masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgTORONTO – The Orioles posted a lineup today that included Anthony Santander and Hanser Alberto, but when Toronto changed pitchers, manager Brandon Hyde changed his lineup. Toronto scratched its scheduled starter, lefty Anthony Kay, due to a back issue and replaced him with lefty Thomas Pannone.
“They scratched their starter about 5 o’clock,” Hyde said. “They’re going to go with a bullpen day and we figured the majority of the pitchers behind him will be right-handed relievers. So I assume…

TORONTO – The Orioles posted a lineup today that included Anthony Santander and Hanser Alberto, but when Toronto changed pitchers, manager Brandon Hyde changed his lineup. Toronto scratched its scheduled starter, lefty Anthony Kay, due to a back issue and replaced him with lefty Thomas Pannone.

“They scratched their starter about 5 o’clock,” Hyde said. “They’re going to go with a bullpen day and we figured the majority of the pitchers behind him will be right-handed relievers. So I assume Pannone will throw an inning or two and then we’ll see right-handers the rest of the way.”

Santander-Swings-Gray-Sidebar.jpgSantander has been struggling, with his average down to .261. He is 7-for-64 (.109) with 20 strikeouts and 1-for-21 over his last four games. He was in the first lineup but not the second one.

“I was playing him because there is a left-hander on the mound,” Hyde said. “When they scratched him, I wanted to give him a day off and Alberto, too. Wanted to give them both a day off, so it kind of worked out. I talked to both of them. Tony is grinding right now, just trying too hard, and I just wanted to give him a breather.”

Hyde today talked about tonight’s O’s starter Dylan Bundy (6-14, 4.89 ERA), who will make his 30th start. But he could get a 31st. He would be pitching on the regular four days’ rest Sunday at Boston in Game 162. Bundy has made his last four starts on five days’ rest, going 0-1 with a 4.37 ERA.

“We have that last start in Boston kind of open. So he’ll start tonight and we’ll see,” said Hyde.

I asked Hyde today what Bundy needs to do to elevate his game to a higher level.

“I just think for me, Dylan has four pitches and continuing to understand how to utilize all four pitches,” Hyde said. “He’s got a really good slider and changeup and to be able to – I just feel like he makes mistakes in the middle still at times that ends up hurting him. So maybe just executing a little better and a little bit better pitch mix going forward. It’s nice to have a guy that can throw four pitches for strikes.

“I hope he takes what he used to improve this year into next year and I hope he has a good one tonight. He’s had some bad luck. We’ve just been horrible this year with inherited runners and it feels like anytime I took him out in the sixth or seventh, we would give up his runs. We met with him yesterday. Think he’s encouraged about the second half that he had and I think his numbers are better than they’ve shown.”

Bundy is 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings this season against Toronto. In 14 career games, he is 4-3 with a 3.13 ERA and six quality starts versus the Blue Jays.

O’s strike first: Bundy retired the side in order in the first on 11 pitches after the O’s provided him a 3-0 lead in the top of the inning. Renato Núñez doubled in two runs and scored on Dwight Smith Jr.’s single for the 3-0 lead. Pannone went just one inning and right-hander Elvis Luciano came on in the second for the Blue Jays.

The big 300: Bundy retired the first eight in order tonight and then Derek Fisher lined a solo homer to right to cut the O’s lead to 3-1 in the third. That was the 300th homer allowed this season by Baltimore pitching, extending the O’s major league record for homers allowed in a single season.

O’s answer: The Orioles hit two solo homers in the fourth off Wilmer Font for a 5-1 lead. Smith hit No. 13 and Austin Wynns drilled No. 1 a distance of 413 feet. O’s hit seven homers in the first 13 innings of this series.

Another homer: DJ Stewart hit a two-run homer on the ninth pitch of an at-bat as the Orioles took a 7-1 lead in the sixth. Trey Mancini later added an RBI single to make it 8-1 and make him 4-for-4. Bundy allowed just one hit through five on 52 pitches.