The Orioles’ race to the postseason possible runs via the Toronto Blue Jays. In that sense, Monday’s doubleheader towards their American League East foe represented tripping out of the gate.
On the most important day of not solely this season but in addition the previous 4, the Orioles misplaced each of the day’s video games at Camden Yards, with an surprising bullpen recreation within the latter that includes three house runs from Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette in an 8-4 defeat.
The pair of losses left Baltimore (71-64) 4 1/2 video games behind Toronto for the American League’s third wild-card spot with 27 video games to play. Eight of these, together with one every over the subsequent two days, are towards the Blue Jays. Dropping Monday’s first recreation, 7-3, assured the Orioles wouldn’t be capable to overtake Toronto (75-59) with this four-game sequence alone. Losing each threatens to derail Baltimore’s postseason hopes solely.
“It was a tough day,” supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned. “We were short, and it didn’t turn out very well.”
Scheduled starter Jordan Lyles had been set to throw within the first recreation, just for an sickness to immediate Baltimore to push him to the later recreation. He warmed up for it, solely to nonetheless really feel unwell with what Hyde described as “flu-like symptoms” and be scratched. Keegan Akin, a former starter who has discovered a house as an extended reliever within the Orioles’ bullpen, volunteered to start out in Lyles’ place, Hyde mentioned, dashing to the bullpen to heat up as lineups have been exchanged.
Akin labored into the third inning with out permitting a run earlier than exiting with two on. With Hyde having used Bryan Baker and Joey Krehbiel within the earlier recreation, his solely right-handed reduction choices have been late-inning relievers Dillon Tate and Félix Bautista. Instead, Hyde introduced in rookie left-hander Nick Vespi, the primary time in two years he’s used a member of his bullpen three days in a row. Vespi served up the primary of Bichette’s house runs, bringing house each of the runners he inherited from Akin.
The subsequent two each got here off left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, who coated the sport’s final six rain-soaked innings after being referred to as up between video games. It marked the Ellicott City native’s first main league look since July 9 and second since June 15, when Toronto took him deep thrice. The Blue Jays did so once more Monday, with Cavan Biggio including a solo shot to Bichette’s trio as Toronto constructed an 8-1 lead.
Zimmermann mentioned he realized at about 7:30 a.m. that he may be wanted in Baltimore, catching a connecting flight from Atlanta whereas Triple-A Norfolk was en path to Memphis. Later within the morning, he was named the International League’s Pitcher of the Week, coming off an outing of seven 2/3 scoreless innings for the Tides.
“I thought I was throwing as well as I have all year,” mentioned Zimmermann, who started the yr within the Orioles’ rotation. “Came up today, kind of different circumstances with when I was told to come up and everything, but the opportunity was there for me to take advantage of it. A couple pitches got away from me there. But other than that, I thought I did all right with the weather and battling.”
“It’s fortunate we had Zimmermann here,” Hyde mentioned, including that Tate, Bautista and fellow backend arm Cionel Pérez have been his solely different obtainable relievers.
The lone Baltimore run earlier than the rating ballooned got here on Rougned Odor’s house run off José Berríos within the second, although Bichette’s first house run shortly erased that lead. The Orioles managed two extra runs off Berríos within the seventh, with Cedric Mullins reaching on catcher’s interference with the bases loaded and Adley Rutschman following with a run-scoring fielder’s selection. Rutschman went deep within the ninth, ending a triple shy of a cycle. The phenom grew to become solely the sixth Baltimore rookie with 10 house runs and 25 doubles in a season, becoming a member of Trey Mancini, Nick Markakis, Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray and Sam Bowens.
The doubleheader marked the primary time the Orioles allowed not less than seven runs in consecutive video games because the contests that bookended the All-Star break. They have now misplaced three in a row for the primary time since a four-game drought that coated the crossover of June and July; maybe providing some solace, that stretch preceded the 10-game profitable streak that first propelled Baltimore above .500 and into the postseason chase.
Hyde was uncertain when Lyles may rejoin the rotation, saying Kyle Bradish, coming off consecutive scoreless begins towards division leaders, will get the ball Tuesday.
“We’ve still got two more games left with these guys,” Hyde mentioned. “They’re very good, and we need to come back out ready to play tomorrow.”
BLUE JAYS@ORIOLES
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com