Stars sit, call-ups fill in as O’s fall
Offense lacking in series finale in Buffalo
On a day two of their most productive batters began the afternoon resting and a third landed on the injured list, an Orioles lineup mostly composed of fresh call-ups and scuffling fixtures couldn’t piece together enough offense to avoid a 5-2 loss Sunday afternoon to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Before the game — played at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York — the Orioles (24-54) shuffled their roster. Shortstop Freddy Galvis, who had started 71 of their first 77 games, was placed on the 10-day IL with a right quadriceps strain suffered Saturday that manager Brandon Hyde said will keep him out one to two months. With Galvis being a free agent at the end of the year, the injury not only cost Baltimore the veteran infielder, but also one of its most logical trade chips.
They added two infielders in his place, calling up Ramón Urías and Domingo Leyba, as well as outfielder Ryan McKenna, with infielder Stevie Wilkerson and right-hander Konner Wade optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. All three of those promoted players were in Sunday’s lineup. Leyba and Urías manned the middle infielder, while McKenna played center and batted leadoff as Cedric Mullins, who was named an All-Star finalist Sunday, received a scheduled day off, though he pinch-hit in the ninth.
First baseman Trey Mancini was also held out of the lineup, with Hyde hoping to give him a “breather.” Since homering twice last Sunday, Mancini entered the series finale having gone 2-for-24 with 11 strikeouts. In the Orioles’ strongest comeback effort, he pinch-hit with the bases loaded and grounded out to end a threat in the seventh. The Orioles finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
“Didn’t get the big hit today,” Hyde said. “We did have opportunities. We just didn’t cash in.”
That groundout followed a walk to Ryan Mountcastle, the fourth straight game the swing-happy rookie has walked. The only member of the starting lineup who began the day with an OPS above .714, Mountcastle homered in the first to continue his torrid June.
“I haven’t really been changing much out of my routine,” Mountcastle said. “I know how they’re trying to attack me and just trying to stay with my approach.”
The Blue Jays (40-36) tied the game against Jorge López in the second on a basesloaded double play, with slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. giving them the lead with a two-run double in the third.
With Hyde saying he will ride the “hot hand” at shortstop with Galvis out, Urías made a strong opening bid with an RBI double that got the Orioles within a run in the fifth. But Toronto answered back in its half. López was a strike away from stranding two in scoring position before Cavan Biggio doubled on an 0-2 count to score both runners and provide the game’s final margin. Hyde said that double in particular was wind-aided, but López dismissed the wind’s impact on his start.
“Every day is a hard day to pitch,” he said. “I want to just make every pitch consistent with good execution. This is one of those
days that you have to battle.”
McKenna was the only Oriole with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 in his return after tearing up Norfolk. Leyba, who was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts; the 25-year-old is hitless in 26 major league at-bats this year.
The Orioles ended their 20-game road losing streak with a 6-5 come-from-behind win Friday night, but another loss Sunday marked their 16th in their past 18 games.
Tate brings the heat
After 1 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief from Tyler Wells, Dillon Tate pitched a dazzling two innings.
Statcast tracked one of his pitches at 99.6 mph — far exceeding his previous career high of 98.1 mph — as he struck out five of the six batters he faced. Tate was tracked more in his normal range of 95-97 mph in his second inning, but Hyde was particularly impressed with his slider, which produced four misses on five swings.
“Just aggressive in the strike zone,” Hyde said. “There was a lot of really bad swings. The slider was good today. So good slider, 95 to 97 with sink, aggressive in the strike zone, worked ahead in the count was. Most pitches were down in the strike zone, too. He was really good.”
Around the horn
After being designated for assignment earlier this week, knuckleballer Mickey Jannis cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.
The Orioles have not yet decided will start Tuesday’s road game against Houston.