Baltimore Orioles: A Resilient Club under Buck Showalter

The Baltimore Orioles suffered a painful 14-11 loss in ten innings on Friday night in New York, and must turn around less than 15 hours later and take the field again.

Under Buck Showalter, the Baltimore Orioles have been a resilient team. Big losses, tough losses, games where the bullpen implodes, it really doesn’t matter.

The Orioles are a team that will put behind them the previous game and work to play better.

This doesn’t always mean there won’t be losing streaks, but the Orioles aren’t a team to shy away from competition after a frustrating result. Friday night’s game would certainly qualify as that.

The Orioles got three home runs, a two-run homer from Welington Castillo, a solo absolute rocket from Manny Machado, which was the longest home run in the new Yankee Stadium, and a grand slam by the suddenly emerging Mark Trumbo. They were up 9-1.

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Then Aaron Judge went to work again, his second home run of the game, and all of a sudden it is 9-4. However, game is still well in hand. Jonathan Schoop provided some insurance and it is 11-4.

But, Buck Showalter sent Gausman out to start the seventh, and then pulled him after the first batter reached, a frustrating habit of Buck’s. Vidal Nuno came in, and he was terrible.

Nuno allowed a grand slam to Jacoby Ellsbury (the first of Ellsbury’s career) and it was a three-run game.

Then came the ninth inning, where Brad Brach walked the lead-off hitter. Nothing good happens after a lead-off walk, and after a fielder’s choice, Starlin Castro jacked a homer to deep left on one knee, and the game was tied.

The Orioles burned through Darren O’Day, Mychal Givens and then Brach in a game that never should have been close, and Jayson Aquino was completely over-matched in the 10th inning.

The Yankees put an end to the game on a Matt Holliday walk-off three-run home run, leaving Oriole fans reaching for their remotes as fast as possible.

The stench from that game, and the major bullpen implosion, is tough to overcome.

But, the Orioles under Showalter have proved time and again they are a resilient team. While some teams may go into a funk after a loss like this, you don’t expect that from these Orioles.

They are a mentally strong team, and they will have the chance to prove that again on Saturday afternoon.

Real quick, I want to review my three keys to the series.

1. Putting Up the Runs – The Orioles had no issues with this on Friday, but the Yankees didn’t either.

2. Can Kevin Gausman put it together? – He did an ok job. Probably pitched a little better than his final line, although still not great. But, the bullpen lost this game, plain and simple. With the bullpen taxed, Ubaldo Jimenez will have to put a good start together on Saturday and keep the ball on the plate.

3. Can the Orioles control Aaron Judge? – No. Judge now has nine HRs, tied with Khris Davis for most in AL. Let’s see if Ubaldo can do better on Saturday.

Next: Ravens Select Tyus Bowser in Second Round of NFL Draft

Let’s go O’s!

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Baltimore Orioles: A Resilient Club Under Buck Showalter

By Nate Wardle | Apr 29, 2017

The Baltimore Orioles suffered a painful 14-11 loss in ten innings on Friday night in New York, and must turn around less than 15 hours later and take the field again.