Orioles wait until too late to begin hitting in 6-3 loss (updated)

Bruce Zimmermann’s side work this week might have received as much attention as any start he’s made in 2022.

Zimmermann knew he had to try something else with the home runs against him reaching club-record proportions. The Orioles targeted the vulnerable areas, just as his opponents had done.

Mechanical adjustments were part of the process, nothing that they were going to broadcast to the world or just the Guardians. An attempt to get teams off his slider and changeup, which the Red Sox appeared to be sitting on during Sunday’s blowout loss.

In a game that demands adjustments, particularly from young pitchers, Zimmermann had to find a fix and hoped it began in the bullpen with pitching coach Chris Holt and assistant Darren Holmes.

“We believe in Zimm,” manager Brandon Hyde said before the game.

Freed from division rivals much more familiar with his body of work, Zimmermann was burned by singles and doubles while going 5 2/3 innings. Owen Miller drove in the first four runs, the Guardians led by five after the third, Shane Bieber flirted with a no-hitter and the Orioles’ rally fell short in a 6-3 loss at Camden Yards.

Zimmermann was charged with five runs and 10 hits, including a two-out single by Myles Straw in the fourth that could have been ruled an error on shortstop Jorge Mateo. No walks and, importantly, no home runs.

"Some things were positive, but would like to come out of the gate a little stronger," he said. "That first inning is really big for me, so really, the goal for the next start is to really lock down those first 1-2-3 innings and give the offense a chance to come out and play.

Hyde made the change at 87 pitches, 63 for strikes. Logan Gillaspie stranded two runners. Denyi Reyes, no longer a candidate to start Sunday, gave up one run in two innings.

"I thought after the third inning he got better," Hyde said of Zimmermann. "I thought his stuff got a little sharper. Just the first few innings there he didn't have the bite to his slider, the changeup didn't have the depth that it had earlier in the season, so something to work on, but I did think he pitched better as the game went on."

Bieber didn’t allow a hit until Trey Mancini singled into left field with two outs in the sixth. Rougned Odor and Tyler Nevin began the eighth with singles and Bieber came out of the game. He struck out 11 batters and hadn’t surrendered a run against the Orioles in 24 innings while on the mound.

Mancini doubled off Enyel De Los Santos with two outs in the eighth to plate two runs, both charged to Bieber. Anthony Santander singled off the right field fence and the Orioles battled back to within 6-3.

Ryan Mountcastle was robbed with two outs in the fourth on Oscar Gonzalez’s spectacular diving catch in right-center. Ernie Clement ran down Adley Rutschman’s slicing line drive near the left field line leading off the fifth.

Mancini’s hit was legit, a rope. And he stays hot with his 19th multi-hit game to lead the club. He’s 41-for-115 (.365) since May 1.

The last Cleveland pitcher with a no-hitter was Len Barker, on May 15, 1981 against the Blue Jays.

There have been seven no-hitters thrown against the Orioles since the franchise moved to Baltimore, the most recent by Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma on Aug. 12, 2015. Only one has come at Camden Yards, by Boston’s Hideo Nomo on April 4, 2001.

Mancini was cognizant of the zero that hung in the hit column as he came to the plate.

"I tried not to let it change my at-bat. I just tried to treat it like I would any other one," he said. "He obviously was throwing a great game up to that point and threw a great game tonight, but as a team you certainly don't want to be no-hit, and the further it drags on, I think, the more aware of it everybody becomes.

"You never want to be on the wrong side of a no-hitter, so it's definitely a relief in that sense, but at the same time, once you get the hit, you want to start kind of getting the ball rolling a little bit offensively. That's the next thing that comes to mind."

"I think that was more of a relief to get a hit," Hyde said, "against a guy who was in complete control."

Zimmermann tied a dubious franchise record by allowing five home runs against the Red Sox. The Yankees hit four in his previous start. Nine in two games, 12 in four.

A bizarre spin to his season after he permitted only one in his first six outings.

He hasn’t been the human launching pad. There must be a solution.

"We had a couple things that we wanted to address," he said. "Going off the last couple starts, they thought possibly the Red Sox and Yankees might have picked up on some things in my windup that was allowing them to tip some pitches. We made some adjustments in my set and windup out of the stretch, which, tough to get used to in one start but didn't feel too unfamiliar.

"I felt like in the third inning, settled down well and was able to get some quick outs. The ball was down in the zone a lot more, was able to mix and turn the aggressiveness up with the fastball and the one-seam a little bit more, which got them off the off-speed, which allowed me to locate them more like I normally do, which gives me success.

"Saw some good things, but obviously I'm not too excited with the results. I'm kind of a perfectionist, so moving on to the next start, definitely see some easy things to clean up. Want to keep moving forward and becoming more comfortable with the new set and pitches like that."

The Guardians totaled 40 home runs before tonight to rank 25th in the majors. José Ramírez accounted for 13.

Zimmermann led the team out of the dugout for the top of the first inning, a noticeable bounce in his steps. Straw flied to right field on the first pitch. Amed Rosario lined the third, a changeup, into left-center field for a single. Ramírez lined the fourth, a 90.5 mph fastball, down the left field line for a double.

Both runners scored on Miller’s liner on an 0-1 pitch that nicked Nevin’s glove for a double.

Cleveland came out swinging. Josh Naylor grounded out on the next pitch. Gonzalez fouled off the next. Did they have a plane to catch? The Orioles’ only one-game series is later this summer in Boston.

Gonzalez saw six of Zimmermann’s 13 pitches in the inning.

Was a two-run lead in the first insurmountable against Bieber? He faced the Orioles twice and shut them out with no walks and 26 strikeouts in 17 innings. Not the guy you want to trail.

Bieber walked Santander in the first and Mountcastle leading off the second.

Zimmermann allowed three runs and four hits in the third. Miller lined a changeup into center field to score two, advanced to second base on the throw and came home on Naylor’s single.

Ramírez’s single that preceded Miller’s hit also came on a changeup, a swing-and-miss pitch for Zimmermann earlier in the season.

"I think the only time I'm getting hurt with that changeup is when it's up in the zone, which it's been a little bit more up as of late," Zimmermann said.

"I think it's probably mechanical," Hyde said, "and our pitching guys will work with him on it here between now and his next start."