BALTIMORE–One of the brightest stars of the Orioles’ season has been left-hander John Means, who pitched a no-hitter on May 5th. On Saturday, Means threw only 29 pitches in the Orioles’ 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians, leaving in the first inning because of left shoulder fatigue.
A stunned crowd of 9,969 at Oriole Park watched Means give up two first-inning home runs — the first on the ninth pitch of the game to Cesar Hernandez and the second to Harold Ramirez — and then depart after an Eddie Rosario single. It was at that point that pitching coach Chris Holt came to the mound, followed by manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.
“When they called me and Brian out there, your heart stops for a second,” Hyde said. “You never want to see a player get hurt, obviously, and I felt bad for John. I thought for a couple pitches before that there was a little lack of finish on his pitches. His velo was good but felt bad for him.
“I didn’t have concern from an injury standpoint. I just wanted Chris to go out there just to kind of give him a breather because it was kind of a long first. I just wanted to give him a blow right there.”
Means, whose record dropped to 4-2, left with Ebel. Adam Plutko replaced him.
During the second inning, the Orioles announced that Means left the game because of left shoulder fatigue, the same injury that prevented him from starting the 2020 season opener. He’ll have an MRI on Sunday morning.
“I didn’t feel it at all in the bullpen. This is something I’ve been battling the last few weeks,” Means said. “Not really during the games, but after games. I felt it more so in warmups when I was out there, the last couple of pitches … I felt it kind of yank and then every pitch after that, I felt it on the end of extension.”
Means’ dependability and excellence this season has fortified a mostly young and inconsistent pitching staff. His two early runs increased his ERA to 2.28.
“It’s the same thing that I’ve had pretty much every year I’ve been up,” Means said. “I’ve been trying to attack it this year because I’ve known that. It’s not major. It’s not serious. It’s more annoying than anything. I’m going to try to flush it out right now and try to attack some weak areas that are there.”
Besides the no-hitter, Means threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, at Boston in this year’s opener on April 2nd. He hadn’t pitched fewer than 4 2/3 innings in any start.
Means could be headed to the injured list.
“We just don’t know anything until we get tested tomorrow,” Hyde said. “So right now he’s going to go in for an MRI and we’ll get the results and we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Means missed 12 days last season after the death of his father and worked just 2/3rds of an inning on August 16th, his first start afterward. He rebounded sharply and allowed just one run in each of his final four starts last season.
He has allowed on run or fewer in five of his 12 starts.
Plutko allowed five runs, all but one unearned. in the third. Second baseman Stevie Wilkerson’s one-out error allowed Ahmed Rosario to reach base. After consecutive singles by José Ramirez, Harold Ramirez and Rosario, Cleveland led, 4-1. With two outs, Yu Chang hit a three-run home run, and the Indians (31-25) had a 7-1 lead.
The Orioles (20-38) had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Cedric Mullins equaled his career high with five hits, including home runs in the third and fifth innings. He has eight this season, and he also made a fine catch on Hernandez’s line drive in the fourth, but the story was Means’ injury.
“It was tough,” Mullins said. “It didn’t look like his velo was there. It was a worrisome situation. I hope he’s OK. I haven’t heard any news on anything. I’m hoping for the best.”
Ryan Mountcastle doubled and hit his eighth home run in the sixth. It traveled 447 feet. Mountcastle has home runs in three straight games, and four of the last five.
The Orioles, though, were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. In the eighth, they loaded the bases with none out but DJ Stewart struck out on a pitch out of the strike zone and Maikel Franco popped up on a 2-0 pitch.
Plutko was followed by Travis Lakins, César Valdez and Dillon Tate.
“Give our four guys who came in after him a lot of credit,” Hyde said. “Everybody went two, two-plus innings, trying to keep us there. Got kind of put in a tough spot. All four of these guys I extended further than they’ve been throwing, but it’s the big leagues and these things happen.”
Because the bullpen needed to cover 8 1/3 innings, the Orioles probably will need to make at least one move for Sunday’s game. The team has offdays on Monday and Thursday, and they don’t know what the immediate future is for Means.
Aaron Civale (8-2) allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings for Cleveland.
Notes: Jorge López (1-6, 5.29 ERA) will face Cal Quantril (0-1, 2.08) on Sunday at 1:05 pm. … Rashod Bateman, the Ravens’ top pick in the NFL draft, threw out the first pitch. Bateman is a wide receiver from Minnesota. … This was the sixth time this season the Orioles have allowed 10 or more runs. … Mullins also had a five-hit game on April 4th at Boston. He’s the third player in franchise history with multiple five-hit games in a season.
Mountcastle needs to be more selective: Last season, Mountcastle drew 11 walks and struck out 30 times in 35 games. This year, Mountcastle has struck out 64 times and drawn just seven walks in 53 games.
… That’s something that we talk about with him quite a bit,” Hyde said.
“I’m not talking about walks, but a little bit more selective, especially early in the count, not chasing early in the count, which is going to lead to hitter’s counts, which is going to lead to walks. He’s dangerous in the batter’s box, everybody knows that. But there’s times and there’s at-bats where he just gets away from himself a little bit and gets a little too anxious, a little too quick. That’s why I always talk about middle of the field with him and being able to stay on the ball, just because when he’s not going well, he just gets really, really quick and leaves the strike zone, and when he doesn’t, he’s got a ton of success, so continuing to work with him on it.”
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Hated to see one of the M boys go down. It doesn’t bode well to hear him say this is the same injury he has every year. Our pitching has been rocky all year and it just got much worse. I’m bracing for another 100+ loss year.
Mounty homering in 4 out of the last 5 games.
THIS BUD'S FOR YOU !!
Sorry I know that we bicker about who lives far away,who complains too much,who's too negative,who's an old curmudgeon--but on a day of both concerns and encouragent on the playing field,an uplifting 3 game winning streak,and a sunny,warm Saturday afternoon the number that stands out is--9,969. I'll leave it at that.
Way less than the day before, I thought with Means pitching it might be higher, oh well...go O’s...
Friday night was Floppy Hat night, Ray.
Thanks, still way less...go O’s...
12,000 fans, 20,000 hats available, Means vs a floppy hat, I get it, look for 8,000 hats on eBay...go O’s...
Only MLB team with lower attendance on Saturday was Pittsburgh ... similar sized "small markets," Milwaukee and KC, had 20k and 21k attendance respectively.
Sad, overall not looking good for MLB...go O’s...
CalsPals, back in the days of Fanfest they’d have had 8K floppy hats to give away to the attendees. But alas, those days are gone. I was told one of the reasons Fanfest was cancelled was dwindling attendance. That’s interesting as every Fanfest I ever attended, and there were many, had more people, a lot more, than O’s home games now. I really wish I lived closer to Bowie tho, I’d be there a lot.
This game is further proof that the REBUILD hasn't reached the bullpen as yet. Too bad they couldn't put a starter in with 2 outs in the FIRST INNING. Hmm....wonder when and if The O's will ever go after any of the "top 50 free agents"? Bullpen, catching, infielders etc. etc. etc. As far as...."Can they afford?"...the Angelos' paid $190 Mil for this team that is now woth ONE BILLION DOLLARS so saying "THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT" is a bunch of CRAPOLA!!
Why pay for a top free agent to put your team over the top until the team is relevant? Be patient my friend. 2023.
Shamus, you'll have to forgive me. I'll be 89 this month so I may be running (limping) out of "patience". So I say, pay 'em!
Wow Norm....89!! Congratulations and savvy enought to blog at that age. I'm impressed! (no offense intended) It's wornderful that you're this spry!
Agree.
Besides, you wouldn’t pay. You would totally completely monumentally OVERPAY.
Reality check: Its absurd to think that a decent productive FA would be attracted here AT THIS POINT.
FA dont want to languish in obscurity.
Agree to wait. Good things are coming. Winning brings enthusiasm and revenue.
Then let’s talk about actual good proven FA acquisition.
Do you really think they would turn down the O's if the offer was best? It's all MONEY! They couldn't care less where they played as long as the MONEY was there, and no matter what Elias and "the brothers" say, the MONEY IS there. Way too many minor leaguers on this team to say the REBUILD is in progress.
You seem to assume that, once the team is competitive, ownership then be willing to spend what is necessary to sign quality Free Agents. Hope your optimism is justified, but I think that remains very much an open question.
I’m no baseball exec or agent, but If the O’s (with their current player composition, record, etc) offered the same amount as the Yankees to a young, cocky, productive true star FA, I would think the FA would be in pinstripes in a jiffy.
Just sayin.
God bless you NormO. Much respect to you . You have more baseball knowledge in your little finger then I do in my brain…also,icterus, to prove your point , just ask Manny Machado
It wasn't 190mm it was 173mm. And Angelos was part of a team that bought the Orioles and his portion was actually 40mm. And you don't get any $$$ regarding the value of a team/real estate until you sell it. Real estate 101.
And regarding not so "Free" Agents you should read the following regarding Angelos and players: "Angelos immediately became a hands-on owner and was willing to pay high salaries to talented free agents. Under Angelos' direction, the Orioles signed four high-priced free agents in 1994: Rafael Palmeiro, Sid Fernandez, Chris Sabo, and Lee Smith. As one of the newest members of the elite group of baseball owners, Angelos was expected to abide by the owners' decisions quietly without offering any alternatives or using his experience with labor law to negotiate with the players' union. Angelos did not like that arrangement and he did not particularly care if the world found out.
When the other owners signed a document cancelling the rest of the 1994 baseball season, including the World Series, Angelos refused to sign it because it blamed the players for the impasse. When the owners formed a committee to negotiate the strike, they did not include Angelos, despite his experience as a labor-management negotiator. When talks between the players and the owners stalled in December 1994, and the owners voted to impose a salary cap, Angelos was one of three dissenters to the arrangement. What brought him into the public eye, however, was his refusal to field replacement players should the strike last into the 1995 Major League Baseball season.
Angelos announced his decision about replacement players early in 1995 and was hailed in blue-collar Baltimore as a champion of the worker. As his fellow owners mulled what action to take against Angelos—everything from a $250,000 fine for each game missed to forcing the sale of the Orioles—the strike was finally settled in time for regular season play with major leaguers." So the next time you try and slam Peter Angelos, you may now know better.
Also regarding Peter Angelos: "Angelos is known for various acts of charity and philanthropy, having contributed millions to civic and community institutions around Maryland. He has donated millions of dollars to Democratic Party and its candidates, and is a major supporter of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation (Baltimore, Maryland). He is the largest individual donor to the University of Baltimore and pledged $5 million to the school in 2008. In 2010, The Baltimore Sun reported that Angelos had recently donated $10 million to the university. The same report notes that during the particularly hot summer of 2010, Angelos anonymously donated $300,000 to keep Baltimore city pools open."
"Now you may know better" ... Really? You said that? How arrogant can one person sound?
Allow me to retort:
Regardless of what a great citizen and civic leader Peter Angelos may be, the fact is that he's driven this organization into the ground. This franchise is sorry, there is no debate about that, and the buck stops with ownership.
Who are you to dictate who can and cannot be slammed?
And one more thing ... if you're going to blatantly plaguerize anybody, in this case wikipedia, be sure to credit them.
I quoted the whole paragraph. Open your eyes. So arrogant, think not. Look in the mirror but only a glance so hopefully not to break.
Quotes or no quotes, you didn't credit the source. Besides that ... the whole 1st posting was a rip off as well, and you didn't bother to use quotes on that one. Pretty low.
YES I DID USE QUOTES ON BOTH POSTING!!!
you should read the following regarding Angelos and players: “Angelos immediately became a hands-on owner and was willing to pay high salaries to talented free agents...."
Open your old eyes up. And the only rip off is you using "Boog Robinson Robinson" with a picture of John "Boog" Powell you wannabe!
And Wiki doesn't state who actually wrote the article I was quoting!
I'm sorry. How about we go back and honor Rich's request and not communiicate. And what that means is stop jumping in my my threads and responding 'indirectly'.
I'm sorry also but you started this whole thing again by "“Now you may know better” … Really? You said that? How arrogant can one person sound?
Allow me to retort: "
Telling me I'm arrogant and also plagiarizing! So why don't you heed what you sow.
And it wasn't your thread I posted my 2 initial comments to. It was directed towards Norm. So, you started this thing again. And responding ‘indirectly’ you started this thing again with your "how/why you "berate someone"" BS in a previous article. You like "slamming" posters on this site but when someone slams your azz right back you can't take it. So, the old saying goes "don't throw stones when you live in a glass house" fits here. And for the record and in response "I only slam posters that slam others on how they do their jobs and think they could do better when in reality you're not even in the same Solar system as far as ever getting the chance". And from some of the posting I've read, it's even more like light years away. So as I stated before, you can pizz and moan and cry over the here and now when it comes to the Orioles all you want to. You like living in that dark, raining and pathetic world with all the gloom and doom with all the negativity, and moving backwards, then great for you. Just let me know what that accomplishes for you. While I live in the bright, beautiful, big picture world of the Orioles going forward with all the bright stars coming!
I agreed with Angelos' position against the use of scab (replacement) players in 1995, and I recognize, as you have noted, that he he has made various charitable donations. That said, there is no denying the drastic cuts and downward trajectory of the team's payroll in recent years. During the 1990s, the Orioles had among the highest team payroll in MLB. And from 2000 - 2016, the Orioles payroll was pretty consistently around the middle of the pack. But, since 2017, the team payroll has been slashed to the point where the Orioles are now 29th or 30th in MLB. Not a good trend line.
That's what happens when the previous regime guts the team and starts over and leaves the new regime "holding the bag". And that's what happens when most of the roster is filled with players that are 25 years and younger and inexperienced major league players. What do you expect their salaries to be when they're all this young?
And don't forget because of the pandemic and the MASN deal, the Orioles lost millions on top of millions more in gate and parking and concessions and millions more to the Nat's and for a small market team that's pretty damn costly!
OriolesNumber1Fan, I remember all that you mentioned and was very happy with Angelos early in his ownership. I think what happened, and this is merely my opinion as there’s no real way of knowing, is 2 things:
1. I think Angelos rather naively thought there would be more player loyalty, and he’s come to find out that that’s not true. He was very much a players owner and I think when Mussina left for NY that hurt him.
2. The CD contract. I don’t think he wants to repeat that and my guess is he is still handling the pursestrings.
Obviously this is all conjecture on my part but yes, I definitely, and fondly, recall his early ownership and how much effort he put in to fielding the best team possible. However, sports is very much a “what have you done for me lately” kind of thing and most fans perceive him as being cheap now.
Anyway, thank you for reminding me of all the good he did do, is still doing, and hopefully will continue to do, for Baltimore. It needed to be said.
Still cut & paste, funny...go O’s...
Quoted this article for the slow learners in the back.
"Misery" who loves "Company" still always funny! go O's...
Thank you Number1Fan