Two of Baltimore’s high prospects in 2015 led their crew to victory Friday.
That crew simply wasn’t the Orioles.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zach Davies and first baseman Christian Walker handed Baltimore a 4-2 loss to open the weekend sequence at Chase Field.
Davies, who spent the primary 4 years of his skilled profession within the Orioles’ minor league system, entered the sport as one of many least efficient pitchers within the main leagues. But he shut down his former group, twirling six innings of one-run ball for simply his second win of the season.
Walker, a primary baseman the Orioles chosen within the fourth spherical of the 2012 draft, hit a two-run homer within the sixth inning to offer the distinction. Walker debuted with the Orioles in 2014 however was designated for project earlier than the 2017 season. In seven years with the Diamondbacks, he’s posted a .799 OPS. After hitting 36 homers final 12 months, Walker smashed his twenty ninth of the season Friday.
In 2015, Walker and Davies had been ranked by MLB Pipeline because the Orioles’ Nos. 3 and 4 prospects, behind pitchers Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey.
After scoring a run within the first inning, the Orioles’ bats couldn’t muster one other till the eighth inning. Both runs scored on two-out hits from Ryan O’Hearn to attain Gunnar Henderson. But Austin Hays, representing the tying run within the eighth, struck out to finish the inning. After a leadoff single from Cedric Mullins within the ninth, the Orioles couldn’t mount a comeback off nearer Paul Sewald.
Davies, a right-hander chosen by the Orioles within the twenty sixth spherical of the 2011 draft, entered the sequence opener 1-5 with a 6.93 ERA in 13 begins. The solely MLB pitchers with at the very least 60 innings and an ERA worse than Davies’ coming into Friday had been St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright and Detroit’s Joey Wentz.
Five occasions this season opposing groups scored at the very least 5 runs off Davies, who the Orioles traded to Milwaukee on the 2015 deadline for outfielder Gerardo Parra. Only as soon as this season had the 30-year-old pitched at the very least six innings and allowed no multiple run. In 9 huge league seasons with the Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Diamondbacks, Davies owns a 4.29 ERA.
“Well, I just thought we expanded the zone too much on him,” supervisor Brandon Hyde stated. “Our approach tonight going in was outstanding and we didn’t really follow through in the game. We just didn’t take very many good at-bats. Give him credit, but we’ve got to score more than two runs to be able to win these games.”
Henderson and O’Hearn each went 2-for-4 with a double, whereas the remainder of the Orioles’ lineup managed simply 4 hits in 26 at-bats. Baltimore went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring place. Batters had been hitting .287 off Davies coming into Friday.
“We’ve got to do a lot more offensively,” Hyde stated. “We haven’t been swinging the bat very well. We’ve got to do a lot more offensively to keep the line moving and score more runs.”
Arizona, in the meantime, scored its 4 runs on two huge swings off Orioles starter Cole Irvin. After Baltimore took a 1-0 lead on O’Hearn’s RBI single within the first, Irvin gave the lead proper again, permitting a two-run homer to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on simply the fourth pitch of the left-hander’s night time. Gurriel clobbered the hung changeup 403 toes to left subject.
Irvin, the Orioles’ sixth starter within the six-man rotation it adjusted to final month, retired 15 of the subsequent 18 batters he confronted to start the sixth inning cruising. But Tommy Pham led off the inning with a double to left subject, and Walker gave the Diamondbacks (70-65) all of the offense they would wish.
“Aside from those two two-run homers, he did OK,” Hyde stated about Irvin, who allowed eight hits in 5 2/3 innings earlier than relievers Joey Krehbiel, Shintaro Fujinami and Cionel Pérez mixed for two 1/3 scoreless.
Since rejoining the Orioles in June, Irvin has a 3.65 ERA in 56 2/3 innings. But he’s accomplished six innings in simply two of his 12 begins this season, and he’s surrendered 4 runs in every of his earlier two.
“I felt like I’ve been good,” Irvin stated about his current efficiency. “Today, I’m a little disappointed. Ultimately, just because I gave up two homers and kind of let the game get away from me, but all in all, I felt I’ve been throwing the ball well.”
The important brilliant spot of the night for Baltimore was the stellar protection performed by Henderson. The rookie made two excellent performs at shortstop for double performs. In the sixth, he fielded a floor ball on the second base facet of the bag and was nonetheless in a position to contact the bottom and throw out speedster Corbin Carroll at first.
But his most spectacular play — among the finest defensive highlights by an Oriole this season — got here two innings earlier when the 22-year-old ranged 106 toes down the left subject line to catch a popup over his shoulders after which nab Carroll with a 90.2 mph throw to dwelling plate, in keeping with Statcast monitoring information. Henderson and Carroll are the front-runners to win the Rookie of the Year awards for his or her respective leagues.
“He’s one of the best rookies in the game right now,” stated Irvin, the beneficiary of each of Henderson’s double performs. “He’s just exciting to watch. He brings the energy, plays hard.”
“I felt like it was a pretty good one, but would’ve loved to win the game,” Henderson stated. “I felt like it was a good defensive game and was glad to help keep the team in the game.”
Baltimore falls to 83-51 with the loss, however the Tampa Bay Rays didn’t acquire floor. The Cleveland Guardians got here again from down 2-0 to beat the Rays, 3-2. The Orioles are 1 1/2 video games up on Tampa Bay atop the American League standings.
Around the horn
- Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcaster and Hall of Famer Jim Palmer returned to the sales space Friday for his first sport since he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in early August.
- Triple-A Norfolk catcher Maverick Handley was faraway from Friday’s sport after colliding with one other participant, the Orioles stated. Last week, Tides catcher Anthony Bemboom and High-A Aberdeen backstop Samuel Basallo had been each positioned on the concussion injured listing.
Orioles at Diamondbacks
Saturday, 8:10 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com