BALTIMORE—A handful of Orioles remained in their dugout to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their seventh consecutive National League West title.
Manager Brandon Hyde wasn’t one of them. He’s been part of many celebrations with the Chicago Cubs, and as he entered the auxiliary clubhouse for his postgame media session, Hyde could hear the Dodgers yelling in the adjacent visiting clubhouse.
A crowd of 12,356, which included 233 dogs on Bark at Oriole Park Night, watched the Dodgers gather on the field after the game and change into their NL West champion T-shirts.
Most of those here were wearing Dodger blue, including 91-year-old patriarch Tommy Lasorda.
Hyde considered the Los Angeles 7-3 clinching win over the Orioles to be a teaching moment.
Walker Buehler seemed to be toying with the Orioles. He allowed just four singles in seven innings, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 11.
“I think I might have said in the third or fourth inning, I’m glad our guys are watching this because this is what it looks like in October,” Hyde said.
“That’s what it looks like on the mound in October. Those are the types of guys you face on a nightly basis and then the bullpens are loaded up, also.
“So it just shows you how good you have to be. And you look at the athleticism on the field with those guys and [Max Muncy and Justin] Turner aren’t even in there. But they have so many moveable pieces. They put together a really good roster the last handful of years.”
The Dodgers scored four runs against Orioles starter Ty Blach in the first, highlighted by a three-run home run by Corey Seager, who hit a two-run homer in the third.
Blach allowed six runs on nine hits in 2 1/3 innings. The last three Orioles starters have failed to complete three innings.
“I felt like I was making a lot of good pitches,” Blach said. “They just kept battling, kept fouling pitches off, got me deep in the counts. They didn’t chase anything out of the zone. They just leveraged a couple of pitches.”
Blach, who pitched against the Dodgers when he was with the San Francisco Giants for the past four seasons, had a 4-2 record with a 2.82 ERA against them entering the game.
“It’s been one of those years,” Blach said. “Just leaving a few pitches over the plate maybe. They’re just taking advantage of some pitches they can leverage. They’re a good hitting team. They always have been. They swing the bats. Every guy in the lineup can hurt you so you have to be on top of your game when you face them.”
Hyde used six relievers to complete the game. The only one to allow a run was Tanner Scott, who gave up Gavin Lux’s first major league home run in the sixth. Lux was named Baseball America’s Minor League Baseball Player of the Year.
Only in the second, when Hanser Alberto and Mason Williams got consecutive two-out singles, did the Orioles get a runner to second against Buehler.
“That was just a clinic from first inning through the seventh for him,” Hyde said. “Four pitches for strikes, locating everything. I haven’t seen the video, but it didn’t seem like he missed a spot the whole night. He’s able to elevate when he wants to, he’s able to throw a two-seamer, cutter and a really good curveball. Seen it before. And he’s not going to walk you, so you’ve got to get hits off him. That was just a straight pitching clinic tonight.”
DJ Stewart’s first home run of the season against Casey Sadler in the eighth prevented the Orioles’ ninth shutout of the season. Renato Nunez’s RBI single scored Chance Sisco, and Trey Mancini scored on A.J. Pollock’s throwing error.
The Orioles’ loss was their sixth straight, and they’ve dropped nine of 10. They’re 46-98.
Bowie down, 1-0: The Trenton Thunder defeated the Bowie Baysox, 6-2, to win the first game of the Eastern League championship series.
Michael Baumann allowed two runs on five hits, walking five and striking out six in 3 2/3 innings. Zack Muckenhirn gave up four runs, three earned in 2 1/3.
The Baysox scored two runs in three innings against Jordan Montgomery, who had Tommy John surgery and is on minor league rehab. Two other rehabbing New York Yankees relievers, Dellin Betances and Stephen Tarpley, threw scoreless innings for Trenton.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Trenton. Cody Sedlock pitches against another rehabbing Yankees starter, Luis Severino.
Harvey waiting: Hunter Harvey hasn’t pitched since he faced a batter at Tampa Bay on September 2. Hyde says he’s being careful with him. “He just had a little bit of soreness and we wanted to stay away for him for a while,” he said.
Hyde wasn’t specific about Harvey’s soreness but said he should be available to pitch this series.
Hyde on Orioles’ changes: Hyde has been through a rebuild with the Chicago Cubs, and he’s involved in another one with the Orioles. General manager Mike Elias has dismissed 25 people in the organization in the last few weeks, with more departures likely to come.
“I think change is hard, and we’ve gone through it before,” Hyde said. “I knew a few of those guys, and they are great guys and wonderful to me. So, it’s never easy when these days happen for anybody.
“Our primary focus … is our club here. But organizationally we keep tabs on what’s going on. I haven’t talked to any of the players about some of the guys that got let go but, yeah, it’s just never a good feeling. But these are the things that happen when there is a shift in the organization and a shift in philosophy and starting fresh and getting new people in here.”
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Yes the same Walker Beuhler that Duquette tried to get for Manny. Oh Well. Glad to see that Luis Severino starts against Bowie tonight. Nothing's fair in the Orioles world. Saw Elias being interviewed(tape) during game. Asked about firing longtime O's fan favorites(Macgregor,etc) he seemed quite testy---"when you're 48-97 a lot of things have to change(paraphrase)". I liked his smirky answer. He's got quite a mess that people have sat on for a while to clean up. Don't blame Hyde for not watching Dodgers' celebration. At this point it does no good for O's to sit and stare.
Last night showed just how far we have to go to be competitive. I really felt like we were a AA team facing a major league team.
As for the dismissals, they hurt but something has to change in order for the O's to move in a different direction. As in sailing, stability comes from movement and we have to let go of the past ways of doing things and embrace the new era.
OK, I'm confused, Elias specifically mentions getting at bats for Williams, he's doing very well, 2/3 in a meaningless game for the O's & they pinch hit for him w/Hays, same thing w/Stewart, 1/3 (Trumbo), I cannot figure out what the heck they're thinking...go O's...
Raymond, in Mason Williams' major league career, he's hitting .311 against right-handers and .225 against left-handers. Stewart, while having a higher average against left-handres, has only one RBI aginst them. He's trying to get a long ball from Trumbo.
Believe me I know enough as to why he thought he needed to pinch hit for them, BUT which is more important at this point in the season, a meaningless HR for Trumbo or other at bats for younger players? Pretty easy answer...go O's...
So trying to win the game is not important enough to take one at bat from a 28 year old minor league lifer that has no realistic shot at staying with this team in the long run?
C'mon ... maybe Elias says one thing, but you have to remember, it's our boy Hyde that is making the in-game calls while actually trying to win a few games. Can't complain about that.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. You can’t be the guy who rags about a non competitive culture and the team tanking and then turn around and criticize a move to try to win.
Checking Baseball Reference game logs. Since the Orioles purchased Mason Williams contract on September 3, he started 5 of the 7 games. He played in 1 other. Since coming off the IL in August, DJ Stewart has played in 21 of the Orioles 23 games, 18 as a starter. They haven’t exactly been buried at the end of the bench. Since Trumbo was activated , he has played in 6 of 9 games, 3 starts all at DH. 14 at bats. As far as Hays is concerned, most fans, myself included, wanted him up here much earlier. Plenty of at bats to go around
It seems the O's have a habit of finding lefty hitters who can't hit lefty pitchers.
So with that logic, I’d guess it’s safe to say Hyde & Elias have a difference of opinion...hmmm...go O’s...
When Mike Elias was hired , I don’t think anyone expected him to be a miracle worker and turn everything around overnight. He admitted that this was a total rebuild and a long process. While the last couple Duquette drafts were productive, there frankly isn’t enough MLB ready talent at the upper levels ready to contribute. The plan is to develop the players in the minors , draft well, and be aggressive in the international market. Elias is looking at the big picture and trying to develop what he calls “ an elite talent pipeline “ Probably not concerned with Hyde’s pinch hitting decisions as the Orioles are playing out the schedule in September. Let’s see how the next couple drafts and international signings go before making snap judgments
Your 28 year old minor league life has looked better then anyone on the team . Remember Hanser was a minor league lifer and now cause someone gave him a chance he’s fighting for the BT. No one ever yet has given Wiliiams a full chance
One other point. There is a 28 year old minor league lifer playing for Arizona with 25 homers and a 830 OBP. Does Christian Walker ring a bell? Someone gave him a chance.
Have NEVER said anything about tanking...culture is relative, they seem to have it when they want it, that’s not a culture, that’s a choice...go O’s...
Curious that Elias, who's spent all year drumming that the O's ML won-lost record isn't a priority, suddenly cites the poor ML record to justify canning a bunch of MiL guys. Elias repeatedly talks about changes to be made to compete with changes other teams are making, but he never identifies any of them, much less gives concrete reasons for the changes he makes. Do the media not know how to ask hard questions, like "F'r instance?" Specifically, what changes have the Yankees made, aside from sending major leaguers down to AA to win playoffs. New York isn't ashamed to make the won-lost record a priority. Maybe that's a change Elias should consider.
The Yankees sent those players to Trenton on injury rehab assignments. Just happened to coincide with the AA playoffs. Grossly unfair, but that’s the rules. From the Orioles perspective, hopefully some of the Yankees on the 60 day IL get healthy quickly so the Orioles can claim some of the players that the Yankees DFA to make room on the roster for them
Just coincidence, you say? And if Trenton weren't in the playoffs, they would have no place to rehab. Yes, I know the Yankees are following the rules, actually manipulating them to their own advantage. Maybe that's one of the "changes" Elias should be looking to.
I think the Yankees are more concerned with getting their guys ready for the MLB playoffs than whether Trenton wins the Eastern League. The Yankees have only won one World Series in the last 18 years. That’s unacceptable for them
I don't get everyone's hand-wringing about the firings; I can understand the emotional attachment to Scott MacGregor, but this organization has been a disaster for 3 seasons now . Everyone other than Boog and Fancy Clancy should be waiting for the axe to drop.
Mason Willams has two hits against a guy that made everyone else look like little leaguers last night yet tonight he gets benched and Rio Ruiz who has looked good also sirs down and we get 171CD and 214 Stevie. I like giving Hays a chance but why DSJ he can’t throw or play defense and what you get from him is not the future. Sometimes Hyde surely confuses me.
Want to give Wilkerson a shot at his natural position 2B. Don’t want to bury DSJ and Davis. Williams and Ruiz get a day off-not everyone is Cal Jr
Don’t want to bury Davis will go down as the best line of the season and whole year. Lol.
2 hits for DSJ tonight and 2 RBI’s. No misplays in the field. Of course he is the DH. May be his best position