Baltimore Orioles with a Royal Win

The Baltimore Orioles used a solid, total team effort on Saturday evening for a great victory over the Kansas City Royals, 8-3.

There was a lot to like about the game the O’s put together, with a number of highlights that bode well for certain players as we move forward. More on that in a moment.

But first, empty your mind of this game and just consider this … There is a Baseball game between the Royals and another squad. The winning team features a decent start with a four-inning shut-down bullpen, solid outfield defense and hustle, 14 hits slapped here and there with bloops falling in and runners circling the bases, and a 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Who is the winning team?

Anyone who is knowledgeable about the current state of affairs in major league baseball would say that surely that scenario pictured a classic Royals-styled victory. But on this Saturday evening it was the Orioles who turned the tables on Kansas City. So thorough was the flip that Adam Jones walked three times in the game! If you did not know that, I’ll pause while you pick yourself off the floor.

Jones also ran down two balls in center field that most outfielders don’t catch up to. In the same game, Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain misplayed two balls into doubles for Orioles hitters. And that was just a sample of a Royals team that was out of position and perfunctorily going through the motions. It was very, very strange.

We’re talking here about the Alex Gordon that was so desired as a corner outfielder to seek to acquire over this past offseason. The same player who went 1-for-3 to raise his batting average to .224, while the Orioles have a rookie named Joey Rickard who is hitting .319.  And to be honest, Rickard was not in left field; some other guy with the last name of “Kim” played there and went 2-for-4.

Yes, it’s a long season and we’re only 10% complete at 11-5. But we can list some observations that bring true encouragement.

Tyler Wilson had a respectable start, even though he yielded three runs in five innings. He has good stuff that will play well with more experience. The Gallardo injury could be more fortuitous for the Orioles than it may at first appear.

Though Brian Matusz only retired one of the three batters he faced in his first outing of the season, he was severely pinched by the plate umpire. Beyond that, his stuff looked very crisp with great movement.

Mychal Givens pitched out of a terribly hairy situation, getting two critical outs with the bases loaded. This has to be a character builder for the young pitcher.

Brad Brach was totally filthy with his stuff. He came on in the ninth and threw nine consecutive strikes for two strikeouts and a chopper back to the mound. It was such an aggressive way to approach that situation. Brach’s change-up had unbelievable movement, followed by a 96 mph fastball. Nasty.

Chris Davis stroked four hits, including a massive shot for the only homer of the game. All of the taking of pitches he has been doing that does yield many walks and a high OBP has the additional benefit now of making the pitcher come to him a bit more.

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What more is there to say of Mark Trumbo as a valuable addition to this team? And Manny Machado is as locked-in as you’ll ever see, with his throw to first base from his knees simply being beyond belief as physically possible with such velocity.

Of course, sustaining this sort of play is the devil in the details. But there is much to like and find great encouragement for the long haul.

Looking at the updated rate of home runs and strikeouts extended over a full season …

A new day brings a new challenge with Mike Wright and his 5.73 ERA going against Yordano Ventura and his 2.81.