With the Orioles falling 9-3 to Cincinnati on Tuesday to begin the final series of a three-city road trip, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Kevin Gausman turned in one of the worst starts of his career, matching a career high with eight runs allowed and lasting only 2 2/3 innings. Giving up a grand slam to Adam Duvall on an 0-2 pitch in the second inning summed up his night.
2. After seemingly straightening himself out in his last start, Gausman once again battled command problems with his fastball while walking three and throwing 79 pitches. He has now issued 12 walks in 18 2/3 innings this season after entering 2017 with a career walk rate of 2.5 per nine innings.
3. Gausman’s split-changeup continued to largely be a non-factor despite facing a Reds lineup featuring five lefty-swinging hitters. He’s throwing it less frequently in 2017, and the pitch hasn’t been very good when he has used it. That needs to change.
4. I had to chuckle at the suggestion that Bronson Arroyo’s home run rate would make him a favorable matchup for the Orioles. Arroyo was far from great over his five innings, but this lineup rarely has success against soft-tossing finesse pitchers.
5. The Orioles trailed 9-1 after three innings, but you wouldn’t know it from the play of Adam Jones. He made a superb running catch in shallow left-center in the fourth and then hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
6. The Reds didn’t really need it, but you can see how disruptive Billy Hamilton can be on the bases with his elite speed. His problem has been getting on base consistently in his career.
7. Seth Smith leaving the game with a right hamstring strain added injury to the insult of a blowout loss. Buck Showalter told reporters it could result in a trip to the disabled list, but the veteran outfielder expressed optimism that it wasn’t serious.
8. It was encouraging seeing Mychal Givens sit in the mid-90s with his fastball after his velocity was down in his last outing in Boston six days ago. Showalter said after the game that the hard-throwing reliever had been dealing with a back issue.
9. Credit Vidal Nuno and Tyler Wilson for eating 4 1/3 innings in a lopsided loss, but you would think that the Orioles will need to make a roster move for a fresh long man to back up Ubaldo Jimenez on Wednesday.
10. Facing the red-hot Yankees, ex-Oriole Miguel Gonzalez partied in the Bronx like it was 2012 by taking a shutout into the ninth. He has a 3.62 ERA in 154 innings with the Chicago White Sox since being dumped by Baltimore last spring in favor of Mike Wright and Wilson.
11. Perhaps his status will change with Smith’s injury, but Joey Rickard is expected to go on a rehab assignment in the near future. With Trey Mancini hitting the way he is, there isn’t room on the current roster for both Rickard and Craig Gentry.
12. Consider this my annual complaint about how dull it is to watch the pitcher hit in National League-style baseball. Talk all you want about Madison Bumgarner and the five other NL pitchers who can actually swing the bat a little bit; I’ll enjoy the designated hitter.
