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The first inning didn’t hurt Grayson Rodriguez today. He punched back before it could leave marks.
A leadoff single by Akil Baddoo wasn’t a “here we go again” moment for the rookie. He struck out the next three batters for his only scoreless opening frame in four major league starts.
Rodriguez didn’t retire the side in order until the fifth, which included two of his six strikeouts. He managed to keep the Tigers scoreless while the Orioles tried to get their first base runner against Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.
Ryan Mountcastle lined a two-out single into left-center field in the seventh to complete a tense eight-pitch at-bat against the former Orioles minor leaguer. There wouldn’t be an embarrassing entry into baseball’s history books.
There wouldn’t even be a shutout.
Orioles reliever Dillon Tate said this morning that he’ll probably need five or six appearances on his injury rehab assignment before he’s ready to be activated and make his 2023 debut.
Tate is joining high Single-A Aberdeen on Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware, the newest test to determine whether he’s fully recovered from the right elbow flexor strain that ruined his plans to pitch in the World Baseball Classic and be introduced at Fenway Park on Opening Day.
“Physically, I’m basically there, and it will be a few more days before I’m back,” he said. “I’m excited, ready to go.”
Tate will be used on back-to-back days toward the end of his assignment as a final hurdle to leaving the injured list.
“See where things stack up,” he said, “and after that, be ready to go.”
A late scratch from last night’s lineup, shortstop Jorge Mateo is starting this afternoon’s series finale against the Tigers at Camden Yards with no rain in the forecast.
Manager Brandon Hyde reconsidered yesterday with rain falling throughout the day, worried that Mateo might reinjure his right hip. Mateo, who hasn’t played since leaving Wednesday’s game in D.C., was on the field before 10 a.m. with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel to do some light running and side-to-side drills.
He must have passed the tests.
Cedric Mullins is batting ninth again today, with Austin Hays in the leadoff spot. Ramón Urías, who had a three-run double last night and later was ejected from the game, is batting cleanup and playing second base.
Gunnar Henderson is at third base and Ryan McKenna is the right fielder. Anthony Santander goes to the bench.
The last four lockers in a row inside the Orioles clubhouse that lead to the entrance to the bathroom and shower area have nameplates above them for John Means, Mychal Givens, Dillon Tate and Cole Irvin.
The first three pitchers are on the injured list, with Means assigned to the 60-day after spring training. Irvin was optioned on April 14 after making three starts.
Those empty spaces will be filled again, but probably on four different days.
Means makes the occasional appearance, and he’s full-go in his bullpen sessions. The team has been targeting a July return for their ace – plenty of time to figure out how he fits.
Tate is beginning his injury rehab assignment Tuesday with high Single-A Aberdeen, and Givens is supposed to start his own later in the week.
Storms moved out of the area, the tarp was peeled back, and the Orioles began tonight’s game on time, an unlikely proposition based on the ominous forecast.
Kyle Gibson’s dominance was delayed.
Gibson had to work through a bases-loaded jam in the first inning that cost him 24 pitches. He allowed one run and two hits in 6 1/3, striking out 11 to match his career high, and the Orioles defeated the Tigers 5-1 before an announced crowd of 12,194 at Camden Yards.
Ramón Urías had a three-run double in the third inning before his ejection, James McCann hit his first home run in the fourth, and the Orioles improved to 13-7. They’ve won five games in a row and nine of 11, and they go for a series sweep on Sunday with Grayson Rodriguez opposing Eduardo Rodriguez.
Gibson was averaging 4.9 strikeouts per nine innings in his first four starts. He registered five tonight through the second to equal his season high and had nine through the fifth. His 11th concluded the sixth.
Orioles reliever Dillon Tate is ready to begin his injury rehab assignment Tuesday night with High-A Aberdeen, which is playing in Wilmington, Del.
Tate didn’t pitch in spring training due to a right elbow flexor strain. The injury surfaced in November, denying him a chance to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Early projections from the club had Tate being out until mid-to-late May.
Asked whether Tate’s return to game action is faster than anticipated, manager Brandon Hyde said, “I think it’s pretty much on schedule.”
The Orioles won’t assign a specific total of appearances for Tate before he’s deemed ready to be activated.
Jorge Mateo has returned to the lineup tonight as the Orioles try to extend their winning streak to five games. However, manager Brandon Hyde said he’s reconsidering because of the wet conditions.
Rain is falling at Camden Yards, but Hyde said, “As of now, we’re playing.”
Mateo is listed at shortstop and batting sixth. Austin Hays is leading off, with Cedric Mullins lowered again to ninth against Tigers left-hander Joey Wentz.
Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ramón Urías is playing third base.
Kyle Gibson has a 4.18 ERA and 1.268 WHIP in four starts. He’s 10-11 with a 5.84 ERA and 1.577 WHIP in 25 career games (24 starts) against the Tigers.
Cedric Mullins had a leadoff single last night in the bottom of the first inning and a one-out double in the fourth. The plate appearances that really get noticed. That excite a crowd and pop in a box score.
I’d rather focus on his walk to start the fourth.
Mullins got ahead in the count 2-0 and 3-1, took a cutter for a strike and laid off a changeup for his 14th walk of the season, ranking third on the club behind Adley Rutschman’s 17 and Gunnar Henderson’s 15.
It didn’t lead to a run. Mullins advanced on a balk and was stranded, and neither team scored until Austin Hays homered in the seventh in a 2-1 win over the Tigers. But Mullins kept the free passes flowing this season.
Rutschman, Henderson and Mullins began last night with a combined 45 walks, making them the leading teammate trio in baseball, per STATS. The Dodgers’ Max Muncy (17), Miguel Vargas (14) and Mookie Betts/Freddie Freeman (12) were next at 43, but you must choose between the last two to make this work.
An overturned call at first base tonight awarded Detroit’s Riley Greene with an infield single in the first inning, before Orioles starter Tyler Wells disposed of the next two batters to strand him. Wells retired 12 of 14 and ultimately 19 of 23, striking out Greene to end the third after allowing a one-out single, and kept adding links to the scoreless chain.
The Orioles were far from a lock to break the club record of 54 innings in a row set in 1974. The chain was bound to snap on any pitch. That's a lot of length. But it sure was impressive while it lasted.
A leadoff walk in the fifth produced nothing. Wells got a popup and 4-6-3 double play. A leadoff infield single in the sixth also was a hollow threat after Cedric Mullins ran down a fly ball in right-center and Adam Frazier caught a line drive and doubled off the runner at first base.
Just another zero. Perhaps a more fitting symbol on the alternate cap.
Wells worked a career-high seven innings and held the Tigers to three hits and a walk, striking out five batters and pounding his glove after getting a ground ball to retire the side in order in his last frame. The streak had grown to 33 and would get to 34.
Shortstop Jorge Mateo said his right hip has improved and he should be available tonight if the Orioles need him to come off the bench.
Mateo felt some discomfort in the hip Wednesday night in D.C. while running up the first base line. The Orioles were off yesterday, which provided an extra day of rest.
“Probably tomorrow 100 percent,” he said. “I feel much better today.”
Mateo said he was “a little bit” concerned as he reduced his speed up the line on a ground ball in the second inning and walked off the field. He was moving today without any sign of a limp.
“I think (it was) something painful, but now it’s getting better,” he said.
Jorge Mateo isn’t in tonight’s lineup, as the Orioles begin their homestand with three games against the Tigers. Mateo left Wednesday's game in Washington with hip discomfort. However, the team didn’t announce a roster move.
Gunnar Henderson is playing shortstop and Ramón Urías is at third base.
Terrin Vavra is in right field and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Ryan Mountcastle has collected 20 of the Orioles’ 96 RBIs - 20.8 percent that ranks as the third highest in the majors, per STATS.
Adley Rutschman’s 17 walks lead the American League. Henderson has drawn 15 to tie for second.
The recovery made by rookie starter Grayson Rodriguez after the first inning of Sunday’s game in Chicago did more than keep him on the mound through the fifth and enable the Orioles to stage a comeback win and claim the series.
Rodriguez began a scoreless streak that cut through D.C. and pulled up to Camden Yards, where the Orioles are hosting the Tigers over the weekend.
The Orioles haven’t allowed a run in 26 consecutive innings. Not since the White Sox’s Jake Burger drove a 96.9 mph fastball over the right field fence Sunday afternoon with two outs in the bottom of the first.
Rain delayed the start for two hours and 22 minutes. Orioles pitching has created drought conditions on opposing batters.
The bullpen covered the last four innings at Guaranteed Rate Field, beginning with Mike Baumann, who blanked the White Sox in the sixth and seventh. Austin Voth retired the side in order in the eighth after surrendering a home run in each of his first five appearances. Félix Bautista stranded a runner in the ninth in a non-save situation.
The Orioles are off again today before beginning a stretch of 10 games in a row, the next six at home against the Tigers and Red Sox. They’ve gone 6-0 in series openers.
If you’re wondering why the Orioles have two off-days as bookends to a two-game series in D.C., you aren’t alone. I’m sure they’d prefer having those breaks spread out.
The timing is unexpectedly good, though, with shortstop Jorge Mateo day-to-day with right hip discomfort.
Detroit won five in a row before yesterday’s loss to the Guardians. The Orioles and Tigers also meet in a four-game series at Comerica Park beginning on April 27.
This is still viewed as the “soft spot” in the schedule, which began after the Yankees left town. The Orioles won three of four from the Athletics and two of three from the White Sox, and swept the Nationals in their two-game set.
WASHINGTON – The Orioles got one of their starting pitchers back tonight, and it was a welcome sight for them to see right-hander Kyle Bradish on the mound. He was activated off the injured list and pitching for the first time since taking a liner off his right foot April 3 at Texas.
And they got back the Bradish that pitched to a 3.28 ERA in his last 13 starts of the 2022 season.
Tonight, he threw six scoreless innings as the Orioles beat Washington 4-0 to sweep a two-game series by throwing back-to-back shutouts.
O’s pitchers have thrown 26 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to the second inning on Sunday versus the White Sox in Chicago. Their rotation ERA was 6.75 to start this series, but Bradish and Dean Kremer combined for 12 2/3 scoreless innings against the Nationals.
They also saw the home run ball return to their offense tonight, and that was a welcome sight as well.
WASHINGTON – The Orioles are getting closer to gaining reinforcements for their well used bullpen. Manager Brandon Hyde said today he is hopeful that both Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate can begin rehab assignments sometime next week.
Both right-handers have officially been on the injured list since Opening Day. Givens is out due to left knee inflammation. He pitched in four spring games, allowing one unearned run in four innings. His last spring game was March 16. Tate, on the IL with a strained right forearm, did not pitch at all during spring.
Some already thought that Givens was a bit ahead in his rehab and might push up his return date, but now it appears both pitchers could return sooner than anticipated.
“Hopefully, both of those guys are going to go out at some point next week for rehab assignments,” Hyde said.
Hyde said timelines for the return of both are “pretty similar and it’s all going to depend on how they feel. And we’re hoping to get them both out of Sarasota sometime next week.”
The Orioles activated Kyle Bradish from the 15-day injured list this morning and he’s starting tonight against the Nationals in D.C.
This is how it was expected to play out, with Bradish returning to the roster on his first day of eligibility.
Bradish lasted 1 2/3 innings in his season debut in Texas before Jonah Heim’s line drive slammed off his right foot. He made a rehab start at Double-A Bowie on Friday and allowed three earned runs in five innings.
Tonight marks Bradish’s first career appearance against the Nationals.
To make room for Bradish, the Orioles optioned reliever Logan Gillapsie to Triple-A Norfolk. Gillaspie appeared in eight games, tied for second on the team, and registered a 7.20 ERA and 2.200 WHIP in five innings.
The Orioles entered D.C. yesterday leading the majors with a .357 on-base percentage, and their .807 OPS ranked third. They scraped and clawed their way to a 1-0 win over the Nationals, finally able to lean more on their pitching, with starter Dean Kremer offering 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
The club's .305 on-base percentage last year ranked 22nd, which felt like a substantial gain. A .304 OBP in 2021 was 26th, and the Orioles were 24th in 2019 at .310.
Dare we check 2018? Yes, and they ranked 29th at .298.
They haven’t finished in the top 20 in a full season since winning the division in 2014, when their .311 OBP was 17th. The 2006 team ranked 11th at .339, led by Miguel Tejada’s .379.
This year’s club registered its sixth highest OBP through 16 games, according to STATS. The record is .377 in 1969, followed by .374 in 2000, .367 in 1997, .366 in 2004 and .3573 in .2009 that barely edges out the 2023 Orioles.
WASHINGTON – With an ERA of 9.49 and WHIP of 1.784 through his first three starts, O’s right-hander Dean Kremer was pitching nothing like he had yet during the 2022 season.
But on a night when he needed to turn around his season and give the pitching rotation a boost, he did both in the opener of a brief two-game series at Nationals Park.
Kremer pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 1-0 at windy and chilly Nats Park in front of 18,747 which featured a big number of Orioles fans.
In the first three starts this year, Kremer had an ERA of 9.00 and opponent OPS of 1.015 in the first inning of his starts. But tonight was different as he got a double play to end the inning after a one-out bloop single. He needed just nine pitches to get three outs.
That was a good sign and the night continued to be a big plus for him.
WASHINGTON – The Orioles road trip, which started with them going 2-1 against the White Sox in Chicago, continues tonight at Nationals Park when they play the first of a two-game series with the Washington Nationals.
The Orioles beat Chicago 8-4 Sunday after falling behind 4-0 after the first inning. But after scoring six runs there on Friday and Saturday, they added eight more Sunday and have scored 49 runs the last seven games and six runs or more nine times on the year.
The Orioles are 9-7 overall with a plus-7 run differential and they have won back-to-back series against Oakland and Chicago. They are 4-3 at home and 5-4 on the road and trying to go three games over the .500 mark for the first time in 2023.
The Orioles' .563 win percentage, if maintained over a full season, would result in 91 wins.
In the series at Chicago, they scored 20 runs on 30 hits with six doubles, two triples and two homers and they went 10-for-43 with runners in scoring position.
WASHINGTON – Orioles infielder Ramón Urías, who was hit in the left side of his head Saturday by a 96.2 mph pitch, is no longer in concussion protocol. He is not starting tonight, but could play in the series opener against the Washington Nationals.
“He’s cleared everything and that’s unbelievable,” said manager Brandon Hyde before today’s game. “From what that looked like and how that sounded. Such a scary moment. Passed all the tests, wants to be in there and is ready to go. I just want to make sure he feels right and he says he does. I won’t hesitate to use him off the bench, in a pinch-hitting moment or for defense late.”
The Orioles have still not announced a starter for Wednesday’s game. Right-hander Kyle Bradish is eligible to come off the injured list tomorrow and still seems likely to get that start.
“We need a starter tomorrow and we’re going to see what our options are after the game today,” said Hyde.
Hyde said "no" when asked if the Orioles would use a current starter out of the bullpen.
