Orioles manager Brandon Hyde turned some heads when h

[panxing18]

e walked out to pull David Hess in the seventh inning of a no-hit bid. Hess turned more heads with his start http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authen ... tis-jersey , and the Orioles escaped with a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Commentary & AnalysisOrioles ProspectsOrioles Game RecapsOrioles News and RumorsCamdencastOrioles Game RecapsOrioles hold on 6-5 after Hess is pulled from no-hit bid in TorontoNew,29commentsOrioles manager Brandon Hyde turned some heads when he walked out to pull David Hess in the seventh inning of a no-hit bid. Hess turned more heads with his start, and the Orioles escaped with a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays.EDTShareTweetShareShareOrioles hold on 6-5 after Hess is pulled from no-hit bid in TorontoJohn E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY SportsDavid Hess was cruising. And we’re not just talking about a nice Sunday drive. Hess had shifted into high gear, put the pedal to the metal and was flying down Ontario Highway 401. When all of a sudden, the car came to a screeching halt. By the seventh inning, Hess had taken complete control of the game. He’d struck out eight Toronto batters, walked just one, and had only thrown 82 pitches in 6.1 innings. Oh yeah, he had not allowed a hit either. That’s why just about everyone was surprised when Orioles manager Brandon Hyde emerged from the dugout and took the ball away from the 25-year-old pitcher. Hess greeted Hyde with a smile. A genuine grin, but one that stemmed from shock. The Tennessee native would not have a chance to complete what was likely a life-long dream. A modest Toronto crowd expressed their dismay with boos, and Orioles fans back home had the wind taken out of their sails. For most, the initial shock likely gave way to a shrug and conceding it was the right move. But pulling the guy at only 82 pitches? The Orioles still had a game to win. With the hiring of Hyde and Mike Elias, the Orioles cannon-balled into new school baseball. A team that emphasizes analytics will not be phased by a feel good story on April 1. But flash forward to the ninth inning, with the tying run only 90 feet away, and the focus shifted from “I can’t believe they pulled Hess” to “I can’t believe they’re going to blow this game.” Baltimore led 6-0 when Hess exited, but Toronto scraped together five runs in the final three innings, and were looking to knot things up. Richard Bleier, who failed to close Saturday’s game in New York, was called upon again. He didn’t leave any room for error, but Bleier struck out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. with a runner on third to end the game. The Orioles beat the Blue Jays 6-5, and moved to 3-1 in the young season. Baltimore took control of the game before Hess ever stepped foot on the mound. After Dwight Smith Jr. muscled a one-out single to center field in the top of the first, Jonathan Villar turned a 3-1 fastball the other way and over the left field fence for a two-run lead. Trey Mancini reached on an infield single, the Blue Jays botched a potential inning ending double play, and Renato Nunez worked a walk to load the bases. Chris Davis took a 3-2 fastball that just missed to walk in a run and put the Birds up three. Jesus Sucre struck out on a breaking ball in the dirt, but the ball skipped past Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen, and Ruiz came around to score. Then Hess went to work.Hess retired the first two Toronto batters with weak ground balls Greg Holland Jersey , before striking out Justin Smoak to retire the side. The three outs felt big, not because they produced a shut down inning after an early lead, but how they came. The righty looked dialed in, and he was. The sophomore pitcher reached 95 mph on the gun and had every pitch working for him. Baltimore added another run in the second when Mancini drove in Cedric Mullins with a sacrifice fly. Neither team scored until Mancini blasted a solo shot 408 feet over the center field fence in the top of the seventh. The homer proved to be more insurance than the Orioles knew they needed. Once Hess left, the wheels immediately fell off. Pedro Araujo squandered the team’s no-hit bid right away. After walking Justin Smoak, Randal Grichuk blasted a no doubter to trim the lead to four. Rowdy Telles followed with a single, but Araujo forced Teoscar Hernadez into an inning ending double play. Mike Wright Jr. pitched the eighth inning and allowed a solo home run to Freddy Galvis. The Orioles led 6-3 entering the ninth.Wright stayed on in the ninth and immediately gave up a single to Brandon Drury. Hyde called for Bleier, but the bleeding did not stop there. The Orioles caught a break when Smoak lined a ball off of Bleier’s leg, but shortstop Richie Martin made a tremendous play. Martin changed directions, dove to his right, corralled the ball and fired to first to get the first out of the inning.Grichuck blooped a ball into center that fell between three Orioles fielders, and suddenly Toronto had runners on second and third. Drury scored on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Kevin Pillar, but the Jays were down to their final out. Hernandez trimmed the deficit to one with an RBI triple, but Bleier recovered and struck out Gurriel on three pitches to end the inning. Hess, Hyde and Bleier all could let out a sigh of relief. Hyde said everything you’d expect after the game regarding Hess. He pointed out that it’s a six month season, and that it was the right move long term. Still, it’s easy to imagine the headlines if Toronto completed the comeback. The move looks a lot better after a win. The game provides everyone with a little more excitement regarding Hess. After winning two of his first three starts last May, he won only one more game in 2018.The idea that the Orioles had to be concerned about protecting Hess’s arm was a foreign notion over the off season, but here we are. If he can come anywhere close to replicating his start Monday evening, it would be a great boost for an Orioles team lacking starting pitching. Trey Mancini finished 2-3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He also made a nifty diving catch in right field to keep Toronto out of the hit column. Villar finished 2-4, and Baltimore tallied only six hits in the game. The Baltimore Orioles are now 3-1 on the season. “The AAA team”, “the bottom feeders,” the “insert bad team nickname here” have a better record than the Yankees and Red Sox. Winning is fun, let’s enjoy it while we can. NEW YORK (AP) — Jay Bruce is back in the lineup for the New York Mets and ready to try something different.The veteran outfielder was reinstated from the disabled list Friday after missing more than two months with an aching right hip, and the Mets plan to audition him at first base down the stretch.A three-time All-Star, the 31-year-old Bruce returned to the Mets as a free agent last winter and signed a $39 million http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authen ... tis-jersey , three-year contract. Also bothered by plantar fasciitis in his feet, however, he batted only .212 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 62 games before going on the DL. His paltry .613 OPS was well below his career mark of .783 in 11 major league seasons.“Obviously, I’ve been injured and I’ve underperformed,” said Bruce, who homered in his return to help the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 3-0. “Neither of those things were on my list of things to do coming back to New York. So it’s not something I’m happy about or proud of, but I can only move forward.“I have a little over a month this year and I have two more seasons to right the ship and be the player I’ve been pretty much my whole career. I think people know that and I think people are going to see that.”Bruce started in right field, his regular position, during his first big league game since June 17 — just in time for his bobblehead giveaway Saturday at Citi Field. Batting fifth, he finished 1 for 4 with a two-run shot in the eighth inning.“One thing that I’ve never kind of lacked in my career, regardless of how well or how poorly I was playing, is power. And this year, it just wasn’t there. So it’s obviously raised red flags for me and hopefully I’m out of the woods with that,” he said.The fourth-place Mets intend to play Bruce at first base fairly often as they attempt to determine the best fit for next year. He has made 16 career starts at first base, including 10 last season and three this year.“I’ve got both gloves in my locker and whatever they tell me I’m doing, I’ll do. That’s all there is to it,” Bruce said. “I’m ready for whatever. … I feel confident about it.”Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo, both 25, have been productive in the corner outfield spots. Each has played center field in the past, but manager Mickey Callaway said the Mets would prefer to keep them in the corners — especially with left fielder Yoenis Cespedes’ status uncertain early next season following surgery on both heels.That could leave first base as a landing spot for Bruce, if he looks comfortable there.“I definitely think that’s a possibility,” Callaway said. “I think that’s one of the things we need to find out in this last part of the season.”It’s not that simple, though.Power-hitting prospect Peter Alonso, who was leading all minor leaguers with 32 homers and 109 RBIs this season, is the first baseman at Triple-A Las Vegas. First base is also Dominic Smith’s natural position, though the touted 23-year-old has mostly been a disappointment during his major league stints the past two years.Wilmer Flores http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authen ... tis-jersey , with experience all over the infield, has received the majority of playing time at first this season. He is batting .278 with 11 homers and 48 RBIs, and is under contractual control next year.So if Bruce shifts to first base as well, it could create a bit of a logjam.Bruce did say that if the Mets decide to move him primarily to first next year, he would like a heads up ahead of time.“I would appreciate them letting me know so that I have an offseason to prepare,” he explained. “And I think they would have every intention to do that. I definitely don’t doubt that. They’ve been pretty transparent with the whole idea so far.”Bruce wouldn’t call himself 100 percent healthy necessarily, but said his hip and feet feel good. He said the injuries affected him “a lot” earlier this year and he wasn’t really able to drive the ball.“I feel like I’m moving around better, first and foremost, with my feet. That was kind of secondary when I went on the DL. But, got an opportunity to rest that and it feels really good now,” Bruce said. “Got out of the orthotics, which was a big goal for me. And just taking some swings in the cage a minute ago, there were swings and passes with my bat, my barrel, that just wasn’t there prior. So, I was out there playing. I wasn’t performing. Obviously, I’m not a guy to make excuses, as you guys I think know, probably. But I look forward to having kind of a full quiver, if you will.”Bruce went 9 for 25 (.360) with a home run and a double in seven rehab games at Class A St. Lucie, playing both first base and right field. To open a spot for him on the active roster, the Mets optioned utilityman Jack Reinheimer to Las Vegas.With catcher Devin Mesoraco sidelined by a stiff neck, New York also recalled catcher Tomás Nido from Double-A Binghamton and optioned Smith to Las Vegas.Callaway said Mesoraco had an MRI that revealed only muscular issues, so he won’t need to go on the DL and he could catch in a pinch. Kevin Plawecki was behind the plate against the Nationals, but his pregnant wife is due at any moment so the team promoted Nido as insurance.