SAN DIEGO—Desperate for a starter, the Orioles resorted to calling up David Hess, who was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk last month in the hopes of making him a reliever.
Hess, who threw 86 pitches on Thursday for Norfolk, began the game inauspiciously. He allowed home runs to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Franmil Reyes on his first two pitches of the game — the first time since at least 1988 that a pitcher had done that.
Hess gave up two more home runs, and the Orioles lost, 8-1, to the Padres on Monday night.
Eric Hosmer hit a two-run shot in the fourth and three batters later, Luis Urias, who had been just 3-for-49 this season, deposited a ball in the right-field stands. Hosmer later homered against Dillon Tate.
“Really just trying to come out there and attack early and establish a presence of aggression,” Hess said. “That kind of bit me in the butt a little bit.”
The Orioles surrendered five or more home runs for the 13th time.
“He bounced back really well,” catcher Chance Sisco said. “We knew going into the game that Tatis swings a lot at the first pitch but just tried to execute a pitch. I mean, he swung at the first pitch and put good wood on it.
“Same thing with Reyes, he came up aggressive. Nothing you can really do about that. Can’t really worry about it, either. Just do what David did and bounce back. Make good pitches. Execute to the next batters.”
Hess was called up to start Monday night because John Means is on the 10-day injured list with a sore biceps. Manager Brandon Hyde didn’t rule out another start for Hess.
“We’ll talk about it because we’re not real deep in our rotation,” Hyde said. “With Johnny on the IL for a little while longer, we’re still looking, we have a fifth starter spot open, so I’m not sure where we’re going with that yet.”
Hess, whose ERA is 7.31, has allowed 25 home runs in 72 2/3 innings this season. His record is 1-10.
He tried not to think about previous starts when his first two pitches resulted in home runs.
“I think that you can go down that road, but I try not to do that, regardless of what’s going on,” Hess said. “Just trying to focus on what’s next and make the adjustments that are necessary and try to make better pitches, going forward from then on.”
The Orioles, who scored 27 runs in their first three games against the Los Angeles Angels and set a major league record with multiple home runs hit in 10 straight games, did not hit a home run for the second consecutive game.
They scored just one run against rookie starter Chris Paddack. Anthony Santander’s bloop RBI single in the third scored Jonathan Villar.
The Orioles had a chance to reduce a 5-1 deficit in the sixth. With two outs and two on and Paddack out of the game, leftfielder Wil Myers, who had just moved over from center, ran down Chance Sisco’s drive to end the inning.
Smith hurt again: Dwight Smith Jr., who left Saturday’s game with soreness in his left calf, hobbled off the field after a pinch-hit single in the seventh.
The Orioles said that Smith left the game because of the calf injury.
With an afternoon game on Tuesday, it may be hard to get a player to San Diego in time. DJ Stewart seems to be the logical replacement for Smith.
Tate’s tough debut: Dillon Tate, who was recalled from Double-A Bowie on Friday, made his major league debut. He had a difficult beginning, hitting Greg Garcia, then allowing an infield single to Manny Machado before Hosmer smacked his second home run of the game.
Tate then retired six of his next seven hitters.
“I don’t know if he was nervous or what,” Hyde said. “Make your major league debut and you hit the first guy. Hung a slider to Hosmer there. We didn’t help him out with the groundball before the homer. After that, I thought he had really good stuff. I thought he had some sink to his fastball, threw some nice sliders, and threw a nice second inning.”
Trade deadline getting closer: Hyde continues to be asked about the trade deadline, which is 4 p.m. Wednesday.
“I think guys are so aware now,” Hyde said. “There’s movement. There’s things happening every hour right now, it feels like. You’re aware that things might happen. Some of the guys that have been talked about have seen it happen.
“I don’t think it’s any secret organizationally that we’re going to get as many young players as possible. They’re working hard to make deals—if they even happen. It’s not something we really openly talk about. I just know the guys are aware of the situation. It hasn’t affected our play.”
Hyde isn’t sure there’s going to be trade activity.
“I have no idea, honestly,” Hyde said. “We might have five guys move. We might have nobody move. From what I’ve heard, it’s very up in the air.”
General manager Mike Elias and Hyde talk several times a day about the club and its plans
“He kind of lets me know what’s going on,” Hyde said. “… He’s not going to give away players. He’s not going to move people to move people. I think there’s got to be the right partner, the right fit and the right return. In our situation, it’s open for anybody if the return is there, so we’ll see if it is.”
Means return: Means is eligible to come off the IL on Saturday, but Hyde said he’ll pitch against the New York Yankees in the series that begins August 5.
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Hess, young, sounded like Meat, “ announce my presence w/aggression”, maybe he didn’t have the garters on right, oh well, go O’s...
He may have just been wooly from the trip out west.
Might be time to throw some bats into the shower...
Lollygaggers!
Maybe Sisco told them what was coming...lol...go O’s...
How’d we ever win 8? It’s a miracle.
One positive thing I can say about David Hess is that he usually makes me money. Einstein was supposedly quoted as saying the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. When I saw Hess was called up again I got in touch with a good friend who is an O’s fan like me only he’s an optimist and sometimes loses contact with reality. I make bets with him from time to time and have done so a few times on Hess and his propensity to give up home runs. I was $15 ahead going into last night. So, my three bets (each at $5) last night were that he’d give up a homer in the first inning; give up multiple homers and that he’d give up five in all. On the last one he said he’d pay me $10 if that happened. So, for the night I made $5. I can’t wait for him to pitch again!
Betting on your own to fail? Hhmmmmmm.....bad juju Ekim.
Unfortunately he looks too much like Wright...at first I thought it was a mental thing after his “no hit” start, he hasn’t been very good since...oh well...go O’s...
Saddest thing about Hess is that he makes me yearn for Straily instead. Now that's bad. Geez Tate. Looks like he really studied the Oriole relief pitching playbook--"take the mound,get bombed,get on shuttle,repeat"
25 HRs in under 80 innings and they are thinking about giving him another start? They might as well throw Wilkerson, they'd have a better chance of winning. He could probably get through the order once before they started timing him so that could get you into the third still in the game, something that never happens when Hess throws BP, I mean starts.
The reason he got the 7 strike outs is because they knew they had a real chance on a homer if they swung for the fences. A home run every three innings... unbelievable! He and Bundy make quite a pair. Just saying...
Hess might actually be worth keeping next year since it is possible ( hopefully) that MLB makes the necessary correction on the ball so it won’t be as jumpy. At lot of the home run balls this year might be outs next year. Of course that wouldn’t be good news for Renato Núñez
Hess is going to stay because of lack of alternatives. At this point any Flyball dominant pitcher we have is going to be useless. That includes Akin if he gets called up. Those guys typically don’t work in Camden Yards and especially with the way the ball is flying out now.
But yeah, Hess will probably stick. He’s probably worth keeping if the ball is altered back. We have easier 40 man casualties this offseason. Yacabonis will be out of options, Ynoa as well. Yack, Brooks, Jace Peterson, Ortiz, Tayler Scott, and Shepherd probably all go before Hess. Josh Rogers May also since he’s done for the year and was really a fringe 40 man guy as it was.
Rogers won't be able to pitch until the middle of next season due to surgery. He does have to be mvoed back to the 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 draft.
Right. But we could opt to not move him back and expose him to waivers. Which I think is at least a possibility. He was probably in the conversation for a 40 man casualty if he were healthy. I know obviously you’re not going to speculate on guys losing their jobs but I think there’s a nonzero chance of that. I think we have two Rogers clones in the minors in Zimmermann and Wells as well.
jbigl... don’t count on seeing Akin any too soon. As the season’s progressed he’s regressed. His last 10 starts he’s pitching to 5.49era. Five innings is the most he’s lasted mostly because he’s issued 24 base on balls to go with 45 strike outs over 39 innings. He’s given up 47 hits and 24 runs in those 39 innings. Not looking like ML stuff to me. Just saying...
Well, we ran Hess out there last night. I realize Akin hasn’t been very good but it’s hard to find anyone in Norfolk who has been very good. If any other pitcher goes down it could come down to Straily, Ortiz or Akin taking the turn. Out of that 3, it could be Akin. I certainly wasn’t saying I expect to see him; it’s possible though.
Jbigle1, you are right about Akins. Last year I was on the Mullins bandwagon. This year I was on the Akins bandwagon. I'm no where near ready to give up on Akins yet, but, I think I'll stay off bandwagons for awhile. :-)
At the moment, it looks like the next round of arms prospects are in Bowie with Wells, Lowther, and Kremer. If I were to get on a bandwagon (which I won't), it would most likely be Alex Wells. The Aussie lefty has been a model of consistency all season. However, he's the youngest of the three and is likely at least a year away.
I actually really like Lowther and Kremer. There’s a good Fangraphs article on Lowther if you ever have the time to take a look.
Wells has consistently outperformed expectations. He’s very Josh Rogers like to me where I expect the stuff to just not play at the next level but he could be an under the radar guy that just exceeds what he should be. I’m hopeful that’s the case.
Akin could be a future horse as far as eating innings if he can get his walk rate in check. I guess there’s some reliever potential with him if he can’t ever nix that issue though.I think a guy like Wells is a back end starter or bust. But we’ll see how it all shakes out.
They all have more potential than the likes of Ynoa, Hess, and Brooks that we have holding the spot warm for now. So that alone will be more exciting.
Blog... what’s bad juju is them putting him back out there. (See my Einstein quote above)
That was supposed to be “Boog” and was supposed to go under your comment on my original post. Writing before 10am is dangerous for me... Just saying...
Gotcha Ekim (stupid spell check) ....and frankly, I agree with everything you've said .... well for today at least. (gotta love a gamblin' man)
Go Os!!
“The Orioles scored 70 runs in their first three games in Anaheim “?
Misprint or hyperbole?
They played enough innings/hours to.
Thanks for the catch. I will fix.