Orioles Cannot Dent Yankees Arms, Fall 3-1 At Camden Yards

Orioles starter Shane Baz has been battered by the Yankees in his career, but he came out attacking Tuesday and was overpowering at times. Unfortunately, as has been the case in almost all of his starts since being acquired from Tampa, he gets no run support.

The Orioles struggled to put the ball in play against a procession of Yankees pitchers, rookie skipper Craig Albernaz made some dubious late-inning decisions (as has often been the case this season) and the Birds couldn’t pull off one of their wild comebacks in the series opener, falling, 3-1 to the Yankees. Every game feels imperative for an O’s team that’s been trying to get back to ,500 since mid-April and has won more than three games in a row just once.

Baltimore swung the bats like mad in a four-game series at Tampa, but this had the feel of the preponderance of their outings this season. The Orioles registered just four hits, they couldn’t move runners over when they did walk and the second inning told the story, when Jazz Chisholm’s error set them up with the bases loaded and one out; Carlos Narvaez and Jackson Holliday (very rare chance to leadoff against a tough lefty starter) struck out.

“Biggest one was the bases loaded situation - not being able to cash in there early,” Albernaz said.

Baz registered 10 strikeouts before departing in the seventh inning – the first time he has done that in his Orioles career – but that helped drive his pitch count up. Baz threw 104 pitches, and 69 were strikes. He bounced back from his last time out, which was his worst start since turning his season around in late May.

Baz struck out the side in the first (with a walk in between) and then the final two batters he faced in the second inning. He added one in the third and then two more in the fourth. He seemed to start to fatigue a little from there and New York saw him much better the next time through the order. Baz probably could have leaned on the knuckle curve even more; New York swung 21 times at it and missed on 10 of them.

“Baz was outstanding, just that one mistake,” Albernaz said.

Odd Bullpen Decision

Two Yankees reached in the fifth and two more in the 7th, before Albernaz went to lefty journeyman Josh Walker in the pen, which immediately seemed like an odd choice and turned out to be a disastrous one.

Walker hasn’t been very sharp, and he’s been used a lot. He came in with two one, promptly walked Paul Goldschmidt (control is an issue) and then with two outs and ahead 0-2 on Trent Grisham he hung a two-seamer that was clubbed to the outfield to plate two runs and give the Yankees the lead. It was Grisham’s night, as his homer to flag court gave New York an early 1-0 lead.

Walker picked up two strikeouts in the inning as well, and avoided further damage after hitting Ben Rice, but the Yankees have a superior bullpen – and one that’s well rested – giving them a big advantage in the late innings.

The Orioles scratched out just one run off left Carlos Rodon, making his first starting since June after a prolonged stint on the Injured List. Rodon was on a pitch count and only went four innings, getting key strikeouts when he needed them. The only run he surrendered came off the bat of first baseman Coby Mayo, who destroys lefties, a rocket to the corner in left field for his 17th homer of the season.

Things were pretty static for the O’s until the seventh when Leody Taveras singled, rookie Christian Franklin worked a walk in a very professional at bat. Albernaz chose not to bunt out of the nine spot and pinch hitter Jeremiah Jackson, in a funk, whiffed, Holliday flew out and Pete Alonso, who has been carrying this offense, lined out sharply (107 mph off the bat) to right fielder Spencer Jones.

“Definitely a consideration,” Albernaz admitted of bunting, “… but we loved the matchup … we were playing for the big inning there.”

What he's trying to say is he was banking on another pinch hitter coming through, since they llead the league in that category. What he doesn't want you to know is Jackson has an .034/.171//034 slash since the All-Star break (yeah, .205 OPS over 19 games).

That was as close as the Orioles got to a rally, and now they sit in last place in the AL East at 61-65. They are 6-19 in Baz's starts.

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