The Orioles have struggled to score for Shane Baz all season. Baltimore followed that trend tonight against the Texas Rangers, but they nearly made things right in the ninth. Christian Franklin’s first Major League hit could have evened the score at two, but replay failed to overturn an out call at home plate. In the end, the Orioles dropped a winnable game to another wild card contender with a 2-1 result in Texas.
Leody Taveras started the ninth with an infield single. Coby Mayo went down swinging
for the first out, but Christian Franklin picked a great time for his first Major League hit. Franklin punched a ball down the right field line, and Taveras raced all the way home. Texas right fielder Brandon Nimmo corralled the ball and hit the cutoff man. Nicky Lopez took the ball and fired home, and Taveras was ruled out at the plate.
The Orioles immediately challenged, and the replay revealed multiple questions. Rangers catcher Elias Díaz swung his arm to make the tag, but his glove did not appear to immediately make contact with Taveras. A portion of Díaz’s arm touched Taveras before he reached home plate, but the glove appeared to miss the runner. To further complicate the matter, the ball appeared to come loose as it made contact with the ground. The ball never completely escaped the mit, but it easily could have been trapped against the ground.
In the end, the replay crew in New York took the coward’s way out. The call on the field stood, and the Rangers held their 2-1 advantage. The call spoiled what should have been a special moment for Franklin. It’s a moment that he’ll always remember, but it should have been so much more.
Don’t take it from me, take it from former Oriole and MASN commentator Ben McDonald.
Meanwhile, Baz delivered the type of start Baltimore envisioned when they acquired him from Tampa Bay. Baz pitched all eight innings and took only the third complete game loss for an Oriole in the last 15 years. He finished the game with 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 9 K.
Baz had been absolutely cruising along until a hiccup broke his rhythm in the sixth. Elias Díaz managed a swinging bunt toward the right side of the infield, and Baz failed to make the play. Díaz received credit for an infield single, but the avoidable incident gave Texas some life.
Nicky Lopez advanced Díaz into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but the small ball stopped there. Joc Pederson ambushed an elevated cutter and drove a no doubter 414 feet down the right field line. Just like that, Baz lost the shutout and the lead. The long ball marked the latest example of Baz facing some adversity on the mound and failing to immediately recover.
The Orioles found their way onto the board in the top of the second. Leody Taveras got ahead in the count before smacking a 3-1 fastball to right-center field for a double. Coby Mayo followed with a line drive up the middle, and Taveras raced home to provide Baltimore a 1-0 advantage. Both teams went on to post zeros in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
The Orioles wasted multiple opportunities to build on their early lead. The bottom of the order came through with a pair of two-out singles, and Gunnar Henderson worked a walk to load the bases for Pete Alonso in the fifth. Texas starter froze Alonso with a 2-2 splitter, and the Orioles left the bases loaded.
Tyler O’Neill worked a one-out walk in the sixth, and Dylan Beavers singled to place a runner in scoring position. Taveras struck out on three pitches, and Mayo failed to come through against lefty reliever Tyler Alexander.
Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, and Jackson Holliday combined to go 0-for-11 from the top of the order.
The late call added insult to injury. Baz outdueled Eovaldi, but the offense fell flat once again. The Orioles dropped to 56-60 with the loss. They’re two games back of the final wild card spot.
