Another bad loss
Orioles waste early 5-1 lead, give it all away to Indians for eighth defeat in 11 games
CLEVELAND — There’s no sulking or self-pity in the Orioles’ clubhouse after a defeat, manager Brandon Hyde proclaimed before they turned an early four-run lead off one of the game’s best starters into a 14-7 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The loss will count among their worst of the season.
Such emotions would not be out of place Thursday, when another short start from Dan Straily, more unreliable relief pitching and some uncharacteristically sloppy defense gave the Orioles their third loss in two days. The result challenged the credulity that anything happening with this team is very positive.
There’s a cost-of-doing-business nature to so many of their losses, like Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees when the Orioles (14-29) played fine by all accounts but were just out-manned.
But losses like Thursday’s, even for one night, do little to back up Hyde’s pregame message that there’s improvement amidst the losing.
This was their eighth loss in 11 games, and came from an unexpected position of strength. Jason Kipnis homered early off Straily, the Orioles’ struggling starter, but Rio Ruiz and Trey Mancini hit home runs to give the Orioles a 5-1 lead in the third.
What followed was a mix of today’s fresh hits and yesterday’s favorites. Straily gave two runs right back, albeit on some weak contact, and was pulled one out into the fourth inning.
Gabriel Ynoa allowed one of Straily’s runners to score, then two of his own on another home run by Kipnis that made it an even 90 allowed by the Orioles this year. Undaunted, as they often have to be, the Orioles’ offense plugged along with Jonathan Villar and Mancini scoring on a double by Stevie Wilkerson to erase the temporary deficit.
Before long, the Orioles’ bullpen made it permanent. Left-hander Paul Fry allowed two more of Ynoa’s runs to score in the sixth.
The Orioles’ defense was not blameless in having the seventh inning — and the game — get out of hand. Fry eventually turned things over to Miguel Castro, who allowed a single up the middle to Leonys Martin for the inning’s first run. A hesitation by center fielder Wilkerson, who is learning the position on the fly, allowed both runners to advance.
That put two in scoring position for a bizarre two-run fielder’s choice that broke the game open. Richard Bleier, fresh off the injured list, got a soft chopper to second baseman Hanser Alberto. Alberto tried for a double play by tagging Francisco Lindor off first, but in chasing him back to the bag, was late throwing for the initial force. As first baseman Chris Davis tried to chase Lindor to second base, a second run scored.
Two more scored that inning. Wilkerson gamely dived for a ball but came up short in the eighth inning to allow the 14th run. It was a fitting finish to a game the Orioles will do well not to replicate.
A week ago, the Orioles took Red Sox ace Chris Sale to extra innings before taking a tough loss. This time, it was seven runs against Bauer that resulted in a seven-run loss.
Some nights, the Orioles will lose through no fault of their own. They’ll hope that those they have a chance to win stop ending like this.