NEW YORK—The opening joyride came to a crashing end on Monday night in the Bronx.
After three strong performances by Oriole pitching in Boston, starter Jorge López ran into a suddenly powerful Yankees offense. In their first three games, New York hit just .218 while losing two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Four walks in the fifth inning, three by López and one by Shawn Armstrong, led to a Giancarlo Stanton 471-foot grand slam and five-run inning in the Yankees’ 7-0 victory before 9,009 at Yankee Stadium. It was the Orioles’ 11th straight loss here.
López allowed one hit in the first three innings. Aaron Judge led off the fourth with his first home run, to right field.
In the fifth, manager Brandon Hyde pulled him after three walks with two outs.
“Sometimes, I try to be just too perfect in those situations,” López said. “It’s not panic or anything like that. I have to keep [being] aggressive like I did the first couple of innings.”
López acknowledged that it can be intimidating pitching to the Yankee sluggers.
“Great lineup,” he said. “It’s a power lineup. They’ve got some guys that can do [damage].”
Armstrong, who was pitching for the first time this season after the birth of a son on Wednesday, walked Aaron Hicks, allowing Gio Urshela to score, and then Stanton’s blast made it 6-0.
It was such a long blast that leftfielder Ryan Mountcastle didn’t even bother to chase it.
Paul Fry, who didn’t pitch in the first three games, retired only one of his five batters. After D.J. LeMahieu’s bases-loaded single, Mac Sceroler, one of the Orioles’ two Rule 5 pitchers, made his first appearance.
Fry had a 10.61 ERA in seven Grapefruit League games but Hyde said he wasn’t concerned.
“Paul had a nice year last year,” Hyde said. “Tonight, his command wasn’t there, walked [Jay] Bruce on four pitches, gave up ground-ball singles, his pitch count was up. It just wasn’t his night.”
Sceroler had a decidedly more difficult assignment than the other Rule 5 pick, Tyler Wells, who came into Sunday’s game in the ninth inning of an 11-3 Orioles lead.
Facing Judge, Sceroler caught him looking and then induced Hicks to pop out to second baseman Ramon Urías.
“I could finally breathe,” Sceroler said. “I knew I was still in the game, so I knew I couldn’t relax too much. I could take five or 10 minutes, process what just happened, and then breathe and then just get back to competing out there.”
Sceroler further saved the bullpen by retiring his first seven hitters, walking two, and then striking out Mike Tauchman to end the eighth.
“Once you get on the mound, it becomes a lot more familiar to you,” Sceroler said. “You tend to block out, ‘Where I am at? Who’s in the box? What’s the situation?’”
Sceroler hadn’t pitched above High-A until Monday night, and he was a long shot to make the team when spring training began.
“It’s a blessing just to get this opportunity,” Sceroler said. “To be put in a situation like that, I think that’s what every person wants to be put in just to prove themselves — that I can pitch and get the job done. It was definitely comforting for me to be put in that situation and succeeding … Hopefully, I can compete here, and my stuff is good enough to play here.”
After playing outfielder Austin Hays on the injured list because of a strained right hamstring, Hyde decided that Anthony Santander needed a day off after three consecutive day games. Ryan McKenna, who also was making his major league debut, played right and was 0-for-2 with a walk.
Besides putting Urías at second, Hyde gave Pat Valaika his first start of the season at first and made Trey Mancini the designated hitter.
Mancini, who missed the 2020 season after having colon cancer surgery, was introduced by public address announcer Paul Olden with a hearty, “Welcome back, Trey Mancini!” The Yankees responded by applauding him. Mancini struck out three times in four hitless at-bats.
The Orioles had just four hits, but one was by centerfielder Cedric Mullins, who has hit in each of the Orioles’ first four games. Mullins’ hit led off the sixth, and the Orioles had none after that.
Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery pitched six innings, allowing the four singles and striking out seven. Luis Cessa struck out three and walked one in two innings, and Aroldis Chapman struck out the side and walked one in his first appearance of 2021.
“We had a tough night collectively off of Montgomery,” Hyde said. “We had a tough time barreling the ball on Montgomery.”
Notes: The Orioles last won at Yankee Stadium on May 15, 2019. The 11-game losing streak in the Bronx ties the longest in club history. They also lost 11 straight at old Yankee Stadium from April 21, 1955-May 11, 1956. … The Orioles have scored one run or fewer in their last five games here, the longest by any team at the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. … Hyde said that he hoped Hays’ injury wasn’t severe. “Pretty optimistic that it’s not going to be very long. It’s a mild strain. It’s a hamstring, and you never know, but they were fairly confident it wouldn’t be very long.”
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Embarrassing the way this team has played against the Yankees. I’m from NY and I understand the intimidation factor but they are supposed to be pros. Hyde might not be worried about Fry but I am. Tonight we got Cole looks bad but I hope they play like major leaguers and Dean pitches well. I don’t know why McKenna is ahead of Diaz as a call up
Bruce, when Diaz is called up, they want it to be for the long-term.
And I love Hays explosiveness to me he’s the most exciting and all around talented player on this team but obviously his body is not built to withstand the way he plays.
Glad to hear that Trey got a nice reception at Yankee Stadium. Too bad MASN didn’t show it. They did a video montage with music so we couldn’t see or hear it.
I believe the visiting team’s television and radio crews still remain home at Camden Yards. So MASN can only relay the home teams broadcast.
The highlights were from MASN. They weren’t from the YES network. MASN overrode the YES feed to show the montage. Just like when they interviewed Ben McDonald later. That wasn’t shown on the YES network.
Saw a VERY astute observation from last night's notes about Severino---he seemed very annoyed(visibly)that Lopez crossed him up resulting in very next pitch being grooved for Judge's HR. Has me wondering-is Sverino's inability to catch the ball resulting in pitchers actually throwing to a glove parked right over the plate instead of trying to trick/fool the hitter? Hurry up Ashley you're needed. The mystery of Santander continues--where the hell was he last night and why wasn't he in there in an early (somewhat) crucial series verses the Yankees?
Hyde wanted to take Santander out of the game Sunday, but couldn’t because of the Hays injury. Short bench. Crucial series? It’s game 4 out of 162. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint
Ok. Yes that is why I said "somewhat". But normally I wanna put my best up against their best. Btw-I read where scouts are traveling with the team to observe Santander.
It's going to be a long time before "Orioles" and "crucial" are used in the same sentence. It wouldn't matter if it's game 4 or 150. At the moment, any urgency has to do with Hays not being able to stay on the field. The names of oft injured Orioles of the past dance in my head when I hear "Hays".
I did not understand taking Lopez out. Hyde gave him what seemed like a short leash. Why bring Armstrong into that situation when he hasn’t pitched in almost a week. Hyde in game managing continues to hurt us in crucial moments. Santander seems healthy. The side injury didn’t seem to bother him over the weekend.
Oh well, back to normal. It's only one game. Should make the NYers overconfident tonight. It's one thing to have a short bench, but populating it with injury-prone players is something else. Speaking of something else, Pedro Severino.
OMG we’re going to lose 159 games this year
It seems to me that when you walk the bases loaded, you should get yanked.
Hilarious. I'm still laughing
With Sceroler and McKenna making their debuts in the same game I was wondering when was the last time that happened, that two O’s players made their debut in the same game? BrooksPJs c’mon, I know you’re out there, help me out here.
As for Sceroler, WOW, what a debut! He can tell his kids someday he came in with sacks full, one out and K’d Aaron Judge and got Hicks to pop out. Then when he’s much older and the mind wanders a bit and the story becomes embellished he can tell his great grandkids he came in with sacks full, no outs and he K’d Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on 9 pitches!
My work here is never done...
Drew Jackson and Richie Martin debuted together on 3/28/2019.
DLG, pretty sure you might want to sit down for this next data dump...in 2011, three pairs of players made their MLB debuts together for the Orioles on three consecutive days late in September:
9/26: Chris Britton and Jim Hoey
9/27: Nick Markakis and Sendy Rleal
9/28: Brian Burres and Brandon
Fahey
9/29 same year Jim Johnson debuted solo
These dates are incorrect.
Nick Markakis' major league debut was April 3, 2006
Brandon Fahey's was April 30, 2006
Jim Hoey's was August 23, 2006
Chris Britton's was April 12, 2006
Jim Johnson-July 29, 2006
Brian Burres-September 8, 2006
Sendy Rleal-April 5, 2006
BrooksPJs, thank you SO much! I knew you’d come thru. I gotta say tho that I’m afraid to tell you Markakis was well into his career in 2011. I believe his debut was in Opening Day in 2006.
Ouch...LOL...go O’s...
I feel so silly... I used the wrong column on baseball references debut page for 2006, I listed the month and date of their last games and not their debut date... I will retire from posting now with my head hung in shame... farewell BB
No need to retire, you still gave me the answer to my original question. If I retired after every simple mistake I made, well, I’d have retired long, long ago. I bet even Rich has made a mistake on occasion. Hang around.
Yes, I make mistakes, but smart readers and an editor often catch them, Dave.
He’ll be back, that’s the second time he’s said “This is my last post”, too bad we can’t just talk baseball & have fun in our old age...go O’s...