Orioles and Red Sox lineups (and roster moves)

BOSTON – The regular season is down to eight games for the Orioles, and they’re still 3 ½ behind the Mariners for the last wild card.

It’s more like 4 ½ because Seattle owns the tiebreaker.

The Orioles made a flurry of roster moves. They placed infielder Ramón Urías on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, which ends his season, optioned relievers Joey Krehbiel and Jake Reed to Triple-A Norfolk, and recalled infielder Tyler Nevin, left-hander Keegan Akin and right-hander Beau Sulser.

Akin is replacing Urías, which enables him to be recalled this early after the Orioles optioned him on Monday.

Nevin is starting at third base tonight.

Notes on Thursday starter, Akin, Urías, Vavra and more

BOSTON – Right-hander Mike Baumann is the confirmed starter for the Orioles in the series finale Thursday afternoon.

Baumann is on normal rest after starting Saturday against the Astros and allowing two runs in four innings. He’s in the rotation because Tyler Wells went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

The Red Sox are starting veteran Nathan Eovaldi.

The Orioles didn’t make any roster moves today after optioning left-hander Keegan Akin yesterday and recalling Logan Gillaspie from the taxi squad.

Akin broke camp with the team and lasted until the fourth week of September.

Leftovers for breakfast

BOSTON – The Orioles had some lineup intrigue yesterday, withholding it much later than usual to ascertain the health of a couple players. They also announced an unrelated roster move less than an hour before first pitch.

Can’t rush the process.

Reliever Keegan Akin was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk one day after facing a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 11th inning against the Astros and surrendering four runs.  

The club provided some context, passing along that the Orioles needed a fresh arm and plucked Logan Gillaspie from the taxi squad, and it was a tactical maneuver based on certain matchups down the road.

Akin’s performance didn’t influence the decision, though there’s been a noticeable decline.

Orioles must settle for series split with 6-3 loss in 11 innings (updated)

How would the Orioles respond to last night’s crushing defeat?

By reliving it in a different form this afternoon.

By getting a solid start from Austin Voth and practically no offense for seven innings. By carrying the game past regulation with some late dramatics.

And it rained.

The game was halted after the bottom of the sixth inning with Astros starter Cristian Javier facing the minimum number of batters and permitting just one baserunner. Javier, at 76 pitches, didn’t return after a 46-minute delay.

Orioles kept hitless through six innings in 11-0 loss (updated)

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t fear an emotional regression from his team after Sunday’s comeback win and the Tigers arriving with their anemic offense and one of the worst records in baseball. He wasn’t worried about the clubhouse losing its edge. Not with so much at stake.

Hyde remembered the three-game sweep in Detroit back in May, and the past struggles against the Tigers under his watch.

“You can’t let your guard down,” he said this afternoon.

Tyler Alexander wouldn’t let the Orioles get a hit until the seventh inning. Something that Hyde never saw coming.

Two walks were the only blemishes on Alexander’s line before Ryan Mountcastle lined a single into center field leading off the seventh in the Tigers’ 11-0 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Akin makes emergency start, Bichette hits three homers and O's swept in doubleheader (updated)

Jordan Lyles began to warm in the bullpen in preparation for his Game 2 start, stopped early and headed back inside the clubhouse covered in sweat. The veteran who prides himself on eating innings didn’t have the stomach for it today.

He tried. The Orioles pushed back Lyles from Game 1, hoping the extra hours would let him recover. He put on his glove, grabbed a ball and threw.

Pretty much anything that could go wrong for the Orioles injected itself into their doubleheader.

Left-hander Keegan Akin made the start and lasted 2 1/3 innings and 42 pitches. Nick Vespi replaced him with two runners on base and Bo Bichette homered to left field.

Bichette hit two more home runs off left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, who covered the last six innings, and the Orioles lost to the Blue Jays 8-4 at Camden Yards.

Orioles unable to overcome latest early deficit (updated)

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle made a diving stop of Yoán Moncada’s ground ball tonight and outraced him to the bag to record the out and prevent at least one more run from scoring. Elvis Andrus struck out, and Spenser Watkins caught a break only down 2-0 in the first inning.

On many nights in 2022, that play would launch a comeback for the Orioles. Their starter would get on a roll, they’d string together some hits, and the outcome would strengthen the belief that they have the stamina to stay in the wild card chase.

They still feel that way. Their confidence won’t erode. And Watkins didn’t allow another run. But the Orioles couldn’t push past the White Sox, who kept the lead and won 5-3 at Camden Yards.

Austin Hays slugged a two-run homer off Liam Hendriks in the ninth, his 300th career hit, but a fifth attempt to move seven games above .500 failed, dropping the Orioles to 64-59.

Watkins stranded a runner in each of his next four innings and retired the side in order in the sixth on three ground balls. The White Sox hadn’t cashed in much during this series, leaving 27 on base.

Akin and Lyles have advice for Hall leading into debut (and other notes)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles reliever Keegan Akin saw DL Hall at the team hotel last night and decided it was an ideal opportunity to counsel the rookie. Offer advice prior to a major league debut today that’s attracting a tremendous amount of hype.

Happens with elite pitching prospects. They don’t sneak into town.

“I’ve already talked to him and helped him through a little bit,” Akin said. “He said it didn’t really hit him last night. I said, ‘It’s going to hit you tomorrow morning when you wake up, or it’s going to hit you when you go to walk on the field and start warming up.’ I just told him, ‘You’ve got to stay calm and keep yourself and your emotions under control, just because that’s what’s going to be the hardest to control, and that can get a little squirrely sometimes on the mound and be all over the place.’

“I told him to just lock it in. Nothing’s different up here. He still has the same stuff as he did coming up through the system, and it’s electric stuff and I’m excited for him to be here. I think he can contribute a lot to this team.”

Jordan Lyles is a former first-round pick with 12 years in the majors. He also can be a resource for Hall.

Orioles make roster moves, Hays returns to lineup and Mullins batting eighth

The Orioles recalled reliever Louis Head this afternoon from Triple-A Norfolk to provide a fresh bullpen arm. They optioned Beau Sulser following yesterday’s game.

Head, who’s wearing No. 60, came to the organization as a July 12 waiver claim from the Marlins. He was on the injured list with a left shoulder impingement.

The right-hander made his major league debut with the Rays last summer, and he appeared in 23 games with the Marlins this season, allowing 19 runs and 26 hits with 11 walks and 23 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings.

Head posted a 3.38 ERA in seven games with Norfolk. He allowed three runs and four hits with seven walks and 12 strikeouts in eight innings.

Sulser surrendered Ke’Bryan Hayes’ two-run homer yesterday after he replaced Keegan Akin. He threw 49 pitches in 2 1/3 innings.

Hyde on Santander and Akin decisions to get vaccinated, Mancini's slump, and more

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde called the decision by outfielder Anthony Santander and reliever Keegan Akin to get vaccinated “a personal choice by them.”

There were no meetings between the club and players. No mentions of the competitive disadvantage with Santander and Akin unable to enter Canada based on its COVID-19 regulations.

They missed the series against the Blue Jays in June, weren’t paid and didn’t receive service time.

“I didn’t talk to them about where we are standings-wise or anything like that,” Hyde said. “That was something that we had talked about in the past. I was happy to hear that. But like I said, that’s a choice by those two guys and I’m proud of our club for being fully vaccinated.”

The Orioles return to Toronto on Aug. 15-17. They called up outfielder Kyle Stowers and reliever Rico Garcia for the last visit to Rogers Centre.

Orioles shut out and unable to secure series win (updated)

The curveball that Dean Kremer fed Aaron Judge in the first inning today made the Yankees slugger look bad. Or at least human.

Judge took his usual mighty cut, caught only air, and walked back to the dugout with a rare strikeout in the series.

Kremer tried the same pitch in the third inning with a runner on base, and Judge destroyed it with the same ferocity.

The bender almost broke a seat in the section behind the left field bleachers, a 456-foot shot to increase a lead that the Yankees held throughout the steamy afternoon in a 6-0 win over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 25,623 at Camden Yards.

All-Star Nestor Cortes Jr. tossed six scoreless innings, and his former team moved below .500 again at 47-48. The Orioles still haven’t won two series against the Yankees in the same season since 2017.

Orioles outlast Rays in 11 innings and finally win at Tropicana Field (updated)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Dean Kremer headed to the visiting bullpen at Tropicana Field today, the exact spot where he suffered a strained oblique while warming in the season’s third game. He was supposed to pitch in relief and work in a piggyback role early in the year, but the injury destroyed plans formulated back in camp.

“That was a tough day,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We changed course there with that injury.”

Kremer was healed, stretched out and put into the rotation. His first career appearance in St. Petersburg finally arrived this afternoon. Beginning with his warmup tosses in the ‘pen, his role adjusted since back in April.

Second baseman Rougned Odor brought the lineup card to home plate, the task removed from bullpen catcher Ben Carhart after a 10-game losing streak ended last night. The Orioles vowed to begin a new one. If they could just get some cooperation from an opponent that always torments them beneath the dome.

It finally happened today in the late innings. Just as the Orioles appeared to be tumbling below .500 again. Look for Odor at home plate before Sunday’s game, card in hand again. Look for Adley Rutschman in the lineup after a partial rest day that turned into much more.

Orioles still full of surprises

CHICAGO – Since the 2022 Orioles are full of surprises, reaching .500 last night with just four games remaining before the break, they can’t be contained in a single article about unexpected developments. What they’ve done that pretty much blindsided me.

Yesterday, I addressed the obvious shocker of the team being only two games out of the wild card race in the American League. How I wasn’t sold on Félix Bautista’s inclusion on the opening day roster, how Jordan Lyles’ contract seemed a bit puzzling and how I assumed that Keegan Akin would be riding the Triple-A shuttle.

What else did I get wrong?

* Jorge López is an All-Star.

I thought López should stay in the bullpen, and said as much here and on the air. I thought his stuff would play at the back end, but he’d also bring value as a multi-inning reliever if manager Brandon Hyde needed him for coverage.

Sorting through a few Orioles surprises

The stubborn streak in me isn’t as long as the Orioles’ winning streak, which has reached eight games. However, I can't always admit when I’m wrong.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but that’s another subject. Let’s stick to baseball.

I didn’t think the 2022 Orioles would be one game under .500 on July 12, that I’d wake up yesterday morning and they’d be only two out of the final wild card spot.

I predicted an improved record over last season. I said they’d be more entertaining, more enjoyable for fans based on the promotions of some top prospects.

Catcher Adley Rutschman finally made it. Outfielder Kyle Stowers had a cup of Tim Hortons coffee in Toronto as a replacement player for Anthony Santander. Grayson Rodriguez would be entrenched in the rotation and attracting larger non-giveaway crowds at Camden Yards except for a strained lat.

Taking a look at some impressive pitching stats

When you get pitching like the Orioles did in Minnesota – and have been getting for the most part since mid-June – you are going to have a chance to win some baseball games.

The O’s allowed three runs Friday and lost, and four on Saturday and lost. But they held the lead Sunday and beat Minnesota 3-1 to end the road trip, going 5-5 through Chicago, Seattle and Minnesota. They come home today for game No. 81 at 36-44. At the season’s halfway point after today they will either be on a pace to win 72 or 74 games in this 2022 season.

Orioles right-hander Tyler Wells improved to 7-4 and lowered his ERA to 3.09 with his latest strong outing on Sunday. Wells allowed three hits and one run over six innings, tying a career high for his longest outing, and he set a career high with seven strikeouts. He walked just one and continues to excel in strikethrowing. He has walked one or none in 10 of his 16 starts. And he’s walked more than two in just one outing this year with 17 walks for the season in 75 2/3 innings, or just 2.02 per every nine innings.

Wells pitched around a two-out error in the first, rolled through the fourth on 53 pitches and got a huge double-play ball off the bat of Carlos Correa in the sixth, when he allowed his only run. The bullpen took it from there with Keegan Akin, Joey Krehbiel and Dillon Tate getting the last nine outs. Tate fanned the game’s last two batters to keep the Orioles from suffering a third straight walk-off loss for the first time since Aug. 12-14, 2013 at Arizona.

The Twins had no late-inning magic this time as the Orioles got the win and salvaged a .500 road trip. While they are 18-27 on the road for the year, the Orioles are 12-11 over their past 23 away from Baltimore.

Wells impresses again and late Orioles lead is secured to avoid sweep (updated)

MINNEAPOLIS – Tyler Wells has turned from experimental starter to staff ace.

There’s no disputing it. He’s reached that status. The proof is in the output.

Wells didn’t allow a baserunner in Seattle until Cal Raleigh homered with two outs in the fifth inning. He didn’t surrender a hit today until Nick Gordon doubled with one out in the fifth.

Given more room to operate in Minnesota, Wells held the Twins to one run in six innings and 90 pitches. The Orioles supported him with three home runs in the first six innings and avoided the sweep with a 3-1 victory.

The Orioles ended their four-game losing streak and a 12-game streak at Target Field, and they finished 5-5 on the road trip.

Wells excellent again, offense erupts for nine runs in win (updated)

SEATTLE - Entering tonight’s game, the Orioles had won six of the last seven games in which Tyler Wells was on the bump. On the other side, the Mariners had won four of the last five games in which George Kirby had started. Unstoppable force, immovable object, etc., etc. 

It was not a pitchers' duel in the 9-2 Orioles victory. George Kirby lasted just four innings, allowing nine hits, seven earned runs and four home runs. 

The Orioles were able to get to Kirby early and often, hitting back-to-back home runs twice in the first four innings. That hasn’t happened for the O’s since Aug. 10, 2017. Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle did it in the third inning, and Anthony Santander and Austin Hays didn’t waste any time making it happen once again in the fourth. 

"I thought we took some of our better at-bats of the year those first four innings," said Hyde. "I thought our approach was outstanding. Up and down the order, really good at-bats."

Rutschman got a nice ovation from family and friends for his first at-bat in Seattle. The Oregon State product attended Sherwood High School in Oregon, with the Mariners being the closest big league team. 

Hyde on Santander and Akin returning, Stowers' opportunity, and more

Anthony Santander is in right field tonight for the Orioles. Keegan Akin is in the bullpen. The competitive disadvantage from their absences in Toronto has been resolved.

Perhaps until the Orioles are in Toronto again. They make two more trips in 2022.

Unvaccinated players are denied entrance into Canada. Santander and Akin went on the restricted list, and the Orioles returned substitute players Kyle Stowers and Rico Garcia to Triple-A Norfolk.

“We knew going in,” Hyde said. “Gave a couple guys an opportunity because two guys couldn’t go, and if that presents itself again, we’ll take it like we just did.

“We’re not the only team that this has happened. It’s happening to most teams that go up there. I’ve talked to them and it’s their choice and I leave it up to them. They’re grown men, they’re going to make their own decisions. I can give them my opinion, but people make their own decisions. You try to persuade or give them my thoughts on it, but it’s ultimately up to them.”

Garcia glad to make it back to majors

TORONTO – Rico Garcia understood how much the numbers really mattered. A non-roster pitcher who missed a full year recovering from elbow surgery must get noticed for more than just returning to the mound. He has to push hard for the promotion.

The circumstances also worked in Garcia’s favor as he made it back to the majors Monday with the Orioles.

Keegan Akin didn’t join the team for the second portion of the road trip due to Canada’s restrictions on unvaccinated players. The rules allowed the Orioles to call up Garcia and, if they chose, send him back down without using an option or having to designate him for assignment in a 40-man move.

Garcia signed a minor league deal in November, posted a 1.93 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings for three affiliates and joined the taxi squad in Kansas City. The Orioles learned that he wasn’t just healthy again.

“Just going out there and attacking hitters, trying not to think about the elbow and the whole rehab process,” he said. “Just trust the process, trust the surgery, that everything in there is feeling good, and let things rip, just like before the surgery happened. That was the main focus.”

More on Stowers and Garcia joining Orioles

TORONTO - The Orioles knew for a while that outfielder Anthony Santander and reliever Keegan Akin would leave the active roster prior to the team’s arrival in Toronto. To be decided was which outfielder might replace Santander in the lineup.

Kyle Stowers became the third top-10 prospect in the system to get the call, joining catcher Adley Rutschman and pitcher Kyle Bradish. They’ll be on the field together tonight for the start of a four-game series against the Blue Jays.

Manager Brandon Hyde got an extended look at Stowers in spring training and wants to check how the 2019 second-round draft pick handles the pressure and challenging at-bats against early Cy Young candidate Alek Manoah.

“I know he’s excited,” Hyde said. “It’s cool to watch young guys make their debuts, and this is going to be a great environment. He’s facing one of the best right-handed starters in the game right now. He’s swinging the bat extremely well in Norfolk and love the athleticism, how he plays defense, how he runs, so it’s a cool way for him to break into the big leagues and looking forward to watching him play tonight.”

The advice to just relax and treat it like any other game “is super unrealistic,” Hyde said.