BALTIMORE—When the parade of Orioles relievers came to the mound to try to hold off the aggressive Toronto Blue Jays hitters on Wednesday night, it became obvious that Hunter Harvey wasn’t going to pitch.
Harvey didn’t pitch in Tuesday’s game, either, and manager Brandon Hyde dismissed questions before the game, saying that Harvey was fine and available to pitch.
He wasn’t, and after the Orioles lost a painful 11-10 game to the Toronto Blue Jays, Hyde began his postgame media session by announcing that Harvey wouldn’t pitch again in 2019.
“Hunter Harvey, we’re going to shut down for the rest of the year,” Hyde said.
“Decided that before the game. We felt like he’s thrown enough innings this year and just quite rebounding from a little bit of soreness he had. We figure we get him ready for next spring training. Really happy with the year he’s had and want to end it healthy. Hunter is going to be with us but I won’t pitch him the rest of the year.”
Harvey pitched 6 1/3 innings for the Orioles since he was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on August 17, striking out 11 and hitting 100 mph on the radar gun. He was shut down for 11 days this month because of biceps soreness. He threw a scoreless inning on Friday in Detroit in what will be his final action of the season.
“We just feel like he’s thrown enough,” Hyde said. “We’re really happy with the year he’s had. Want him to take the offseason and get ready for spring training.”
Overall, Harvey threw 82 innings with Norfolk, Bowie and the Orioles, the most he threw since 2014 when he pitched 87 2/3 with Delmarva.
“Didn’t feel like it was necessary to have him pitch anymore,” Hyde said. “He’s thrown more this year than in a long. long time and never thrown this late in the year. We just want to keep him healthy.”
Painful loss: In a season full of meltdowns and improbable losses, this was perhaps the most incredible.
Leading 7-1 early in the game and holding a 9-5 lead entering the ninth inning, Miguel Castro imploded, giving up six runs and a grand slam in the 11-10 loss.
After striking out Teoscar Hernandez to begin the inning, Castro walked Rowdy Tellez. Richard Urena singled and Billy McKinney walked, the ninth walked issued by Oriole pitchers
Bo Bichette struck out and Cavan Biggio singled for a run. Randal Grichuk, who terrorizes the Orioles, hit a grand slam on a 3-1 pitch, and the Orioles trailed, 10-9.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached on a two-base error by shortstop Richie Martin and scored on Reese McGuire’s RBI single.
“There are good days and bad days,” Castro said through a translator. “Unfortunately, today was a bad day for me. I think it was just a pitch that cost me the game.”
The Orioles had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth but scored just one run and left the bases loaded.
Austin Hays led off with a single against Derek Law. Mark Trumbo walked and, with one out, DJ Stewart doubled to right, scoring Hays. Pinch-runner Hanser Alberto stopped at third.
Stevie Wilkerson walked to load the bases, but Law retired Jonathan Villar on a fly to left and Trey Mancini on a grounder to second.
“The right two guys up,” Hyde said. “It didn’t happen. I love having those two guys up in that situation and both have been swinging the bat really well, but we just didn’t score there.”
Bundy’s night: Dylan Bundy huffed and puffed his way through five innings in his final home start of the season. Bundy, who had won just one of his previous nine starts, equaled a career high with five walks. He struck out eight.
“Weird. It was a weird outing,” Bundy said. “Just no command, really, the first three innings. Just missing a little bit off, missing a little bit over the plate and they’d foul it off. Just wasn’t quite able to get those pitches that I needed to get the guys out earlier in the count and prolonged the at-bat.”
Bundy escaped from a bases-loaded jam in the first, in which he walked two. In the second inning, he walked two more, and gave up his only run on Bichette’s RBI single.
The Orioles scored two runs on three straight doubles in the first against a one-time nemesis, Clay Buchholz. Anthony Santander, Rio Ruiz and Hays each doubled.
Mancini continued his hot hitting with a two-run double in the second to give the Orioles a 4-1 lead.
Villar, who hit a long drive to left that appeared headed out of the park before Derek Fisher leaped over the fence to snag it, hit a one-out homer in the fourth, his 23rd home run. After Mancini singled, Santander hit a long home run to right, his 19th, and the Orioles led, 7-1, driving Buchholz from the game.
Tanner Scott allowed a run in the top of the sixth on Bichette’s RBI single.
Hernandez hit a three-run home run against Shawn Armstrong in the seventh to cut the Orioles lead to 7-5.
Ryan Eades got two outs but walked McKinney and gave up a single to Bichette before Paul Fry retired Biggio on a fly to center, ending the seventh.
Stewart’s sacrifice fly to right gave the Orioles an 8-5 lead in the seventh.
Mychal Givens worked a 1-2-3 eighth, the only one by Oriole pitching.
“I love the way we were playing early,” Hyde said. “I thought we swung the bat great. We were running the bases well early. Dylan Bundy had a couple of tough innings early, but bounced back to give us five good innings and left with a nice lead. Grinded through that fifth inning.
“Tanner Scott came out of the bullpen and was throwing strikes. I’ll take that any day of the week, throwing 97 with good sliders, got hit a little bit. I think that’s a positive, coming in and throwing strikes there. Army had a tough time. Eades was OK. Fry did a nice job getting a left-hander out, Givens faced the middle of the order, and we have a four-run lead in the ninth and can’t get it done.”
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As strange a this game was, it may have been emblematic of this O’s season. The team (usually) hustles and gets some big hits, but in the end it just doesn’t have enough talent to win, or even to produce consistent results at the major league level. In the meantime, here’s hoping Harvey’s shutdown really is a precautionary measure, and nothing more.
A week or so ago someone said the O’s had the best bullpen in the last month, their true colors have been showing the last week, unfortunately just ran out of talent, again...go O’s...
Richie Martin has a -1.1 WAR thus season. I would think he begins the 2020 season at Norfolk and Villar, if he’s not traded, is the starting SS. If not, sign a serviceable veteran to a one year deal. I just don’t see Martin breaking camp with the club next year. For all the hype about being the first choice Rule 5 pick, I haven’t seen much growth thus year.
Agree
I think he will start at Norfolk as well, but I disagree about his lack of growth. He hit .166 before the AS break, and .261 after. He hasn’t played as much, but still there is improvement. His .972 fielding % is respectable for a SS.
It hurts doesn't it boys? Please, let's just get this season over with. Tanking simply sucks any way you look at it.
Oh my friend Boog, they're not tanking...lmao...go O's...
Did someone put a picture of Castro and our relievers on the cover of Sports Illustrated? That always spells doom!
Hopefully Hunter Harvey can heal up and be a part of the bullpen next year. He's had such a difficult time staying healthy. He was impressive in the limited opportunities he had with the Orioles.
I'm glad I went to bed after the eighth inning and got a good night's sleep. If Richie Martin is the shortstop of the future, why have we made high draft choices of so many middle infielders? Don't like kicking a man when he's down, but I don't see him with the O's next year or even the high minors. Others are being developed. I hope he lands on his feet somewhere. As for pitching, you can't blame walks and homers on anyone not on the mound. It may not be tanking, but sitting Harvey is waving the white flag. His arm may be tired, but he has all winter to regain strength and form. On the other hand, if he's on the verge of a serious injury after this season's careful use, he'll never make it through a full major league season.
Martin needs to head to Bowie next year. He is not a Major League ballplayer, but as a rule 5 guy we knew he never was. We said the same stuff about Santander. Martin could pop back up in 2 years and contribute. Henderson is the real SS of the future, but since he still can't even legally but a beer, it's gonna be awhile.
Hold your horses because here comes my 2 cents. No more Rule 5's---we've got the International Market solid Minor League foundation so no more "Anchors"(Rule 5). Let's not get our hopes up Hunter Harvey--Super fragile. I can see 1 or 2 relievers failing but everybody? There's gotta be another problem--Severino announcing what's coming? Brocail? Fear of Camden Yards? Nunez--what the hell are we gonna do with Nunez? Mr Mountcastle needs an answer to that one.
Oh, the negativity from the few Orioles faithful remaining. I look at it this way; in 10 games, we will once again head into that darkest of nights, when no baseball is played downtown for several cold and shadowy months. Another dreary winter waiting until that thrilling moment when we all squeal with excitement that "Pitchers and Catchers have reported" and then... well nothing happens for another several weeks. Is uppose it helps that I am in my late 30's and have little recollection of the great Orioles era. Bad baseball has been my default setting for life. My point is, Enjoy it while it lasts fellas.
“Pitchers and Catchers have reported”... let’s just pray that some are real pitchers and not like the group of imposters that get paraded in front of us night after night. Just saying...
Very disappointing loss yesterday and Castro seems headed for another place.Problem is you get nothing for nothing,and though he probably is capable of better(ala Buck The Show) that's not how other teams will react.I see a lot of hope offensively and yes I agree Martin is over hyped.Villar however not solid enough for shortstop as too many mental lapses to go along with some outstanding plays.Hope the hell Harvey is ok and this is just being cautious,Got a feeling no one really sure on that but I remain optimistic.If they can get ahold of (or bring up most probably)some major league ready pitching the team can improve sooner than expected.A big if right now,but things sometimes surprise you.Hoping for "Plenty in '20".
Can somebody, anybody please help Mr. Hyde manage the bullpen. This is getting beyond ridiculous
Still an O's fan but tired of the postgame interviews describing what occurred when its too obvious the wrong pitcher stayed too long at the dance or the best choice was pulled too soon. Frustrating
Not that it matters but if you back to some of my posts starting in July you’ll find I’ve been saying the same thing. When he keeps bringing in the same pitchers (so called) in spite of their horrendous performance (Fry is a good example... a reliever with 9 losses... sheesh!) you have to wonder. Just saying...
You guys do realize the BP isn’t loaded with MLB talent, correct? It’s not like he is choosing Fry over Mariano Rivera. Regardless of who he brings in, the chance of success isn’t high.
Here is a question for Baltimore Baseball.com folks. Where will Miquel Castro be when he transitions from a "thrower" to an actual "pitcher"???
Answer: In the Field of Dreams Actually, I still hold some hope, however forlorn, for the young man, but that didn't seem to be the spirit of the question.
At this point, probably never, though anyone that is 6'5" and can throw a 98 mph sinker won't be told that until much later in their career.
Castro was the Blue Jays closer at the age of 20. Which should be a cautionary tale for those who want to rush the pitchers in the low minors to the majors before they are ready. Castro would have probably been a much more polished pitcher if he had spent more time in the minors to develop
Warning: Stupid comment alert. Those damn necklaces seem to bounce off his face with every pitch. Maybe if he got rid of those he could see the damn plate. Now get off my lawn. This has been a public service announcement.
Between that & the unbuttoned jerseys, I’m getting to old...go O’s...