BALTIMORE—The Orioles led both of Saturday’s games entering the seventh inning and lost each — the second by nine runs. On Sunday, they were behind by five runs five batters into the game, and things only got worse from there.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who scored 11 runs in each of Saturday’s games, doubled that total on Sunday and routed the Orioles, 22-7, before an announced crowd of 8,474 at Camden Yards. On a football Sunday, the Orioles provided a football score.
And the Blue Jays scored an astounding 44 runs in 23 innings on Saturday and Sunday, including innings of 11 and 10 runs. The 11-run inning in Saturday’s second game came after the Blue Jays hadn’t gotten a hit in the first six innings. The Blue Jays were off and running from the outset on Sunday, making the Orioles’ seven runs look puny.
“We’ve swung the bats pretty well,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re just not pitching well against a good lineup. The game was over early. We had a tough time getting them out.”
Toronto (80-63) hit two grand slams in the first three innings. Lourdes Gurriel, who drove in a career-high seven runs with two homers and a single, and Teoscar Hernández hit the grand slams. Gurriel’s came in the first when Oriole starter Zac Lowther allowed a leadoff single, followed by two walks and a hit batter.
“With good hitters, I wasn’t attacking them,” Lowther said. “I was pitching kind of scared, just not attacking them to good zones. With a lineup like that, you have to get ahead and you have to attack, and I wasn’t doing it.”
After a five-run first, the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 44th home run in the second. In the third, after Lowther walked Gurriel, he was replaced by Spenser Watkins, who rejoined the team between games of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Watkins faced eight batters and allowed all of them to reach, and seven to score. Breyvic Valera, who had an RBI single, was tagged out in a rundown. Hernandez’s grand slam was the big hit in a 10-run inning. Jake Lamb also homered.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles are the third team to allow 10 or more runs in an inning in consecutive games; the Arizona Diamondbacks last did it on June 15th-16th, 2005. Also, the Blue Jays became the first team to score 27 runs in a four-inning span. The Orioles allowed multiple grand slams in the same game for the third time in club history and gave up 22 or more runs for the fifth time.
Watkins was replaced by Mike Baumann, who served up Gurriel’s second home run in the fifth. Baumann, who was strong in relief of Alexander Wells in Tuesday’s game when he allowed an unearned run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings, was tagged for six runs in three innings.
Eric Hanhold, recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday morning, became the 59th player used by the Orioles this season, setting a franchise record. Hanhold allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings.
“It’s just tough all around,” Lowther said of the staff’s day. “Those are really good friends of mine and good teammates. If I don’t do well, so be it, but it kind of sucks seeing everyone not have their best day.”
Ryan Mountcastle homered for the Orioles in the third against Steven Matz (12-7). It was Mountcastle’s 28th, equaling Cal Ripken Jr.’s 1982 record for most home runs by an Oriole rookie.
“What a great accomplishment,” Hyde said. “Your rookie year to be on a list with some of the greatest players of all time. It’s really, really cool and well deserved. Put a lot of work in, really happy with how he dealt with adversity after the first month, made some great adjustments and is just putting together an outstanding rookie campaign.”
Austin Wynns had three RBIs on his third home run in the seventh and a two-run single in the second. Anthony Santander hit his 17th home run in the sixth.
Notes: Centerfielder Cedric Mullins was removed from the game after five innings. … Alexander Wells (1-2, 7.15 ERA), John Means (5-7, 3.42) and Chris Ellis (1-0, 2.08) are scheduled to pitch for Orioles against the New York Yankees after an offday on Monday. The Yankees haven’t announced their starters. … Trey Mancini was given the day off.
Minor league update: Kyle Brnovich allowed an unearned run on two hits in five innings as Double-A Bowie beat Harrisburg, 4-1. Brnovich (2-1) struck out five and walked two. Rightfielder Zach Watson hit his 11th home run and leftfielder Shayne Fontana hit his third.
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson hit a three-run home run, his ninth, to account for High-A Aberdeen’s runs in its 5-3 loss to Wilmington. Henderson is hitting .230.
Jean Pinto allowed two runs on four hits in six innings as Low-A Delmarva beat Fredericksburg, 4-3. Pinto struck out six and walked one. Centerfielder Reed Trimble had two RBIs.
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The $9 million pitching staff does it again.
Do you think Hyde drinks a bottle of whiskey a night to put up with this?
Just a bottle?…;)….go O’s…
Elais' REBUILD is true CRAPOLLA. If his aim was to make the O's the laughing stock of Sports (not just baseball) he is sicceeding. He and his Waiver Wire Bullpen should really leave baseball for the betterment of the game. In other words, ELAIS YOU STINK!
#1 minor league system per MLB dot com. Okay Norm...
Best farm system never won a pennant. Angelos and Sons have to open up the vault and spend some money on proven MLB tallent not the crap that Elias keeps throwing at us as if he knows what he's doing. The O's have 5 MLB players as of now, Mancini, Mullens, Mountcastle, Hays, and Santandar, and that's it. Starters are "iffy" at best and the Bullpen is non-existant.
Dang, now Mullins can’t make it five innings, it’s friggin contagious…go O’s…
Hope he's not injured CP, but maybe he was removed because it was 18-4?
Totally agree, just having fun…go O’s…
Not trying to ignore the obvious pathetically non competitive last three games, but Santander and Hays are really picking it up lately and hopefully both end on high notes.
Mountcastle is having an amazing year, and Mullins keeps producing power and speed.
Mancini’s HR production has dropped off recently but still has a respectable .272 average.
Searching for bright spots on defense and offense here……
I’m with ya icty, find the positives. The team is what, 50 games under.500. Let’s hope the guys up here keep developing and the front office will supplement some pitching and IF help in the offseason.
pathetically non competitive last three games? winning 10-7 and 1-0 entering the final inning yesterday in pathetically non competitive? if you want to highlight bright spots don't start with pathetically non competitive
44 in 23 innings is pathetic. Dissecting games by groups of innings is meaningless and a pitiful attempt to gloss over a poor product. As long as people keep justifying poor play, you'll keep getting losers.
That's what I keep saying, we have five guys, that's it.
Spectacular afternoon! Last day of flounder season, first Sunday of football season. Low humidity, high pressure, not a cloud in the sky. Took the boat out to a little barrier island and had a great day with family and friends.
What’d I miss?
Post of the month right there.
Honestly…… You didn’t miss a thing!!!!
At least we didn’t have to wait until the end of the game to blow it…lol…go O’s…
33rd...
You missed nothing of note on another painful day in the long road to becoming competitive.
The weather was outstanding here for sure. You being out in Nature with your loved ones is the truth...
You in Mobile, 33? NOLA here.
Flounder season goes another month at OPACY.
Clever….real clever.
Floundering abounds, verily
"With good hitters I wasn't attacking them" Why not? Doesn't GOOD major league pitchers attack all the hitters? This isn't about ability it's about mentality.
So this comes down to the coaching.
How'd Arizona do today Mikey?
O's gained one on em today. They beat Seattle 5-4
Lowther can’t do anything against a good lineup and today proved that. He’s been lit up by the blue jays and Red Sox so far this year. Only good outing he had was against the royals. This whole weekend was an example of how bad Hyde is at managing a pitching staff. You can’t bring in Scott last night while in a jam. We’ve seen that he’s not the guy you want to bring in in a jam. Then he brought in Wells in the eight for a four out save in the first game yesterday. Most closers don’t do well in that situation not to mention a new one like Wells.
It was Lowther's 7 MLB game today and he had not pitched above AA this season, his previous outing vs TOR was 2 IP with 1 ER so maybe give it a rest. Offer a solution or two instead of an endddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddlllllllllllesssssssssssssssssssss stream of complaints and criticism. You are so tiresome...
Who is tiresome?
I hate those dumb non uniforms Hyde wears, Earl would say "Aw, for Chrissakes, what is he wearing?". Can the Watkins experiment finally end?
TOTALLY AGREE Lightyear…:)…go O’s…
Yes and yes!!
The organizational release list is going to be a long one after the season, Wilkerson was a nice start, now how about Valdez, who blew it at Norfolk, and Watson, they really had to bring him back up?!?!
I find a lot of irony in the attire chat the last few days. I personally don't have an option but think about it. The team not on the field look like a bunch of beer league softball players, meanwhile, the beer league softball players in the stands spend an obscene amount of money buying jerseys to look like the players. Go Mets
Being apathetic really has its advantages on a day like this. But hey, looking in the bright side, the O’s did outscored them 2-0 over the final 3 innings!
Just to clarify, there is no way they can give up 20 runs tomorrow, on an off day, right.
Lol! They can’t, but the players they’ve strewn around the league might still be capable of carrying on their legacy.
Just a bad bad weekend all around first Hyde let’s his team get out of control on Friday with of all people DJ Stewart running his mouth come on man a 210 hitter running his yap yeah might be bulletin board material rest of the weekend would seem to support that view . Then we have Saturday’s first game I want Wells to be the closer but somebody needs to tell Hyde you don’t bring in a kid have him throw to one batter and then sit for half an inning his control was not as good when he went back out there and he has had Tommy John so it may take him some time to loosen up .
Then Saturday second debacle Akin gives you a nice performance now I’ve ripped him a lot and I think deservedly so but I think he has for the second year in a row pitched himself into shape late in the year even MacDonald commented on that fact , he kinda ran out of gas in the seventh and you bring in Tanner Scott really if there has been one consistent thing in the last two two months is if you want outs Scott is not the guy.
Then we have the Sunday implosion let’s start with Lowther for a guy to say he wasn’t aggressive that’s is an admission of lack of confidence and also a lack of coaching or managing. Either he can’t do what they want him to do or the staff is not communicating strongly enough . I have no problem with Baumann taking some lumps but I would not have pitched him against these guys they were like sharks circling chum . This again falls on either Hyde or Freddie you know the “fundamentals “ coach you can’t control your bench, you can’t manage a bullpen I’ve been reluctant to fire Hyde based on the talent level but I really believe that a Brad Asmaus or a Buck Britton would be a much better choice .
Attitude reflects leadership…go O’s…
What a depressing game but I couldn't look away. 7 runs should be enough to win.
Yep, more than enough…go O’s…
Food for Analytics: if the O's win a game every day for a month without a loss, they will still be
twenty games below .500.
Is it too late to ask Chris Davis to un-retire and pitch a couple seasons for us?