Orioles again lack support for Watkins' strong start

BALTIMORE -- Without John Means and without, arguably, Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles have struggled to stumble upon consistent, lengthy pitching. They seem to have found that in some form via Spenser Watkins, who turned in yet another revival start in a recent stretch full of them in Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the White Sox at Camden Yards.

But when they have received that from Watkins, they have struggled to support him.

An all-too-familiar song played out for Watkins against Chicago, handed just one run of support while in the game and ultimately just three overall thanks to Austin Hays’ ninth-inning homer. Over Watkins’ last 10 outings (nine starts), Baltimore has averaged just 3.7 runs per game, scoring three or fewer runs in each of his last four go-arounds.

Along the way, Watkins has provided a 2.83 ERA. The Orioles are now 5-5 in such contests.

“Really good start for us,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We're just not scoring a ton of runs for him.”

All told, it was an off night for the Orioles, much in that they didn’t offer any signs of their penchant for the comeback, save for Hays’ deficit-cutting homer in the ninth. Even more deflating: The O's didn’t help their Wild Card cause on a night in which the Mariners, in third position, lost.

On the whole, the Orioles rapped off just six hits, drawing just three walks, and only once setting up much of a sustained threat, Jorge Mateo awarded a bases-loaded opportunity with one out in the seventh.

Then White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada turned a sensational double play on the first pitch Mateo saw, drawing out any hope of a comeback.

“Tip your hat to a guy that made a great play in a big spot,” Hyde said. “Game-changing play there.”

Mateo, for his part, thought the ball was going to get past Moncada -- a similar feel to his game-winning double down the line in the Little League Classic on Sunday.

“Yeah, that's what I thought,” Mateo said. “But he made a good play. That’s part of the game.”

All the while, Chicago had 12 hits of its own -- all singles -- and drew six free passes.

Watkins knew that excruciating reality from the get-go. Sixteen pitches into his start, he had loaded the bases. The 18th -- a well-placed single sent up the middle from local product Gavin Sheets -- produced the only two runs to score off him on the evening.

Watkins rebounded for five more scoreless frames -- and saw only Adley Rutschman cross home plate in the fourth to support him.

“It was just kind of finding my rhythm, just getting the consistency with my mechanics and my release,” Watkins said. “We saw early on that they were leaning out over the plate towards the cutter, so we kind of reversed our focus [to the slider].”

It would behoove the Orioles to cash in on what they’re receiving from Watkins, a Minor League signing in January 2021 who didn’t make the roster out of this past Spring Training and carried with him a 6.00 ERA through his first eight starts this year. Since then, with a refined slider that induced six whiffs on Wednesday, he in parts has been leading a rag-tag O’s rotation bitten by injuries through this juncture.

The Orioles, though, remain one of just four teams still without a starter to complete eight innings, alongside the Brewers, Pirates and Tigers.

There is hope to be siphoned. Rodriguez faced live hitters for the first time on Wednesday since he endured the right lat strain. Means, back with the team in Baltimore, continues to report well from his Tommy John surgery. Neither are expected to be fully capable until next season, but it is enticing to imagine their place in what is expected to be a promising 2023 Orioles squad.

Before then, nonetheless, Baltimore believes the run support will come.

“[Watkins] pitched a really great game today. We did all that we could to give him some support and help him win this game,” Mateo said. “Unfortunately, we fell short. But tomorrow we're going to come back, refocus and try to win tomorrow's game.”