Diplomatic Immunity

Game 1 : Blue Jays 10, Orioles 5 – Toronto scores 6 times in the 2nd inning to chase Orioles starter Jorge Lopez & blow the game wide open. Randal Grichuk homers (#11) in the 2nd & Travis Shaw goes deep (#6) in the 4th. Jonathan Villar, Teoscar Hernandez & Shaw all drive in 2 runs each for the Playoff bound Blue Jays. Jose Urias (#1), Cedric Mullins (#2) & Jose Iglesias (#3) all homer for the Orioles, who fall to 1-7 against Toronto on the year.

Bal (24-34) Tor (31-27)

WP : Pearson (1-0)
LP : Lopez (2-2)

Game 2 : Blue Jays 5, Orioles 2 – Cavan Biggio breaks up John Means’ no-hit bid in the 6th w/ a solo homer (#8) & Randal Grichuck adds a 3-run blast off of Hunter Harvey in the 7th to put the game away for the Blue Jays. T.J. Zeuch allows 5 hits over 5 shutout innings & Chase Anderson strikes out the first 4 he faces to earn the win. Jose Iglesias doubles home 1 run & scores the other for the Orioles, who have now lost 8 of 9 against the Blue Jays this season.

Bal (24-35) Tor (32-27)

WP : Anderson (1-2)
LP : Means (2-4)
S : Bass (7)

Game 3 : Orioles 7, Blue Jays 5 – Renato Nunez reaches base 3 times as he walks, doubles home a run, singles & scores in his return to the lineup & the Orioles rally to beat the Blue Jays in their season finale. Cedric Mullins triples twice & drives in 2, Rio Ruiz puts the Orioles ahead for good on an RBI double in the 5th & scores on a single by Pat Valaika. Vladimir Guerrero Jr (#9) & Lourdes Guirrel Jr (#11) both homer for Toronto who secured the 8th & final seed in the AL.

Bal (25-35) Tor (32-28)

WP : Lakins (3-2)
LP : Yamaguchi (2-4)
S : Valdez (3)

Baltimore finishes the season 2-8 against Toronto, but ends the season on a high note & will now look to the future, which is very bright. These Orioles exceeded expectations for this season, even if it was abbreviated. This team will be making some noise soon, they are already a few years ahead of where they are supposed to be in their rebuild.

GO O’S!!

#SeeYouNextYear

Game 1 : Red Sox 8, Orioles 3 – Nick Pivetta strikes out 8 in his Red Sox debut, J.D. Martinez has 3 hits & drives in a run, Christian Vasquez homers (#6) & Bobby Dalbec goes 2-3 w/ 2 RBI as the Red Sox pound O’s starter Keegan Akin for 4 runs – 2 earned – on 8 hits in just 4 innings of work. Akin strikes out 6 & walks none. Renato Nunez homers (#12) for the Orioles, who have lost 5 out of 6 & is officially eliminated from Postseason contention.

Bal (23-32) Bos (21-34)

WP : Pivetta (1-0)
LP : Akin (1-2)
S : Barnes (9)

Game 2 : Red Sox 9, Orioles 1 – Nathan Eovaldi strikes out 8 over 6 shutout innings, giving up 7 scattered hits (all singles) & walks just 1. Kevin Plawecki has 3 hits & drives in 2, including an RBI triple & Rafael Devers doubles to drive in 3, as Boston beats Baltimore again. Dean Kremer is shelled for 7 runs on 7 hits in just 2 2/3 innings, striking out 2 & walking 3, his worst outing of the season. Austin Hays homers (#3) for the Orioles lone run & also has 3 hits.

Bal (23-33) Bos (22-34)

WP : Eovaldi (4-2)
LP : Kremer (1-1)

Game 3 : Orioles 13, Red Sox 1 – Jose Iglesias (#2), Pat Valaika (#8) & Austin Hays (#4) all homer & Alex Cobb allows a run on 6 hits in 7 innings, walks 2 & strikes out 4 to earn his 1st win since July 25th. The 5-8 hitters have 3 hits each of Baltimore’s 18 as the Orioles pound the stat line & avoid falling into last place in the AL East. Martin Perez allows 6 runs on 9 hits in 4 innings, walking 1 & striking out 2, he takes the loss for Boston.

Bal (24-33) Bos (22-35)

WP : Cobb (2-5)
LP : Perez (3-5)

The Orioles avoid the sweep in Boston & remain 2 games ahead of the Red Sox w/ 3 to play. Baltimore will now head to Buffalo for 3 as they look to close out the season strong against the Blue Jays.

GO O’S!!

#PlayingOutTheString

Ravens 33, Texans 16 : Week 2 – Recap & Grades : Offense – This unit rushes for 230 yards as a team, led by 73 from Gus Edwards on 10 carries, an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Lamar Jackson combines for 259 yards of total offense, passing for 204 & running for 55. The offensive line does give up 4 sacks & endures countless blitzes.
Grade : B
Defense – This group was stingy as usual, allowing just 51 yards on the ground, but does allow 275 through the air. They sack Deshuan Watson 4 times, while forcing 2 turnovers & also register 13 QB hits.
Grade : A-
Special Teams – Justin Tucker connects on all 4 of his FG attempts, Sam Koch punts it away twice for 94 yards & Devin Duvernay runs back 3 kicks for 55 yards, an average of 18.3 yards per return.
Grade : A
Coaching – Coach Harbaugh & the rest of the staff did a great job of preparing & knowing what to expect. The gameplan was spot on in terms of how they attacked & executed well.
Grade : A
Overall Grade : A-
GO RAVENS!!
#ShowingOff

Ravens 33, Texans 16 : Houston, You Have A Problem – Lamar Jackson throws a TD, Mark Ingram runs for another & the Ravens use their power running game to close out the Texans in Houston. Justin Tucker kicks a 32 yard FG to make it 3-0 Ravens after 1 & after an incompletion on 4th & 1 by the Texans, Jackson hits FB Patrick Ricard 4 plays later on a 1-yard TD pass to make it 10-0 in the 2nd. Tucker then boots 39 yard FG to make it 13-7 in the 2nd & Marlon Humphrey forces a fumble on Texans WR Keke Coutee that L.J. Fort takes back 22 yards for a TD to make it 20-7 & the Ravens led 20-10 @ the half. Tucker hits another from 47 in the 3rd to put the Ravens ahead 23-10 & Mark Ingram breaks loose on 4th & 1 in the 4th, running it in from 30 yards out for the TD to put the Texans away for good. Tucker adds a 20 yard FG to make it 33-16.
Baltimore now heads home to play Kansas City in a battle of heavyweights on Monday Night Football.
Bal (2-0) vs K.C.
Hou (0-2) @ Pit
GO RAVENS!!
#HighPowered

Game 1 (Doubleheader Game 1) : Rays 3, Orioles 1 – Blake Snell & Dean Kremer battle for 5+ innings, allowing just 1 run each, but the Rays manufacture 2 runs in the 8th to go ahead for good & win a tight one.

Bal (22-28) TB (32-18)

WP : Castillo (3-0)
LP : Valdez (1-1)

Game 2 (Doubleheader Game 2) : Rays 10, Orioles 6 – Willy Adames (#6), Hunter Renfroe (#8) & Joey Wendle (#3) all homer for the Rays, who also score 4 times in the 5th of a 7 inning doubleheader to put the game away. Hanser Alberto (#3) & Rio Ruiz (#9) both homer for the Orioles in the loss.

Bal (22-29) TB (33-18)

WP : Fairbanks (5-3)
LP : Sulser (1-5)

Game 3 : Rays 2, Orioles 1 – Tyler Glasnow strikes out 10 over 5 innings, Brandon Lowe goes 2-4 w/ an RBI double & Nate Lowe drives in another on an RBI single to back their starter. Austin Hays homers (#2) for the O’s, as they continue to slip out of Playoff contention.

Bal (22-30) TB (34-18)

WP : Glasnow (4-1)
LP : Cobb (1-5)
S : Sherriff (1)

Game 4 : Rays 3, Orioles 1 – Charlie Morton strikes out 6 in 5 effective innings of work, Yoshi Tsutsugo (#8) & Randy Arozarena (#5) both homer for Tampa Bay to provide all the offense & the Rays take the first 4 games of a rare 5 game series. Jorge Lopez goes 6 solid innings, but still takes his first loss of the season for Baltimore.

Bal (22-31) TB (35-18)

WP : Morton (2-2)
LP : Lopez (2-1)
S : Thompson (1)

Game 5 : Orioles 2, Rays 1 – John Means strikes out a career high 12 in 5+ innings of work, allowing only a run on 3 hits & Renato Nunez provides a 2-run single to give Means just enough offense to help the Orioles avoid the 5 game sweep by the Rays. Willy Adames goes deep (#7) for the Rays.

Bal (23-31) TB (35-19)

WP : Means (2-3)
LP : Yarbrough (1-4)
S : Valdez (2)

The Orioles are all but eliminated by losing 4 of 5 in this series, but this team has fought hard all season. They have 6 games left & will look to finish this season on a high note, starting w/ Boston on Tuesday night.

GO O’S!!

#PlayingForPrideNow

Game 1 : Orioles 14, Braves 1 – The Orioles homer 3 times in a 9-run 3rd inning as they set a season high for runs scored in the process & snap a 5 game losing streak. DJ Stewart hits a 3-run shot (#7) & Ryan Mountcastle follows up w/ a solo shot (#5) & Jose Iglesias drills a 3-run shot (#1) to cap the outbreak. Iglesias goes 4-4 w/ 3 runs scored & 4 RBI. Jorge Lopez tosses 7 strong innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, walks 2 & strikes out 3. Freddie Freeman homers (#11) for Atlanta in the loss.

Bal (21-26) Atl (28-20)

WP : Lopez (2-0)
LP : Toussaint (0-2)

Game 2 : Braves 5, Orioles 1 – Huascar Ynoa pitches 5 shutout innings, allowing just 2 hits & strikes out 9, Adam Duvall homers for the 10th time in September (#15) to tie a Braves record & help the Braves beat the Orioles @ Camden Yards for the first time in 11 years. Freddie Freeman goes 3-5 w/ a pair of RBI doubles & Atlanta uses 6 relievers to close the door on the Birds. Jose Iglesias has 2 hits, including an RBI double for the O’s, who lose for the 5th time in 6 games.

Bal (21-27) Atl (28-21)

WP : O’Day (4-0)
LP : Eshelman (3-1)

Game 3 : Orioles 5, Braves 1 – Pitching for the first time since last September, Cole Hamels allows 3 runs on 3 hits in 3+ innings, he walks 1 & strikes out 2 in his Braves debut. Hanser Alberto doubles home a run & scores on a sacfly by Ryan Mountcastle as the Orioles grab the early lead against Hamels & Renato Nunez doubles home 2 more in the 6th against the Braves bullpen. Keegan Akin strikes out 9 (including 6 in a row) in 5 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits & walking just 1 to earn his first career win for the Orioles, who take 2 out of 3 from the NL East leading Braves.

Bal (22-27) Atl (28-22)

WP : Akin (1-0)
LP : Hamels (0-1)

The Orioles are 4 games back from the last Wild Card spot in the American League w/ 11 to play. They will now host Tampa Bay for 4, beginning w/ a doubleheader today. This series will make or break Baltimore’s season.

GO O’S!!

#NotSupposedToBeHere

Ravens 38, Browns 6 : Week 1 – Recap & Grades : Offense – Lamar Jackson throws 3 TD’s passes, 2 to Mark Andrews & Hollywood Brown grabs 5 passes for 101 yards. The Ravens also rush for 107 as a team, led by 45 from Jackson.
Grade : A
Defense – This unit gets gashed the ground, giving up 138 total rushing yards, as Kareem Hunt gets 72 on 13 carries. They do harass Baker Mayfield all day though, forcing him into a 33.3 QBR, sacking him twice & grabbing an interception.
Grade : A-
Special Teams – Justin Tucker connects on his only FG attempt & Sam Koch boots it away 3 times for 125 yards. Devin Duvernay registers 64 yards on 2 kick returns & James Proche has 26 on 2 punt returns.
Grade : A
Coaching – The entire coaching staff deserves a round of applause. The game plan was spot on, they took advantage of a battered Browns secondary & everybody seemed to be on the same page from the jump. This team was ready to play from the tunnel.
Grade : A
Overall Grade : A
GO RAVENS!!
#MoreOfTheSame

Ravens 38, Browns 6 : Payback Music – The Ravens get out to a fast start & never look back as they rout the Browns in their home opener to get some much needed payback from last years blow out loss @ home. Reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson throws 3 TD passes, his first one to Mark Andrews for 5 yards after CB Marlon Humphrey picks off Baker Mayfield to put the Ravens ahead early 7-0. Justin Tucker kicks a 41 yard FG to make it 10-0 in the 1st, but the Browns cut it to 10-6 after a 1 yard TD pass from Mayfield to TE David Njoku. J.K. Dobbins runs it in from 3 yards out in the 2nd to put the Ravens ahead 17-6, capping off a 10 play, 99 yard drive & Jackson hits Andrews again, this time on a 9 yard TD pass just before the half to make it 24-6. Willie Snead hauls in a 19 yard TD pass from Jackson in the 3rd & Dobbins runs it in for the 2nd time to make it 38-6 in the 4th. Baltimore will now hit the road & head to Houston for Week 2.
Bal (1-0) @ Hou
Cle (0-1) vs Cin
GO RAVENS!!
#Ravengers

Game 1 : Yankees 6, Orioles 0 (Doubleheader Game 1) – D.J. LaMahieu homers (#6) to lead off the 1st inning & Gerrit Cole allows just 2 hits in 7 shutout innings, walking just 1 & striking out 9 as the Yankees beat the Orioles in the opener of a doubleheader in New York. The Yankees homer 3 times as a team as Brett Gardner (#4) & Kyle Higashoika (#1) also homer off of O’s starter Alex Cobb, who allows 5 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings, walks 1 & strikes out 5.

Bal (20-23) NYY (23-21)

WP : Cole (5-3)
LP : Cobb (1-4)

Game 2 : Yankees 10, Orioles 1 (Doubleheader Game 2) – Luke Voit hits a pair of 3-run homers (#15 & #16) & Miguel Andujar adds a 2-run double to back the 5 innings of work from Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka allows a homer to DJ Stewart (#6) for the 2nd straight outing, but only allows 3 hits in the game, strikes out 5 & walks none to help the Yankees sweep the doubleheader. Keegan Akin is shelled for 4 runs on 3 hits in just 2/3 of an inning.

Bal (20-24) NYY (24-21)

WP : Tanaka (2-2)
LP : Akin (0-1)

Game 3 : Yankees 2, Orioles 1 (10 innings) – Luke Voit hits a walk off sacfly in the bottom of the 10th off of O’s reliever Hunter Harvey as the Yankees beat the Orioles for the O’s third straight time to win the series. Dean Kremer battles Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery for 5 innings, striking out 7 & walking 3, while allowing just a run on 3 hits. Montgomery gives up an unearned run in 5 2/3, while walking 1 & striking out a career high 9.

Bal (25-21) NYY (25-21)

WP : Holder (3-0)
LP : Harvey (0-2)

Game 4 : Yankees 3, Orioles 1 – Gleyber Torres hits a 2-run pinch hit double in the 8th for his first career pinch hit, to give the Yankees the 4 game sweep of the Orioles in the Bronx. Lefties John Means & J.A. Happ battle for 5+ innings, as Means goes 5 & Happ goes 6. Tyler Wade homers (#4) for the Yankees & Renato Nunez homers (#11) for the Orioles who lose for the 5th time in a row.

Bal (20-26) NYY (26-21)

WP : Britton (1-2)
LP : Tate (1-1)
S : Chapman (2)

The Orioles are swept away in New York & lose 5 of 6 including the series w/ the Mets to fall from 1.5 to 5.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race. They will now host Atlanta as they look to snap their skid & get back in contention.

GO O’S!!

#StillBreathing

Game 1 : Orioles 11, Mets 2 – The Orioles homer 4 times as they rout the Mets in New York, John Means allows just a run on 3 hits, walks 1 & strikes out 5 to pick up his 1st win of the season as the O’s run thier winning streak to 4 in a row. DJ Stewart (#4), Ryan Mountcastle (#4), Rio Ruiz (#8) & Pat Valaika (#6) all homer for Baltimore & Cedric Mullins goes 3-4 & drives in a run. Jake Marisnick homers (#2) for New York in the loss.

Bal (20-21) NYM (19-24)

WP : Means (1-3)
LP : Wacha (1-3)

Game 2 : Mets 7, Orioles 6 – Pete Alonso hits a go ahead homer (#11) on the first pitch he sees in the 8th to put the Mets ahead for good & help the Mets win a tight one against the O’s. Jeff McNeil homers (#4) & drives in 3, Michael Conforto (#8) & Andres Gimenez (#2) homer as the Mets get the split, Conforto also robs Rio Ruiz of a 3-run double in the 6th that might have saved the the game for New York. Ruiz doubles home 2 runs & DJ Stewart homers for the 4th straight game (#5) for the O’s in the loss.

Bal (20-22) NYM (20-24)

WP : Familia (2-0)
LP : Harvey (0-1)
S : Diaz (3)

After finishing up in one part of New York, the Orioles will now stay in the state & play the Yankees, AGAIN! This will be a huge 4 game series which could determine the season.

GO O’S!!

#TheRottenApple