Tyler Wells struggles again as O's lose 8-3 (updated with quotes)

Heading into the All-Star break, right-hander Tyler Wells was an O’s pitcher on a roll. His ERA for the year was 3.18 and it was 2.83 in his most recent eight starts. He had pitched 18 times for the Orioles, going five innings or more every time and going six or more 10 times.

But he has been a different pitcher coming out of the break with three outings now and none over 4 1/3 innings.

He had another poor one tonight as the New York Yankees took an early lead and later added on to beat the Orioles 8-3. The crowd was 42,829 and the second sellout of the year in addition to the April 7 home opener.

The best news of the night for the Birds was Tampa Bay's 17-4 loss at Houston. That means the O's AL East lead remains 1.5 games. 

The second batter of the game against Wells tonight, Aaron Judge bashed a fly ball deep to center field. He hit that ball 108.2 mph and it went 367 feet but it stayed in the park. But three pitches later Giancarlo Stanton lined one to left that didn’t stay in the yard and it didn’t get much better after that for the right-hander.

The Orioles scored twice in the second to take a 2-1 lead, but then Judge hit a two-run shot for a 3-2 Yankees lead in the third. He hit a 91.3 mph four-seamer a distance of 442 feet. Stanton’s first-inning line drive home run was hit 115.8 mph and went 427 for the 1-0 lead.

Wells allowed 869 feet worth of homers to New York. He has yielded 25 homers on the year and has given up two or more in eight of his games.

And while Wells has topped his innings total from last year by 10, is that really the reason he has gone from allowing 15 earned runs over an eight-start stretch heading into the break to allowing 11 earned runs in three games now? And he has allowed four homers in the three games since the break pitching just two innings, 4 1/3 and 2 2/3 tonight. So that is 11 runs allowed in a nine-inning span.

Wells got a quick exit tonight. After the Judge homer, he did get an out, but hit a batter and walked another and that was it. He goes 2 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, three runs, three walks and two home runs on 63 pitches. He is now 7-6 with an ERA of 3.80 through 21 games.

In 14 career games against the Yankees, Wells is 0-5 with a 5.24 ERA.

New York improved to 55-49 for the year, to 6-7 in the second half and to 6-6 versus the Orioles. 

Ryan Mountcastle led off the O’s second and hit a Clarke Schmidt fastball out to right field for No. 13 on the first pitch. Adam Frazier followed with a double, advanced to third on a grounder and scored on a Ramon Urias infield hit for a 2-1 Baltimore lead. Judge’s homer put New York back on top.

A Gleyber Torres sac fly in the fourth extended the New York lead to 4-2 and when Anthony Santander’s groundout in the fifth scored one, the O’s were down just 4-3. That inning began with a strikeout, an Adley Rutschman walk and Gunnar Henderson double to put runners on second and third.

Batting leadoff tonight for the first time in his career, Rutschman went 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored.

New York’s lead was back to two runs at 5-3 when catcher Kyle Higashioka led off the fifth with a solo blast off lefty Cole Irvin. In keeping with a theme of loud and long Yankees homers, he hit that ball 109 mph and it went 428 feet.

The top of the sixth would get much worse for the Orioles.

New York loaded the bases with one out on three singles against Irvin and manager Brandon Hyde called on right-hander Bryan Baker. He fanned DJ LeMahieu with a 97 mph fastball and got ahead of Isiah Kiner-Falefa 0-2. But with several foul balls he worked the count full. And on a 3-2 fastball, he cleared the bases with a 105.5 mph shot for a double to left. The lead, which was 5-3, was now much more comfortable for the visitors 8-3.

Schmidt allowed five hits and three runs over five innings to get the win. He is 7-6 with an ERA of 4.39 after a 96-pitch outing. Right-hander Ian Hamilton followed him and kept the O's bats quiet.

The O's didn't have a hit after the fifth inning and the last 14 Baltimore batters were retired in a row. 

In falling to 63-41, the Orioles have scored 14 runs in the last five games and 25 in their past eight. The teams play the series rubber match on Sunday night at 7:10 p.m. The winner of that game will take the 2023 season series. 

Hyde on Wells and pulling him in the third: “You know tonight again for me his command just wasn’t there. Three walks into the third inning. Just missed locations, gave up some hard contact. Trying to go down and away to Judge and it’s up over the plate. For me just not locating his pitches. 

“For me just didn’t look like he had his best stuff (so pulled him early). I was hoping Irvin could go a little longer honestly. Didn’t quite happen."

Hyde would the team consider skipping Wells a start?: “I think we are going to be talking about a lot of things here. We’re in a weird week and he’s had a tough time these last few starts. So there will be discussions going on."

Wells on the problem tonight?: “Control. Control is by far the biggest issue. There are a few things I’m working on right now. Each start it’s been a different goal. I made some progress in what I was trying to accomplish between my last start and this start. But you know other things like I’ve got to sort out and get back to the drawing board on. If there is anyone that is going to work really hard on it, it’s going to be me and I’m not going to let it discourage me.

“I don’t think it’s been a stuff issue. It’s been a location, execution issue.”

Wells, is what you are on working fall under mechanics?: “I guess if you want to put it under that umbrella. But ultimately to me it’s a mindset thing."

You have said you are not fatigued. Does that still hold true?: “Physically I feel fine.”

Wells vows to get it turned around: “Everyone has a bad day at work. How you react to it is ultimately the biggest thing. Right now I am trying to take positives out of each start and continue to work on the things I need to get better at."