It was a matter of time before the Orioles would have a down streak. Lately, that seems to have coincided with the loss of offensive spark plug, Cedric Mullins.
The Orioles’ offense struggled in their series against the Milwaukee Brewers to the tune of 37 strikeouts and just four walks. To equate that into perspective, that is the equivalent of 12 innings of absolutely no offense over the course of the 28 innings (game one went 10 innings) this series.
The starting pitching was strong enough to win two games, but lack of hitting and base runners eventually doomed the Orioles. Some late-inning heroics in the final game avoided the sweep and left the Orioles with a respectable 3-3 road trip.
Let’s see how the games unfolded this series.
GAME 1: O’s 3, MIL 4 – 10 INNINGS
If the pitching sets the tone of the game, then Kyle Gibson sure showed it in the first inning. It took 35 pitches to complete the first, and the Brewers led 2-0 by the end of the opening frame.
In the top of the second inning, Aaron Hicks would follow an Austin Hays double with his first home run as an Oriole, this his sixth hit in 15 at-bats (.400 avg) since joining the Birds.
Gibson would settle in and throw 61 pitches over the next four innings before departing. Gibby’s final line was five innings, five hits, two walks, two earned runs and seven strikeouts.
The game stayed even until a Ryan O’Hearn home run would give the Birds the lead and the inside track to victory.
Unfortunately for the Orioles, the bullpen would falter and allow the outcome to swing away. The dependable Yennier Canó would allow a first batter walk to eventually come around to score to tie the game.
The Orioles, hoping their offense would come through, failed to score in the ninth or 10th innings before Austin Voth would allow the ghost runner to score in the 10th to drop the game, 4-3.
Félix Bautista looked his best this season in his one inning of work. He would strike out the side with an array of fastballs ranging between 99-102 mph and his rediscovered splitter, keeping batters off balance.
GAME 2: O’s 2, MIL 10
There honestly is not much to say in this game, outside of Corbin Burnes looking like Don Sutton reincarnated and the Orioles offense resembling something from 2019.
Dean Kremer, who had been outstanding over his last six starts, could not find a rhythm in this game. He managed to go five innings but gave up six runs on nine hits. Bruce Zimmermann followed and gave up four more runs over the next three innings.
On the offensive side, Burnes would hold the Orioles to two hits across eight innings of work while striking out eight to earn the win.
Outside of an RBI single by Austin Hays and a run-scoring double play, the Orioles offense was pedestrian, to say the least. Aggressively attacking each at-bat, they allowed Burnes to throw only 96 pitches in his eight innings. What is more impressive is that Burnes threw 72 strikes in the game.
The Birds dropped the game 10-2, as well as the series with their second consecutive loss, which is only the fourth time they have done that this year.
GAME 3: O’s 6, MIL 3
The carryover from the first two games was evident in this game for the offense. The Birds struggled through the first half of the game, as it looked like the Brewers would complete the sweep.
Kyle Bradish allowed three first-inning runs before he settled down and completed five innings of work. He struck out a season-high 10 hitters while allowing six hits and one walk.
Ramón Urías (3-for-4), who had four hits over his last 33 at-bats (.121 average), was the offensive kick starter as his seventh inning home run started the comeback.
Adley Rutschman, who had two hits, scored on an Anthony Santander double. Gunnar Henderson then gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead with a two-run opposite field home run.
The Orioles would tack on two more on a two-run double by Adam Frazier in the ninth inning. Between Canó (H,13) and Bautista (SV, 16), the bullpen would lock the end of the game down. Keegan Akin (2-1) picked up the win as the Orioles completed the 6-3 comeback victory.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for the series would be how the Orioles’ offense, especially lefties, would attack the Brewers’ pitching staff.
Unfortunately, until the eighth inning of the final game, the offense looked anemic at best and would strike out 37 times over the three games. What made matters worse was the O’s, who are one of the league leaders in walks, would walk a combined four times over the three games.
It’s easy to see why the Orioles would drop the series 1-2, but it’s something the Birds will need to fix as they head home to take on the pesky Kansas City Royals.
The Orioles completed a 3-3 road trip and now head home for six games. The Birds will need to find an offensive spark.
What are your thoughts on this series loss? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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