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Nelson Cruz

Orioles Look to Take Charge Against Athletics

by A.J. Risser July 18, 2014

Keith Allison-Flickr

The Baltimore Orioles will begin the second half of the season on a ten-game road trip on the West Coast. Their first obstacle will be the first place Oakland Athletics. This series was already one to look forward to in part of the events that happened between the two teams in Baltimore back on June 6^th and 8^th. It started with Orioles’ third-baseman Manny Machado getting what he claimed to be, tagged too hard by A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson that ended up clearing the dugouts. There was a second incident in the series finale on the 8^th, when Machado let the bat “slip” out of his hands, almost hitting Donaldson at third, and again clearing the dugouts. This resulted in Machado being suspended five games.

Now the series shifts to Oakland, and the curiosity as to what will happen between these two teams starts to rise. Even though Machado apologized for the events that happened back in June, several A’s players were not very accepting of his apology. The Orioles are coming out of the break with a four-game lead in the A.L. East. It is not going to get be easy to keep that lead as the O’s will face all playoff hopefuls on this road trip.

Adam Jones will look to stay hot, after the break and build upon his .301 average and 16 home runs. In the June series, Jones went 3-11 against Oakland with a home run. Nelson Cruz, who only went 2-11 in that series, will also look to build off a hot first half of the season. Cruz has been the offensive leader for the O’s so far this season. He has a league-leading 28 home runs and 74 RBIs. One batter who will look to have a reversal of his first half is slugger Chris Davis. Though Davis still has 15 home runs and 48 RBIs, his .199 average is well below what he had this time last year and his overall career mark. Last season, Davis had an unbelievable first half and then struggled in the second half. This year, he is hoping that he can forget about his first half and get back to the hitting that had so many jaws dropping.

The Orioles will send Chris Tillman to the mound to try and take game one. Though his ERA is 4.11, Tillman had seven quality starts in his last eight outings. His last start came against the New York Yankees right before the break, and, although he went 6.2 innings and gave up only three runs, he failed to get any support from the offense and took the 0-3 loss.

The A’s will have a different look for the Orioles this time, as they will send newly acquired stud Jeff Samardzija. Jeff, who came over from a trade with the Chicago Cubs, has proven himself worthy of the “Ace” title. In his two starts for Oakland, he has gone 15 innings and given up only four runs while striking out 10.

The Athletics’ bats will look to keep their success against the Orioles as well. When Oakland took two of three from the birds in June, they scored 18 runs. Brandon Moss hit a grand slam in the second game; an 11-1 win for the A’s. This team has been on fire, but even with their 59-36 record, they are still only 1.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for first in the A.L. West. The A’s schedule, unlike the Orioles’, is more favorable for them to keep their lead, as they will take on the Houston Astros twice and then the Texas Rangers to end July.

The one question that is being asked before this series starts is whether or not Manny Machado will be tested. Has Oakland forgiven Machado, or are they waiting? The fans will probably show their “boo”-ing love for Machado, and they may influence the A’s pitching staff.

A.J. Risser is a writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter

July 18, 2014 0 comment

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Battle of the Beltway:Orioles Come Alive in Extras

by A.J. Risser July 8, 2014

written by A.J. Risser

William Beutler- Flickr

The Baltimore Orioles took over the Washington Nationals in the 11th inning and took game one in the “Battle of the Beltway”, 8-2. The Orioles had only managed two runs in the first 10 innings, until their bats came alive and hit three home-runs in the 11^th frame.

Left fielder Nelson Cruz got the scoring started in the fourth inning with a one out opposite field shot that gave the Orioles the 2-0 lead against hurler Stephen Strasburg. It was Cruz’s 28^th long ball of the season; this put him back in first place in home-runs in the league. Strasburg would eventually settle down and finished the day with nine strikeouts and two runs on four hits in seven innings, but would settle for a no-decision.

O’s starter Chris Tillman outpitched the Nat’s young ace, until the sixth inning when Second-Baseman Anthony Rendon swung at the first pitch he saw and tied the game up at two with his 13^th homer of the year. Tillman would also get the no-decision, going seven innings as well, while giving up two runs on five hits and six strikeouts.

After the sixth inning, both sides did not show much energy offensively until the bottom of the ninth, when the Nationals had men on first and second with none out. Ryan Zimmerman doubled with one out and Bryce Harper was intentionally walked. However, Baltimore reliever Darren O’Day, who had also pitched the 8^th, would strike out both Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos to end the inning.

Finally, the eleventh inning came for the Orioles, and they seemed like a completely different team. Cruz would get the inning started with a shattered bat single off Nats’ reliever Craig Stammen. Slumping slugger Chris Davis, who saw his average dip below .200 in his prior at bat, lifted the O’s with a full-count, two-run shot to right-center field. It was his 14^th of the year, and his first hit in his last 12 at-bats.

The O’s were not done there, as J.J. Hardy would make it back-to-back homers and give Baltimore the 5-2 lead. Catcher Nick Hundley followed that with a single, and, after a strikeout by Jonathan Schoop and a sacrifice bunt from reliever T.J. McFarland, right-fielder Nick Markakis doubled in Hundley to make it 6-2. If that was not enough insurance for the O’s, Manny Machado followed with his career-high fifth hit of the night, a home run to left field off of Aaron Barrett, to make it 8-2. McFarland would stay in and face four batters in the bottom half of the eleventh to give the O’s a 49-40 record.

It was a great bounce-back performance by the Orioles’ pen, as they had allowed five runs the previous day in Boston. In Monday night’s opener, O’Day and McFarland combined for four innings, striking out six and allowing only two hits and two walks.

In the last three games, the Orioles have scored a combined 22 runs on 47 hits. Cruz has gone 11-16 in those games, driving in five runs. The win kept the Orioles in first place, and with the loss by the Toronto Blue Jays last night; they moved three games into first in the A.L. East.

The Nationals stayed a half game behind the Atlanta Braves in the N.L. East, as the Braves also lost. The Nats will look to have a better result in Tuesday’s match-up with the Orioles, as they will send Doug Fister to the mound to face Bud Norris. Fister is having a great year, pitching to a 7-2 record with a 2.93 ERA. Norris will have his first start since coming off of the disabled list, but he also has a respectable mark with a 3.62 ERA, going 7-5.

A.J. Risser is a writer for Couch Rider Report. Make sure you follow him on Twitter.

July 8, 2014 0 comment

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Orioles Stay Close to First with Win Over Rangers

by A.J. Risser July 2, 2014

written by A.J. Risser

Keith Allison- Flickr

Steve Pearce notched his tenth long-ball of the season and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 8-3 Tuesday night. T.J. McFarland got his first career win as a starter; he went five strong innings, allowing only two earned runs on seven hits. He was coming off a hot June as a reliever so manager Buck Showalter gave him the chance for the spot start. Although T.J. made it to five innings with only a 68 pitch count, Buck pulled him from the game and used a different reliever each inning from then on.

Nelson Cruz put himself in a tie for first place in home runs, with his 26 of the season off Texas starter Nick Martinez. It was a tough night for Martinez, as he was hit with the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in five innings. He was roughed up from the start as the Orioles scored two runs in each of the first two innings. Pearce’s Home run in the first inning was almost hauled in by left-fielder Shin-Soo Choo, but the ball popped out of his glove and over the fence at the foul pole mark. The umpires would review it, but only seconds after the headset was put on, home plate umpire Laz Diaz confirmed the homer.

It seemed like Martinez may have found a groove after getting the O’s out in order, but he was then hit for four runs in the fourth. He actually made a great pitch to get out of the inning in the fourth, when Martinez got O’s catcher Caleb Joseph to hit a ground ball that could have ended the inning with a double play; however, Ranger’s shortstop Elvis Andrus misplayed the ball. Nick Markakis would then drive in two, with a double to right field and the Orioles scored all they needed to win the game.

McFarland did exactly what a spot starter needed to do; he gave the O’s the chance to win and a chance for the rotation to get some rest. After getting through the first without any trouble, T.J. served up a ball to Adam Rosales of the Rangers that scored two runs and tied the game in the second. That would be the last time the Rangers would get anything off McFarland, as he would go three more innings without allowing a run.

The Rangers and Orioles both had chances to put up more runs, but both teams were unable to do so. The Rangers went 1-9 in the game with RISP, and the Orioles were not much better at 1-7. Despite only the three runs, the Rangers actually outhit the O’s 10 to 8. It was another disappointing game by an offense that is missing a key member and just simply not hitting on all cylinders. The Orioles came into the game leading the Majors in the percentage of runs coming from the long ball, and the Rangers were coming in at last place in that category.

The Orioles will look to take the series win, as they will send Chris Tillman to the mound to face right-hander Miles Mikolas in game three of this four game set. Tillman has had great outings his last two starts and Mikolas will be making his first career Major League Start.

A.J. Risser is a writer for Couch Rider Report, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

July 2, 2014 0 comment

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Baltimore Orioles Host Struggling Texas Rangers

by A.J. Risser June 30, 2014

written by A.J. Risser

Keith Allison- Flickr

When the Tampa Bay Rays came into Camden Yards for a four game set with the Baltimore Orioles, no one thought they would leave with a 12-7 series-winning finale on Sunday. The Orioles were fresh off a series in which they witnessed their “Orioles Magic” reappear with two walk off wins in the three game set against the Chicago White Sox. However, the Orioles’ pitching was the reason for the let down. Of the four games, the team’s starters gave only one quality start.

On Sunday, the O’s pen, which had previously gone 30 innings with only one earned run against them, was to blame. Sunday’s defeat featured a reversal in those numbers, as the Rays put up nine, yes nine, runs on them. The seven runs that were put up by the Orioles should have been enough to seal the win and tie the series, but Brian Matusz and Evan Meek combined for three and a third innings, giving up nine earned runs on 10 hits. Because of the early exit by starter Miguel Gonzalez, the Orioles’ pen was forced to put in extra work, and they paid for it.

However, even with the 3-1 series loss to the Rays, the Orioles still somehow sit only a game and a half behind the first place Toronto Blue Jays. Lucky for the Orioles, the New York Yankees also struggled over the weekend, so the O’s still sit in second place by a half game.

Tonight’s series opener for the Orioles against the Texas Rangers gives the team the chance to get back on track. The Rangers are fourth in the American League West and have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games. The team is definitely missing the power boost from Prince Fielder, who was sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing back surgery.

However, the rest of the team is still getting their hits, as they rank fifth in the Majors with a .262 team average. They have not been big on the home runs this season, but they will look to bring the long ball into play against an Orioles’ pitching staff that gives up the fifth-most homers in all of baseball. Adrian Beltre, specifically, is counting down the seconds until he faces the Orioles because he is hitting .583 with three home runs off of the team’s pitching.

The big downfall for this Texas team is their pitching. Their 4.53 team ERA ranks second to last in all of baseball. Injuries have plagued this team so far and turned what looked like a promising year into a dismal disappointment.

The Orioles need to get back in the win column and this series presents the perfect opportunity to do just that. Like Texas, the O’s are also hitting the ball well, as they are third in the Majors with a .265 average. One thing that this team has that Texas does not is the home run power. The Birds are coming into this series third in home runs, and they will look to get on base against the last place pitching of the Texas Rangers, who have allowed hitters to bat .280.

However, The Orioles have been a different team when they are within the friendly confines of Camden Yards. On the road, this team is on fire, but when they are hitting in Baltimore, the Orioles are only 19-21. This definitely needs to change if this team has any hopes of winning the wide-open American League East.

The declared “steal of the season”, Nelson Cruz has shown that he was the best bargain of the offseason. He is first in the majors in RBIs and tied for first in home runs at 25. One of the bigger disappointments by this team is slugger Chris Davis. The Home Run King from a season ago has done a complete turnaround, as his .212 is far below his career average (.260). Despite missing a couple weeks earlier in the year due to injury, he still has 13 home runs, but that is nowhere near the number he had at this time last season.

Ubaldo Jimenez will look to finally get on track tonight, as the Orioles will take on a familiar face in Joe Saunders. Once giving the Orioles their first playoff win in over a decade, Saunders has struggled this season to find his form. He comes in to tonight’s start winless in seven starts with a 5.19 ERA. He has faced the Orioles once this year, going six innings and allowing only two runs on 10 hits, but the O’s would run away with that game and win 8-3.

The difference between Saunders’ last start against the Orioles and tonight’s matchup, is that the Orioles are at home tonight. Like previously mentioned, the Orioles are a different team at home, so this could be a struggle for the sluggers of Baltimore. Jimenez is also looking to sharpen his game up. His 50 million dollar contract is definitely not showing on his stat line. He is 2-8 with a 4.70 ERA and has only produced three quality starts over his last 10.

The Orioles may be without third-baseman Manny Machado, as the team expects his suspension to be dealt sometime today. This means there will be a healthy balance of both Jonathan Schoop and Ryan Flaherty at the position over the next few games. Somehow, this Orioles team has managed to have decent play at the catcher position despite the season ending surgery to All-Star catcher Matt Wieters. Rookie Caleb Joseph and seasoned veteran Nick Hundley have both started to catch their groove both offensively and defensively.

AJ Risser is a writer for Couch Rider Report, follow him on Twitter.

June 30, 2014 0 comment

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Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays set for Showdown

by A.J. Risser June 12, 2014

written by A.J. Risser

Keith Allison- Flickr

The Toronto Blue Jays hold a 4.5 game lead over the second place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. This weekend could be a huge game-changer for both teams as the Blue Jays will travel to Camden Yards to take on the Orioles in a 4-game set.

So far this season, the Jays have had great success. Their 39-28 record is tied for second best in Major League Baseball and their 19-11 mark on the road is a big reason why they are first in the AL East. It is hard to look at this Blue Jays’ team without noticing Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The hard-hitting duo has combined for 35 home runs and 98 RBIs. The Blue Jays are a scary-looking team, as long as these two are in the lineup. Bautista’s inability to stay healthy the last few seasons has been a big reason why the Blue Jays have not seen the postseason. However, if the two can somehow stay healthy for a whole year, the sky is the limit for the Blue Jays.

With all of the attention on the bats, not many people have noticed the Blue Jays’ 11^th ranked starting pitching. Mark Buehrle has emerged as the Ace for Toronto as his 2.04 ERA is second in the American league, behind only the New York Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka. The big surprise so far for the Jays has been 23-year-old Drew Hutchison. The Florida native owns a season mark of 4-4 with a 3.96 ERA. Buehrle and Hutchison will start the first two games against the Orioles. Although the Blue Birds have struggled the past week, losing four of their last five, they are still a dangerous team and could be trouble for the division hopefuls New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles, on the other hand, have been an up and down team this season. Although they are second in the AL East, they are only two games above .500. Prior to the start of the season, the Orioles had what was considered the most dangerous lineup on paper. However, the injury to All-Star catcher Matt Wieters has proven to be a big obstacle for them. Wieters is scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews on Monday to check out his throwing arm. He is still throwing every other day, but is still experiencing some discomfort. If Wieters goes under the knife to repair his arm, the Orioles will be forced to finish the season with rookie Caleb Joseph and newly acquired Nick Hundley.

Besides Wieters, both Chris Davis and Manny Machado have been struggling. Although Davis has ten homeruns, last year’s performance by him has put a lot of weight on his shoulders. The two former All-Stars are nowhere near the level of play that carried the team last year. Davis has already missed some of the season as he had a DL stint for an oblique that kept him out of play for a few weeks. Machado has not shown the same desire for the gaps that he had last year. He has a batting average below .220 and, in last night’s 6-0 win against the Boston Red Sox, he batted in the seven hole. Machado has been usually holding the second spot in the batting order. VP Dan Duquette has said that a demotion for Machado could be possible, if the third baseman does not start to pick up his play.

Although the Orioles have some problems, they are still within striking distance of first place Toronto and will have a chance to get even closer with the weekend’s series between the two. The Orioles are coming off a rubber match victory over the Red Sox that brought them within 5 of the Jays and increased their record to 33-31. Chris Tillman had a shaky, but great start against the Red Sox in the second game. He went six innings and gave up only one run, but he took the loss, as the Orioles’ bats were unable to get it going.

Kevin Gausman will start the first game of the Blue Jay series and he will look to add a second straight quality start. In his last start against the Oakland Athletics, the 23-year-old was beautiful. He got the win while holding one of the league’s best teams to one run on four hits, striking out 6. In game two of the series, Ubaldo Jimenez will get the ball and will look to start earning his money, as he has been anything but an “Ace” so far for the Orioles. The 50 million dollar man has pitched to an ERA over 5.00 and has yet to find his groove. The Orioles will also be hoping that Nelson Cruz will find his swing again, as the veteran has been struggling as of late. JJ Hardy is still looking for his first home run of the season. The short stop has hit at least 20 home runs in every season that he has been with the Orioles.

This series could be a game-changer for both teams. The Orioles could come away only trailing the first place Jays by a half game. Or, the Blue Jays could show the rest of the division that they own the AL East this year. Not many series in the last few years between these two have carried as much weight as this weekend’s series will, but Camden Yards will be most likely filled as if this series will decide the season.

AJ Risser is a writer for CouchRiderReport.net, follow him on Twitter.

June 12, 2014 0 comment