Orioles 10, Marlins 4: Birds swarm Richards, pull away early

The Orioles entered Sunday afternoon with two embarrassing losing streaks intact: 11 straight losses at their own ballpark and nine straight overall. They were due for a successful game, getting contributions up and down the lineup in a 10-4 win. That’s right, the Marlins still haven’t completed a series sweep all season.

• Trevor Richards: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (75 pitches)
• Dylan Bundy: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (92 pitches)

This was Richards’ shortest outing as a major leaguer. Sure the defense could’ve been a bit more competent, but overall, the O’s earned their run production. The rookie right-hander allowed six batted balls in play of at least 100 mph, according to Statcast, on both his fastballs and secondary stuff. He’s averaging less than five innings per start with the Marlins this season.

Don Mattingly gave Richards the hook in the fourth in favor of recently recalled Merandy González, who would ultimately spend more time on the mound in terms of both innings (4 ¹⁄₃) and total pitches (91).

Justin Bour singlehandedly disrupted Bundy’s rhythm with home runs No. 11 and No. 12.

And remarkably, despite falling behind by a seemingly insurmountable margin, the Fish briefly made things interesting. Baltimore went to its bullpen in the seventh inning and Miguel Castro proceeded to load the bases without recording an out. The biggest threats in the lineup—Brian Anderson, J.T. Realmuto and Bour—were due up next.

But O’s manager Buck Showalter called upon more capable reinforcements just in the nick of time. The Marlins couldn’t cut into the deficit at all, continuing their struggles in 2018 under such circumstances. Including Sunday’s 0-for-3, the team is batting .186/.194/.293 with the bases loaded. Only the Mariners have produced less in all three of those categories.

Hopefully you stuck around past that! If not, you missed Rule 5 draft pick Brett Graves making his MLB debut in relief of González. Here’s the first pitch that he’ll get to cherish forever. On the second pitch, he got Mark Trumbo to ground out.

Fish Stripes original GIF

Graves became the 15th rookie-eligible player to take the field for the Marlins in the majors this season. That’s the highest total among National League teams.

The road trip continues on Monday in San Francisco. Probable starters are Caleb Smith and Andrew Suarez, although that’s unofficial as Smith is currently on the bereavement list. First pitch will be approximately 10:15pm ET.

Courtesy of FanGraphs

Attendance: 21,421

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Matchup Summary

The 2018 Marlins either lose games by big margins and win in nail-biting style. So far this weekend, it’s been the latter. Early offense on Saturday—mostly thanks to J.T. Realmuto—was just enough to hold up for their fifth victory in the past six games.

A 28-43 record is nothing to boast about, but consider where some other MLB teams are right now (who had much grander expectations):

Even when adjusting for the mediocre competition, this would easily be the most successful week of the season if the Marlins kept the streak alive on Sunday. Trevor Richards, coming off his first major league win, gets to feast on an impotent Orioles lineup. First pitch will be approximately 1:05pm.

Of course, this isn’t your typical weekend matinee: it’s also Father’s Day! Anybody here who shared a love of baseball with their father can relate to this powerful piece from our own Aram Leighton.

Thread Question: Don Mattingly doesn’t stick with one consistent batting order. What’s your favorite Marlins lineup? (assuming no DH)