After an unexpected night off because of an inclement weather forecast, the Orioles returned for the final three games before the All-Star break. They proved no match for the American League Central Division leaders, the Chicago White Sox, who won, 12-1, before 12,077 at Oriole Park on Friday night.
The Orioles (28-59) were in the midst of their 14-game losing streak when they lost four straight to Chicago (52-35) over Memorial Day weekend.
The game was tight, with Chicago leading 2-1 heading into the sixth, when Cole Sulser and Dillon Tate combined for five walks and the White Sox scored four. Overall, the Orioles walked eight.
“Definitely affected the game, no doubt about it,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Not a recipe to win.”
Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets began the inning with walks against Sulser. With Tate pitching, Seby Zavala bunted Vaughn and Sheets to second and third. Tim Anderson, who had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, doubled to score Vaughn and Sheets.
Tate walked Yoán Moncada, José Abreu and Brian Goodwin to score Anderson, and Adam Engel’s sacrifice fly made it 6-1.
“I don’t know if fatigue is playing a factor in some of these guys,” Hyde said. “That would be understandable if it is.”
Ramón Urias homered in the bottom of the second, his fourth, against Dallas Keuchel.
Goodwin’s double in the top of the third scored Anderson, and the score was tied, 1-1.
Anthony Santander led off the bottom of the fourth by lining a ball off the top of the Pepsi sign in right-center. Santander slid into second but was told he homered. Upon review, the call was reversed, and he was placed back at second.
Urias and Pedro Severino grounded out, and Pat Valaika flied to left, stranding Santander.
Oriole starter Jórge Lopez began the fifth by allowing three straight singles to Anderson, Moncada and Abreu, and the White Sox led, 2-1. López (2-12) was relieved by Sulser.
López pitched four-plus innings, allowing two runs on eight runs, striking out four and walking one.
“I do the best I can when I’m reflecting on the first half,” López said. “When the starters get to the fifth, it feels like the game is over. It’s hard to [feel] that way.”
López leads the majors with 12 losses.
“I’ve got to keep working and get better … I’ll take these four days and take a rest.”
Sheets, the Lutherville native and Gilman graduate who’s the son of former Oriole Larry Sheets, homered off César Valdez in the seventh. It was the first major league game Sheets played in Baltimore.
Abreu added a two-run double for the eighth and ninth Chicago runs.
Engel hit a three-run homer against Shaun Anderson, who was making his first appearance for the Orioles, in the ninth to give the White Sox their final runs. Anderson is the 47th player used by the Orioles this season. Pat Valaika moved over from second base to get the final out in the ninth. It was the second time he pitched this year.
Keuchel allowed a run on seven hits in seven innings.
Notes: The Orioles have canceled their July 24 postgame concert with Diplo. … Thomas Eshelman (0-1, 7.16 ERA) will face Lucas Giolito (6-6, 4.20). on Saturday Game time is 4:05 p.m., and it’s Hawaiian shirt day. … Hyde said he hasn’t decided on his post All-Star Game break starting rotation. Matt Harvey will not start in either of the first two games in Kansas City. … Dr. Nilofer Azad, who was Trey Mancini’s oncologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, threw out the first pitch.
Means’ 2nd rehab start: John Means allowed four runs, two unearned, on five hits in three innings at Bowie. Means threw 61 pitches, struck out three and walked none and allowed two home run in the Baysox’s 6-0 loss to Richmond in the first game of a doubleheader.
Adley Rutschman’s tie-breaking home run in the fifth inning gave Bowie a 3-2 win in the second game.
Mike Baumann (1-2) pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out five.
Third baseman Tyler Nevin had three hits and leftfielder Stevie Wilkerson homered as Triple-A Norfolk beat Durham, 9-4.
Kyle Bradish (2-2) allowed four runs on six hits in five innings. Konner Wade pitched three scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit.
Gunnar Henderson homered twice and drove in three as High-A Aberdeen beat Greenville, 6-5.
Henderson, who played shortstop, boosted his average to .188
Shane Davis allowed nine runs on nine hits in just 1 2/3 innings as Delmarva lost to Salem, 9-3, in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Shorebirds lost the second game, 11-2. First baseman TT Bowens, the reigning Low-A East Player of the Week, homered in both games. He has nine this season.
Where do draft picks start? The draft is five weeks later than in years past, and Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias knows there will be an adjustment in his timeline.
“It’s going to be a little strange, and not only because it’s later,” Elias said. “There’s no New York/Penn League. There’s no Appalachian League. We’re going to now make a decision to put players in what’s now called the Florida Complex League; it used to be called the Gulf Coast League, or put them in Delmarva to get that first summer of experience.
“Obviously, if you take a college hitter or something with one of the first couple of picks, it’s more likely they’ll go to Delmarva at some point. They’ll probably start in Florida just to get their feet wet. We’ll try to get them up there, but then if it’s a high school kid, it might be more of a Complex League-based program.
“It’s going to be strange, both in terms of timing and not having the short-season level. We’ll see how we end up playing it.”
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Groan…..more knots on the head last night.
Mr Gutierrez, great to meet you. Like the enthusiasm and effort.
Get rid of Valdez. What reason is there for keeping him? Call up some like Evan Phillips or Mattson. Idk why our pitchers have had so much problem throwing strikes recently. If you can’t throw strikes go learn how in Norfolk.
The umps were really pinching our pitchers with the strike zone last night, 'eh?
Usually when somebody says-"where do I begin?" there's a lot to be said but in this case "where do I begin?" is actually an attempt to say something about nothing. Think that makes sense. As mentioned by a poster last night-how about letting Lopez pitch 6 innings regardless of his struggles. Time to battle them demons. Geesh even newcomer Anderson had to give up 3 runs. Good news about Gunnar. I watch other games and see sharp curves falling to the dirt being swung at for strikeouts. Why can't O's pitchers throw that pitch? Is Severino hesitant to call it for obvious reasons(dirt)? Thinking Paul Fry is a dilemma. They wanna deal him BUT don't wanna expose him. These new rules affecting him? Newcomer Guitierrez looks good in a uni(athletic and all)but have a bad feeling he'll be caught in that revolving door. Ever check out how O's IFers always seem to be positioned just feet away from where the ball's hit? Coiincidence,poor placement? Aaah that's enough.
I agree with giving Lopez a longer leash. Every time he's pulled, there's the note, "He can't go five innings" or "He can lose, but he can't win" or "He can't win." He left with a one-run deficit that was "relieved" into a hopeless rout. What happened to the notion that players should be put in a position to succeed? Anyway, congrats to Valaika for being our fifteenth pitcher; Stevie, with his versatility, could make it sixteen if they brought him up.
Great points Willmiranda. “Relieved into a hopeless rout” - well stated, and so sad.
Thanks Elias, you rat b+++++d!
How come their soft tossing off speed pitcher Keuchel (needs a stove pipe hat btw) can get hitters out, but our guy Valdez with a similar approach cannot?
More of a worthless rhetorical question than anything else.
Because he mixes in his other pitches. Valdez has one pitch and it’s either gonna be a strike or a ball. So the hitter either waits for a good one or takes the bad ones. The book is out on him.
Rhetorical questions are appropriate for a rhetorical team.
What a embarrassing team especially the pitching staff that Elias has put together in year three of rebuild. I’ve lost interest in this team but I feel for young kids in Baltimore who have to identify with a loser year in year out something kids in bigger markets never have to endure. Baseball needs to fix this problem somehow. Obviously it doesn’t exist in basketball and football.
Need a salary cap so all teams have the same payroll
Any bets on which team has the most room under the cap, no matter how low it is?
Salary cap will never happen I’ve been told because of the strength of the union, agree though, they need one...go O’s...
There's a Pepsi sign in right-center field?
Now we're talkin'!
You hoping for an ASG here in B’more? I still remember the Mussina kerfuffle from last time.
Cito sucks. That was the sentiment, as I recall.
Ah, to have those sort of problems today. Almost quaint in comparison
I could care less about an all star game, what I'd really like to see in Baltimore is a major league team.
No Coke ... Pepsi
:)....go O’s...
It’s time to bring Stevie back. He’s tearing things up at Bowie (even a HR) but we really need his pitching skills! Just saying...
He’s gotta be better than Valaika. Heck, maybe CD can toss a few innings next year. If the hitting thing doesn’t work out.
Is this rebuild cursed? Did Baltimore do something I’m not aware of that has caused the baseball gods to now reign justice down upon them? First there was the pandemic last year causing the loss of the entire minor league season. Now it appears there’s gonna be a work stoppage next year lasting who knows how long, delaying the progress of so many talented minor leaguers. Our #1 pick from last year still isn’t playing baseball. The guy making 1/3 of the team payroll this year won’t play an inning. How much more can go wrong? What wretched curse is this?
Just listened to the song “The Earl of Baltimore” by Terry Cashman. I love his baseball songs but boy have we fallen far. Reminiscing about the old days has helped me get through the last several seasons.
It’s helped me get thru these last several DECADES.
Listening to Mike Elias today in the 3rdd inning on MASN. There is no doubt in my mind that this man knows what he's doing. He certainly inspires confidence in the direction of the team, and his vision of that future. I loved listening to what he said, and there is no sarcasm when I say that. He's very impressive.
I just wish he were a little more concerned with the team that was losing on the field right in front of him. Again.
One more thing ... I'd love to hear a member of the media give him the hard question. "Have you sacrificed this team for the past 3 years, in any way, in order to better position the team in the draft"?
That would be a great questions, would require some cajones though...go O’s...
Ken, if Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer, DJ Stewart, Chance Sisco and Yusniel Diaz don't perform poorly and John Means and Bruce Zimmermann don't get hurt, you're not continually harping on this question.
Their most touted prospects have underperformed in many cases, and been hurt in others. That's why they haven't played well. They're trying to build from within, and the highly touted prospects haven't played well. If they had played well, the .500 season you predicted might have come to fruition.
Sorry if I've struck a nerve Rich, I'd just like to have this guy face that question. Not that I'd expect it to be asked in this day and age.
It's been asked for three years in many ways. As I quoted him before the 2019 season started, he said that he wasn't out to create a one-hit wonder that won games at the expense of building the team. You hardly struck a nerve, Ken. They're giving extended looks to all these players to see if they can cut it. They're not buying short-term, medium-priced free agents to plug holes, but they're not intentionally trying to lose to get a higher draft pick.
A hard question would require a media member who isn't a cheerleader (certainly not MASN). I guess the question could come from the VISITING team's entourage.
Haven’t heard from anyone of authority within the franchise ever address that question, regardless of opportune injuries to help the cause, never will because no one (maybe a visiting team press corps) will ask...go O’s...
Ray, as I've said the question has been asked in many different ways.
Don't drop "the question." It should be rephrased and expanded. I'd like to see Elias be asked to provide a clear-cut, convincing argument that it is axiomatic that signing a few temporary plugs for the many holes on this team would unavoidably come at the "expense of building the team." Second, let's ask him if his "most touted prospects have underperformed in many cases," why should we be confident that his future draftees will do better? There is a standard stock market caution that "past performance [Houston] does not guarantee future performance." And finally, to Mr. Elias and anyone else out there, why should Oriole fans feel compassion rather than anger that the O's over-dependence on the discards of other teams has resulted in a well-below average group of mostly minimum wage players that lose a very large number of games now and in the foreseeable future? BTW, to those wondering about the wisdom or lack thereof of building thru the draft, you might be interested in reading an article on mlb.com/Orioles about two weeks ago listing every one of our first round draft choices. The relatively few gems are vastly outnumbered by those that had negligible major league careers or none at all--not surprising in view of the many intangibles that go into the making of first-rate big leaguers.
Don’t tip toe, someone should ask it the way Boog stated, black & white, again just the way he said it, not different ways...go O’s...
If the question were asked exactly as phrased, Elias would respond, "No". Of course, then his integrity would be questioned. This is why Rich and others ask the question in many different ways. The guy does not believe paying MLB market rates, for multiple years will produce enough wins to satisfy fans, management or owners. 2018 Os and the current Rays, proved that spending money on the major league payroll produces a winner.
Watching Sat afternoon: please, please get rid of DJ — utterly worthless