From The Banner · Andy Kostka · · 2m
Three swings sink the Orioles in Toronto
Three straight home runs off Trevor Rogers turned a quiet inning into a series loss and shrank Baltimore's playoff hopes.
In brief
Three straight home runs off Trevor Rogers turned a quiet inning into a series loss and shrank Baltimore's playoff hopes. Baltimore did not lose to one bad inning so much as to its own approach: 13 runners left on base, and too many swings at pitches outside the zone. Originally reported by The Banner.
Two outs, nobody on
A harmless-looking moment at Rogers Centre turned in three pitches. Three deep fly balls later, the Blue Jays had the game and the series.
“How does a bases-empty, two-out situation turn into disaster?”
Vladdy finally goes deep
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stood at the plate for three full seconds before starting a slow trot, his first home run at home all season.
Boos to a curtain call
Booed by his own crowd on Friday night, Guerrero was serenaded on Sunday. The sellout chanted his name until he climbed the dugout steps.
Three pitches, three mistakes
A changeup to George Springer, a low sweeper to Guerrero, a middle-middle fastball to Kazuma Okamoto. Rogers said only the last one was truly badly located.
“It was a big game for us and didn't pitch well enough, so that one's on me.”
Thirteen left on base
Baltimore lost 8-1 and stranded 13 runners. Pete Alonso's 100th RBI of the season was the only run they managed all afternoon.
Cease was there for the taking
Dylan Cease had no command in the first, walking two before striking out the side to escape. The Orioles never made him pay for it.
Swinging at pitchers' pitches
Samuel Basallo popped up Cease's first pitch after two walks. Later he and Christian Encarnacion-Strand grounded out on balls, neither seeing a strike.
A lineup pressing
Gunnar Henderson reached base four times and still saw the problem. Chasing has not been a season-long issue, but with runners on, the at-bats got small.
“It was probably just a mindset thing.”
Take an A swing
Craig Albernaz wants selective aggression: pick a location and attack it. Fouling off or dumping the ball weakly the other way means no plan at all.
“You're just trying to do too much and it looks like you don't have an approach.”
The eighth put a fork in it
Four more runs crossed, capped by a Springer liner that Dylan Beavers, caught between diving and holding up, let rattle to the wall for three.
“He was beating himself up pretty good about it in the dugout.”
Four back and fading
At 72-78, Baltimore sits four games behind Cleveland with the White Sox also ahead. It would take something like a 12-game surge to matter.
“We're all fighting for our lives here to get into the postseason.”
The headline
Baltimore did not lose to one bad inning so much as to its own approach: 13 runners left on base, and too many swings at pitches outside the zone.
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