Orioles pitchers permitting solo residence runs, in supervisor Brandon Hyde’s absolutely logical estimation, isn’t the worst-case situation. Of course, he would overwhelmingly want they not quit residence runs in any respect.
He didn’t get his want Tuesday, as a pair of residence runs with the bases empty offered the margin in Baltimore’s 3-1 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds, night the sequence between two of baseball’s most enjoyable younger groups. Baltimore’s offense managed solely three hits, two by Jordan Westburg in his second main league recreation, as right-hander Tyler Wells delivered one other high quality begin however was handed the loss because of Matt McLain’s sixth-inning solo shot.
“That’s baseball,” Wells mentioned.
The Orioles’ greatest offensive alternative got here minutes earlier than the skies opened above Camden Yards for a second straight night time, prompting a 1-hour, 43-minute delay. After the Orioles managed a run on three walks and Westburg’s two hits off Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, Hyde deployed lots of the left-handed bats he had saved on his bench towards Abbott to face right-handed reliever Lucas Sims within the seventh. Cedric Mullins drew a pinch-hit stroll solely to be caught stealing second on a pitchout. After Westburg walked, pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn received forward 3-0 however grounded out on the following pitch, transferring Westburg to second. Adam Frazier changed Jorge Mateo and was hit by a pitch to place two on for leadoff man Austin Hays, who Sims struck out seeking to strand two runners.
It marked the primary time the Orioles (48-30) had put a number of runners on base for the reason that second, when Aaron Hicks walked, went to 3rd on Westburg’s 99 mph single and scored on Ryan McKenna’s sacrifice fly. Tuesday’s eight-strikeout efficiency marked Abbott’s fifth main league begin; the primary three had been scoreless, and he struck out 10 over six innings within the fourth.
“Kind of knew that was gonna be a tough one coming in, and he was really, really good,” Hyde mentioned. “We had a tough time getting anything going against him. … He’s really aggressive and challenges us in the strike zone, and his fastball’s got a ton of life to it. It’s a really good arm, and he knows how to pitch, and we just didn’t square many balls up against him. Tough time getting any rallies going.”
Meanwhile, Wells, the main league chief in WHIP, didn’t permit any Reds to achieve till TJ Friedl, who took Bryan Baker deep within the eighth, started the fourth with a two-strike bunt single. McLain adopted with a run-scoring double off the middle subject wall, then cleared it two innings later. His solely different hit allowed was a fifth-inning single.
“McLain, he obviously did a great job against me tonight, and then the bunt, the single, whatever, you kind of just throw those off to the side,” Wells mentioned. “It’s just baseball. That’s how it goes. They played the game of baseball, with the bunt and the double. That’s how we’ve scored some runs as well, so it’s just how it goes.”
McLain’s residence run marked the nineteenth Wells has allowed this season and the thirteenth with no runners on base; each totals path solely Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi for essentially the most within the majors. Of the 35 runs Wells has allowed in posting a 3.21 ERA that ranks tenth within the American League, 25 have come through residence runs.
Given Wells’ sturdy begin to the season, no pitcher entered Tuesday having confronted a better proportion of batters with the bases empty, in accordance with Baseball Savant. That has afforded him the power to work within the strike zone, Hyde’s expressed need for his pitchers in these circumstances.
“I like that guys are being aggressive with nobody on base, for sure, and attacking with the best stuff that they have,” Hyde mentioned earlier than the sport. “And I think when you do that, then you’re gonna give up homers on occasion.”
McLain’s shot got here on an elevated four-seam fastball at 90.9 mph, the slowest Wells threw that pitch Tuesday.
“It was a home run, so it wasn’t executed very well,” Wells mentioned.
He retired the following three Reds (42-38) to finish six innings for the eighth time in his 15 begins, recording at the very least seven strikeouts on as many events. Including 5 hitless innings of emergency aid in his season debut, the 28-year-old is tied for essentially the most five-inning appearances within the majors. He reached that mark solely 12 instances in 23 outings final season, working underneath inning and pitch restrictions after present process Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure, lacking a season amid the coronavirus pandemic and figuring out of the Orioles’ bullpen after being chosen within the second spherical of the Rule 5 draft.
“I’ve been so pleased with Tyler all season long,” Hyde mentioned earlier than the sport. “For me, you may discuss him being an All-Star candidate, simply what he’s finished this primary half and what he’s been for our membership and each fifth day giving us an opportunity to win and pitched extraordinarily properly.
“I love the growth that he’s made and the progress he’s made over the last couple of years.”
Keegan Akin adopted Wells with a two-strikeout seventh and was set to pitch the eighth earlier than heavy rain once more disrupted the sequence. When play resumed after the delay, seven positions had been occupied by totally different gamers. The spotlight of the rearrangement got here on the left facet of Baltimore’s infield, with Gunnar Henderson transferring from third base to shortstop and Westburg going from second to 3rd to type a tandem that was frequent as the highest prospects climbed by means of the minors collectively.
After Friedl’s residence run off Baker doubled Baltimore’s deficit, Henderson’s two-out double went for naught within the backside half. Facing the identical portion of the Orioles’ lineup that got here up within the seventh, Reds nearer Alexis Díaz transformed his twenty seventh consecutive save probability regardless of hitting O’Hearn and throwing the ball away, permitting O’Hearn to take second, and strolling Frazier to deliver the potential profitable run to the plate. Hays lined out to heart to finish the sport and Baltimore’s three-game profitable streak.
“We only gave up three runs on the night; we only had three hits,” Hyde mentioned. “It’s tough to win when you have three hits.”
Reds at Orioles
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com