Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Well, gang, the vibes are…not great. The Orioles finally returned to Camden Yards last night after nearly two weeks on the road, but what could’ve been an uplifting series-opening victory against the Red Sox turned sour in the late innings. There were plenty of reasons for the O’s loss, which I’ll get to momentarily, but the biggest factor was that Adley Rutschman did Adley Rutschman things, only this time against the Orioles instead of for them.
It was an emotional night
for Orioles fans as the Birds’ former #1 overall pick and franchise cornerstone played his first game in Baltimore as a member of the opposing team. Rutschman received a loud, extended standing ovation before his first at-bat in the top of the first, and another one after the inning when the Orioles played a tribute video on the Jumbotron. Adley was noticeably appreciative of the crowd, doffing his helmet and holding his hand to his heart, and his greetings with his former teammates were no less joyful (Pete Alonso gave him a hug in his first at-bat, aw).
And then Rutschman went out and beat the Birds, hitting not one but two home runs off an otherwise dominant Brandon Young and setting the stage for Boston’s late comeback. Ugh. Talk about a bittersweet reunion. Personally I was hoping we could see Adley succeed but his team fail miserably. We only got the first part of that.
Seeing Rutschman stomp the Orioles just opens old wounds about Mike Elias’s decision to trade him. On a baseball level, it made sense, and the O’s did get a nice haul of prospects. But man, I wish the Orioles, not the Sox, could be the team that’s locked into a playoff spot right now, with Adley helping to lead them to victory. But of course, that would have required the Orioles to put together a more competent team around him.
Last night’s loss laid bare the many problems that plague the Orioles right now. Their bullpen has collapsed, with almost no reliever proving to be a reliable option at the moment. Even Yennier Cano, who’s been the best of the lot for most of the season, fumbled yesterday by coughing up the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth. Before that, the O’s had a chance to get out of the inning on a double play, but Blaze Alexander spiked the relay throw to keep the Sox alive. So, yeah, bad defense is still an issue for the Orioles, too.
First-year manager Craig Albernaz continues to befuddle everyone with his inexplicable in-game tactics. Last night he astoundingly let Carlos Narváez hit for himself with two on and two out in a tie game in the seventh. Why even have three catchers on the roster if you’re not going to pinch-hit for Narváez in such a crucial situation? Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad, and Colton Cowser were all available on the bench, and while the Sox did have a southpaw on the mound, I’d take my chances with any of those left-handed hitters (or Yohel Pozo, if you insist on a righty) instead of Narváez, who is 5-for-55 as an Oriole and has a .486 OPS against lefties this year. Compounding the blunder, Albernaz did pinch-hit for both Coby Mayo and Luis Robert Jr., two far better hitters than Narváez, just one inning later. What are we doing here, buddy?
Overall, the Orioles just seemed fatigued, which is understandable considering their brutal travel schedule of late. Since Aug. 25, they’ve traveled to the Central Time Zone (St. Louis) to the Pacific (Sacramento) to the Mountain (Denver) and back to the Eastern (Baltimore), all without a single day off. The schedule makers did the O’s no favors, and the Birds may be paying the price.
That’s the third loss in a row for the Orioles, who remain 1.5 games behind the losing Guardians for the third wild card spot, but have now fallen a full game behind both the Rangers and Blue Jays. The O’s have yet to win since Colton Cowser’s game-saving catch in Colorado on Monday. I was hoping we’d eventually look at that play as the moment that sparked the Orioles into a playoff run. Instead, we might eventually look at that play as the last time we felt good about the Orioles this season.
Links
Rutschman on returning to Baltimore: “It’s a lot of feelings going on” – School of Roch
Same, Adley. Same.
Kyle Goon: For one night, Adley Rutschman forces Orioles fans to ask ‘What if?’ – The Baltimore Banner
That feeling is going to last for more than one night, I think. There are still three more games in this series for Adley to hit a bunch more home runs.
If Orioles make playoffs, would starters be strong enough to help? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
There’s a Jim Mora quote that perfectly sums up my response to this headline.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Former Orioles born on this day include catcher Mark Kolozsvary (31), infielder Luis López (56), right-hander Doyle Alexander (76), and the late first baseman Eddie Waitkus (b. 1919, d. 1972).
On this date in 1957, Orioles 18-year-old right-hander Jerry Walker threw a 10-inning shutout to beat the Senators, 1-0. What were you doing at age 18?
In 1969, the Orioles pulled off a ninth-inning comeback in Detroit in most impressive fashion. Down by three runs, they led off the ninth with three consecutive homers by Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, and Brooks Robinson to tie the game. Later in the inning, a Mark Belanger RBI groundout sealed the Birds’ 5-4 come-from-behind win.
Exactly a year later, Brooks Robinson contributed to another O’s win by going 5-for-5 with two home runs at Fenway Park to top the Red Sox, 8-6. Brooks loved hitting on Sept. 4, apparently.
In 1982, 36-year-old right-hander Jim Palmer threw a one-hit shutout to beat the Twins, 3-0. (And at twice Jerry Walker’s age!) It was Palmer’s 11th consecutive victory, improving his record to 13-3.
And on this day in 2012, the Orioles demolished the Blue Jays in Toronto, 12-0, behind an 18-hit explosion and Zack Britton’s seven shutout innings. The win pulled the O’s into a first-place tie with the Yankees, marking the first time in 15 years that the Orioles had been in first place in September.
Random Orioles game of the day
On Sept. 4, 2018, the Orioles…actually won a game! That’s a season where they finished 47-115, so it’s a legitimate surprise to discover a win on any given date. The O’s beat the Mariners in Seattle, 5-3, thanks to a four-run rally in the seventh. Reñato Nunez tied the game with a homer and Jonathan Villar, Joey Rickard, and Trey Mancini each collected an RBI in the frame. Even Chris Davis, well into his late-career collapse by then, contributed an RBI single in the ninth. Alex Cobb threw a quality start to run his record to 5-15, and Mychal Givens notched the last five outs for the save. The win “improved” the Orioles to 41-98. It snapped a four-game losing streak, though they started a six-game skid the next day.
