Maybe in an alternate universe, first baseman Trey Mancini picks third baseman Kelvin Gutiérrez’s low throw. Perhaps shortstop Jorge Mateo doesn’t fumble a backhand grounder. And maybe second baseman Rougned Odor pulls off a pick on a rocket shot ruled a base hit.
In this universe, though, none of those outcomes occurred for the Orioles Thursday afternoon in the Bronx. In what had been another standout performance from left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, the bobbles and bungles and botches in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees were a pothole that blew out the tire on Baltimore’s chances in the series finale.
In the top half of the frame, the Orioles squandered a chance with the bases loaded, practically inviting a Yankees comeback attempt. And then in the bottom half of the inning, the Orioles handed over a written invitation for one in the form of those two errors from Gutiérrez and Mateo. It led to four unearned runs off Zimmermann and a 10-5 loss to secure a New York sweep.
“We gotta be able to catch the ball for us to be able to hang in games and have a chance to win,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We can’t make five errors and expect to win.”
The defense finished with five errors for the first time since Aug. 8, 2018, according to Baseball Reference. The six unearned runs overall were the most since July 20, 2019, when they allowed eight.
Another error from Mateo in the eighth led to a wild pitch from left-hander Paul Fry — scoring one — before Aaron Judge cranked a three-run home run, the final blow in a defensive capitulation.
“That’s the mark of any really good team, I guess, is to be able to stop the bleeding as soon as possible,” Zimmermann said. “That’s baseball. Sometimes you get ’em, sometimes you don’t.”
In all, it was a lackluster ending to a road trip that featured the highs of a series win against the Los Angeles Angels and the lows that naturally accompany a 3-7 record. It wasn’t as if Baltimore (6-13) didn’t have chances. The Orioles lost three of those games by two runs or fewer, possibly an indication of the close, but not close enough nature of the club.
It struck again Thursday. Gutiérrez knocked in one run in the second and center fielder Cedric Mullins scored in the third after he was hit by a pitch and advanced to second and third on wild pitches. But until a ninth-inning burst of scoring that came too little, too late, the offensive output couldn’t overcome the defensive mishaps.
So while Zimmermann produced another strong outing, the defense and bats to support him wavered as much as the whipping flags atop Yankee Stadium, leaving him with a loss.
“Obviously, it’s difficult when it happens during the game,” right fielder Anthony Santander said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “But we’ve just got to keep supporting each other and helping each other out and stay looking ahead. Try to learn from those mistakes so it doesn’t happen again.”
A big change for Zimmermann
If there’s a clear differentiator between the Zimmermann of 2021 and the Zimmermann of 2022, it comes when he throws his changeup. That pitch, thrown more than ever before, has more vertical and horizontal break than his past iterations, a combination that makes it one of the most effective in the league.
When Zimmermann made his debut in 2020, his changeup averaged 26 inches of vertical break and 15.4 inches of horizontal break, according to MLB Statcast. In the two years since then, his vertical break has increased to 29.9 inches while the horizontal movement grew to 17.9 inches — the latter of which is 4.1 inches more than the average changeup thrown in the league.
“I think that’s coming from the difference in wrist action and the intent I’m throwing behind it,” Zimmermann said. “I’m really throwing it identically to my fastball and just letting the grip do the work right now.”
That’s led Zimmermann here, to his fourth start of the season — and second against a dangerous New York Yankees lineup. Across those starts, Zimmermann has flashed the potential of what that changeup brings, and he rode it Thursday, throwing that pitch more than any other.
He’s done that more frequently this season, entering Thursday with 35% of his pitches being fastballs, down from 51.4% in 2020 and 42.2% in 2021. His changeup usage has risen 7.5 percentage points since 2020 and his curveball has followed a similar rise, up 8.7 percentage points, according to Fangraphs.
In a division full of right-handed power hitters — and a Yankees lineup featuring Giancarlo Stanton and Judge — the development of those off-speed pitches has unlocked another level for Zimmermann. In 19 1/3 innings this year, the left-hander has conceded just two earned runs — with errors playing a large role Thursday in what the Yankees achieved.
Zimmermann allowed five hits and four runs — none earned — while walking one and striking out five in 4 1/3 innings. His ERA now stands at 0.93.
“As a left-handed pitcher, you have to be able to pitch to both sides of the plate,” manager Brandon Hyde said before the game. “You need quality off-speed stuff to keep them off of your fastball. And the changeup for Zim has been key.”
Hays gets hot; Santander’s streak ends
Austin Hays recorded his first-career four-hit game, finishing with three doubles, including one in the ninth inning to drive home Mancini.
Anthony Santander, on the other hand, saw his 19-game on-base streak come to an end with his 0-for-5 performance. He and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trea Turner were the only major league players to reach base in every game so far this year.
After the game, Santander pointed out how he could’ve had three weeks if borderline calls had gone his way. After his ninth-inning strikeout, he let home plate umpire Ted Barrett know of his disapproval. Still, Santander emphasized he can start another streak Friday against the Boston Red Sox.
RED SOX@ORIOLES
Friday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
