After coming off a sweep of the Chicago White Sox and taking two games from the Washington Nationals, the Baltimore Orioles lost four straight games last week, all by one run.
It was the first time the Orioles were swept this season and just the second series they lost, leaving them with a 22-14 record on the season. Baltimore enters this week a half game back from the New York Yankees (22-13) and 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the division.
Looking back: The Orioles got swept by a last place Kansas City Royals team over the weekend, who entered the series 13-21. While manager Buck Showalter did rest a number of key players in the series like outfielder Adam Jones and shortstop J.J. Hardy on Sunday, eight runs was enough to win them that ballgame.
Friday and Saturday Showalter was clear in that he wanted right-handers Brad Brach and Darren O’Day rested moving forward. Neither of them pitched in the series against the Royals, and with the Orioles’ off day today, should be ready to go against the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays this week.
O’Day (3.77 ERA in 2016) and Brach (2.05) have posted higher ERAs this season (5.02 for O’Day, 3.79 for Brach.)
The Orioles by the numbers:
Offense: Runs- 162 (17th), home runs- (48) 12th, OPS- (.732) 15th.
Pitching: Bullpen ERA- (3.86) 10th, starting pitcher ERA- (4.22) 13th, team WHIP- (1.43) 27th.
Moving forward:
Detroit: The Orioles will travel to Detroit to face a .500 Tigers team (18-18), that ranks 14th in runs scored this season. That total will likely increase now that outfielder J.D. Martinez (foot) came off the disabled list to make his season debut on Friday. In three seasons as a Tiger, Martinez is a .300/.358/.544 hitter.
Scheduled starters:
5/16 BAL- Wade Miley (1-1, 2.45 ERA) DET- Matthew Boyd (2-3, 3.89 ERA)
5/17 BAL- Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 6.15 ERA) DET- Michael Fulmer (4-1, 2.54 ERA)
5/18 BAL- Dylan Bundy (5-1, 2.26 ERA) DET- Jordan Zimmerman (3-2, 6.28 ERA)
Last year, the right-handed Jimenez was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA against the Tigers. In his start in Detroit, he pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Bundy pitched only 1 1/3 innings of relief against the Tigers last year.
The Orioles won five of the seven games against the Tigers in 2016. Adam Jones feasted off Detroit pitching in 31 plate appearances, slashing an impressive .500/.581/.923.
Toronto: For the first time since the start of the season, the Blue Jays will come to Baltimore. The Orioles swept the Blue Jays in a two-game series the first time around, then took two of three in Toronto the following week. Since starting the year 2-11, the Blue Jays are 15-11 and are coming off series wins against the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians.
It was assumed that when first baseman Edwin Encarnacion left Toronto for Cleveland in free agency that the Blue Jays’ lineup would take a hit, but with catcher Russell Martin and outfielder Jose Bautista both hitting below .200 this far into the season, runs have been even tougher to come by.
Scheduled starters:
5/19 BAL- Chris Tillman (1-0, 2.89 ERA) TOR- Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 2.95 ERA)
5/20 BAL- Kevin Gausman (2-3, 7.19 ERA) TOR- Mike Bolsinger (0-2, 6.10 ERA)
5/21 BAL- Wade Miley (1-1, 2.45 ERA) TOR- Marco Estrada (2-2, 3.12)
On Opening Day in Baltimore, Gausman lasted 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out four. He faced Estrada, who went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out four as well, but walked just two. The following game, Bundy beat J.A. Happ, as both went seven innings, but Bundy allowed just one run.
The post Moving forward: The Baltimore Orioles’ week ahead, May 16-21 appeared first on OutsidePitchMLB.
