Road-Trip Recap
The Baltimore Orioles have finished a three-city, ten-game, west-coast road trip that immediately followed the All-Star break. Overall, the Birds were six wins and four losses. While some would argue the record should have been 7-3, my father always told me that the score tells you how many, not how. So here is a quick recap of the games, along with my grades. Disagree with me if you wish (Twitter @ACHefty).
July 18, O’s 4, A’s 5 – Loss
This one was a late heartbreaker. Manny returns to Oakland in a sea of booing A’s fans. Weeks ago, I said that he shouldn’t appeal his suspension. But he did, and it was upheld. He got what he deserved. Lesson learned, move on. And he proved that. With the game tied in the 7th, Manny blasted a home run with JJ Hardy on board. That should have shut the A’s down. But it was not to be. The ever-reliable Zach Britton gave up a pair of singles in the 9th, and then a clobbering homer off the bat of Josh Donaldson to seal the loss. Overall effort, B+. But since the O’s lost (in the 9th – a rare feat), they need to be given a C.
July 19, O’s 8, A’s 4 – Win
Former Oriole Jason Hammel was pounded in the first three innings, giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits, including two homeruns and a double. Oakland had only one “clean” 1-2-3 inning, while the Birds pounded away with a total of 13 hits. Meanwhile, Baltimore came away with four “clean” innings, scattering four runs on eight hits. Chen didn’t have as deep a performance as previous outings, but Brach, O’Day, and Britton covered well for him. Let’s grade this an A – solid performance against the best team in the League.
July 20, O’s 2, A’s 10 – Loss
F. That is all.
July 21, O’s 4, Angels 2 – Win
Matt Shoemaker and the bullpen of California/Anaheim/Los Angeles/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitched well, keeping the Orioles to only 6 hits. But two of those hits were costly. Adam Jones pasted the ball twice for a pair of 2-run homeruns. That was all the Birds needed. And in the late innings, the only base runner for the Angels was after an Albert Pujols walk. The Halos had plenty of offense. Fortunately for Baltimore, the Achilles for Anaheim that game was LOB (20). Solid effort. B+.
July 21, O’s 4, Angels 2 – Win
Miguel Gonzalez puts together a strong outing, going 7 2/3 innings. His only mistakes were four walks and a two-run shot by Mike Trout. While the offense’s LOB was rather high at 12, it didn’t bite them when the dust had settled. Cruz, Davis, Hardy, and Schoop provided all that was necessary with a 3-run 6th inning and an insurance run in the 8th. This game gave the Angels a long-awaited series loss at home. That in itself is an accomplishment. Another solid effort in another pitchers’ duel. A-.
July 22, O’s 2, Angels 3 – Loss
This one hurt the worst. The O’s could have gotten a sweep on national TV, and they had it going into the 8th inning after Tillman holds Anaheim to one run in the first inning. Tommy Hunter starts the 7th with a 1-2-3, but then the wheels come off afterwards. The Angels avoid a sweep. The O’s drop to .500 on the road trip. The two errors on the game didn’t result in any damage on the scoreboard, but it certainly hurts the psyche. C-.
July 24, O’s 4, Mariners 0 – Win
Wei-Yin Chen dominated. Five hits over eight solid innings in a shutout is a top-rate performance by anyone’s standards. And Delmon Young, coming off the bench to prove to manager Buck Showalter that he can make a difference, knocked a three-run shot on the first pitch he faced. After that, it was back to a pitchers’ duel. Jones, Hardy, and Schoop all wore the collar that night, five strikeouts among them. But to come into Seattle after a heartbreaking loss the previous night showed that Baltimore refuses to be pushed around. A-.
July 25, O’s 2, Mariners 1 (10) – Win
The fans of each team have their favorites. With Seattle, it’s without a doubt Felix Hernandez. They have a special section in the stadium, called the King’s Court. The Ace and former Cy Young winner dominated – with one exception. He gave up a pitch in Nelson Cruz’s wheelhouse. And Cruz made him pay. Joe Angel said that Cruz hit the ball so hard that it was afraid to come down. There were two other flies in the king’s ointment: A lone O’s fan in the King’s Court, and Chris Davis. Gausman refused to be intimidated. He pitched as solid an outing as Hernandez, giving up only one run in just under 7 innings. Neither got the decision, but both were tops in their games. For the Orioles to get 5 hits off of Hernandez is a great feat in itself. To beat the M’s when he’s on the mound is phenomenal. A.
July 26, O’s 3, Mariners 4 – Loss
Another heartbreaker, not because of the loss but because they just couldn’t produce. The Birds were owned on Saturday afternoon. Three hits. And despite walking five times (and getting two HBP), they left 11 on base. The only redeeming quality was the eighth-inning rally that fell short. They didn’t give up, but they were beaten. D+.
July 27, O’s 3, Mariners 2 (10) – Win
A sloppy win is a win. When you score only 3 with 21 LOB, that’s sloppy. Gonzalez pitched well, allowing one run on 8 hits for the first 6 innings. And the bullpen (other than the costly homerun given by O’Day) was solid. Fortunately, Manny Machado came off his extra rest and proved why he is a needed member of the team. After a lengthy road trip, I can live with a little sloppiness. So let’s give them a B-.
Overall…
A long, west-coast trip is difficult. And it won’t be any easier when Anaheim and Seattle come to Baltimore next week. But to finish 10 games away at 6 wins and 4 losses against three teams with better records is a great performance overall. And don’t discount a pair of extra-inning wins. Grading strictly on “GPA,” this teams gets a C+. That beating they took on the 20th puts a huge damper. So I’m going to grade them on the bell curve – this time. Solid B.
Good job, O’s. Get some rest. Looking forward to more wins at the Yard!
