What went wrong in the Orioles’ 4-3 defeat to the Texas Rangers on Monday night?
In trying to identify the top three losing factors with the addition of home plate for any not-so-honorable mentions and other notes, we go around the bases after the 69th game of the 2016 season.
1st — On a night when the Orioles banged out 15 hits, the game turned when they squandered a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the third inning. Leading 3-0 and threatening to break the game open against Texas starter Derek Holland, Baltimore came away with nothing despite a Mark Trumbo walk and consecutive singles by Matt Wieters and Jonathan Schoop to start the inning. J.J. Hardy struck out on a pitch in the dirt and Nolan Reimold grounded into an inning-ending double play. It was all Rangers after that despite the opportunities being abundant for the Orioles, who left 12 runners on base and went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position over the course of the night.
2nd — Kevin Gausman was carrying good stuff on Monday, but questionable choices in pitch selection and location doomed him in the deciding three-run fourth. It’s one thing to miss with location as the right-hander did on Ian Desmond’s long solo home run an inning earlier, but you have to question why Gausman continued to throw outside fastballs — and why Wieters continued calling for them — to No. 9 hitter Bobby Wilson without once challenging him inside. Despite getting ahead 0-2, Gausman couldn’t put the light-hitting catcher away and Wilson hit a sacrifice fly on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. Gausman followed that by throwing a hanging breaking ball to Shin-Soo Choo for the deciding two-run single after the lefty hitter hadn’t gotten around on his fastball all night. As was the case against Boston last week, Gausman’s stuff was too good to get such underwhelming results.
3rd — Despite Texas entering the night ranked 14th in the American League in bullpen ERA, the Orioles couldn’t get to Rangers relievers after knocking Holland out of the game in the fifth. Neither Shawn Tolleson nor Tony Barnette had pitched well of late, but the Orioles didn’t push a single runner into scoring position despite four hits against the pair in 3 2/3 innings. Ironically, Baltimore threatened against tough closer Sam Dyson by putting runners on the corners in the ninth, but Wieters struck out and Schoop grounded out to end the game with the tying run on third base.
Home — In addition to grounding into a double play with the bases loaded in the third, Reimold struck out twice with a runner on base and was thrown out at second on a failed hit-and-run. His lone hit of the night was a single to lead off the sixth. … Every Orioles starter collected at least one hit on the night. The 15 hits tied for their third-highest number of the season, but the three runs were their lowest total in a game in which they had collected at least 12 hits this season. … Dylan Bundy tossed three perfect innings with three strikeouts in relief of Gausman to save the rest of the bullpen. … Baltimore returns home to play its first interleague series of the year Tuesday with Tyler Wilson squaring off against San Diego’s Luis Perdomo.
