Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had numerous conversations with right-hander Jorge López about going deeper into games.
“We talked a lot about that fourth- and fifth-inning bugaboo,” Hyde said. “He’s had so many starts this year where he’s shown such great stuff through three and four innings and then hit a snag there in the middle part of the game.”
López was shaky again in the fifth — yielding three runs after he was given an 8-1 lead — but the Orioles managed a 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals Saturday night to end a five-game losing streak.
“It’s been happening since the beginning,” said López, who allowed four runs and seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 4 2/3 innings. “I can’t say I should do this, I should do that. At the end of the day I have to make three outs, I have to concentrate better. Sometimes, like we talk about, I would say bad luck. It wasn’t hard contact or anything like that.
“Things just didn’t go my way. It’s something, I have to keep working. They have a really good team. I know them. But it’s just a thing where I have to find a way, I have to find a way.”
López was reinstated from the bereavement list before the game. He disclosed his son is undergoing chemotherapy and needed a bone marrow transplant.
“He’s such a strong kid,” López said. “I feel I have to be there. I’m a strong part of his life. Hopefully, he can get a new life in the next couple months and just be a normal kid, you know. He loves baseball, he loves to come to the ballpark, come here and watch and that’s his big thing. He watches us every day playing. This is something, I have to be there no matter what.”
Entering the game, López had a 16.03 ERA in the fifth. He got into a jam again in that inning by allowing back-to-back singles to Ryan O’Hearn and Michael Taylor and a walk to Nick Lopez.
López allowed three more runs on a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by Whit Merrifield and a run-scoring single by Salvador Perez that cut the margin to 8-4 and ended his night. López hasn’t completed the fifth inning in six of his last seven starts.
He pitched for the Royals from 2018 to 2020 and pitched for the first time as a visitor at Kauffman Stadium. He was also the first former Royals pitcher to start a game as a visitor in Kansas City since Jake Odorizzi on August 21, 2020, with Minnesota.
López managed to snap a streak of six straight losing starts but remained winless in his last seven appearances.
“I have to go back and watch the fifth inning,” Hyde said. “We need to figure this out. His stuff is too good. I don’t know if he got unaggressive there. [López’s] stuff is really good and he’s having a tough time in that fifth inning the third time through, and I don’t know if his mentality changed. I know our guys are working hard with him and he’s aware, obviously, and that’s why he was disappointed when he came out that inning.”
Paul Fry (3-3) ended the rally by getting Andrew Benintendi to pop out to third.
Dylan Tate and Tanner Scott and Tyler Wells each threw a scoreless inning to secure the win. Second baseman Pat Valaika made a diving catch and throw to prevent a run in the seventh.
Ramón Urias went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. It was his sixth multi-hit game in his last nine games. Ryan Mountcastle also had two RBIs. Cedric Mullins had two doubles and leads Major League Baseball with 110 hits. DJ Stewart had two hits, an RBI and scored two runs.
“It was nice the way we strung some hits together,” Hyde said. “I loved the way we ran the bases. That was our best baserunning game by far, going first to third multiple times, putting pressure on the defense, running the bases hard. It was nice to see us keep the line moving and taking competitive at-bat after competitive at-bat. Scoring those eight runs early, that was really nice.”
The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the second on a RBI single by Urias and a fielder’s choice by Domingo Leyba off Royals right-hander Brady Singer, who was the 18th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of the University of Florida.
The Orioles had six consecutive hits and scored five runs in the third, ending the night for Singer (3-7).
Mullins led off the third with a double, advanced on an infield single by Trey Mancini and scored on a single by Mountcastle. Stewart, Anthony Santander and Urias followed with RBI singles.
“I am trying to work as hard as I can and trying to take advantage of situations to help my team win,” Urias said through an interpreter.
Richard Lovelady replaced Singer and gave up a run-scoring single to Pedro Severino that boosted the lead to 7-0.
The Royals pulled to within 7-1 on a double by Carlos Santana off López.
Mancini led off the fourth with his first triple since June 12, 2019, and the 10th of his five-year career. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Mountcastle.
The Orioles, who were 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position, won in Kansas City for just the second time in 12 games since April 2016.
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Thoughts and prayers for Lopez and his family.
Why take out Lopez when he was in line for the win, it’s not like the O’s are just a couple games outta first, I know some guys (you can guess who they are) are gonna say “then you’d complain that Hyde didn’t take him out”, BS, at this point Hyde gets more respect from his players if he goes out there & tells Lopez, this is your game, get this last out, then if you need replace him to start the 6th, or heaven forbid let him pitch the 6th, unreal...go O’s...
Agree give Lopez a shot at a win there’s a big shot of confidence that goes with this decision. Hyde should know better and find ways to pick his guys up. Lip service is DOA at this point in the season.
Lopez came into the 5th inning only throwing 52 pitches. But in the 5th inning, he threw 28 pitches. So overall, 80 pitches isn’t too high, but 28 pitches in an inning is an awful lot. Plus considering what he has been going through with his son, it was amazing that he pitched as well as he did. And the strategy did work, the bullpen didn’t give up any runs
You mean like Buck tried to do? How did that go?
I’d say it went pretty well. The Orioles had the best regular season W-L record and 3 playoff appearances during the Showalter era including a AL championship series appearance.
How soon they forget.
Buck was a .500 manager, period, and vanilla at that!
Agree, apples & oranges overall, we’re talking about Hyde, not Buck, focus...go O’s...
Lopez has the stuff. Seems like there’s a mental hurdle there. Obviously Lopez is dealing with things that are bigger than baseball. Props to him for continuing to go out there and pitching. I’d like to see him close. I think he has the stuff for it. Tyler Wells has also been really good late in games. If it wasn’t for his last two outings where Hyde put him two terrible situations. Also when Galvis comes back Urias needs to be the second baseman. He’s figured something out. Anyone else know that Gary Thorne is the broadcaster for the Mets? Why MASN got rid of him is beyond me. Gary made it worth watching.
Os20 .... no I had no idea Thorne was with the Mets.
Thanks for letting us know, and good for Gary.
The MASN crew they have this year is absolutely awful. Awful. I liked Gary Thorne and the rest of the broadcast booth team that they jettisoned this year as well.
This team's owership is just awful. I can't think of any other ownership group I'd rather not have own the team than them. Well maybe not Marge Schott, but even that's a close call. The Angelos family has embarrassed this team in so, so many ways over the years.
The way they've handled their announcers over the years is a prime example the ineptitude that has spread to just about every area of the organization.
About the only thing they've got right this year is the Pepsi sign on the right field wall. And even that was probably just an accident.
I don’t think the orioles had anything to do with that. I think it was MASN as a whole.
I disagree. Angelos makes those calls. He has for years.
This from Wilkipedia on Jon Miller's release ...."At the end of that season, Orioles owner Peter Angelos, displeased with Miller's often candid commentary on the Orioles play, declined to renew his contract"
John Lowenstein also states that pressure from the Orioles on Home Team Sports (now MASN) forced his firing.
This also from wikipedia on Thorne ... "The Orioles removed Thorne from the broadcast booth in the midst of a contract disagreement during the 2020 season, with the team invoking the right not to pick up his contract through the schedule changes brought about by COVID-19."
I believe the team as the last call on broadcasters, however I admittedly am not 100% sure of that. If they don't have the last call anyway, they certainly have a LOT of input to it.
The Orioles own controlling interest in MASN.
Yes but MASN makes it’s own personnel decisions.
Thanks Cedar ... that would certainly lead one to believe that Angelos has the final say when it comes down to it.
Loved Gary!
My thoughts and prayers go out to Jorge and his son. Given the circumstances, I think Lopez performed quite well last night. I just wish he could have personally been rewarded with a W...
Yes with only one more out to get the win I too would have left Lopez in for one more batter. It really could have meant a lot mentally for him. Best way to him through the 5th inning bugaboo is to GET him through the 5th inning. I love Hays,he is my favorite Oriole,and did get annoyed when they sat him every other game(so much untapped talent that just needs playing time) but there comes a time he has start progressing instead of having 1 good game followed by 3 bad games. So now whenever he's benched I don't even think twice about it. Come on Austin it's yours for the taking. Don't disappoint.
This one goes back to Hyde . You have a guy who is fighting himself for one inning . The damage was done before Hyde came out . The manager needs to command when the problems started he should have bounced out to the mound and firmly gotten Lopez back on track not raving or ranting but calmly telling him to focus on one out throw strikes . Hyde seems to be afraid to address his players in public note to Hyde your the BOSS lead will you .
Few managers or coaches call out players publicly anymore. Another way the game has changed.
Agree, they’re too worried about consequences...too bad...go O’s...
To me, Lopez would be an ideal long man or better yet THE CLOSER. I hope all goes well with his son.
Sorry to hear about his son.
But, if he pitched for Tampa, he’d NEVER face a lineup a third time!
Try this. Start a bullpen guy. Give Lopez innings 2-5, or 3-6.
Problem solved.
Hyde: you’re fired.
Fired!!!
I’ve been bullish on Lopez on this site before. I like the guy. Now knowing what he’s been going thru with his son, wow, I can’t imagine how difficult that’s gotta be. Really brings perspective to baseball and how, even tho that’s his full time job, how trivial it really is.
Godd Job this weekend Birds ! Nice series WIN !