay dugout. Cobb's errant throw to third hit Flaherty in the helmet and went into left field, allowing both runners to race home.
"I was trying to steal second and he put the ball in play and it turned into a circus," Flaherty said.
Smith stopped at every base until a Tampa Bay miscue enabled him to move up an additional 90 feet.
"It was just a bad play," Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said. "We had the one mistake play with Cobb that cost us the two runs."
Manager Kevin Cash said: "That was a deflating inning. No doubt about it."
Tim Beckham hit two solo homers for the Tampa Bay, but he also made one of the Rays' three errors.
After Tampa Bay scored a run in the top of the 11th, the Orioles answered against closer Alex Colome (0-1). Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Jonathan Schoop, who hit a sacrifice fly. Flaherty walked to reload the bases, and Farquhar entered and threw four pitches -- all outside the strike zone.
Colome hadn't given up a run this season, but proved vulnerable in his second inning of work.
"I asked a lot of Alex. There's no doubt about that," Cash said. "I knew I was stretching him. But you want your best guy out there when the game's on the line."
Alec Asher (1-0) got the win for the Orioles despite giving up an RBI single to Jesus Sucre in the 11th.
Baltimore took two of three from Tampa Bay and has not lost a series this season.
"Being down in extra innings and coming back to win is always good for the morale and moving forward," Smith said.
Dylan Bundy gave up two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings for Baltimore. He left with a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen gave it up.
Down 3-2 in the eighth, Tampa Bay used a double, a hit batter and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Darren O'Day entered and got a force out at the plate before an infield out by Brad Miller tied it.
Cobb allowed three runs, two earned, and eight hits in five innings. Though he pitched decently, his one poor throw in the field proved costly.
Beckham's drive leading off the third ended Bundy's run of consecutive scoreless innings at 15. It was the first home run allowed by Bundy in five starts.
Beckham connected again in the fifth to bring Tampa Bay within 3-2.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: RHP Jake Odorizzi (hamstring) said he felt pain-free and "really fresh" while throwing 65 pitches during a four-inning simulated game. He is expected to come off the DL on Monday when the Rays visit the Marlins. ... OFs Mallex Smith (hamstring) and Colby Rasmus (groin) are both rehabbing in the minors and "all the reports are very good," Cash said.
Orioles: OF Joey Rickard (sprained finger) played both games of a doubleheader with Class A Delmarva as DH and will likely be activated from the 10-day disabled list Friday, manager Buck Showalter said. ... Closer Zach Britton (forearm) is on the mend and could begin his rehab assignment with Class AA Bowie on Friday.
UP NEXT
Rays: After taking Thursday off, Tampa Bay calls on LHP Blake Snell (0-2, 3.38 ERA) on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series in Toronto.
Orioles: Following a day off, Baltimore sends struggling RHP Kevin Gausman (1-2, 7.50 ERA) to the mound to face New York at Yankee Stadium. https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/04/27/orioles-end-homestand-with-extra-inning-win
Orioles End Homestand With Extra-Inning Win
By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com April 27, 2017
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles head out of town for a difficult seven-game road trip to New York and Boston with another series win. In seven series, they've won six and split one for a 14-6 overall record.
The Orioles' 5-4 win against the Tampa Bay Rays in 11 innings April 26 came the strange way. The Rays scored a run in the top of the 11th off right-hander Alec Asher, who hit two batters in the inning, and the Orioles won it with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Right fielder Seth Smith's bases-loaded walk off right-hander Danny Farquhar was the game- winner.
"It's really just like every other club I've been on that's won a decent amount of games," Smith said. "You do everything timely and you pitch good enough and you hit good enough. If one's not doing well, the other picks it up and vice-versa. There's no secret to winning these games. You've got to pitch well, you've got to hit well and you've got to put it together over nine innings."
The Orioles had 12 hits and were fortunate to escape with the series win.
"There was some offense there," manager Buck Showalter said. "I'm hoping as we get into the flow of the season a little bit where the weather cooperates a little bit and guys can get into a routine a little bit more. But to be where we are … very seldom are you going to be functional on all cylinders, but those are the types of games you like to win."
On the homestand, the Orioles won four of six games from the Rays and Red Sox and are 12-5 against the American League East.
BUNDY'S NIGHT: Dylan Bundy didn't get the win, but he certainly pitched well enough to.
The right-hander allowed two runs -- both on home runs by Tampa Bay shortstop Tim Beckham -- in 6.1 innings. They're the first two home runs allowed by Bundy this season.
Bundy has thrown five consecutive quality starts.
"Oh man, anytime I can get through six and when we're winning leave the game, I'm happy about it," Bundy said. "I get the game close but left the game when we were leading, so I was happy with it. I let the defense work behind me, like I did in my last start, and they did well for me."
MADCAP RUNS: The Orioles scored a pair of runs in the second inning on one wacky play.
Right fielder Seth Smith singled and shortstop Ryan Flaherty tried for third. Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier's throw to third was errant, and starter Alex Cobb picked up the ball and heaved it toward Flaherty. It hit his helmet, and the throw went to left field, allowing Flaherty and Smith to score.
"I was trying to steal second, and he put the ball in play and it turned into a circus," Flaherty said.
"He hit it, try to get to third. Going to third the ball gets away, try to go home, then you realize don't go home. You go back to third, it ends up hitting you in the helmet. It bounces in the outfield for an inside-the-park home run."
Errors were charged to Kiermaier and Cobb, and Smith was credited with a single.
Showalter pointed out second baseman Jonathan Schoop was thrown out at third base immediately before the wild play.
"That was an upper," Showalter said. "They helped us a little bit, but that was aggressive in the right places. Sometimes you can be aggressive in the wrong places."
RICKARD FRIDAY: Showalter said outfielder Joey Rickard is scheduled to be activated April 28 at Yankee Stadium. Rickard was the designated hitter in both games of a doubleheader for Single-A Delmarva April 26 and was 2-for-6. He was 3-for-10 in three games for the Shorebirds.
Rickard is on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left middle finger.
Closer Zach Britton will pitch for Double-A Bowie April 28, Showalter said. The left-hander had a bullpens session April 26. Right-hander Chris Tillman will pitch at Potomac April 27, and pitching coach Roger McDowell will accompany him.
STILL NO RBI FOR JOSEPH: Catcher Caleb Joseph is 2-for-18 (.111) and is still looking for his first RBI since Sept. 11, 2015.
Showalter said Joseph's at-bats are "a little bit" better than last year's.
"We've seen things offensively from him over the course of his career that show he's capable of doing better things, statistically, than he's done," Showalter said. "He's having a great year behind the plate, that's for sure."
SMALL VISIT FOR FRY: Left-hander Paul Fry, who warmed up in the bullpen during the game, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Fry, who was recalled April 26, did not appear in either of the two games he was active for.
COMING UP: The Orioles play three games at Yankee Stadium this weekend. On April 28, right-hander Kevin Gausman will face left-hander CC Sabathia (2-1, 2.79).
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-bs-sp-orioles-dylan-bundy-0427- 20170426-story.html
Reduced fastball velocity not making Orioles starter Dylan Bundy any less effective
Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun April 27, 2017
Velocity isn’t everything, especially when evaluating Dylan Bundy’s growth from a fire-balling thrower to the refined pitcher he is in the process of becoming, but Bundy’s diminishing fastball velocity is undoubtedly something that Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he will watch moving forward.
The results remain there. Bundy recorded his career-high fifth straight quality start to open the season, allowing just two runs over 6 1/3 innings in the Orioles’ 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in 11 innings Wednesday night.
Bundy still has a 1.65 ERA on the season through 32 2/3 innings, and the two runs he allowed Wednesday — coming on home runs by Tim Beckham — were the only ones he’s allowed over his past three starts, spanning 19 1/3 innings. Bundy has pitched into the seventh inning in four of his five starts this season.
Bundy’s dependence on the fastball has been lessened by the continuing emergence of his secondary pitches, but over the course of his first five starts, his fastball velocity has decreased incrementally with every outing.
After averaging 92.4 mph with his four-seam fastball in his first four starts of the season, Bundy averaged just 90.2 mph Wednesday night, topping at 93.3 in the fifth inning. Last season, his fastball averaged 95 mph.
“Yeah, a quality start is a quality start,” Bundy said when asked about his velocity dropping. “I’m not too worried about the numbers. I don’t think you guys need to be worried either, but I’ve been mixing in more two-seamers this year like I said in spring training. But overall I felt good when I left the game, so I’m happy about it.”
Bundy is nearly four years removed from having Tommy John elbow reconstruction, and he pitched through his first completely healthy season since that last year, opening the season in the bullpen to gradually build his innings count before moving to the starting rotation after the All- Star break. This is his first season of opening the season as a full-time starter at the major league level.
The drop in velocity itself isn’t necessarily alarming — especially given the fact that Bundy had found a way to mix his four pitches with success — but the fact that his average fastball velocity has dropped with every outing gives reason to follow it moving forward. In Bundy’s first start of the season, April 5, his fastball averaged 92.99, gradually dropping to 92.08 in his most recent start heading into Wednesday.
“Sure, I see it,” Showalter said. “And we talk to him. He’s had some great workdays. He’s evolved into, I don't want to say he paces himself, but he’s so much better of a pitcher. I thought this was one of his better outings considering. He needed all of his weapons tonight to get through that. Early on, he was really struggling to get the ball where he wanted to get it.”
Bundy, whose fastball averaged 89.2 over his first three innings Wednesday, picked up velocity as the game progressed, as has been the case in most of his starts this season. However, it does appear the drop did affect the effectiveness of his fastball. Beckham turned on an 88.3 mph two- seam fastball in the third inning for his first of two homers off Bundy on the night, the first home runs he’s allowed all season. Bundy opened the season having not allowed a homer in his first 28 1/3 innings.
“It was probably getting loosened up more, more so than that first and second inning, because I did feel better with my overall body in the third or fourth inning,” Bundy said. “I started to feel better overall. And I think I did notice it a little bit, more life on the ball at the end across the plate.”
Still, Bundy wasn’t carrying his best fastball, and he was resourceful in using his secondary pitchers, particularly his slider and curveball. In his 106-pitch outing, he threw the four-seamer just 38 times, recorded 32 sliders and 19 curveballs, both season highs.
Again, all of that takes little away from the fact that Bundy — who is in his first full season as a major league starter — has been the Orioles’ most reliable starting pitcher in the season’s first month. And the 24-year-old’s ability to wriggle through another quality start on a night in which he clearly didn’t have his best stuff signaled another sign of his s evolution as a pitcher.
But it prompts the question whether the Orioles — who have completely taken the reins off Bundy this season, from allowing him to throw his slider to regularly letting him to reach the three-digit pitch-mark — should pump the brakes on Bundy a little. Last season, when Bundy’s velocity dipped in August after the team put him into the rotation after the All-Star break, they found every opportunity to give Bundy extra days of rest.
“It is something you notice because you have a history of [with a guy],” Showalter said. “Keep in mind when he started last year after the All-Star break, and he didn’t have any innings at all. I like to think he’s pacing himself through this and know when to go back and get it and when not to. But it something we are going to keep an eye on.”
This season, the Orioles have planned to keep Bundy on schedule — starting him on regular four days’ rest to keep him in a routine — and his performances say to keep doing that, but do his radar gun readings?
“Yeah, I can’t really trace it,” Bundy said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of times when I go out there and I don’t have my best fastball, but it’s hard as a major league starter to have your best stuff every single game for 30-some starts a year. So as long as I go six innings and keep the team in the game, I consider that doing my time.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-notes-activation-imminent-for- joey-rickard-routine-day-off-for-j-j-hardy-20170426-story.html
Orioles notes: Activation imminent for Joey Rickard; routine day off for J.J. Hardy
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun April 27, 2017
Outfielder Joey Rickard is on track to be activated from the disabled list Friday, a move that would give the Orioles their full complement of bench players back but could shorten the pitching staff in the process.
Rickard played designated hitter in both halves of a doubleheader at Low-A Delmarva on Wednesday, going 1-for-3 in each. He was supposed to play left field in the second, but the field conditions were too wet and slick, manager Buck Showalter said.
Asked whether he’d be activated Friday, Showalter said, “That’s the plan, but we’ll see what transpires tonight and tomorrow.”
After Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Orioles optioned left-hander Paul Fry to Triple-A Norfolk, setting up roster space for Rickard's return.
Rickard sprained his middle finger April 8 sliding into second base and went on the disabled list the following day to create a roster spot for that day’s starter, Wade Miley. The Orioles' roster has stabilized some since then, but his absence has created more opportunities to start for spare outfielder Craig Gentry and thinned out the team’s bench.
Showalter said at the outset of the season that Gentry was more of a weapon off the bench than the team has had in a while. Once the right-handed-hitting Rickard returns, Showalter anticipates seeing four left-handed starters in their next six games, meaning he’ll return right into the lineup.
Hardy gets a day: Shortstop J.J. Hardy is getting his second day off of the year Wednesday, with the game’s proximity to Thursday’s day off, making it particularly appealing to get the veteran infielder some rest.
“We’ve had a lot of off-days this month, and we’ve played in some real tough conditions, and I just wanted J.J. to get off good, stay healthy," Showalter said. "He’s a big part of [our team]. There’s a lot of things that are affected if he has a physical issue. We try to overcome, but trying to do it before an off-day gives him two. It’s going to be a challenging road trip, like they all are — especially this one. But I tried to do it before the off-day.”
Hardy is batting .200 with a home run and six RBIs in 18 starts this season, playing his normally stabilizing shortstop and helping the team to the top spot in the division. But part of getting him a bit of rest is also to get utility infielder Ryan Flaherty a start.
Flaherty has only started once — April 15 in Toronto — and had five plate appearances in four games before Wednesday.
“I really need to get Ryan out there,” Showalter said. “He’s only started one game. We’re going to need him. We need to get him out there.”
Britton, Tillman on track: Closer Zach Britton (left forearm strain) had a bullpen session before Wednesday’s game, and Showalter was waiting on a report on that before the Orioles “decide whether he’s going to do something different or go to Bowie on Friday.”
The team has said Britton won’t need a long rehabilitation assignment if he requires one at all. He went on the disabled list April 16.
Right-hander Chris Tillman (shoulder), meanwhile, is set to make his third rehab start Thursday at Potomac for High-A Frederick. Showalter said pitching coach Roger McDowell is using the day off to go watch, though the manager tried to persuade him not to.
While the team has a rotation opening May 2 that it's trying to line Tillman up with, a fourth rehab start is almost a certainty for him before activation.
Around the horn: Outfielders Michael Bourn and Mike Yastrzemski are both progressing well in extended spring training, the team said.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-jonathan-schoop-s-physical- maturation-stands-out-as-power-continues-to-show-20170426-story.html
Orioles' Jonathan Schoop's physical maturation stands out as power continues to show
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun April 26, 2017
In recalling his earliest memories of Jonathan Schoop — and how far he has come since then — manager Buck Showalter remembers being struck by the second baseman's frame.
“Jon, for a while there was like one of those — you’ve seen the new fawns whose legs don’t quite support the body and they kind of wobble a little bit?” Showalter said. “Not that he wobbled, but all of a sudden, everything caught up.”
Now that it has, that powerful frame has paced the Orioles offensively over the past few weeks. After a 2-for-19 start, Schoop has used the ensuing 2 1/2 weeks to put himself on track for another prolific offensive season.
In Schoop’s 13 games before Wednesday, he drove in 11 runs with five home runs and four doubles, all while batting .356 (16-for-45) to bring his season average to .281. That his production has come at a time when some of the other cogs in the lineup are struggling has made it even more of a boon.
And the most intriguing part about it might be that the numbers indicate Schoop could be even more productive. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is .265, down from .305 last season. Even if you normalize to the expected league-average of .300 and not Schoop’s past two years (.305 and .329), there’s a natural uptick in average coming his way.
However, according to Statcast, his batted ball profile projects a slightly lower wOBA (weighted on-base average) than he has, with an expected wOBA of .345 compared to his actual wOBA of .377, which is tops among qualifiers on the team.
And though it’s early, he has also cut down his strikeout rate from 21.2 percent to 16.9 percent, which is a boon for a player who sometimes gets into stretches where he expands the strike zone.
Either way, Schoop has ascended into a high spot in Showalter’s mind. When he discusses the prolific power of outfielder Mark Trumbo or first baseman Chris Davis, Schoop now gets lumped in. http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/226700452/throw-hits-ryan-flahertys-helmet-scores-2/
Flaherty uses head to help O's score 2 runs
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com April 27, 2017
BALTIMORE -- Seth Smith singled in the third inning ... and then made it all the way home in Wednesday's 5-4, 11-inning Orioles win.
"That was a deflating inning," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "No doubt about it."
The O's outfielder -- who also had the walk-off walk in the 11th -- was part of a bizarre sequence of events against the Rays that led to Baltimore plating a pair of runs. Smith knocked a two-out single to center field, then advanced to second on Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier's error, with Ryan Flaherty advancing to third on the hit.
"It was just a bad play," Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said. "We had the one mistake play with [Alex] Cobb that cost us the two runs, and then after that, the pitching was good, we battled back and put ourselves in position to win. I think the ball just went straight through to the dugout. Cobb was in the right position, [but] the play sped up right there."
Kiermaier's throw to third came in behind Flaherty's slide and skipped past the base. Flaherty took a few steps toward home as the throw was corraled by Cobb, before jumping back toward third. Cobb threw the ball to third in an attempt to pick off Flaherty, but his throw caromed off Flaherty's helmet and shot into left field, allowing Flaherty and Smith to run home.
"I was trying to steal second and he put the ball in play and it turned into a circus," Flaherty said. "[Smith] hit it, try to get to third. Going to third the ball gets away, try to go home, then you realize don't go home. You go back to third, it ends up hitting you in the helmet. It bounces in the outfield for an inside-the-park home run. One time in the Minor Leagues I was on the bad end of that. It's a complete circus play."
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/226734650/yankees-orioles-clash-in-al-east- battle/?topicId=26688836
Gausman looking to find groove vs. Yankees
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com April 27, 2017
Two of the hottest teams in the American League East will square off on Friday night, though this spring almost no one would have predicted those two clubs would be the Yankees and the Orioles.
The two overachievers will meet for a three-game series at Yankee Stadium, starting with Orioles Opening Day starter Kevin Gausman and veteran lefty CC Sabathia.
Three things to know
• The Orioles are expected to activate outfielder Joey Rickard from the disabled list prior to Friday's game, giving them another speed and defense option off the bench.
• It was a battle for Sabathia in his last start vs. the Pirates. His pitches weren't as sharp and he lost his first game of the season, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings.
• Gausman is still trying to get into a groove. The righty has just one quality start on the year and allowed four first-inning runs to the Red Sox in his last outing. According to Statcast, Gausman's velocity was down about a mph on both his four-seam fastball (95.2 to 94.3 mph) and splitter (86.5 to 85.7 mph) in that start, and the Red Sox took advantage by going 6-for-15 with a homer against those pitches.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/because-you-asked---the-new-batch.html
Because You Asked - The New Batch
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com April 27, 2017
The mailbag is full again, though I’m estimating that three-fourths of it is occupied by weather- based questions.
If this is any help, the latest forecast in New York calls for a high temperature of 78 degrees for Friday’s series opener against the Yankees, with a 20 percent chance of rain. There’s a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms on Saturday with a high temperature of 82, but it’s not supposed to get above 63 degrees on Sunday, with no rain anticipated.
Weather.com threw me a few days ago when I began to type in “Baltimore” and it gave me “Bali, India.” Imagine my surprise and horror to find that the game time temperature would be 102 degrees.
In a related story, I still check weather.com for updates. I also print out my airline boarding pass. Anyway, let’s get to some questions. The ones I’ve answered countless times and they still come at me like a blitzing linebacker - which is probably what the Ravens should draft tonight if the best receivers are off the board.
How will the Orioles make room for Joey Rickard if he comes off the disabled list on Friday? Let’s start with the assumption that Rickard will be activated. His finger is fine. He proved it in yesterday’s doubleheader at Single-A Delmarva. Manager Buck Showalter wants a five-man bench and I doubt if anyone is going to fight him on it because the Orioles really are a better team with the extra position player. Showalter can make more moves in the late innings, mostly with Craig Gentry. It’s not about trying to give everyone equal at-bats. Paul Fry was optioned late last night to Triple-A Norfolk. There’s your opening.
Why is Ryan Flaherty on this team? I get this one with such frequency that there must be a prize awarded that I’m unaware of, and I’ll repeat that he’s an extremely valuable super-utility player. He handles all four infield positions, can play the outfield and can serve as the emergency catcher. Showalter trusts him anywhere in the field and that counts for a lot here. He’s a team player who doesn’t complain about his prolonged stretches on the bench. Maybe he’d produce more at the plate if he actually stepped up to it more than once every few weeks. Showalter definitely wants to get him more involved. And his walk last night in the 11th inning might have been more impressive than his RBI single in the second.
Why is Caleb Joseph on this team? Must be a separate prize. Joseph is valued for his work behind the plate. Showalter noted yesterday that Joseph had a fantastic night catching Wade Miley. And you can’t convince me that this guy suddenly forgot how to hit. But he’s not judged by his average or run production. Also, Chance Sisco isn’t ready. He’s still got some work to do at Norfolk. The kid is 22. No need to rush him. Francisco Peña and Audry Perez also are options, but Showalter seems quite comfortable with Joseph. And there’s the early success of Miley to factor into the discussion. If it ain’t broke ...
What’s the forecast for tonight? A high of 81 degrees, 10 percent chance of rain. But there’s no game.
What are the chances that they get in tonight’s game? I’m driving up from Richmond and need to know whether I should go or stay home. Seriously, there’s no game.
Why does Buck keep playing Mark Trumbo? Well, he led the majors with 47 home runs last season. The Orioles aren’t worried about him. There’s always the argument for lowering him in the order if the slump continues, and a five- man bench presents more chances to play with the lineup. But Trumbo will heat up. He may not lead the majors in home runs again, but he didn’t forget how to square up a ball.
Why didn’t Buck pinch-hit Trey Mancini for Mark Trumbo last night? See above. I can’t imagine Showalter removing Trumbo for another right-handed bat in the 20th game of the season.
What does Trey Mancini have to do to stay in the lineup? Lead the majors in home runs? I don’t know. Showalter isn’t going to run him out there every day, Seth Smith is healthy and the Rays started three right-handers in the series. Mancini is 2- for-17 with a home run since his two-homer game in Toronto. I’m more curious about how he’s been the designated hitter in his last three starts. He’s been fine in the outfield. What gives?
Do you plan on asking Buck why Trumbo has been in the outfield while Mancini’s the DH? Do you read the blog? Sorry, that was harsh. “Just a little better feel there,” Showalter said before Mancini’s last start. “We’ll see how the health is with everybody. It just works better for us right now. You try to be careful, and sometimes it’s unavoidable, with a young player, throwing a lot of challenges at him. The guy’s swinging the bat pretty well, making a contribution. We’ll pick our spots when he plays out there. It’s a tough place to, I don’t want to say ‘experiment,’ but I don’t want to do anything that ... Of course, Trey’s pretty strong mentally, it seems like. I don’t think what happens in the field is going to bother him. Glad to be able to get him the number of at-bats that we have. On paper it was a challenge going into it out of spring.”
Why was Mychal Givens charged with a run last night? The tying run scored after Donnie Hart hit Rickie Weeks. I’m getting some fresh mail here. Nothing so far about who’s going to be the opening day starter or whether the Orioles will re-sign Matt Wieters. It’s just some rule where, even though Givens’ runner after the leadoff double eventually was forced at the plate, Givens gets saddled with the run because, basically, the hit batter takes the place of the runner who doubled. Make sense? Someone out there can explain it better. I did a lousy job on Twitter.
The Orioles need to get rid of Ubaldo Jiménez. That’s not a question.
Why don’t the Orioles get rid of Ubaldo Jiménez? Check his numbers over the last two months of the 2016 season, when teams hit .213 against him in August and .151 in September. His velocity was up in spring training and he was crisper than usual. He held the Reds to two hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings. And they don’t need him in the bullpen. He tends to scuffle in his first inning. Not a good quality for a reliever. And the Orioles may go with a shorter ‘pen, leaving no room for him. He’s being paid $13.5 million this season. It’s only April. Check back with me later if he gets knocked out early in a succession of starts.
How is Michael Bourn in the organization? I thought the Orioles released him. They did. And then they re-signed him to a minor league deal on April 11 and sent him to extended spring training, where he began playing in games Tuesday. The Orioles will assign him to Norfolk after he gets a typical spring training amount of at-bats. Somewhere in the 35-40 range.
What happened to Miguel Castro? I see he’s on Single-A Frederick’s roster, but he hasn’t pitched. Castro is at extended spring training. He’ll pitch Thursday and Saturday before reporting to an affiliate. It’s expected to be Double-A Bowie unless the plan suddenly changed.
What does Hyun Soo Kim have to do to actually play? Maybe become a switch-hitter. Circumstances lead him back to the bench. The Orioles keep facing left-handers and Showalter wants to put Kim in more advantageous situations. That includes not making him chase Steven Wright’s knuckleball. And now the Orioles will face two left-handed starters in New York this weekend and, it appears, two more in Boston. That’s more pine time. And Rickard’s return gives Showalter another right-handed bat to use.
How’s the Pedro Álvarez outfield experiment going at Norfolk? Not good at the moment. It’s been a struggle. The conversion came much easier to Mancini. The Orioles are remaining patient with Álvarez, who has an opt-out clause in his contract next month. More puzzling is why he isn’t hitting. Alvarez’s average is .185 after yesterday’s doubleheader. He has three home runs, two of them in the opener. I ran his numbers by a member of the organization this week and got a shrug in return. No worries about the bat. But he wasn’t signed to be a platoon designated hitter.
Why wasn’t Manny Machado suspended, but Matt Barnes got four games? Machado didn’t throw a pitch behind his own head. Again, his slide wasn’t intended to injure Dustin Pedroia. It was sloppy at worst. Xander Bogaerts’ flip left Pedroia vulnerable and Machado actually came off the bag to hold up the second baseman. If that was an attempt to injure, it was lame. If Barnes buries a pitch in Machado’s thigh, both benches are warned and that’s it. Go toward the head and it’s a suspension. Barnes dropped his appeal yesterday. And I’ll say again that if it’s a different Oriole, there isn’t this much fuss. Same if it’s a different second baseman.
Where do the Orioles go after New York? They’re in Boston for four games.
What’s the weather going to be like? I think we’re done here.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/flaherty-gets-rare-start-tonight.html
Flaherty gets rare start tonight (we’re tied)
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com April 26, 2017
Shortstop J.J. Hardy is out of the Orioles lineup tonight for the first time since April 15 in Toronto, which coincided with Ryan Flaherty’s only start this month.
Hardy got to rest two days later with the Orioles having their fourth open date on the schedule. He played in the next eight games without a break, going 4-for-30, after a 7-for-16 stretch in the previous four games.
The Orioles are off again Thursday, giving Hardy an extended rest before Friday night’s series opener at Yankee Stadium.
“We’ve had a lot of off-days this month and we’ve played in real some tough conditions and I just want him to get off good, stay healthy,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s a big part of ... There’s a lot of things that are affected if he has a physical issue that we try to overcome. But trying to do it before an off-day gives him two.
“It’s going to be a challenging road trip, like they all are. Especially this one. Tried to do it before the off-day.”
Flaherty has five plate appearances in four games. He hasn’t been on the field since April 16 in Toronto, his last at-bat coming the previous day.
“I really need to get Ryan out there,” Showalter said. “He’s only started one game. We’re going to need him and we need to get him out there.
“He’s the only guy I just don’t feel like we’ve really gotten in the flow like we should.”
Outfielder Joey Rickard should be back on the active roster Friday. He played in three games at Single-A Delmarva, including both ends of today’s doubleheader, and went 3-for-10 with two runs scored and two strikeouts. “The plan was for him to DH the first game and play in the second, but I was talking with Brian Graham, who was there with Ryan (Minor). Said the field was really slick and muddy,” Showalter said.
“Of course, what are you telling Ryan McKenna? But Joey DHed both games, felt good and he’s on his way back.”
The plan calls for Rickard to rejoin the Orioles Friday, “but see what transpires tonight and tomorrow,” Showalter said.
Pitching coach Roger McDowell will accompany Chris Tillman to Woodbridge, Va., for Thursday’s start with Single-A Frederick.
“Trying to talk Roger out of going to Potomac, but he’s going to Potomac with him,” Showalter said. “That was like talking to one of our mules.”
The Yankees are starting left-hander CC Sabathia on Friday, Michael Pineda Saturday and left- hander Jordan Montgomery Sunday. As I wrote earlier, the Orioles are countering with Kevin Gausman, Ubaldo Jiménez and Wade Miley.
Steve Johnson has reported to Triple-A Norfolk and will be activated on Thursday.
Update: The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on one-out singles by Hyun Soo Kim - his 100th career major league hit - Jonathan Schoop and Flaherty. Seth Smith collected his second single and two Rays errors allowed Flaherty and Smith to score.
Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier’s throw skipped past third baseman Evan Longoria for the first error, and pitcher Alex Cobb’s throw to third glanced off Flaherty’s helmet.
Smith ends up scoring on a single into center field.
Update II: Tim Beckham led off the third inning with a home run, the first surrendered by Dylan Bundy this season, and the Orioles lead was cut to 3-1.
Bundy’s velocity is down. Beckham hit a four-seamer clocked at 88 mph, according to the pitch tracker on MLB.com.
Update III: Bundy retired eight in a row and Beckham homered again to reduce the lead to 3-2 in the fifth inning.
Update IV: The Rays tied the game in the eighth after Derek Norris’ leadoff double against Mychal Givens. Donnie Hart hit Rickie Weeks Jr. and walked Kevin Kiermaier on nine pitches. Darren O’Day got Evan Longoria to ground into a 3-2 force, but Chris Davis had to settle for the out at second base after making a diving stop on Brad Miller’s grounder.
O’Day let only one inherited runner score, the run charged to Givens.
The Orioles stranded two runners in the bottom of the eighth.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/early-notes-on-britton-tillman-rickard-and- upcoming-starters.html
Early notes on Britton, Tillman, Rickard and upcoming starters
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com April 26, 2017
Orioles closer Zach Britton will pitch Friday evening at Double-A Bowie if today’s side session, as expected, didn’t bring any discomfort in his left forearm area.
The Baysox have a 7:05 p.m. game against Akron at Prince George’s Stadium.
Britton won’t be activated from the disabled list before Sunday in New York. The Orioles will decide whether he needs another outing in the minors.
Britton hasn’t pitched since April 14 in Toronto. He’s allowed one run in seven innings and gone five-for-five chances, but he’s also surrendered 10 hits and walked three batters.
Chris Tillman remains scheduled to pitch for Single-A Frederick on Thursday against Potomac. Rickard-Swings-White-Sidebar.jpgOutfielder Joey Rickard, who went 2-for-6 in today’s doubleheader at Single-A Delmarva, will come off the disabled list on Friday in New York. Stay tuned for the corresponding roster move, which is expected to involve a pitcher.
Kevin Gausman will start Friday night’s series opener at Yankee Stadium, where he’s 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.080 WHIP in nine games (six starts) over 41 2/3 innings.
Showalter said he’s keeping his starters in turn, which puts Ubaldo Jiménez on the mound Saturday and Wade Miley on Sunday.
Dylan Bundy starts Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox on Fenway Park. The Orioles need a fifth starter on Tuesday, which could be Tillman if he’s ready.
As I wrote earlier, Showalter is giving shortstop J.J. Hardy a night off to keep him healthy. He also wanted to give Ryan Flaherty a second start, acknowledging that he’s failed to keep the utility infielder “in the flow.”
Showalter said the Orioles are expected to face four left-handed starters over the next six games. Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius is expected to come off the disabled list on Friday. He injured his right shoulder in the World Baseball Classic.
For the Rays
Corey Dickerson DH Kevin Kiermaier CF Evan Longoria 3B Brad Miller 2B Steven Souza Jr. RF Logan Morrison 1B Tim Beckham SS Shane Peterson LF Derek Norris C
Alex Cobb RHP http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/without-everything-clicking-the-orioles- are-playing-700-baseball.html
Without everything clicking, Orioles are playing .700 baseball
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 27, 2017
So here are a few things going on with the 2017 Baltimore Orioles.
Their opening day starter Kevin Gausman has an ERA of 7.50. Right-hander Chris Tillman has been on the disabled list all year and closer Zach Britton has been on the DL the last 10 games. All-Star third baseman Manny Machado is batting .205 and 2016 MLB homer leader Mark Trumbo is hitting .190. Trumbo has gone 13 games without an RBI and Chris Davis has one over his last 11 games. The O’s rank 11th in the American League in team batting and 12th in runs scored.
All of that has not slowed this team down. Not at all. The Orioles are 14-6, playing .700 baseball, the best record in the American League. The Orioles are baseball’s only team to not lose a series yet ,and they’ve gone 6-0-1. They are 11-2 in games decided by two runs or fewer. They are 12- 5 versus AL East teams.
It has not been boring.
Last night the Orioles played their third extra-inning game, and they’ve won all three. This time, they had to score twice in the last of the 11th to beat Tampa Bay 5-4. After he drew a bases- loaded walk to end the game, outfielder Seth Smith was asked about the club’s strong 20-game start.
“It’s really just like every other club I’ve been on that’s won a decent amount of games,” Smith said. “You do everything timely and you pitch good enough and you hit good enough. If one’s not doing well, the other picks it up and vice-versa. There’s no secret to winning these games. You’ve got to pitch well, you’ve got to hit well, and you’ve got to put it together over nine innings.”
Or sometimes over 11 innings.
Right-hander Dylan Bundy left with a one-run lead but wound up with a no-decision as Tampa Bay rallied for a 3-3 tie and went ahead 4-3 in the top of the 11th before the O’s scored twice in the home half.
Despite his velocity being down last night, Bundy gave up just two runs over 6 1/3 innings. His ERA of 1.65 ranks tied for sixth in the AL. He has five quality starts in five outings. He is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three home starts. Both left (.229) and right-handed batters (.227) are having a tough time getting hits off him. When Bundy has pitched with runners in scoring position, opponents are batting .105 (2-for-19).
His secondary pitches, on display often last night, have been strong. He can throw four pitches for strikes and knows how to use them. Click here to read his postgame comments from last night, including his take on his velocity, which was often between 88 and 90 mph. The first-place Orioles get today off. They lead the Yankees by 1 1/2 games and play in the Big Apple on Friday night to start a three-game series and seven-game trip through New York and Boston.
A few notes from the minors Wednesday:
* Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Chris Lee recorded his first Triple-A win in Game 1 as the Tides split a doubleheader with Buffalo. Lee pitched six scoreless in the opener, a 4-0 win. Over his last three starts, he is 1-0 with a 2.02 ERA. * Norfolk catcher Chance Sisco doubled and singled in the opener, upping his average to .325 (13-for-40) over his last 11 games.
* In Double-A Bowie’s 13-2 win at Richmond, seven different Baysox drove in at least one run. Bowie had 21 hits and went 10-for-30 with runners in scoring position. Yep, they had 30 at-bats with RISP. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many in a single game.
* Single-A Frederick split a doubleheader at Potomac. Outfielder Austin Hays went 3-for-7 with two RBIs in the twin bill and is batting .355.
* Australian native Alexander Wells pitched a strong game for Single-A Delmarva as they split a doubleheader with Lakewood. In the Game 1 win, Wells pitched six innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run. He is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.00 for the season. He has not allowed an earned over 13 innings in his past three starts.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/dylan-bundy-on-his-outing-and-reduced- velocity-plus-other-quotes.html
Bundy on his outing and reduced velocity (plus other quotes)
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 27, 2017
Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy delivered another solid performance tonight. He did it with reduced fastball velocity and heavy use of his secondary pitches.
But he was good again, allowing four hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 5-4 by scoring two runs in the last of the 11th. He left with a 3-2 lead that turned into a tie and one-run deficit before the O’s pulled the game out in the 11th.
Well before Seth Smith’s bases-loaded walk ended the game, Bundy took the mound with an ERA ranking fourth in the AL at 1.37. He came up with his fifth quality start in five games and left his outing with an ERA of 1.65. He threw curves, sliders and changeups on 68 of his 106 pitches.
His fastball ranged from 88-90 mph, touching 91-92 mph with a few 93 mph readings as the game went on.
“I know there will be a lot of times I’ll go out there and I don’t have my best fastball,” Bundy said. “So, I mean, it’s hard as a major league starter to have your best stuff every single game for 30-some starts a year. As long as, like I said, (I pitched) six innings and kept the team in the game, I consider that doing my job.
“I was probably getting loosened up more, moreso than that first and second inning. Because I did feel a little bit better, overall body in the third and fourth inning. I did notice more life on the ball at the end.”
Bundy said there is not any reason to be concerned about him or his fastball velocity.
“A quality start is a quality start,” he said. “I’m not too worried about the numbers. I don’t think you guys need to be worried either. But, no, I’m mixing in more two-seamers this year, like I said in spring training. But overall, felt good when I left the game so I’m happy about it. Yeah, I think I used curveball more and my changeup more than I have in the past. And it worked out well tonight.”
Most of the Rays didn’t do much against Bundy tonight, but shortstop Tim Beckham reached him for solo homers in the third and fifth innings.
“He hit a fastball inside, a two-seamer that didn’t really move and then a slider that was kind of a spinning slider,” Bundy said. “I would have tried a curveball the next at-bat, but I didn’t get to face him.”
Over his last three starts, Bundy has allowed two runs in 19 1/3 innings for an ERA of 0.93. O’s starters have produced 10 quality starts the last 13 games and a rotation ERA of 3.07 in that span. In the 11th, Jonathan Schoop’s sac fly tied the game before Smith walked with the bases loaded on four pitches to complete a 2-for-5 night.
The Orioles are now 14-6 (.700) overall, 12-5 against the American League East, 8-3 at home and 6-0-1 in seven series. They are off Thursday and then begin a series at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.
More clubhouse quotes:
Smith on the win: “It’s awesome. Every win is big. That’s all that matters at the end of the day, at the end of the season. Be down in extra innings and come back and win is always good for the morale and moving forward. Probably less so winning than the feeling of losing an extra-inning game at home, but still really good.”
Smith on circling the bases after his single in the second inning sent Ryan Flaherty to third base. Two errors led to both runners scoring for a 3-0 lead: “I hit the single and then the throw came in. I was stopping at first, and then it got by, and I was stopping at second. The throw went to left. I was going to third, and I saw there wasn’t anybody really close, and I knew I might get sent home, but at that point, everything was behind me, and he was sending me, the hard send is where you know there’s probably going to be a play, and thankfully I was able to get there before the ball.”
Flaherty on that play: “I was trying to steal second and he put the ball in play and it turned into a circus. He hit it, try to get to third. Going to third, the ball gets away, try to go home, then you realize don’t go home. You go back to third, it ends up hitting you in the helmet. It bounces in the outfield for an inside-the-park home run.”
Flaherty on getting to start and play in a win: “It’s just fun to get out there and play. When you get a chance to get out there, you try to help the team win, move the chains and keep it going.”
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/os-game-blog-dylan-bundy-looks-for- fourth-win-in-series-finale.html
O’s game blog: Dylan Bundy looks for fourth win in series finale
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 26, 2017
They have not lost a series all year and the Orioles will try to keep that stat intact tonight at Camden Yards. But they’ll need to win in the third and deciding game of their series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Orioles are 5-0-1 in their six series on the season. The only series they did not win was a two-game split against Boston at Camden Yards on April 11-12.
The Orioles hit three homers Monday in a 6-3 comeback victory in the series opener. Then they were held to two hits by the Rays in last night’s 2-0 loss. They begin the night at 13-6 and leading the American League East by 1 1/2 games over the Yankees, by two games over the Red Sox and by 3 1/2 over the Rays (11-11).
Right-hander Dylan Bundy (3-1, 1.37 ERA) tonight makes his fifth start. Over 26 1/3 innings, he has allowed 22 hits and four runs with four walks and 20 strikeouts. He has recorded four quality starts and the Orioles are 3-1 in his starts.
Bundy ranks fourth in the American League in ERA behind only Minnesota’s Ervin Santana (0.77), Boston’s Chris Sale (0.91) and Houston’s Dallas Keuchel (1.22). Over his last two starts, Bundy has thrown 13 scoreless innings, allowing 11 hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.
Right-hander Alex Cobb (1-2, 4.88 ERA) is making his fifth start. He gave up one run over 5 2/3 innings in his first start against the Yankees, but has pitched to an ERA of 5.89 the past three games. He does not have a quality start and the Rays are 1-3 in his four outings. Over 24 innings, he has allowed 30 hits, including five homers, with four walks, 18 strikeouts and a 1.417 WHIP. Cobb has not faced the Orioles since Sept. 5, 2014. But in eight career starts against Baltimore he is 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA. That is the best ERA against the Orioles of any active pitcher with five or more starts against the club. In four starts at Oriole Park, he is 2-0 with a 3.66 ERA.
Tuesday marked the first game at Camden Yards this season without a home run by either team. The Orioles are 0-1 in such games. According to STATS, LLC., it was the 245th homerless game at Oriole Park since opening in 1992. Last season, there were eight games at Camden Yards in which neither team hit a homer and the Orioles went 6-2 in homerless games at home last season. Orioles relievers own a 2.73 ERA to rank fifth in the majors. Over the last seven games, the bullpen has allowed one run in 19 2/3 innings and stranded all 10 inherited runners. On this current homestand, O’s relievers are 1-0 with a 0.55 ERA and three saves, allowing one earned run over 16 1/3.
Best bullpen ERAs in MLB:
1.39 - New York Yankees 2.05 - Chicago White Sox 2.21 - Boston Red Sox 2.66 - Houston Astros 2.73 - Baltimore Orioles
Last night was just the Orioles’ second loss this year in a game decided by two runs or less. They are 5-1 in one-run games and 5-1 in two-run games.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/after-rare-bullpen-appearance-alec-asher- hopes-to-stick-on-os-roster.html
After rare bullpen appearance, Alec Asher hopes to stick on O’s roster
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 26, 2017
Maybe we didn’t realize it at the time, but we got to see a rarity on Sunday here at Camden Yards: 25-year-old right-hander Alec Asher pitched in relief.
He is one of the newest Orioles and since the 2014 season, Asher had made 77 starts in the minors and majors with zero relief outings. Then he pitched in the ninth inning against Boston and he remains working out of the bullpen right now for the Orioles.
Going back to 2013, Asher made 26 appearances in the minors and just once pitched in relief. Then, beginning with the 2014 season and until Sunday, he made 64 minor league appearances and 13 in the majors - all as a starter.
At Camden Yards on Sunday, he came in with a man on first and none out in the ninth. He gave up a walk but then got Hanley Ramirez to hit into a double play and Mitch Moreland to fly out. He got three outs on 16 pitches. The Orioles acquired Asher near the end of spring training in a March 28 trade with Philadelphia for a player to be named or cash considerations. He reported to Triple-A Norfolk and made one start with the Tides before he was called up to start April 15 in Toronto. It went well - he allowed three hits and one run over 6 1/3 innings at Rogers Centre.
So his first and second impressions with the Orioles have been solid and he has an ERA of 1.23 in 7 1/3 innings.
That rare relief outing also came on seven days’ rest after his start for the Orioles against the Blue Jays. I asked Asher today how he has stayed ready, not knowing when he would pitch out of the bullpen.
“This is my first time in the bullpen, so I’m still trying to figure that out,” he said. “If it’s been like three or four days without pitching, then I’d probably just throw a couple of pitches on the side before the game. But I’ve gotten up and warmed up three or four times. But I’m still trying to figure it all out, too.
“In reality, it’s just pitching, whether you start or relieve. It’s a little different, but it’s still pitching. When I get the call, I’m going to expect to go as long as I can. When you get out there, just focus on one pitch at a time and go from there.”
Asher was 32-33 with a 3.36 ERA in the minors since 2012 at the time of the trade to Baltimore. He’s averaged 2.28 walks and 8.09 strikeouts per nine innings. He had made 12 major league starts over the last two seasons with the Phillies. Last September, he threw well in five games, going 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA for Philadelphia.
Things are finally starting to settle down for a him somewhat after the trade late in spring training and starts in both Triple-A and the majors. Since late March, he’s pitched for two teams and in three leagues. Asher knows some roster moves are looming for the Orioles and he’d like to stick around in the majors.
“It was a hectic first couple of days,” he said. “But I feel part of this team now and I feel like I’m here to stay. Hope to be here awhile. Everyone in here is great. Lot of good guys and lot of veteran guys that are very welcoming. This has been a good experience so far.”
If was for just a few pitches Sunday, but now he’s contributed to an Orioles bullpen that has allowed just one run over 19 2/3 innings over the last seven games and has an ERA for the season of 2.73 to rank fifth in the AL.
“Even with Zach (Britton) out, we’ve done a heckuva job,” Asher said. “I feel like we are throwing the ball really well. It is nice to be a part of one of the best bullpens in the game right now.”
http://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-orioles/post/_/id/1519/anatomy-of-a-little-league-homer
Anatomy of a Little League homer
By Eddie Matz / ESPN.com April 27, 2017
BALTIMORE -- To heck with the math.
According to the math, and the experts who like to use it to crunch numbers and make projections, the Baltimore Orioles weren't supposed to be very good this season. According to the math, they were supposed to win anywhere from not a lot of games to slightly more than not a lot of games. According to the math, they were supposed to be an afterthought in the AL Beast. Instead, they have the best record in the Son of Senior Circuit.
Are the O's a mirage? Maybe. After all, we're only at the one-eighth mark (is that even a thing?). Not to mention, their ho-hum run differential (plus-9) suggests they should be barely above .500 (a Pythagorean 11-9 record). Then again, the same thing happened last season too, when Buck Showalter's club parlayed a surprisingly hot start all the way to the postseason. Regardless, you don't jump out to a 14-6 start without the ball bouncing your way more often than not. You don't have a month like this without a little help from Lady Luck.
By beating Tampa Bay 5-4 in 11 innings on Wednesday, the first-place Birds improved to 6-1 in one-run games. They upped their mark to 3-0 in extra-inning games.
Not to take anything away from Dylan Bundy, who made his fifth straight quality start to kick off the season. Or Brad Brach, who threw up two more goose eggs and continues to do the best Zach Britton impression this side of Zach Britton. Or Chris Davis, who reached base three times, including a leadoff single that started the winning rally in the bottom of the 11th. But if weren't for Kid Karma, who paid an extra-special visit early on in this one, Baltimore might never have been in position to pull out a wild and wacky W that culminated in ... wait for it ... a walk-off walk.
Officially, the final box score will show that LongBalltimore, which led the majors in bombs last season and came into Thursday ranked third in the AL, did not go deep. Unofficially, Seth Smith hit a Little League homer -- a two-run shot that had the exit velocity of a Volvo on a crowded off-ramp, the launch angle of an Acme stomp rocket, and the distance of a sand wedge into high winds.
Seth Smith slid safely into home to cap the craziest single to center of his major league career. Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Actually, that's not entirely true. According to Statcast, Smith's hit off of Rays starter Alex Cobb left the bat at 96 miles an hour, which in theory could be dinger material. Except that it featured just a 15-degree arc and traveled only 322 feet -- to straight away center field. In other words, it had single written all over it. Until it didn't.
Here's how it went down:
With one out and the O's leading 1-0 in the second inning, Smith lined a 2-2 changeup into center field toward Kevin Kiermaier. Ryan Flaherty, on first following an RBI single, was running on the play.
Third baseman Evan Longoria, who had been positioned at shortstop as part of Tampa Bay's shift and was headed to second to cover the steal, had to scurry back toward third to receive the throw from center and didn't quite make it in time. Instead, he and a sliding Flaherty got tangled up, and Kiermaier's throw -- which was actually a pretty good one -- squirted away in the direction of the third-base dugout.
Flaherty started to go for home but then reversed course when he saw that Cobb, backing up third base, had picked up the ball and was about to make a play on him at third. Cobb threw to Longoria at third, but the ball glanced off Flaherty's helmet and caromed into left field.
While Flaherty was busy strolling home, Smith was steaming around second. And third. Left fielder Shane Peterson corralled the ball and made what could loosely be described as a "throw" to relay-man Longoria, who then fired home, where Smith slid in juuuuust ahead of the tag.
Got all that?
Perhaps the most unbelievable thing about the play -- ya know, besides the fact that a guy with three steals in the past five years made it all around the bases on a ball that landed in front of, was hit directly at, and was fielded cleanly by the center fielder -- was the defenders who were involved.
The center fielder in question was Kiermaier, a human web gem who has won back-to-back Gold Gloves. The pitcher in question was Cobb, who ranks in the top 10 among AL starters in runs saved over the past five years. The third baseman in question was Longoria, who isn't the defender he once was but has still saved more runs over the past decade than any third baseman not named Arenado, Machado, or Beltre. Not that it mattered.
"I never touched the ball the whole time," said Longoria after the game, maintaining a sense of humor about the whole thing. "Well, not until I got it and relayed home. It just got out of control. That's a homer in Little League, but in the big leagues it's just a bad play."
Flaherty would've scored it a little differently.
"We can give Seth a homer," Baltimore's utility man said. "If you're starting in the batter's box and you get all the way around to home, that's pretty cool."
Although Flaherty didn't cover quite as much ground as Smith did on the play, between all the starting and stopping and the shenanigans at the hot corner, he felt as if he did. And then some.
"That was more running that I did all of spring training," he said.
As crazy as the play was, Smith is in no hurry to do it again anytime soon.
"I hope that's the last time it happens," said the O's outfielder, who drew the walk-off walk in the 11th and who claims that he never has hit a Little League homer in his life -- not even in Little League. "I don’t ever remember that happening."
As for how his four-base single should be classified, it depends on who's keeping score.
"My children will probably think I hit a home run," said the 34-year old father of three. "Then again, they think any time I put the ball in play, it's a hit."
https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/04/26/mark-trumbos-struggles-symbolize-orioles- offenses-woes
Mark Trumbo's Struggles Symbolize Offense's Woes
By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com April 26, 2017
BALTIMORE -- While the Orioles still own a 13-6 record, strong pitching has masked deficiencies at the plate.
On April 25, the Orioles were limited to two hits against the Tampa Bay Rays, with no hits after a leadoff infield single by first baseman Chris Davis in the fourth inning. It was the first time this season the Orioles were shut out.
Each year, the Orioles vow to address their weakness in on-base percentage, and after the 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay, they have a .291 OBP. They ended last year with a .317 OBP, ninth in the American League.
Some of their biggest hitters have yet to produce, including designated hitter Mark Trumbo, who signed a three-year extension in January after a season in which he hit a major-league leading 47 home runs.
A year ago, Trumbo had five home runs and a .373 average through the first 19 games.
This year, he has just one home run -- the game-winning one Opening Day -- and is batting .203.
"Mark is a very good student of the game, a student of hitting. I trust him. He'll figure it out," manager Buck Showalter said. "I know it's frustrating for him. But, you know, he's not the only one who hasn't been at the level he's spoiled us with. We've got some other guys that [are struggling]. Somebody will pay down the line."
Third baseman Manny Machado, who was named the AL's Player of the Month for April 2016, had seven home runs, 16 RBIs and a .344 average last April.
He's hitting .188 with three home runs and 10 RBIs so far this year.
Chris Davis does have three home runs and five RBIs, but he's already struck out 27 times. He's on a pace to strike 230 times, which would be a major league record. Davis has struck out at least once in 16 of the Orioles' 19 games.
Shortstop J.J. Hardy is batting .200, and as a whole, the team is averaging 3.9 runs a game.
"It's not where we want it. It's not where I want it," Trumbo said. "There are probably quite a few guys in here that aren't all that pleased, but that's part of the game. Everyone in here has struggled. Everyone has done well. We've got a great team. This is just kind of a little funk, and we'll move past it."
There have been some bright spots. Center fielder Adam Jones has a .284 average with four home runs and 10 RBIs. The notoriously aggressive Jones is showing more patience, as he did late last year after he was moved to the leadoff spot.
Batting second, Jones has walked seven times and has a .354 OBP. He is on pace to easily set a career high in walks for the second straight year. Last season, Jones walked 39 times.
The Orioles haven't received much help from their bench. Outfielder Craig Gentry, who has had to play more than expected because of Joey Rickard's absence, is hitting .160.
Backup catcher Caleb Joseph, who went 0-for-3 against Tampa Bay April 25, is still looking for his first RBI since Sept. 11, 2015, and utility infielder Ryan Flaherty has had four hitless at-bats this season.
Showalter has started Davis, Jones, Machado, Trumbo and second baseman Jonathan Schoop in each of the 19 games. Hardy, who at 34 is the oldest regular, has missed one game, and Gentry played in every game until April 25.
Trumbo is generally a strong starter, but this year, it's been different. Is there anything he'd like to change?
"Getting some hits, I think," he said. "Producing and not fouling as many pitches off." http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2017/04/27/the-rays-gave-seth-smith-a-little-league-homer-last-night/
The Rays Gave Seth Smith a Little League Homer Last Night
By Craig Calcaterra / NBCSports.com April 27, 2017
I mentioned this in the recaps this morning, but I think it deserves it’s own special place. Get what went down in the second inning of last night’s Rays-O’s game:
Ryan Flaherty was on first with Seth Smith up to bat. Smith hit a single to center. Flaherty, who was running with the pitch, was making for third base. All-world defender Kevin Kiermaier tried to gun him down but threw wildly to third, causing Flaherty to break for home.
Pitcher Alex Cobb had the play backed up, however! He got the ball near the dugout. Flaherty scampered back to third and Cobb tried to throw him out. The ball hit Flaherty’s helmet, richocheting into left field, allowing both Flaherty and Smith — who had stopped at first and then stopped at second, like a kid at tee ball or something — to come around and score.
I still think the Rays walking home the winning run on four pitches in the 11th inning was worse, but this looked worse.
http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/04/27/bundys-not-worried-velocity-dip-os-thoughts- crazy-play-oday-rickard-fry/
Bundy’s not worried about velocity dip (and other O’s thoughts: Crazy play, O’Day, Rickard, Fry)
By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com April 27, 2017
Yes, Dylan Bundy’s fastball velocity was down Wednesday night during the Orioles’ 5-4, 11th inning win.
And that can make a fan base nervous.
Because this is Bundy, who is finally healthy and pitching the way everyone expected him to when the Orioles selected him with the fourth pick overall in 2011.
And that Bundy, pre-elbow surgery and pre-shoulder injury, reached the high 90s with his menacing fastball.
The Bundy on Wednesday hit 90 mph or higher just twice in his first two innings. By the fourth, though, he was consistently in the low 90s, topping out at 93.3 mph, according to mlb.com’s Gameday. His last two four-seam fastballs in the seventh inning were 92 and 91.7.
What gives? Why was his fastball better in the middle innings?
“Probably getting loosened up more, more so than that first and second inning, because I did feel better with my overall body in the third or fourth inning,” he said. “I started to feel better overall. And I think I did notice it a little bit, more life on the ball at the end across the plate.”
Bundy has five quality starts in five attempts. His ERA is sitting at 1.65. He allowed just two solo homers Wednesday and said he now understands how he has to pitch – more changeups, more sliders, more two-seam fastballs – when he’s not carrying his top fastball.
So, he’s not concerned at all, and he says you shouldn’t be either.
“A quality start is a quality start. I’m not too worried about the numbers. I don’t think you guys need to be worried either. But I’ve been mixing in more two-seamers this year,” he said. “But, overall, I felt good when I left the game, so I’m happy about it.”
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he’s mindful of Bundy’s drop in velocity, but it also shows the pitcher he has become.
“Sure, I see it. And we talk to him,” Showalter said. “I thought this was one of his better outings, considering. He needed all of his weapons tonight to get through that. Early on, he was really struggling to get the ball where he wanted to get it. It is something you notice, because you have a history of guys. … I like to think he’s pacing himself through this and knows when to go back and get (the better fastball) and when not to. But it’s something we are going to keep an eye on.”
A real home run, Grandpa?
There’s probably about nine of you that remember that Bell System commercial back in 1983, when a little boy on a phone (one attached to the wall and everything) told his grandfather about a home run he hit, which, video showed, was a series of Little League errors. He ends the tale with, “A real home run, Grandpa.”
That bit of ‘how-do-you-remember-this crap?’ nostalgia struck me in the second inning Wednesday night when Seth Smith singled to center. And scored.
He scored because Ryan Flaherty trucked to third as Kevin Kiermaier unleashed a bad throw. Pitcher Alex Cobb picked up the ball in foul territory and threw back to third to try and get Flaherty again.
The ball caromed off Flaherty’s helmet and bounced into left field. Flaherty scored easily and Smith, who never stopped running, scored just ahead of the throw home.
“Two strikes, just trying to steal second and he put the ball in play and it turned into a circus,” Flaherty said. “Going to third, the ball gets away, try to go home, then you realize don’t go home. You go back to third, it ends up hitting you in the helmet. It bounces in the outfield for an inside the park home run. … It’s a complete circus play.”
Great hustle play by Smith. And one of the more bizarre sequences I’ve seen in some time – at least since that 1980s commercial.
Shelve the worries about O’Day for now
There was growing concern that Darren O’Day wasn’t the same pitcher this year that he had been in the past.
It’s a long season, I said in the first week when O’Day allowed five runs in his first three outings while battling the flu. It’s still a long season, so let’s not make proclamations that O’Day is all the way back just yet.
But he sure looked like the guy who has been one of the most dependable relievers in club history. He entered Wednesday’s game in the eighth with the bases loaded and no outs and the Orioles clinging to a 3-2 lead. He picked up two groundouts and a pop-up, allowing only one run to score.
“That was probably the biggest part of the game other than Dylan’s outing was Darren doing that job in that situation,” Showalter said. “That was big for us. … I think we all have a lot of confidence when there’s a bump in the road or something that he’ll get back on track.”
In his last six innings, spanning six appearances, O’Day has allowed three hits, no walks and no runs while striking out five.
Due to the lack of innings, that 5.19 ERA still isn’t pretty. But what matters for relievers is what they’ve done lately, and O’Day has been O’Day lately.
To bunt or not to bunt
I had several Twitter followers complain to me that the Orioles should have bunted with runners at first and second and no outs with the game tied 3-3 in the eighth.
I wouldn’t have, because Mark Trumbo was up. And, frankly, he’s not a bunter. He’s a guy that led the AL in homers last year.
Some of the Twitter followers pressed forward.
OK, then bring in Craig Gentry, who can bunt to get the runners over. Then you’d have a runner on third with one out.
Again, I get it, but I still wouldn’t have done it.
In a tie game, in the late innings, the last thing I’d do is replace a bat like Trumbo’s – one that can end a game with one swing – with Gentry’s. Furthermore, you also are taking Gentry’s legs off the bench, when you might need him to run later in the game (the remaining pinch-running options were Caleb Joseph, J.J. Hardy and Trey Mancini, not exactly sprinters).
In fact, Gentry did score the winning run in the 11th, after he pinch-ran for Welington Castillo (though he jogged home from third on Smith’s walkoff walk).
I understand Trumbo has struggled this year, but it’s been 20 games, not 80. Of course, Trumbo fanned in the eighth, so the move – or non-move – backfired.
Still, I would have done the same thing as Showalter – and not exchanged Trumbo’s bat for an out by a bunting Gentry.
Rickard about ready; Fry demoted
Joey Rickard (left middle finger sprain) looks like he is done his brief rehab assignment after playing a doubleheader at Low-A Delmarva on Wednesday. He batted second and had a single in three at-bats in each game.
Rickard was supposed to play the outfield in one of Wednesday’s games, but due to the recent rain in the region, the Orioles had Rickard serve as the designated hitter in both contests for the Shorebirds.
Showalter expects that Rickard will be activated Friday for the series in New York. The Orioles sent lefty Paul Fry back to Triple-A Norfolk after Wednesday’s game, so a 25-man roster spot has been created for Rickard.
That means the Orioles will have a five-man bench for a while – at least until they need to make more roster moves to add closer Zach Britton and starter Chris Tillman. http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/sports/2017/04/26/orioles-rickard-rehabs-shorebirds-gets-3- hits/100943396/
Orioles' Rickard rehabs with Shorebirds, gets 3 hits
By Richard Pollitt / The Daily Times April 26, 2017
Joey Rickard’s time with the Delmarva Shorebirds has come and gone, but the Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder did not go unnoticed during his tenure at Perdue Stadium.
Rickard played in all three games against the Lakewood BlueClaws, lining up in left field Monday night and taking on designated hitter duties in Wednesday’s double-header.
Throughout the series, Rickard combined for a total of three hits in 10 at bats, while scoring two runs and tallying two strikeouts.
The Shorebirds took two of the three games, winning the first two, 4-1 and 2-1, respectively, but getting shut out in the final game 5-0. Delmarva holds a 10-11 overall record and is currently second in the South Atlantic League standings.
Rickard ended up scoring the deciding run in the second game with Lakewood.
Up 1-0 in the bottom of the third, third baseman Chris Clare singled on a fly ball to right field, allowing Rickard to score the run that would ultimately decide the contest.
The Orioles’ outfielder was sent to Salisbury for rehab after spraining his left middle finger against the New York Yankees on April 8.
Before his injury, Rickard had gone 0-for-6 at the plate with two strikeouts through four games in Baltimore.
With his minor-league rehab in the books, Rickard will head back to Baltimore in hopes of rejoining the Orioles’ active roster.
Baltimore currently has five outfielders: Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Seth Smith, Hyun Soo Kim and Craig Gentry. Designated hitter and former Shorebird Trey Mancini has also started in the outfield this season.
Pending a second rehab situation, the Shorebirds won’t go too long before another high-profile player walks into Perdue Stadium.
Former NFL quarterback and current Columbia Fireflies outfielder Tim Tebow will take the field from May 10-12, when Columbia visits Delmarva.
Tickets are almost sold out for all three games.