David Hess was strong, but trip ends with yet another Toronto loss

TORONTO - Today, Orioles right-hander David Hess controlled what he could control. He pitched a gem at Toronto. But he could not help an offense that got just two hits or a bullpen that gave up five runs after he left the game.

The Orioles lost 6-0 today to Toronto to fall to 37-90 for the year and go 0-10 at Rogers Centre this season. But Hess seems to have turned his season back around. He had a four-start stretch in June where he gave up 21 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings. Now, over his last three starts, his ERA is 2.89 and he pitched well on this trip in both Cleveland and Toronto.

Hess used fastballs and sliders on 80 of his 90 pitches. He didn't give up a hit until the fifth or a run until the seventh. That is when Kendrys Morales homered to provide Toronto a 1-0 lead. Hess allowed just three hits over a career-best seven innings with no walks and a career-high seven strikeouts. It was the Hess Express today.

For a young pitcher trying to establish himself in the big leagues, it was a solid day despite the loss.

"Outstanding. Fun to watch," manager Buck Showalter said. "Had a good delivery and stayed in it the whole time. I think he made two pitches - I know he'd like to take the pitch to Morales back and the first pitch of the game was an out of the delivery pitch. After that, he got in it. He had a lot of pitches at his disposal. His tempo and the confidence level he had. He's a young pitcher trying to find that consistency that everyone is looking for."

Hess found it today, throwing his fourth career start where he allowed one run or less.

"I think it shows that some things are starting to come together, but I also think that it shows that there's still work to be done," Hess said. "You've got to recognize when a step forward is taken, but at the same time, you don't want to be content with that. From a confidence standpoint, it's definitely growing."

Hess and catcher Austin Wynns certainly worked a solid game plan, using a slider down in the zone and sometimes elevating the four-seam fastball that today averaged 91.1 mph in the latest example that command often is more important than velocity.

Hess was asked about the best part of his outing today.

"I think it was fastball command. I was able to stay under control of it better than I have in a few outings this year. Having that time to allow myself to get through my pitches and not be in such a hurry, I think made a big difference. We made some good defensive plays out there so you really can't discount that because that goes a long way in a tight game," he said.

Added Showalter: "Today was his best one where he commanded the ball down in the zone. You could tell he had an idea about where the ball was going and what he was trying to do. He's a competitive, smart guy. If he can stay in that delivery regardless of who is hitting, who is the umpire and who is catching. It's you and the glove. Kind of like that thing in 'For the Love of the Game' where you just box everything out."

The downside was Hess took a very tough loss to fall to 2-8 with an ERA of 5.50. The Orioles were no-hit until the seventh by lefty Thomas Pannone, making his first big league start. He became the first Blue Jay to throw six or more no-hit innings in his first major league start. He pitched out of a jam in the seventh where the Orioles had second and third and no outs and failed to score. Was the O's lack of familiarity with Pannone a big issue today?

"That would be a convenient excuse," said Showalter. "He's got a late life fastball. You know, they like him and there is a reason why. We had second and third and nobody out and you're getting in that mode of trying to hit a three-run homer, instead of getting the run across. Might have been a whole different situation if we had pushed something across like we should have."

The game really got away from the Birds with an ugly last of the eighth for right-hander Miguel Castro. He faced five batters and they all reached. He allowed five runs on three hits, three wild pitches, two walks and a three-run homer by Devon Travis.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't a good day for me," said Castro through interpreter Ramón Alarcón. "I was not able to command my pitches. They were not working for me today so unfortunately I was not able to help my team." He added that physically he feels fine but he needs to improve his mechanics and develop a consistent release point.

Trey Mancini, who went 1-for-4 and was robbed of a second hit, summed it up as the Orioles have now lost six of seven and 11 of 13 games and finished 0-10 in this ballpark.

"Losing isn't fun," said Mancini. "Not winning a game here in Toronto this year isn't fun. You try to put your best foot forward the next day, but hopefully we can turn the tide here and put some wins together because we still have a talented group in here that has the capability of finishing the seasons strong. We didn't play to our potential at all here this year. It's kind of a tough stat (the 0-10) to wrap your head around and not something to be proud of."

The Orioles were shu tout for the 12th time and scored just 10 runs in going 1-5 on a road trip through Cleveland and Toronto. They matched a season low with two hits, also doing that April 21 against Cleveland. They'll be home Friday night for a three-day, four-game series with the New York Yankees.