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BALTIMORE—César Valdez had dazzled opponents in his first six appearances after a three-year absence from the major leagues. Valdez had thrown 11 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
The magic ended in the top of the seventh in the first game of a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday evening at Camden Yards.
With the scored tied, 1-1, the 35-year-old walked pinch-hitter Randy Arozarena. Michael Pérez doubled and, with runners on second and third, Yoshi Tsutsugo grounded to second baseman Hanser Alberto.
Arozarena raced home with the go-ahead run while the out was made. Brandon Lowe’s sacrifice fly to left put Tampa Bay up by two runs.
The Orioles got two on in the bottom of the seventh — the length of games in a doubleheader — but lost to the Rays, 3-1. They’re 22-28 going into Game 2 in which Ellicott City lefthander Bruce Zimmermann is making his major league debut.
“Unlike him [Valdez], which he hasn’t done, walking the leadoff guy in a tie game,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s been perfect, if not almost perfect. I wasn’t expecting to have him have a 0.00 ERA at the end of the season.”
In the bottom of the seventh, DJ Stewart walked with one out, and Rio Ruiz drew a walk with two outs. With Tampa Bay using four outfielders, Chance Sisco grounded to third baseman Joey Wendle, who made a great stop and threw to shortstop Willy Adames for the force at play.
The Orioles had just three hits.
Starter Dean Kremer threw another solid game for the Orioles. However, the lack of offensive support cost him a win.
Kremer allowed a run on three hits in five innings facing a lineup of eight left-handed hitters, but Tampa Bay left-hander Blake Snell completely shut down the Orioles in the first five innings.
There were no clean innings for Kremer, but no disastrous ones, either.
“I would say I didn’t have my best stuff today,” Kremer said. “I really needed to compete. They put eight lefties out there.”
The Rays scored their run in the second when Austin Meadows, who would later leave the game because of a sore left oblique, walked to lead off. Wendle hit into a force play and, with two outs, Brett Phillips tripled to right, scoring Wendle.
“Early on, it felt like he didn’t have his command, especially with his offspeed stuff,” Hyde said about Kremer. “He got better as the game went on. He was utilizing his fastball more. He got a little more aggressive. Only giving up one run in five innings against a good lineup, facing all left-handed hitters except for one, I thought that was a really good start. It gave us a chande to win.”
Snell allowed just two hits in 5 1/3 innings — Ryan Mountcastle’s first-inning single and a leadoff single by Pat Valaika in the third. Valaika was erased on a double play.
Valaika reached on a walk to begin the sixth, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Velazquez, and Snell was replaced by Diego Castillo.
Alberto’s grounder to first sent Valaika to third, and he scored on Mountcastle’s single to right, tying the score at 1.
Kremer, whose ERA is 1.69, threw 95 pitches, walked three and struck out six.
After the game, Branden Kline, who was recalled earlier in the day, was optioned to the Bowie alternate site to make room for Zimmermann.
The Orioles will be the visiting team for the second game because the August 27th game at Tampa Bay was postponed.
Harvey strives for better: Last season, Hunter Harvey had a dynamic debut, allowing just a run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings for a 1.42 ERA.
Since his activation after a forearm injury on August 30th, Harvey again has thrown 6 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits for a 2.84 ERA.
The big difference is strikeouts. A year ago, Harvey struck out 11 while walking four. This year, he’s struck out just three and walked two.
“I don’t think I’m at my best right now,” Harvey said on a video conference call. “I would like to punch more guys out than I am. My stuff just isn’t clicking like it was last year, but it’s something we’re working on and I’m trying to get there. It’s going to click anytime, and we’ll be good to go.
“This year’s been a little different. It’s been kind of stop-and-go all year, and then the forearm stuff a little setback … last year the way it began, it was smooth all year. It just had a good flow of things and everything was working out. Right now, we’re just trying to get all the kinks out and finish strong.”
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I just saw Zimmerman on tv, and his mustache reminded me of Flanny. & Scotty M. From the 1980’s ? Wow flashback ‘stache.
Dang ... you're right. Scotty McGregor redux!
So Valdez is hittable. Dang. Who knew?
Tell me seamheads ... why does Hyde pinch hit for Valaika, who has been probably the most clutch hitter this year, with Ruiz in the bottom of the 7th? Sure Ruiz walked, and yeah Ruiz is left handed, but as the announcers said, he's lousy against right handed pitching! Valaika has been too clutch to pinch hit for him there. How many late inning homers as he had? I dunno, but it's a sight more than freakin' Ruiz.
And why is cold as ice Severino batting behind Mountcastle instead of Alberto in the 2nd game? So Mountcastle can get pitched around with Mullins sitting on 2nd? Doesn't make sense.
Brandon Hyde .. what are you thinking?
What many of us have said all yr...experience, I’m guessing a good HS coach, or even Onesy wouldn’t do that, well, at least a good HS coach...go O’s...
Listen Palsy Sissy, do you know what's going on in the dugout? No... So how do you make any call from miles away??? How do you know what's going on with Valaika, a guy you didn't even want on the roster along with Lopez. Maybe Valaika was hurt and asked out. You don't know so just shut the f up already. Monday morning Quarterbacks like you are a dime a dozen. You're such a Sissy! Crying over 1 AB in a lost season. Pretty pathetic.
Here you go again, NEVER have said anything negative about Valaika, other than I wasn't a fan of his number, same goes for Lopez, you're a little spooky, starting to think there really isn't a girlfriend, you seem to be interested in EVERYTHING I say or do...Sissy, lol, LOVE to be alone w/you for about a minute, you have no idea what I did for 40 yrs, but, guaranteed you wouldn't last a minute, but momma could bandage you all up afterwards...beer muscles, guys like you crack me up....go O's....
Must be your old age!!! You can't remember when the Orioles picked up Valaika on waivers and asinine waiver claim comments and most recently Lopez and you negatively stated his era being over 6 and how Elias was tanking for picking them up!!! And you're the one obsessed with me when you started again with the quote - "What many of us have said all yr…experience, I’m guessing a good HS coach, or even Onesy wouldn’t do that, well, at least a good HS coach…go O’s…" - just prior post and you can't even remember that!!! And yeah Sissy!!! You couldn't last 5 seconds with me you punk azz clown. I'll drop you like a bad habit! And you leave my beautiful girlfriend out of this. This is between you and me punk!
You are ugly pathetic, O's #1 tushie kisser.
Hey Vic - If you knew me at all you would know that's bullsh/t. But I am all in for the Orioles and I try to stay on the positive things they do. And I don't like the name calling that "Pal" OR ANYONE that sends this bullsh/t my way. So keep your pathetic, asinine comments to yourself. Thank you
I heard on radio Hyde wanted to give Valaika a late rest” because he was playing in second game. The they Ruiz was in game late to give him “ warmed up for second game? Weird stuff, but I guess it makes a little bit of good sense ?
How much of a rest is missing one at bat? I imagine Hyde simply wanted to go the lefty vs righty route, but great managers think outside the box now and then and play by instinct. I guess I'm just whining because his instinct may not have matched mine.
Vic, who is your comment aimed at?...go O’s...
I think he was talking to Scoutmaster Mort.
I thought so, but numero uno has me so upset, I wasn’t sure I’d read that right....bwwwaaaa...just kidding...lmao...go O’s...
Who’s Mortimer gonna get into it with next? ....go O’s...
I dunno, everybody else just ignores him.
I just wanted to say, it’s my opinion only, about this Ben McDonald; he is fantastic and his southern accent from Louisiana is perfect for on air analyst work! He could do the Little League World Series, and be great at it?
I am a fan of Big Ben also. And Melanie Newman is HOT.
I'm starting to warm up to McDonald. Wasn't crazy about him at 1st. Although he's a big improvement on "home cooking" Mike Bordick, Big Ben is still a definite homer. I'd rather listen to Jim Palmer tell it like it is. Whether he's right or wrong, he doesn't seem care about hurting the home team's feelings. I suspect a lot of the bravery may be in proportion to how established an announcer is.
And while I'm at it .. Jim Palmer wise ... I'd like to call him out for ALMOST turning me off on my man-crush Cedric Mullins last year when he said that "Mullins simply can't hit a major league fastball". Just goes to show you even the most knowledgeable baseball men can be wrong sometimes. Still love you Jim and I still take what you say as gospel. You're the best to ever toss la pelota IMO!!
I like Ben, but he could drop the number of times guys “barrel up”, “on the barrel” or references to the barrel, but I find him very entertaining, even with the twaing....go O’s...
What bugs me is when he says "an elevated ERA" ... like he's not trying to embarrass someone. Still, I'd like to know where the delineation point is in an ERA between a number ... and being "elevated"? Above 6 or 7 maybe?
I’ve really warmed up to Big Ben too. I’m even starting to overlook the LA drawl, such as “Two men own base”.
Mountcastle has 20 RBIs already. That’s gotta be close to the fewest games any Oriole has ever played to get to 20. I’d love to know how close they’d be to playoff contention if they’d had Mountcastle and Kremer all season. The thing Hyde didn’t mention, and this is purely my own opinion, is that I thought Kremer really handled very well getting squeezed by the umpire tonite. I really thought he threw a lot more strikes than the ump called and that’s what made his pitch count climb so high. I’m really excited about this kids future.
His first walk, on four pitches, two of them were strikes, agree, he didn’t get too shook about it...go O’s...
Like I said, "you want it right or you want it stylish?" The ump normally can't see the low pitches or, because they stand on the inside of the hitter, they can't see the outside pitches. The "machine" makes NO mistakes.