Good morning, Birdland!
The Orioles are going to wish they had that one back. Prior to this series starting, the game one matchup looked tough. Gerrit Cole has been pitching like a Cy Young candidate, and while Kyle Bradish has been trending in the right direction he still didn't seem ripe for a duel with one of the league's best.
But the offense was able to get to Cole for five runs in five innings. That's huge! It's the sort of output that you would really hope turns into a win in a just world. Instead, Bradish crumbled in his final inning, the Yankees 'pen was flawless, and Félix Bautista made one bad pitch.
The thing that I am personally most perturbed about was the fifth inning. Bradish was still on the mound, and his pitch count was more than manageable. But he was also coming up on the third time through the order, and it's not like he had been lights out to that point. The Yankees had runners on base against him fairly often. Considering the O's had an off day on Monday, I would not have minded an early hook there.
But I get you have to challenge your guys. Bradish needs to be able to face the top of the lineup a third time on occasion. So far this year that has been difficult for him (.841 OPS in third plate appearances of the game).
The blown save by Bautista was one where it just felt inevitable. O's leading by one with Aaron Judge coming to the plate? Don't love that. Bautista had his best fastball, and he probably would have blown it past him like everyone else in the inning. Instead, he hung a splitter in the middle of the plate. It happens. Hopefully not again any time soon.
It's one game. It hurts to lose it. But they can still take the series. Let's do that!
Links
Orioles updates on Urías, Tate and more | Roch Kubatko
Roch may not be able to tweet, but he can still blog. It's nice to hear that Ramón Urías is rehabbing. He brings depth to the Orioles lineup, and things just feel more complete when he's around.
The Orioles play more close games than anyone else. That could mean more close losses. | The Baltimore Sun
This team has a lot of 2012 vibes. They are probably more talented than that team overall, but will they be as lucky?
Yennier Cano's incredible rise: Delivery tweak, confidence boost and 'dad strength' | The Athletic
It is impossible to get enough Yennier Cano content right now. Although he is no longer perfect, the guy is still a fascinating story and one of the keys to the Orioles' early success.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
This day in O's history
1962 - The Orioles lose 5-4 to the Tigers, Detroit scores their first four runs on homers and secures the win on a passed ball in the 11th inning. Orioles manager Billy Hitchcock accuses Tigers starter Jimmy Bunny of "notching" the ball with his belt buckle.
1976 - Dennis Eckersley and Stan Thomas one-hit Baltimore in a 4-0 win for Cleveland.
1995 - Dennis Eckersley wraps up an Athletics 5-2 win over the Orioles, recording his 300th career save. The closer is only the sixth play in major league history to reach that mark.
2019 - Orioles reliever Shawn Armstrong serves up a home run to Rockies shortstop Trevor Story. It is the 100th of Story's career, making him the fastest shortstop to that threshold in MLB history. It took him 448 games, slightly faster than Alex Rodriguez's 470 games.