Game 123: Markakis Saves Game, Blowout Ensues

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog and I've held off on these articles since I have been watching the past few weeks on pins and needles anxiously scoreboard watching to ensure the O's maintained their division lead after the All-Star Break.  To my delight, they've not only held onto their lead in the AL East, they've stretched it to the largest divisional margin in the entire league.  7.5 games up on the Yankees, the O's can start to see the finish line and has the division crown in their sights. I'm an extremely superstitious person and never get too outlandish/make bold claims about the Orioles to avoid jinxing my beloved squad for future success. As the games pass by and the wins rack up, I can start to relish in the fact that Baltimore's beloved Birds have put themselves in the best position to win a division crown since 2012 and 15 years before that. The 2012 team bears a striking resemblance to this season's squad, with their abundance of power and shutdown pitching in the late innings.

The additions of Brad Brach and Andrew Miller to the bullpen have solidified the unit as a driving force that can rival the incredible bullpen we boasted in 2012. As for the offense, we've had the luxury of leading the league in homeruns once again and with a lineup stocked with power hitters, we haven't suffered crippling blows in terms of offense when our best sluggers get ice cold (Crush and Cruz).  Players such as Caleb Joseph, Delmon Young and Steve Pearce have supplied an ample source of power in the weeks that Nelson and Chris struggled mightily.  Injuries to Machado and Hardy couldn't even slow this team down, as Hardy has continued his torrid second half since return from his hand injury.  Kevin Gausman and Bud Norris' returns to the rotation full time has taken the pressure off of Chen and Tillman to carry the staff, as the O's now boast one of the most formidable rotations in baseball...who would've thought we'd be saying that in late August??? Each player knows their role on this team and are either meeting expectations or severely exceeding them. It's an extremely fun team to watch night in and night out and game's like last night really make you sit back and appreciate the success the team has found through the first 123 games.

After nearly being swept by the Indians on Sunday, the O's fought back with an offensive outburst in the later innings to salvage one game.  Although it was their first series lost in nearly a month (Oakland series), the O's hadn't lost back to back contests in over TWO MONTHS. If you told me in 2011 that this would the be the state of the ballclub in three years time, I would've done cartwheels all the way from Schenectady, New York to Camden Yards. Buck has shown that he's a fitting choice to snag another manager of the year if things happen to hold suit for the final month as he's navigated this team through various injuries, suspensions and slumps.  Remaining cool under pressure, Showalter constantly jumbled the lineup and it usually has spelled success for the O's. Chris Davis has been placed all over the lineup and about 6 different hitters have hit in the 2-hole this season and it always results in wins. Now onto the recap from last night...sorry for the outpouring of admiration for the O's but I believe it is warranted for my first post in nearly two months.  I know my fellow Oriole fans have the same sentiments and I have no problem being the mouthpiece for the Orioles faithful.

Stud Norris: Bud is 4-1 with 3.00 ERA in his six second-half starts

As I stated earlier, it was a hard fought series against Cleveland last weekend that resulted in the Indians stealing 2 out of 3 after strong pitching performances by Kluber and Carrasco.  Kluber, by the way, is an absolute stud and quickly becoming my favorite non-Oriole in the MLB. Anyways, a great comeback led by the longball allowed us to salvage the game on Sunday.  Heading into the Chicago-swing, the O's began the trip against Chris Sale and the White Sox with the Yankees and Blue Jays idle yesterday. The game was dominated in the beginning by great pitching as Sale and Bud "Stud" Norris retired allowed one run combined in the first four innings.  Sale's early blunder came off the bat of JJ Hardy, who crushed his 7th homerun into the left field seats after the lefty hung a fastball over the heart of the plate. Norris was in cruise control for the first six innings, allowing only one hit and striking out four while limiting his pitch count over the course of the game (82 pitches in 7 innings).  The O's would tack on insurance runs in the 5th and 6th thanks to a Pearce RBI double and a Nelson Cruz solo homerun.

Markakis went 3-5 with a homerun in addition to making the game-saving grab

Both hitters, who had been struggling at the end of July, have seemed to find their power strokes once again as they combined to go 4-8 with 3 extra base hits last night.  For Cruz, he tied Giancarlo Stanton for the MLB-lead in home runs with a bomb to left field, giving the O's a three run cushion. As Norris was cruising, things appeared to be locked up but the righty ran into some trouble in the seventh as a two-out two run single to Avisail Garcia cut the deficit to one with Connar Gillaspie coming to the plate. Gillaspie ripped a fastball to the right field wall and just as it looked as though the White Sox would complete the comeback, a charging Nick Markakis leapt at the wall and make a beautiful catch while smashing into the fence to end the inning and preserve the lead.  I don't know about any of you but I let out one single yell of astonishment when the catch was made and sat speechless for a few seconds in awe of what I had just witnessed.  It was one of the finest plays I've seen this year but after years of watching Markakis patrol right field, it's just something I've become accustom to.

Using the catch as a springboard for the offense, the O's bats erupted in the top of the 8th, stringing to together extra base hits that included a Jonathon Schoop three-run double off the wall and a Nick Markakis (what can't this man do?) two run shot down the left field line to put the game out of reach at 8-2.  After two scoreless frames from Brach, the O's had wrapped up their 71st win of the season and gained a half game on their divisional foes.  Bud (Stud) got his 11th win of the season and continues to pitch well in the second half of the season, seemingly getting better with each passing start.  Hopefully Tilly can build off that success tonight as he looks to gain his tenth win of the season, giving the Orioles their third pitcher with double-digit victories (Chen, Norris). The O's had 7 extra base hits last night and once again showed what the this offense is capable of when they are clicking on all cylinders.  JJ Hardy is now hitting .396 in the month of August with 3 HRs and 11 RBI's. After a slow start to the season in terms of power numbers, JJ has blasted 7 homers in his last 150 at-bats.

It was simply a classic Orioles win that showed off all the aspects of what has made this team great over this past season.  Power hitting, strong pitching and timely plays on defense are the hallmarks of this ballclub and it would appear that we're going to see a lot more of it in 2014. Quietly, the O's have compiled the 3rd best record in baseball and will continue to fly under the radar, which is totally fine by me and the rest of the O's fans out there.  We're ecstatic from the Birds' play and we don't need media coverage to keep us satisfied.

Tonight's starters are Jose Quintana and Chris Tillman. Be on the look out for more recaps in the future.
Go O's.

Game 71: Gausman, Pearce Outshine Rays

Nick Markakis singles up the middle to lead off the game...something that Orioles fans have become accustom to over the past few years.  Markakis once again began the game with a hit in the afternoon rubber match at Tropicana Field.  Facing Alex Cobb, a young pitcher with an extraordinary array of pitches, dominates left-handers.  Markakis apparently didn't get the memo.  Buck loaded up the lineup with righties today, including another appearance in the two spot by Steve Pearce.  Orioles are looking to gain momentum for a weekend series against the Yankees and a series win in Tampa would be a great foundation to spark a run to end the first half of the season. Orioles would put two runners on to begin the game but Nelson Cruz went down looking to end the threat.  As Joe Angel would go on to say, Nellie hasn't hit a home run in a while.  In fact, it's been 53 at-bats since his last blast. Nelson's continued to hit the ball, but has briefly lost the power stroke.  I fully anticipate him to bounce back.

Kevin Gausman got his third start today, looking to pick up another win in the rotation as Buck has expanded the staff to 6 pitchers to accommodate both Gausman and Gonzalez.  Last start, he neutralized the high powered Blue Jays offense but today, he started the first inning with a walk and single.  The key for Gausman's success is the ability to get his pitches low and utilize the changeup. Next batter, Evan Longoria bounced a pitch to Hardy that he would bobble to load the bases with still no out.  For JJ, it's another error for the gold glove shortstop after it appeared that he had shook his recent struggles in the field.  Gausman was getting squeezed by the home plate umpire very early, running up his pitch count to over 30 pitches in the first frame.  With the bases loaded and no one out, Gausman settled in, got ahead in the count and proceeded to strike out James Loney and Ben Zobrist then got David Dejesus to pop out on a 3-2 pitch to escape the inning scoreless.  Just a major confidence booster for the young pitcher and save the Orioles from coming from behind the entire game.

Gausman was able to work out of another jam next inning, inducing yet another double play to get out of the inning with 17 pitches.  Next inning, Machado robbed Longoria of another base hit this series, as he dove, made the stop and fired over to first to end the third.  Still scoreless, Cobb breezed through the Orioles lineup besides stray walks to Joseph & Davis and Markakis' lead off single.  In the fourth, Gausman allowed a two-out double that went to third on a passed ball but was able to get the next hitter to pop out to end yet another threat.  Although his pitch count was 80 pitches after the fourth inning, he did a great job limiting deep counts and getting first pitch strikes. In the 5th, Markakis came back to the plate with two down and reached on an error by Ben Zobrist to keep the inning alive.  Baltimore finally cashed in on a Rays' mistake, as Pierce would line a double to right field, plating Markakis to break the scoreless tie.  Yet another piece of clutch hitting from Mr. Pearce, who continues to produce when he's in the lineup.

Gausman was able to navigate through the 5th inning with a shutout still intact and pitched a quick enough inning for Buck to let him pitch into the sixth.  Longoria ripped a double to start off the inning and the lead looked to be in jeopardy.  Once again, Gausman was able to battle back by striking out James Loney and getting Zobrist to pop out to short left field.  However, Longoria made a mental mistake by putting his head down to run instead of watching the ball and was easily doubled off to end the inning.  For Gausman, it was his third straight impressive start and kept the Rays scoreless through six strong innings after narrowly escaping what could have been a disastrous first frame.  He has most certainly earned his shot to stay in the rotation for the near future and seems to have invigorated the entire pitching staff.  It reminds me of Machado's impact on the Orioles offense during his first full season and in 2012.  The young players seem to spark the veterans into picking up their play as a collective unit.  As Chris Tillman continues to struggle, it is a pleasure to see someone stepping up to be the interim "ace" of the staff.

His counterpart in today's game, Alex Cobb, pitched extremely well too.  Only allowing the one mistake to Steve Pearce that led to an RBI double, he has kept the Orioles hitters off balance all game.  In 7 innings, Cobb scattered only 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 6 batters. It is a matchup that many fans of each team would like to see in the future for the AL East. Cobb has simply been on the short end of the stick when it comes to the lackluster Rays offense.

Tommy Hunter would spell Gausman as the first reliever out of the pen to preserve the lead for the young prospect.  Hunter struggled in his last appearance versus Toronto, but had pitched well before that in his return from the DL.  Quickly, he would strike out DeJesus and got Jerry Sands to bounce out to Machado for the second out.  He benefitted from keeping the ball down in today's appearance, something that he usually struggles with when he's at his worst.  Yunel Escobar would then drive a ball to right center field wall but was robbed off extra bases as Adam Jones leapt to steal a hit away from the Tampa Bay shortstop.  AJ was quiet at the plate today but made the big catch when it mattered.  This was one of many outstanding defensive plays in this ballgame, as Machado and Longoria seemed to alternate web gems throughout the afternoon.

Remember how I said Nelson Cruz hadn't homered in a while? Well, that ended very quickly as Cruz would be robbed in his second and third at-bats but his fourth plate appearance would end the drought.  Kirby Yates had come on to pitch with an out in the 8th and Nellie greeted him with a no-doubter to left field, giving the Orioles a MUCH needed insurance run.  For Cruz, he now regains the league lead in homers and RBI, while crushing his 15th dinger on the road this season.  3 batters after to homer, both Ben McDonald and Joe Angel were still in awe of the moonshot off the bat of Cruz.  Listening on the radio, I was anxiously waiting to see a highlight from MLB.com to watch for myself.  His homers may come in bunches, but they also come at opportune times and this was certainly one of them.

After Tommy Hunter tossed another scoreless inning, Zach Britton was called upon to close out another game.  Like last night, he wasted no time getting to work quickly, as he retired the Rays in order, striking out two hitters.  His splitter looked great once again and O's fans must be relieved to have reduced stress when watching in the 9th inning when they have a lead.  Gausman would improve to 3-1 on the season with his totals for his past three starts making it very difficult to keep him out of the rotation.  Since he was recalled, Gausman has tossed 19 innings, only allowing 2 earned runs.  For now, I predict Buck will stick with the six-man rotation due to the lack of a true ace on the staff currently.  If Chris Tillman was pitching like his usual self, one could make an argument that you wouldn't want to wait 5 days to have Tilly start again.  With an off day tomorrow, the pitching staff and bullpen get a chance to rest up for an ever so crucial weekend series in New York against the Yankees.

Tonight's Orange Journalism Player of the Game goes to Kevin Gausman after a gritty yet masterful performance against this potent Rays lineup.  He's continued to be the Orioles hottest starter and I'm eagerly awaiting his next start.  A close runner-up, Steve Pearce feasted on Rays pitching these past two days and doubled twice today, driving in the go-ahead run in the 5th to break the tie.

Game 70: O's Power on Display, Down Tampa 7-5

Orioles got the benefit of Miguel Gonzalez returning from the 15-Day DL today in a crucial second game of the series against Tampa Bay.  Baltimore's had an extremely up and down season so far, neither gathering any win streaks or losing several games in a row.  After watching this team all season, it is about time that they go on a much needed winning streak to regain some ground in the AL East.  Yesterday, Orioles received the news that they have dreaded for weeks now, Matt Wieters being declared out for the season to proceed with his Tommy John Surgery.  Wieters, who has been out for nearly two months, officially decided to opt for surgery in an attempt to limit any further damage in 2014.

Honestly, as much as this loss stings, I would rather have Wieters long-term health solidified rather than remain in jeopardy for the future.  For now, the Orioles current situation remains with Nick Hundley and Caleb Joseph effectively splitting time behind the plate.  Collectively, they've started to hit the ball much better than a month ago while Joseph continues to stand out defensively.  I would say that the pitching staff would suffer due to Wieters' absence but the Orioles starters have posted 13 quality starts in their last 18 games.  Of course, there's nothing the O's can do to replace his bat at this juncture and there really isn't a pressing need with Steve Clevenger still down in AAA.

Anyways, back to the game, where Miguel Gonzalez struggled to find his command early on by allowing several base runners early but worked out of a second inning jam when Manny Machado made an effortless backhanded stop to turn two Yunel Escobar to end the threat.  Just another one of those plays that O's fans have become accustom to over these past few years.  Honestly, it's to the point now that I take these plays for granted when anything is hit in the vicinity of third base.  I guess it's our generation of Orioles fan's closest thing to watching Brooks Robinson out in the field.  The kid may have had his share of errors early in his return this year but he's back into the swing of things right now and we're glad to have him here (until the suspension kicks in of course). 

Orioles got an early rally going against Bedard, as Schoop led off the third inning with a single to left.  After a Caleb Joseph strikeout, Nick Markakis lined a 3-2 pitch into right for a single, as Schoop made a heads up base running play by taking third base in the process to set the table for Steve Pearce.  Facing a 1-2 count, Pearce would fend off a few pitches and battle back in the count to work a walk, loading the bases for Adam Jones.  Jones, facing the man he was traded for years ago (Seattle),  worked a deep count which led to a wild pitch on a 2-2 fastball that got away, scoring Schoop to give them an early lead.  Next pitch, Jones was hit on the left shin on a terribly placed change-up to reload the bases for Mr. Crush Davis.  Crush has still shown signs of a struggle at the dish lately, seemingly swinging over the top of nearly every pitch, increasing his strikeout totals.  Davis would lift an 0-2 pitch that was way outside to left field and heading towards the foul pole.  David Dejesus made an excellent effort for the ball and proceeded to slam into the fence as the ball skipped off the wall and nearly rolled to third base.  In the process, two runs scored easily but Buck would immediately come out of the dugout to argue if the ball had actually hit the foul pole instead.  After the umpires reviewed the call, it was ruled a grand slam, pushing the lead to 5-0.  Simply pure strength was the cause for that homer as he muscled that the necessary 315 feet to put it out in left field.  That's why you lift weights kids…

These 5 runs are the most that the O's have scored in a game since last Wednesday's 6-0 shutout of the Red Sox.  Up to this point, Baltimore wasn't cashing in on scoring opportunities.  Still, the MLB leaders in batting average with RISP dialed it up tonight and exploded for a huge inning to set the tone early for once.  It's great to jump out to these early leads, especially when Sean Rodriguez led off the bottom of the third with a moonshot off the left field catwalk to cut the lead to 4 immediately on one pitch.  The leads are ESPECIALLY important when Desmond Jennings hits another home run, back-to-back off Gonzo to make it a 5-2 game.  Both homers were absolute no doubters and just furthers the notion that no lead is safe.  Miguel would then retire the next three hitters in order to finish off the third.

The Rays would continue to chip away at the lead as James Loney would later add a two-run double in the 5th to cut the deficit to 1, and the five innings would be all for Miguel Gonzalez tonight but it was good enough to get him in line for the win.  He scattered 8 hits, 2 walks and 5 K's in his five innings of work allowing 4 earned runs and was saddled with a high pitch count.  After tossing up zeros for three straight innings, the Orioles offense added some much needed insurance as Steve Pearce homered to left off Brad Boxberger, to score Caleb Joseph to increase the lead to three.  After 1.2 innings of hitless relief from Ryan Webb, Brian Matusz would surrender another run as Yunel Escobar plated Zobrist on a Sac Fly in the 8th. It was another shaky appearance for Matusz, as he yielded another earned run in a third of an inning as Zobrist led off the inning with a double.  Darren O'Day would pitch a scoreless inning although he allowed the tying run to reach the plate in the bottom of the 8th.

After the O's couldn't push across a runner in the 9th, Zach Britton was once again called upon to seal the victory for Baltimore.  I didn't personally watch this inning due to playing pickup basketball, but from what my father said, Britton look electric last night.  The splitter was working phenomenally and on only 6 pitches, he induced three straight ground balls to put the Orioles back in the WIN COLUMN.

Gonzo would improve to 4-4 on the season as he battled throughout his five innings but still shown flashes of excellence in his first start off the DL. Britton notched his 8th save as Ryan Webb picked up his team leading 11th hold and continues to pitch well in the 6th and 7th innings.  As for Steve Pearce, our Orange Journalism Player of the Game tonight, he went 2-3 with his 5th homer of the season that padded the Orioles lead.  Hitting in the two hole once again, Pearce has proved to be a valuable piece of the bench, picking up where Matt Wieters left off when he was dispelled from injury.  He's currently hitting a team high .317 and seems to be playing his way into an everyday player.  The combination of Pearce and Delmon Young have created a formidable DH for the Orioles, a position that had plagued them since the days of Luke Scott.  This season, the O's DH spot has collectively produced the highest average as a position (.297), while hitting 11 home runs with a team high 42 RBIs.

This afternoon, young Kevin Gausman will look to propel the Orioles to a series win against Alex Cobb. Gausman, who's pitched very well since being thrust into the rotation, has shown fans a glimpse of what to expect in the future and hopes to build off his previous success today.