Paid Advertisement

Twelve Orioles thoughts following 4-0 loss to Cleveland

Paid Advertisement

Podcast Audio Vault

Paid Advertisement

With the Orioles being shut out at home for the second time this season in a 4-0 loss to Cleveland, Iโ€™ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:

1. The absence of Trey Mancini didnโ€™t bode well for an offense that was already struggling and without Jonathan Schoop, so the end result wasnโ€™t exactly shocking. Baltimore has now been held to three or fewer runs in 14 of 21 games this season.

2. Indians starter Mike Clevinger had a good 2017 campaign, but he had logged seven or more innings in just three of his 34 career starts before his first career shutout. Give the 27-year-old credit, but this has been an all-too-familiar pattern for the 2018 Orioles.

3. The bar is extremely low, but Chris Tillman showed some improvement in giving the Orioles a chance to win by completing six innings for the first time since July 17 of last season. He managed only four swinging strikes, but he threw some decent breaking pitches and struck out five.

4. Despite a low pitch count, Tillmanโ€™s stamina came into question beginning in the fourth inning as his velocity dipped. He gave up solo home runs on poorly-located fastballs clocked at 86, 86, and 87 miles per hour. Thatโ€™s just not going to get the job done.

5. With the middle of the Cleveland order coming up a third time, Buck Showalter could have gone to the bullpen after five and allowed Tillman to leave on a high note. That said, he had just recorded his first 1-2-3 frame and was at only 63 pitches. I understand it.

6. Iโ€™m sure Saturdayโ€™s performance bought Tillman another start, but Iโ€™ve said before the problem is this feels close to his ceiling at this point. Allowing four earned runs over six innings โ€” a 6.00 ERA โ€” lowered his season mark by more than two full runs.

7. Many have questioned Chance Siscoโ€™s throwing ability at the major league level, but he became the first Orioles catcher since Matt Wieters in 2012 to gun down three runners attempting to steal in a game. Heโ€™s now thrown out seven of 11 trying to swipe a bag this season.

8. Tanner Scott allowed one hit and struck out one in two scoreless frames. Despite little experience above the Double-A level and well-documented control issues, the hard-throwing lefty has presented himself well in two major league appearances this season.

9. Saturday was the fifth time in eight games at Camden Yards in which the Orioles have failed to record a hit through the first three innings. Theyโ€™re begging to put themselves in an early hole with that formula.

10. Iโ€™m guessing Showalter wasnโ€™t daydreaming about an April 21 lineup featuring Craig Gentry, Pedro Alvarez, Luis Sardinas, and Anthony Santander over the winter. Then again, established bats arenโ€™t producing either.

11. Santander has shown some promise, but heโ€™s batting .170 and his on-base plus slugging percentage has dipped to .497. His Rule 5 requirement will be satisfied next month, which will allow him to return to the minors. The right field problem will remain, however.

12. The Indians offense has been nearly as bad as the Orioles so far, but Cleveland is allowing nearly half as many runs per game. Elite pitching always gives you a chance.

Share the Post:

Paid Advertisement

Right Now in Baltimore

Twelve Orioles Thoughts at start of 2025 Grapefruit League play

Luke Jones offers his latest orange musings as spring games get underway.

Dear Steve Bisciotti: Are you Tuckered out on that zero-tolerance policy?

Methinks weโ€™re kinda getting to the point where weโ€™ll soon hear from โ€œyour peopleโ€ in a two-sentence press release on the team website about the future of the kicking department of the Baltimore Ravens. Probably after lunch on Friday, theโ€ฆ

The big Ravens Maryland Lottery winner returns with his Voices of Hope to help others overcome addiction in Harford County

He bought a Ravens scratch-off Maryland Lottery ticket on Harford Road 18 months ago and T.J. Humphries is going to the games with his daughter for the next 20 years. He returns to "A Cup Of Soup Or Bowl Week"โ€ฆ

Paid Advertisement

Verified by MonsterInsights