Sugano leaves debut with cramping, Orioles lose 3-1 (updated)

TORONTO – Tomoyuki Sugano smiled this morning as he walked in and out of the clubhouse and down a hallway, nothing about his expression or mannerisms hinting at a first major league start and accompanying case of nerves.

He warmed up, faced his first batter and issued a four-pitch walk.

It wouldn’t be the worst part of his day.

Sugano made it through four innings and 73 pitches, went back to the mound for the bottom of the fifth and couldn’t continue. Manager Brandon Hyde, pitching coach Drew French and head athletic trainer Scott Barringer checked on him, and Sugano flexed his right hand before heading to the dugout.

Matt Bowman, whose contract was selected today with Albert Suárez going on the injured list, took over in the Orioles’ 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays before an announced crowd of 21.069. Sugano allowed two runs and four hits, with two walks and one strikeout before exiting due to unspecified “cramping.”

Questions began to swirl before the team supplied an update. Why did he come out of the game, and would he be available to speak? What did the Orioles do to anger the baseball gods again?

Hyde said both hands were cramping, but Sugano seemed fine later. No one on the team was aware of it until the fifth.

"The pitching hand obviously was the concern," Hyde said. "He feels much better now after getting some fluids and some food, so he should be on line to make his next start.”

Sugano said he's experienced this type of cramping in Japan. He was sweating today and taking some deep breaths under a closed roof.

"I was feeling good as the innings went," he said via interpreter Yuto Sakurai, "so I wanted to throw more."

Was he nervous today?

"Just a little bit," he said, the smiling returning.

"Regardless of the outcome, overall there were a lot of learnings today. So if I can make adjustments for my next start that would be good."

Sugano’s parents made the trip into Canada to watch his debut. The game was televised back home beginning at 2:30 a.m. Japanese media that’s tracked his every move gave him space but prepared to pounce after the final out.

Bo Bichette showed the same patience leading off the bottom of the first, taking four pitches outside the strike zone. Sugano walked only 16 in 156 2/3 innings last season with the Yomiuri Giants. These things rarely happen to him.

The next two batters were retired, but Andrés Giménez doubled and both runners scored on George Springer’s single into right-center.

Sugano retired the side in order in the second on three grounders. A one-out single and walk created a jam in the third, but Giménez lined to center field at 105.6 mph and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle made a leaping catch of Springer’s line drive.

"I was still throwing balls as opposed to strikes in the early counts," Sugano said, "but in the dugout I was talking to the pitching coach and the catcher to strategize how to pitch the next innings. It got better as they went."

Alan Roden reached on an infield hit with one out in the fourth, but Sugano retired the other three batters. The last pitch resulted in Myles Straw's grounder.

“I thought he was doing well, starting to settle in," Rutschman said. "Splitter looked good, able to mix his pitches around, kind of move in and out with his fastball, and just really settle in.

“After the first inning we kind of got rolling. Started getting early strikes on guys. I think he looked really good and I’m excited for a lot more innings with him.

"I think as the innings went along, I thought his fastball looked really good, he was starting to move it kind of in and out. He’s got a lot of different ways to attack hitters, so if we see something’s working, we’re gonna continue to go with it, and that was one of those things that we just kind of went with as the game went along.”

Sugano wasn't the only unexpected departure. Gary Sánchez batted for Colton Cowser with two outs in the ninth and right-hander Jeff Hoffman pitching. Cowser was called out after diving into first base in the seventh and stayed in left field in the eighth. He broke his left hand while swinging at a pitch in last year's Wild Card game.

"It looks like it got bent back and he’s getting looked at right now," Hyde said. "He stayed in there for defense but he wasn’t able to hit there in the ninth inning.”

Jordan Westburg was available only in an emergency, Hyde said, without specifying the reason.

"We get a tying run on base there, probably pop him in," Hyde said. "We were staying away from him today. He should be OK tomorrow.”

The Orioles took the first lead again today on two-out singles by Ryan O’Hearn and Tyler O’Neill and a wild pitch from Chris Bassitt. O’Hearn reached for a sinker outside the zone and poked it down the left field line.

O’Hearn pulled a first-pitch sweeper into right for a one-out double in the third after Cowser led off with a single, but they were stranded in scoring position.

Ryan Mountcastle began the fourth with a single at 116.7 mph and also went through the new celebration routine for non-extra base hits - lick finger, insert into ear hole, replicate a wet willy. Ramón Urías did the same, with a little less enthusiasm, after his one-out single, but Jorge Mateo grounded into a double play.

The chances kept coming. Adley Rutschman singled with one out in the fifth and O’Hearn walked, but the Orioles failed again to capitalize. Cedric Mullins struck out on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, leaving them with eight hits but only one run.

Urías walked with two outs in the sixth and Mateo flied to right field. Bassitt struck out seven over his six innings.

Cedric Mullins singled in the eighth and the next two batters struck out.

“We had traffic," Hyde said. "The pitch count was getting up there early. We had runners on base. We didn’t get the big hit there. It was a well-pitched game from both sides. I thought Tomo threw the ball really well. He just made a little bit of a mistake with Springer on a ball. He looked like he was a little nervous there in the first inning with a walk to Bichette, but almost pitching out of it. Just a little too much of the plate with two strikes."

Bowman gave the Orioles 1 2/3 scoreless innings, with Mateo’s throwing error preventing him from going six up and six down.

Tyler Heineman homered in the seventh inning for a 3-1 lead, the first surrendered by Cionel Perez since the Guardians hit two against him on May 31, 2023. Heineman now has two major league home runs in 112 games, the first in 2019 with the Marlins.

Bryan Baker struck out four batters in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

"Cionel makes a terrible pitch to Heineman, but we didn’t do a whole lot offensively," Hyde said.

"Really impressed with Bowman and Baker. You’ve got four games coming out of spring training. You’ve got four games in a row on turf, it’s not that easy. For Bowman and Baker to pick us up the way they did and throw the ball extremely well, that was huge.”

* The Orioles are moving up the start time of Monday’s home opener from 3:05 p.m. to 2:35 p.m. due to the possibility of inclement weather.

Parking lot and gate times will remain the same, with lots opening at 11 a.m. and gates at 12 p.m.

* Coby Mayo singled twice and hit his first home run today with Triple-A Norfolk. Gunnar Henderson singled and hit a three-run homer while serving as designated hitter. Brandon Young allowed two unearned runs and seven hits in six innings.