BALTIMORE—After their West Coast trip that resulted in five wins in nine games, manager Brandon Hyde was hoping that the Orioles’ strong offense would carry over to their homestand.
So far, that hasn’t been the case. After scoring at least seven runs in each of their five wins on the trip, the Orioles have had just four runs in the past two nights.
Their 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night puzzled Hyde.
The Blue Jays used an opener, and through six innings, the Orioles had just four singles against Wilmer Font, NIck Kingham and Sam Gaviglio. Only Chris Davis’ 250th home run with the Orioles prevented a shutout.
“We’ve seen everybody they threw at us before,” Hyde said.
“It’s not like it’s somebody new. We just saw Kingham a couple weeks ago in Toronto. That’s not an excuse for not squaring balls up. We just didn’t swing the bats very well.
“It’s disappointing because I thought on the road trip we played really well. Really competed at the plate and played some great games and really swung the bats well and when we come home, for two nights we were pretty empty offensively.”
Through six innings, Richie Martin and Anthony Santander each had two singles. In the seventh, Davis hit the home run, his ninth of the season and second in the past three games.
Davis is sixth on the Orioles’ all-time home run list, trailing Adam Jones by 13 for fifth place, and needs eight more homers for 300 lifetime. According to a MASN graphic, Davis reached 250 home runs faster than any Oriole, reaching it in 1,110 games, ahead of Eddie Murray’s 1,323 games.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know I was anywhere close to that,” Davis said. “I’ve got another marker I’m kind of eyeing, but that’s personal. Any kind of record you can tie or break, especially here, it means a lot.
“I feel like it’s been such a fun ride. It’s been a little bit up and down lately, but looking back, it’s been a lot of fun over the years to play here and wear this uniform and to get to know some of the guys that played here before me and get to know a little bit more of the history. So anytime I can be a part of that, it’s special.”
Davis is batting .188, five points from his highest mark for the year. He was hitting .193 on May 10. Davis would like to finish the season above the .200 mark, which he hasn’t seen since the end of the 2017 season.
“I’d like to win,” Davis said. “Especially coming off the month that we just had, the road trip that we just had. I felt like we were really trending in the right direction.
“Obviously, the last couple nights have been tough, but I want to see this group succeed after everything that we’ve been through this year. All the things that we’ve accomplished, everything we’ve learned and are starting to put into play. I’d just like to see this group win and that’s really where my focus is. Personally, I’m just trying to keep going, trying to finish up strong and do whatever I can to build some momentum and take it into next year.”
In the ninth, Blue Jays reliever Derek Law, who recorded the final six outs for his first save, walked Davis and Jonathan Villar, but retired Trey Mancini on a force play to end the game.
Brooks gets the loss: When the Orioles picked up Aaron Brooks on waivers on July 6, they were hoping he’d be a stopgap starter for them. In five starts with the team, he’s yet to provide any length.
On Friday night, Brooks completed five innings, and left trailing, 3-0. .
Brooks struggled through a 30-pitch first inning, allowing two runs on three hits.
He was upset by calls by home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak in the first.
“Most of us want most pitches, and I’ve got to do a better job, I think, of just not showing any emotion,” Brooks said. “Just try to move on to the next pitch, but some of those pitches can be big, so I just kind of let my emotions get the best of me.”
Freddy Galvis led off the fourth with his 17th home run. Brooks was removed after walking Justin Smoak to begin the sixth, and two batters later, Brandon Drury homered against Gabriel Ynoa.
Derek Fisher’s run-scoring single against Paul Fry gave Toronto a 5-2 lead.
The Orioles are 36-73.
Wilkerson update: Hyde said that Stevie Wilkerson, who was held out because of a sore right knee, was cleared to play. Wilkerson fouled a pitch off the knee on Thursday night.
“He was available in an emergency today so he should be OK [Saturday],” Hyde said. “I’m not sure if I’m going to start him or not. Probably give him another day of rest, but we’ll see. He’s sore but OK.”
Hanser Alberto, who didn’t start because of an injury to his left shin, pinch-hit for Martin in the ninth and flied to left.
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"I've got another marker I'm kind of eyeing but that's personal." Am I the only one who's thinking it has something to do with getting paid even more for doing even less? Keep working there, you could still make it big guy!
I've never seen so many articles written about a guy who hasn't sniffed .200 ins three seasons.
Borg, Chris generates interest.
Does he really though? What is so interesting about a player who has clearly reached the limit of his potential, and that limit is well below normal parameters for major league player? If Davis was a third year player on his rookie contract he wold be out of baseball by now. I'm guessing that what you mean by interest is that any article about him will generate responses like this one, so I suppose in that respect you are correct. And I would not want to be in your shoes and have to write another article about him which would require hashing over the exact same material in a whole new way. For your sake, I hope the Os get better sooner rather than later.
I do appreciate your takes on most subjects, and I was actually okay with Davis getting a long-term deal because I thought he could continue being productive AND I thought it meant the Os were opening the wallet for Machado and Schoop, among others. Obviously, I will not be quitting my day job to become a fortune teller.
Borg, you’re taking the time to comment on him at length, which you probably wouldn’t have done if I had focused on Aaron Brooks, for example.
I’ve written about him three times in the last four days after not writing about him for an extended period.
Because I don’t think it’s wise to write about the same person regularly, I would doubt you’ll see many more articles focusing on Chris for a while—unless there’s a compelling reason.
I greatly appreciate your thoughtful takes on the team and your loyal support of our site.
I think there’ll be plenty to write about for the rest of the season and beyond, and I think it’s in everybody’s interest for the team to improve.
Mancini zones out--offense follows,Nunez streaky,Peterson wearing out his welcome,Alberto on the bench,and Sisco proving who he really is. Bingo---offensive slump. Come on Hays,come on Stewart we really need ya. Overthrowing the cut-off man OR no cut-off man. This has to come to an end. Please get some REAL OFers soon.
The only marker Davis is eyeing is to continue to make a fortune while sucking at his job.
What's it with winning on the road and collapsing at home? Maybe they need a new routine. I've heard of football teams all staying at a hotel the night before a home game to get them focused, but that's not feasible for a baseball season. Or is it that opposing pitchers gear up when they come to a hitters' park? I stand to be corrected, but it seems to me that this poor home record has been going on too long to be coincidence. The problem may be off the field rather than on it.. Maybe they're more focused on the road.
Four of the five teams in the AL East, all except for the Yankees, have better records on the road than at home.
The Orioles home record is 15-38 and they’re 21-35 on the road, not all that far apart, Will.
Rich, I agree it would be nice to win more at home part of the problem is we a pitching staff of flyball pitchers. We all know Camden Yards is a hitters park but to all the fans out there hope is in the farm maybe not Triple A but it’s there. I expected minimal improvement this year and we see it, and more next year hopefully in 21 we are looking to break even. Patience
200 is a nice even number. It's important to have goals!