Tough outing for Gibson sinks Orioles in 9-3 loss to Padres
· Yahoo Sports
Occasionally there are games where a bad first inning is enough to make you consider doing something other than watching Orioles baseball that day. That was the case here as the Padres scored four runs before the O’s even got a chance to hit and eventually prevailed to a 9-3 win on Saturday afternoon in Baltimore.
Visit newsbetting.club for more information.
It was a mixed day for rookie Trey Gibson. As mentioned, the first inning was brutal. He gave up two walks in the opening frame, and each one was shortly followed by a home run to get the visiting Padres out to an early four-run lead.
Gibson found his footing a bit after that, working three straight scoreless innings from the second through the fourth. But the fifth inning was trouble once again. He walked the lead-off hitter. Later, he hit Xander Bogaerts in the head with a wayward sinker. Craig Albernaz pulled him at that point, but his line wasn’t quite wrapped up as Keegan Akin came on and allowed both inherited runners to cross the plate.
When it was all said and done, Gibson tossed 4.1 innings and allowed six runs on three hits, five walks, and seven strikeouts. Missing bats had been an issue for him coming into this game. His 14.7% whiff rate was near the bottom of the league. He more than doubled that to 30% in this game, which was shown in the box score with the seven strikeouts. What he seemed to sacrifice to get there was control of the strike zone. The sky high walks and the bean ball to Bogaerts speak for themselves.
This is the sort of game that a rookie is going to have. He’s still figuring things out. The whiffs and strikeouts are good. The home runs and walks are bad. Sometimes you have to suffer through the growing pains and hope it all pans out on the other side.
The bullpen was not much better. Akin only recorded those two outs in the fifth inning, and while he wasn’t charged with any runs of his own, he failed to prevent any of Gibson’s runners from pushing the lead even higher. At least Albert Suárez was able to provide length. He worked the final four innings, but also allowed three solo home runs.
The Orioles lineup showed some early life. They responded in the bottom of the first inning with two runs. Pete Alonso hit a two-out homer. Samuel Basallo followed with a walk and then came in to score on a Leody Taveras triple to right field. Maybe we had a game on our hands after all?
Not really. The Orioles had runners on base throughout the afternoon. But time and time again they failed to cash in on them. As a group the team went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
Alonso and Blaze Alexander were the two most active on offense. They each had three hits. Alonso had the homer, a double, and two RBI. Alexander’s three knocks were all singles, but he added a stolen base on top of it all. Tyler O’Neill and Coby Mayo both had a double each, but were stranded.
Something to watch coming out of this game relates to Bogaerts being hit. The Padres, understandably, weren’t happy about it. Gibson had been wild all day, so there is no question about it being an accident. But it’s dangerous to pitch up in that area. If you don’t know where the ball’s going to that degree, you probably shouldn’t be in the game. Albernaz quickly pulling him was, at least in part, an acknowledgment of that.
San Diego was intent on retaliating, which probably would have been fine if they succeeded the first time. Bradgley Rodriguez went up and in on Gunnar Henderson twice in the seventh inning, but missed both times. Henderson eventually walked. Then, in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Ron Marinaccio successfully nailed Henderson in the ribs with a 94 mph fastball. That got the Orioles’ hackles up. Henderson gestured something about trying “three times” towards Marinaccio. The umpires quickly got together and decided the San Diego pitcher was gone. His ejection riled up the skipper Craig Stammen, who clearly wanted to be thrown out himself at the point, when there was essentially nothing to lose. Eventually, he got his wish and was sent to the showers about five minutes before the rest of his team.
Padres reliever Adrian Morejon came on to throw two pitches and get the final out without any additional fireworks. But it’s possible that more is brewing. The Padres got to throw at Henderson twice on purpose. The Orioles had only thrown at Bogaerts once, and it was by accident. Do they now get to throw at Manny Machado or Jackson Merrill in the series finale now? Hopefully not. The Padres are probably looking at suspensions for someone coming out of this. Intentional hit by pitches usually come with consequences.
The best comeback from the Orioles perspective would be to go out and win the series on Sunday. The Padres aren’t some division (or even league) rival. Just beat them and wrap this series up on a positive note.
Trevor Rogers (3-6, 6.15 ERA) will be on the bump as he continues to keep his encouraging June going. The lefty has a 3.18 ERA this month. He will be opposed by Walker Buehler (3-3, 4.33 ERA). Buehler has also been good recently, allowing just two runs over his last 10.2 innings. First pitch is set for 1:05 from Camden Yards.