masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgNEW YORK – The Orioles lost the first game of their series against the Yankees tonight despite their opponent going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10. They lost despite a quality start by definition from left-hander Wei-Yin Chen.
They lost after the Yankees pushed across the tiebreaking run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single by No. 8 hitter Didi Gregorius and a double by No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan on a ground ball down the left field line.
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NEW YORK – The Orioles lost the first game of their series against the Yankees tonight despite their opponent going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10. They lost despite a quality start by definition from left-hander Wei-Yin Chen.

They lost after the Yankees pushed across the tiebreaking run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single by No. 8 hitter Didi Gregorius and a double by No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan on a ground ball down the left field line.

Being on the wrong end of a 3-2 score has left the Orioles five games behind the Yankees in the American League East.

Chen allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings, with no walks and three strikeouts. His six consecutive quality starts represent the longest streak by an Orioles pitcher since Miguel Gonzalez had six in a row from Aug. 7-Sept. 13, 2014. Chen has surrendered three earned runs or fewer in 16 of 18 starts this season.

He may have been spared the loss if Jonathan Schoop’s liner to left field with two runners on base and one out in the fifth inning hadn’t bounced foul by about an inch. Or if Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury hadn’t robbed Chris Parmelee of an RBI hit with a running grab to end the seventh.

“Wei-Yin’s had a good year,” said manager Buck Showalter. “He had some rest during the All-Star break, came back and gave us a real good chance to win. Ground ball that went down the third base line. They hit a ball that just about caught chalk, and Jon hit one that missed chalk by about an inch. And Parm squared up a ball that they ran down. Well-pitched game on both sides.

“You can’t steer ground balls, but Wei-Yin presented himself well. You knew with what they’ve been able to run out there with the bullpen … (Justin) Wilson, too, has had a big year for them as evidenced by their appearances. They’ve done a job for them.

“We took a shot at them and Parm squared up a ball there that didn’t fall. I thought Jon’s ball was going to be fair for sure, but hopefully some of those inches will go our way tomorrow.”

Wieters-Tagged-at-Second.jpgThe Orioles made a couple of mistakes on the bases that were magnified in a one-run loss. Manny Machado was picked off first base after walking in the first inning, and Matt Wieters was tagged out in a rundown on J.J. Hardy’s game-tying single in the sixth.

Wieters didn’t notice that right fielder Chris Young bobbled the ball, and he figured the throw was headed toward the plate.

“I think Matt was assuming that, as short as it is in right field, he thought there would be a play at the plate,” Showalter said. “You’ve got your back there and you can’t see the bobble. Manny just got caught be a little overaggressive.”

The Orioles returned to .500 at 46-46, familiar territory for them this season. Asked again how his club can get over the hump, Showalter replied, “The same thing that happened before. The same thing.

“A little bit better timing with some hits and things go our way a little bit better. It’s not from lack of effort. Unless you guys bring it up every day like most of the time you do, we know that regardless of what somebody else is doing that we’re going to have to get to a little different level that we know we’re capable of.”

Here’s more from the clubhouse following tonight’s loss:

Chen, through his interpreter, on how he pitched: “I wasn’t able to control the situation as I wanted to in the first couple of innings and allowed a couple of extra-base hits. I allowed two runs in the first two innings, and I think that gave the team some burdens, and that’s why we lost the game today.”

Chen on Ryan’s double: “I wanted an outside pitch and it was outside, but maybe it caught a little bit too much of the plate, but still that’s where I wanted it. That was a grounder and it found a hole and I think that’s just baseball. Sometimes a grounder will just find a hole and you have to accept that.”

Chen on his frustration in the sixth inning: “We were just one out away from getting out of the jam, and if I can do that, we won’t fall behind again and we might have a chance to win. But that’s just baseball. I didn’t do well and I have to accept that.”

Chen on whether the team can go on a decisive winning streak: “I don’t know about that. Everybody on this team really wants to win and they play hard to win every game.”

Wieters on Chen: “I thought he threw the ball well. I actually thought after the rain delay, he threw the ball a little bit better than the first inning. I think he was able to get through some pitches better and locate better after the first.”

Wieters on whether he worried that the 15-minute delay could hurt Chen: “No, not really. Wei-Yin is always going to be focused, he’s going to battle out there no matter what the situation would be.”

Wieters on Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi: “He’s got good stuff. He’s able to use a lot of off-speed stuff. We thought coming in he’s been using his off-speed stuff more. Any time a guy can throw that hard and mix in his off-speed stuff for strikes, it’s going to be a battle. We were able to tie it up off him. We just weren’t able to hold it.”

Wieters on losing the first game of an important series: “It’s the first game. We can still come out and win tomorrow and go from there. It’s a good team and they played well tonight. One run is going to be how a lot of these games are going to be decided.”

Wieters on what the Orioles need to do to get past .500: “Just keep playing, keep grinding. There’s still a lot of games left, so hopefully we can hit our stride and go through a little run, but the only way we’re going to be able to go through a big run is take it one day at a time and try to win tomorrow.”

Wieters on being caught in the rundown: “As hard as it was hit, I thought he was going to try to get Adam (Jones) at the plate. I didn’t see him bobble it. If I saw him, I probably would have stayed, but I figured that throw was going to the plate. And if it was going to be bang-bang there, I’d rather him cut it and try to get me at third so we could tie the game there.”