The Birds started last week well, winning two games on Sunday, but were unfortunately only able to win one game total over the rest of the calendar week, for a record of 3-5. Back-to-back series losses to Texas and the lowly White Sox are hard to swallow, so hopefully they can get back on the winning track in Minnesota – no easy task. On the bright side, Jonathan Schoop returned to the lineup on Sunday and had an immediate impact, blasting a solo home run on the first pitch he saw.
Crank up the linkin’ park.
Looking at Wei-Yin Chen’s Clutch Performance
Like some his teammates, Wei-Yin Chen has seemingly developed the ability to really up his game when runners get aboard against him. Camden Depot’s Ryan Romano digs into the numbers, and finds that an improved sinker & slider, along with less reliance on the curveball, have helped him in this regard.
Gausman to Stay in Rotation, Norris in Bullpen
We got our first taste of Bud Norris, reliever, on Saturday, and for the most part the early returns were promising. Norris relied more heavily on his slider than he’s able to as a starter, and pitched 2 2/3 of hitless ball, striking out three. Unfortunately, immediately after Manny Machado’s two-run home run tied the game in the eighth inning, Norris issued a leadoff walk. He was pulled, but that run came around to score and the White Sox won 3-2. Blerg. On the other side of things, Norris’ departure from the rotation means that Kevin Gausman will stay in it – for now – and make another start on Tuesday. He’ll likely be optioned again over the break to get another start in at Norfolk, but hopefully stays here permanently after that. Britt Ghiroli has some quotes from Buck on the situation.
Chris Davis Can’t Buy a Home Run
Speaking of Saturday’s frustrating loss, it looked as if Chris Davis had tied the game up in the bottom of the ninth, but Avisail Garcia robbed him at the wall. On Sunday, Davis again looked to have left the yard only to once again get robbed at the wall, this time on the other side of the field by J.B. Shuck. Sunday’s, with the O’s already leading 8-1 and which resulted in a sacrifice fly anyway, was much easier to stomach for both Crush and O’s fans. Davis was still ready to wave the white flag though.
Another Roster Move & Tonight’s Game
Another day, another roster move. On Sunday, Ryan Flaherty was optioned to make room for Jonathan Schoop. Today, Nolan Reimold will go on paternity leave, opening the door for Ryan to come back. Roch Kubatko has more, including a preview of tonight’s O’s-Twins matchup.
