Orioles look to respond against one of AL's best arms

TAMPA – “That’s a really, really frustrating loss.”

That was the takeaway from Andrew Kittredge after last night’s game, one in which the Orioles led by eight in the second inning only to lose by four at the end of it.

“Not much to say on that one,” Cedric Mullins added. “That's a tough loss. Definitely one you want to flush as soon as possible. Get back at it tomorrow.”

That’s the mentality that the Orioles are bringing to the ballpark today, looking to rebound after last night’s deflating loss. But there’s no rallying cry from interim manager Tony Mansolino. The players know what they need to do. 

“I think if every day I’ve got to rally the troops and have a team meeting and give a message, I don’t know if it’s the right guys,” Mansolino said of his clubhouse today. “We definitely don’t need that with these guys. They know. I was just in the hitters’ meeting just now. It’s energetic, they’re laughing, they’re talking, they’re trying to figure out how to beat Rasmussen right now.” 

That task is a tall one. 

Rasmussen has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the game this year, posting a 2.55 ERA in 14 starts. The right-hander has yet to allow more than four earned runs in an outing this season, and he’s walked more than two batters just once. His 5.3 percent walk rate is 88th percentile in the game, according to Statcast. 

Frustratingly, you know exactly how Rasmussen is going to attack you. 

Close to 90 percent of the time, the righty will throw some variation of a fastball - either his four-seamer, cutter or sinker. According to FanGraphs’ Stuff+, a metric that evaluates the physical characteristics of a pitch, including things like velocity, vertical and horizontal movement and spin rate, Rasmussen has the third-best-fastball stuff in the game, behind other AL Cy Young candidates Tarik Skubal and Hunter Brown. His overall Stuff+ is fourth best in the game. 

A Rays pitcher is a stuff monster … Go figure. 

On the other side, Charlie Morton, who gets the ball for the O’s tonight, will be tasked with providing some length. The Orioles were forced to use five bullpen arms last night, leaving their relievers taxed. 

“We need Charlie to go today,” Mansolino said. “Charlie’s been in this situation before, and, you know, to go into a game where you’re short in the bullpen, in the big leagues on a nightly basis, probably more usual than unusual.” 

With challenges imminent, Baltimore must find a way to flip the script. 

Too often for the O’s liking, at the beginning of the season, a loss like last night’s would compound. After the big loss against Cincy, for example, Baltimore lost five of six. But after their 19-5 loss to the Red Sox in late May, the Birds responded well, winning three of their next four. 

They’re hoping for more of the same today. 

“Some of those losses in the past hurt a little more because we felt like it might leak into some things,” Mullins said last night. “But I feel like the guys are, you know, confident. What we're trying to do is just continue to stack along wins.”

Yesterday’s loss can be flushed away with a win tonight. Finding a way to split the series against a Rays team that has had the best offense in baseball over the last month would be quite the turnaround. 

Plus, it would be quite the momentum boost for a trip to New York. 

Breadcrumbs from the Skipper 

Tyler O’Neill is “progressing” and should be “hitting baseball activities here sooner rather than later,” according to Mansolino. He had a PRP shot in his shoulder last week. 

“There’s a little bit of a down period you’re going to have after that,” Mansolino said.

There’s no exact timeline for his return to rehab, but it appears to be soon.