The sharply hit floor ball within the third inning from Gunnar Henderson appeared virtually inevitable, plating two runners with the bases loaded. But in the identical vein, the flurry of outs with runners in scoring place from different Orioles hitters felt inescapable.
For a lot of September, that has been a standard pattern for Baltimore. Henderson is hitting .500 with runners in scoring place since he was known as up Aug. 31, driving in a team-high 9 RBIs in that span. His teammates, nevertheless, have batted 17-for-99 with 23 RBIs in these conditions.
The lack of clutch hitting this month has pushed Baltimore in opposition to the wall, and with a 6-3 loss Saturday afternoon — the second in as many video games to the Toronto Blue Jays — the state of affairs has grow to be extra bleak. The Orioles (75-69) now path the Blue Jays by seven video games within the wild-card race earlier than the Seattle Mariners or Tampa Bay Rays performed later Saturday night time.
“That one stings a little bit,” beginning pitcher Kyle Bradish mentioned. “But at the end of the day, it’s just another ball game. We have [18] left, so we come back tomorrow.”
Henderson was considered one of 4 rookies inserted into the lineup, essentially the most first-year gamers supervisor Brandon Hyde has used this season. The predominant a part of Baltimore’s offense got here from these rookies, too, particularly after first baseman Ryan Mountcastle exited the sport after he was hit by a fastball round his left elbow within the second inning. His preliminary X-rays had been unfavourable.
Henderson’s two-run single within the fourth inning got here off right-hander José Berríos, then Terrin Vavra’s eighth-inning single plated Henderson, who reached with an opposite-field double. Through two video games in opposition to Toronto, all six runs have been pushed in by rookies — three from Henderson, two from Adley Rutschman and one from Vavra.
“Gunnar continues to do what he’s been doing, and Terrin with some good at-bats,” Hyde mentioned. “But you’ve got to be able to score runs against these guys. They’re gonna score runs. You’ve got to be able to outscore them, and three runs tonight, that’s tough to win games against these guys in this park with that.”
Baltimore put visitors on the bases in opposition to Berríos however didn’t capitalize. The Orioles loaded the bases within the second and third innings; they managed two runs from these probabilities. In the fourth, with runners on the corners and two outs, Baltimore had the center of the order up however ended the inning on the bases.
Hyde mentioned Baltimore wished to “steal a run” in that spot, because the Orioles sought to create on the bottom paths what they couldn’t on the plate. Rutschman took off for second and stopped quick, forcing catcher Danny Jansen to throw right down to the bag. But as Cedric Mullins took off for house, shortstop Bo Bichette fired again to Jansen, starting a rundown that ended with Mullins out between third and residential to finish the inning.
The resolution was curious in a number of aspects. For one, Anthony Santander was on the plate, considered one of Baltimore’s greatest hitters though he entered with an 0-for-12 file with runners in scoring place since Aug. 31. Santander confronted a 2-0 depend. And the Orioles had hit effectively in opposition to Berríos to that time, with 9 runners on base in opposition to him within the first 4 innings.
“Ced just kind of froze a little bit,” Hyde mentioned. “We’re trying to steal a run. [Third baseman Matt] Chapman’s playing way off. We have a fast guy on third base, and he just kind of froze a little bit.”
As Baltimore struggles to provide a lot offensively, there was strain to create a play reasonably than await a breakthrough. And on the finish of August, the Chicago Cubs used a delayed double steal in an identical state of affairs to deliver house a run. It labored for Chicago; it didn’t for Baltimore.
“They probably thought we were not going to throw through with Cedric up there,” interim supervisor John Schneider instructed reporters. “At that part of the order, we’re definitely going to try to take an out and try to get out of the inning.”
The lack of offense has left the pitching employees with little room for error. Right-hander Kyle Bradish, who lasted at the least seven innings in three of his final 4 outings, was pulled within the fifth by Hyde. Bradish had prevented main bother to that time, giving up a first-inning sacrifice fly and a two-run double to George Springer, who introduced his RBI depend on this collection to 5.
But a throwing error from Ramón Urías put one runner on within the fifth, after which Bradish — regardless of retiring 10 of his final 11 batters — walked Matt Chapman with two outs. Hyde turned the sport over to right-hander Jake Reed, who promptly gave up a stroll and a bases-clearing double to Raimel Tapia.
That blow pushed Toronto out of attain — each within the recreation, the collection and sure within the wild-card hunt. Baltimore has misplaced eight of its final 12 video games, together with six of its final seven to the Blue Jays, to wither the Orioles’ postseason hopes.
“Unfortunately, we’re struggling a bit,” Santander mentioned by means of crew interpreter Brandon Quinones. “We’re not coming through with those hits in the moments we need them, and unfortunately it’s just a process and the rut we’re stuck in right now.”
Around the horn
- Second baseman Rougned Odor has six hits in his final 43 plate appearances, and his batting common has sunk to .196. Odor is “trying so hard,” Hyde mentioned. “He’s trying so hard to come through, and I know he’s disappointed.”
- After Mountcastle took the 94 mph fastball off his tricep, proper above the left elbow, Hyde mentioned the primary baseman feels “really sore right now.” The Orioles will additional consider Mountcastle on Sunday.
ORIOLES@BLUE JAYS
Sunday, 1:37 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com