Jose Urena became the latest pitcher to raise his win total and lower his ERA against the Orioles, pitching eight innings of three-hit ball in a 2-0 victory Friday night.
It was the eighth straight loss for the Orioles, their longest skid since July 2011. The Orioles have dropped 15 of 17 overall and 10 straight at home, scoring only 14 runs.
”We’ve got some people that we know are capable of a lot better just aren’t able to produce right now,” manager Buck Showalter said. ”There’s a lot of positive things being said before the game, and it just seems when we get into the game, we get back in that same situation we’ve been in many times.”
Urena (2-8) struck out four and walked one in his longest and most efficient outing of the season.
”He’s a strong kid, and honestly if we had a bigger lead I would’ve sent him back out,” manager Don Mattingly said. ”He could’ve finished that.”
Urena, who started for Miami on opening day, is 2-1 in June after an 0-7 start.
”That was pretty good,” he said of his 112-pitch performance. ”I tried to attack the batters in the zone. That was the plan.”
Kyle Barraclough worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
Lewis Brinson hit two triples for the Marlins, who have won four of five.
”We just keep scratching and clawing Rigoberto Sanchez Jersey ,” right fielder Brian Anderson said. ”Our pitching has been great.”
Baltimore’s only hit over the first six innings was a single by Corban Joseph, recalled from Double-A Bowie before the game. The Orioles rank last in the AL in runs and batting average, and the trend continued in their eighth shutout loss.
Kevin Gausman (3-6) opened the game by throwing six straight pitches out of the strike zone. He only gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings, but it was two too many.
”Any runs our pitchers give up is magnified because we’re struggling so much to score,” Showalter said.
Gausman is 0-4 in six starts since May 11.
Miami went up 1-0 in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Anderson. In the sixth, JT Riddle hit a two-out single and Brinson delivered his second triple.
That was the extent of Miami’s offense. The Marlins came in tied for last in the NL in runs.
Now in his third season, Brinson hit two triples in his first 88 big league games before doubling that total in Game 89. He became the eighth Marlins player to hit two in game.
DAVIS BENCHED
Orioles 1B Chris Davis has essentially been benched in the wake of a season-long slump.
Davis is batting .150 with four home runs, 15 RBIs and 86 strikeouts in 52 games. He hasn’t played since Monday, and there’s no telling when he will be back in the lineup.
”Chris is continuing with some things that he’s working on,” Showalter said.
PLENTY OF MOVES
Marlins: Reinstated RHP Brett Graves from the 60-day DL; transferred LHP Chris O’Grady to the 60-day DL; placed LHP Caleb Smith on the bereavement list; optioned RHP Ben Meyer to Triple-A New Orleans; and recalled RHP Merandy Gonzalez from Double-A Jacksonville.
Orioles: LHP Richard Bleier was placed on the DL and will likely require season-ending shoulder surgery. In addition, Baltimore recalled LHP Tanner Scott from Triple-A Norfolk; selected the contract of INF Corban Joseph from Double-A Bowie; optioned right-hander Yefry Ramirez to Norfolk; and designated lefty D.J. Snelten for assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: 3B Miguel Rojas left in the sixth inning after a pitch hit him on the left hand and ricocheted to his face. … INF Garrett Cooper (wrist) is participating in all baseball activities and live batting practice. … LHP Chris O’Grady (shoulder) threw a bullpen Thursday.
Orioles: INF Tim Beckham (groin strain) began his rehab assignment at third base with Bowie, going 0 for 2 with a walk.
UP NEXT
Marlins: Former Oriole Wei-Yin Chen (1-3, 6.13 ERA) makes his first appearance at Camden Yards since 2015 on Saturday afternoon. The lefty made his big league debut with Baltimore in 2012.
Orioles: Alex Cobb (2-8 DeShone Kizer Jersey , 7.23) is 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA in four career starts against the Marlins.
—
Shohei Ohtani might not be able to pitch right now, but he can still hit.
At least, that’s what the Los Angeles Angels are counting on as they try to get back into the American League’s wild-card race.
The two-way Japanese sensation was activated from the disabled list prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the host Seattle Mariners. Ohtani batted sixth and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as the Angels lost 4-1.
It was Ohtani’s first game since June 6, when he suffered a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow
“Hopefully it’ll be a good spot (in the order) for him to hit,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com before the game. “But we’re also just trying to get him acclimated. You don’t want to put too much pressure where he’s to say, ‘I’ve got to do so much,’ because he’s hitting higher in the lineup. I think it’s a good spot for him to see some pitches.”
The Angels went 8-14 while Ohtani was out and dropped 11 games behind Seattle in the chase for the AL’s second and final wild-card berth.
Ohtani, who batted .289 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in his first 34 games of the season, was cleared to begin hitting last week. He took batting practice and faced live pitching in simulated games over the weekend.
“He’s not being rushed,” Scioscia said. “He had a very aggressive workout this weekend and was cleared by our medical department. He would not be playing here if he wasn’t cleared by our medical department. We’re very comfortable that he’s ready.”
When Ohtani (4-1, 3.10 ERA) will return to the mound is another question. Angels general manager Billy Eppler said last week that Ohtani would be re-evaluated in three weeks to determine whether he’d be able to pitch again this season.
The Angels didn’t announce right-hander Garrett Richards (4-4, 3.42 ERA) as Wednesday afternoon’s starter until after Tuesday’s defeat. Richards is 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 20 career appearances against the Mariners, including 12 starts.
Richards has already faced Seattle twice at Safeco Field this season. He beat the Mariners 5-0 on May 4 Tramon Williams Jersey , allowing four hits in 6 2/3 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. On June 13, he lasted just two innings in an 8-6 loss, giving up two runs on four hits.
Right-hander Mike Leake (8-4, 4.01 ERA), who has won five of his past six decisions, is scheduled to start for Seattle. He’s 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA in four career starts against the Angels. He suffered the loss in the 5-0 defeat on May 4, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. But he beat Los Angeles 6-3 on June 12, allowing one run on four hits in six innings.
The Mariners have won a season-high eight straight games.
“It’s a real good run we’re on, coming off a sketchy run on the East Coast (losing five of six to the New York Yankees and Boston),” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “The guys bounced back … it’s not always pretty, but we certainly compete very well.”
