myworldofbaseball

Japan and the United States remain the only undefeated teams after three games in the under 15 World Cup being held in Japan.

United States 11 Panama 1

The United States gave the surprising Panama team their first loss. Jasiah Dixon had the second homerun of the tournament, a solo job. Joseph Naranjo went 2 for 2 with a triple and two walks to drive in two runs. Coltin Olasin also had a triple and a single to drive in three runs. Nelson Berkwich silenced the Panama bats for five innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits in a game that only lasted seven innings. Panama pitchers were a little flustered by the strike zone, walking 9 batters.

Japan 15 Korea 4

Japan clubbed Korea, scoring eight runs in the first two innings to win the seven inning game. Kenji Ino scored three runs on his triple and two walks and also drove in two runs. Shota Katekaru was another big hammer with his two singles and double driving in three runs. Jun-Woo Shin had a perfect 3 for 3 day for Korea in a losing cause.

Taiwan 9 Mexico 8

Taiwan woke up from their doldrums to get their first win in three games but it took a run in the bottom of the ninth to give them the victory. Mexico out hit Taiwan 14 to 8 but stranded 14 runners. Chen Wei Lin Wu retired all seven hitters he faced, four of them on strikeouts to give Taiwan the victory. Jui Wen Chien drove in two with a triple and double while Chen Wu Huang drove in three with a triple.

Colombia 9 Czech Republic 4

Colombia improved their record to 2-1 while the Czechs dropped to 1-2. Colombia pitchers walked 11 hitters but the Czechs were not able to take advantage of the generosity, stranding 12 runners. William Miranda swatted a double and triple to drive in three runs to lead Colombia.

Venezuela 16 New Zealand 3

Venezuela blasted New Zealand to leave them among the winless along with their neighbor Australia. Venezuela improves to 2-1. Daniel Castillo scored four times from the leadoff spot, getting hit by pitches twice and stealing two bases. Pedro Martinez and Ronier Lascarro each scored three times from the 2 and 3 slot in the order. The first eight hitters in the lineup each had at least one RBI. Jesus Orecchia had another good game for Venezuela going 4 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. The scouts have an eye on this first baseman.

Cuba 4 Australia 3

Despite being winless Cuba had a hard time disposing of Australia. Malcolm Nunez walked all four times at the plate and stole three bases, but it accounted for only one run scored for Cuba. Darian Palma scored two runs and drove in one on his two hits. Leadoff hitter Victor Mesa stroked a double and triple to score one run. Livan Chaviano picked up the save by pitching three shutout innings in relief, allowing just one hit.

It appears myworld got this division right, except for picking the Royals to finish second. The Indians superior pitching has paid off. Below are the teams current standings with myworld’s prediction in parenthesis. We have also listed the five top prospects, excluding anyone currently at the major league level who we feel will not be considered a prospect next year.

Cleveland Indians (1) - The pitching has been solid even with the step backward from Corey Kluber, now the third best starter on this team. They need to get Mickey Brantley back in the outfield picture. Tyler Naquin has been has been filling one of the outfield positions. Francisco Lindor has proved that last year was not a fluke. A bullpen meltdown could prevent them from holding this lead and acquiring a catcher for the stretch run is on the priority list.

The Indians probably have the strongest prospect system in the Central and could use some of that surplus to fill the holes at catcher or in the outfield. 1) Clint Frazier should see the Indians outfield next year. He shows a good mix of power and average with the defensive chops to play centerfield. 2) Bradley Zimmer is said to be a better centerfielder than Frazier, but from what we’ve seen we like Frazier there. Zimmer is probably a less consistent hitter than Frazier but he has a nice combination of power and speed. 3) Bobby Bradley is a slugging first baseman with a lot of swing and miss to his game. His lack of speed leaves him as a first base or DH candidate only. 4) Tristan McKenzie is a stick figure who can throw a fastball in the mid-90s. Imagine what he can do once he fills out. An impressive 0.61 ERA after 8 starts in the rookie league. 5) Francisco Mejia has a 40 game hitting streak and a .347 average. His arm is a rocket that will make runners think twice before stealing a base.

Detroit Tigers (4) - Who would have thought Michael Fulmer would be the ace of this staff? Justin Verlander is having a better year than last year but he is still short of his Cy Young stuff. The power bats of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez and the emergence of Nick Castellanos gives them one of the best offenses in this division. As the season winds down the Tigers would like to see more from Justin Upton and get back a healthy J.D. Martinez. They seem to finally have found a closer in Francisco Rodriguez, something they have been missing in their other playoff runs.

The Tigers have a veteran lineup that makes it difficult for prospects to crack. 1) Christin Stewart has slugged his way to prospect status, bashing homers in the Florida State League. His defense will limit him to left field and he will strike out a lot. 2) Joe Jimenez does not throw as hard as Bruce Rondon but he may end up a better closer. He has 23 saves and a 1.17 ERA at three minor league levels. 3) Jacoby Jones was acquired from the Pirates and was suspended for a drug of abuse. He has a lot of making up to do. If his offense does not come around he could be a solid utility player. 4) Matt Manning was a first round pick, throws in the high 90s and is 6′6″. We’ll give him some creds for that. 5) Derek Hill will be a speed guy at the top of the order, patrolling centerfield. He seems to have resurrected his prospect status with a solid year.

Chicago White Sox (3) - Their pitching almost rivaled the Indians but Carlos Rodon is still inconsistent and now needs to get healthy. Jose Abreu has not matched his rookie year and Todd Frazier may be hitting for power but his average is way down. It is hard to conceive that at one time in his career David Robertson was to be the replacement for Mariano Rivera as the Yankees closer. It appears the White Sox are selling so a drop in the standings is likely.

The farm system is ugly. Myworld had a hard time finding five players to get excited about. The 2016 draft crop dominates this list. 1) Zack Collins was criticized for his poor defense behind the plate. Some say he may have to move to first. He has the power bat to survive at the position but the White Sox will give him a chance behind the plate. 2) Zach Burdi was another first round pick who has a fastball that hits triple digits. Coming out of the bullpen he could be a fast riser. 3) Adam Engel has impact speed that can create chaos from the leadoff spot. He still needs to do a better job of getting on base. 4) Alec Hanson is another 2016 pick, a second rounder who carries a mid to high 90s fastball. Command was said to be an issue but in six starts he has only walked six hitters with a .119 opposition average. 5) Trey Michalczewski is having trouble making contact this year resulting in a lower than expected average.

Kansas City Royals (2) - We were a little more optimistic about the Royals but an end of season injury to Mike Moustakas and a down year from free agent signee Alex Gordon has hurt the offense. The starting rotation lacks an ace and the bullpen does not have the same firepower it had in their first World Series run. Ian Kennedy has been a big disappointment after signing a multi year contract. The Royals may be in sell mode and Kennedy would be tops on the list.

Another weak farm system that has been decimated by trades to fulfill playoff ambitions. 1) Hunter Dozier has a power bat but Cheslor Cuthbert appears to have this position covered after the Mike Moustakas free agent departure. Dozier lacks the speed to be a rangy outfielder but it may be the best way to get his bat in the lineup. 2) Jorge Bonafacio has finally discovered his power. It won’t take him long to fill one of the Royals outfield positions. 3) Alec Mills had some dominant starts in AA. He has struggled a bit in AAA but a good pitcher’s frame and solid fastball will get him to the major leagues next year. 4) Brooks Pounders is a big boy who throws hard. His best bet may be to fill the closer role. He puts up video game numbers when pitching out of the pen. 5) Ashe Russell is a first round pick from last year with a explosive fastball slider combination. He needs to develop a third pitch to remain in the rotation.

Minnesota Twins (5) - The Twins are having such a disappointing year they fired Terry Ryan, who came out of retirement to try to resurrect the team. He had built up the roster to many playoff appearances years ago but the magic did not return in his second stint. Korean free agent signee Byung Ho Park struggled making contact leading to a demotion to the minors. Miguel Sano has not progressed from his rookie year and his outfield defense was poor forcing a move to DH/first base. The starting rotation lacks an ace and even a number two starter, though Ervin Santana, the only starter with an ERA below 4 can mime one on occasion.

1) Jose Berrios was used in the starting rotation but found major league hitters a bit of a challenge. He will be back next year. 2) Nick Gordon, the son of Flash Tom Gordon and half brother of Marlin Dee Gordon will try to stick at shortstop. He does not have the speed of Dee but his defensive tools should allow him to play the positiont. 3) Tyler Jay was a reliever in college but the Twins are using his arm in the rotation because he has four average to above average pitches. 4) J.T. Chargois could be the Twins future closer with his three digit fastball. 5) Stephen Gonsalves fastball is not overpowering but a plus changeup gives it more giddy yup.

For the first time in Cuba the United States collegiate national team won a series against Cuba. After losing the opener 3-1 they won the last two games to clinch the five game series 3-2. In the final game the United States team was no hit in the first five innings by Miguel Lahera. Despite being limited to just three hits in the last four frames the United States made the most of them with Keston Hiura getting the biggest hit, a pinch hit solo shot in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie. It was the only hit given up by Cuban pitcher Livan Moinelo in his four innings of work. Ricky Tyler Thomas pitched the last 5.1 innings of shutout ball to seal the victory for the United States.

So after splitting with Taiwan and losing three out of five to Japan the United States was able to salvage a series to go 1-1-1. In 14 games played nine of them were decided by one run. The United States finished 4-5 in those one run games.

Adrian Morejon was an MVP of the 15 and under tournament. The Cuban recently signed a multi million dollar contract to play for the Padres. The second day of games was a little more competitive as these players battled for their country. The South/Central American teams proved their superiority over the Asian teams on this second day.

Japan 4 Cuba 0

Japan pitchers tossed their second straight shutout, but this one was against the powerful Cubans. Masaki Oyokawa went seven innings for Japan, allowing just four hits in shutting out Cuba. Shoki Koyama drove in two with a double and single.

United States 4 Venezuela 2

The United States battled with Venezuela, falling behind 2-0 before rallying for two spots in the sixth and seventh innings. Jesus Orecchia drove in both runs for Venezuela with an RBI double and single in the first and third innings. A Venezuelan error proved costly in the sixth allowing two unearned runs to score. Christian Cairo and Carter Young drove in the two runs that put the United States on top. Jasiah Dixon stole two bases and scored a run for the stars and stripes. Zachary Martinez pitched four innings of shutout ball in relief to get credit for the victory.

Panama 6 Taiwan 4

Panama broke a 2-2 tie with four runs in the eighth and shocked Taiwan with the win to improve their record to 2-0. Taiwan rallied for two runs in the last of the ninth but fell short to drop to 0-2. Fernando Gonzalez got the big two run single that gave Panama the win.

Colombia 10 South Korea 5

Colombia shocked Korea scoring 10 runs in the last two innings to pull off the upset. Both teams move to 1-1. Guillermo Quintana and Luis Arzuza each drove in two runs for the Colombians.

Czech Republic 10 Australia 0

The Czechs evened their record to 1-1 by winning this seven inning game. The Aussies are wondering where their offense is after enduring their second straight shutout. All the Czech runs were scored in the seventh inning to break a 0-0 pitcher’s duel. Tomas Hrbek pitched all but one out to quiet the Aussie bats, allowing three hits and walking four. Martin Grundmann scored twice and drove in two runs in the wild seventh inning. Michael Best and Tomas Chadim also contributed two RBIs each. Aussie pitchers walked six hitters in the 10 run seventh.

Mexico 11 New Zealand 3

Mexico won their first game, dropping New Zealand to 0-2. Mexico scored at least one run in the third through eighth innings. Kevin Garcia led the charge with three of the 15 Mexican hits. Sergio Villalba, Juan Garza and Jared Guerrero each drove in two runs. Oscar Valenzuela got the start and pitched four shutout innings for Mexico.

Francisco Mejia is a catcher. They are not noted to be fleet of foot. Francisco was fleet enough to beat out a slow chopper to the pitcher in the sixth inning to extend his hitting streak to 40 games. The longest hitting streak prior to that according to milb.com is James McOwen, who put together a 45 game hitting streak in 2009.

Mejia has put together his streak at two different levels, the first 24 games coming with the low Class A Lake County Captains and the last 16 games coming with the High A Lynchburg Hillcats. Between the two levels he is hitting .345 with 9 homeruns. The Dominican prospect has a .903 OPS.

Myworld was going to take a look at our beginning of the year predictions and see how we looked once the mid-season arrived. The mid-season has come and gone but that does not mean myworld can not take a look at each of the divisions. We’ll also take a look at the top five or so prospects of each team in the division to see how they stack up. We have put the teams in order of their standings as of this writeup and in parenthesis we have our start of the season prediction of where they would finish.

Baltimore Orioles (5) - We under estimated their current roster with Manny Machado leading the charge and a solid bullpen in Zach Britton and Darren O’Day protecting the leads. The starting pitching is ugly and it will still be difficult for them to win the division, but as long as the homer happy team keeps on hitting balls out of the ball park they can score more runs than their starters give up.

The future does not look bright for the Orioles with a vanilla farm system lacking impact players. Hunter Harvey was one of the prized pitchers, but he will undergo Tommy John surgery and myworld can’t put him in the top five. 1) Trey Mancini will probably have to be traded since the only position he plays is the same as Chris Davis, unless they move Davis to third and Manny to short. Trey can hit but first base and DH are his only positions he can play. 2) Chance Sisco is hitting for average but his power numbers are absent with nary a homerun. Some question whether he can stay at catcher which would down grade his prospect status. 3) Jomar Reyes is a rare Dominican signing making the grade. He needs to improve his average (.228) but he has been making contact and his power is starting to show. 4) Ryan Mountcastle will probably have to yield the shortstop position now that they have found Machado can play shortstop in the major leagues. That does not leave him with a position to play since his bat is a little soft for third base. 5) Cody Sedlock was the Orioles first round pick this year. They have not had a lot of success with their recent first rounders so they cross their fingers on Cody. Cody did miss a lot of bats pitching for Illinois striking out 116 in 101 innings.

Toronto Blue Jays (2) - They need Jose Bautista to get healthy and Troy Tulowitski to begin hitting with some consistency. They have the bats to score a lot of runs but they lack an ace in the rotation. Marcus Stroman needs to pick it up.

They may lose both Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista to free agency next year so they need to do it this year or next year could be a rebuilding phase. They have traded a number of top prospects to keep their playoff runs alive so their farm system is a little light. Despite all these trades it is somehow stronger than the Orioles list of prospects, especially with pitching. 1) Sean Reid Foley was born in Guam with an arm that carries a fastball to the plate at 95 miles per hour. There is a lot of swing and miss in his pitches with the opposition hitting him at a .180 clip. 2) Jon Harris is having a breakout year though his numbers (2.23 ERA) are being strung together in Low A. How he will perform at higher levels will establish his true prospect status 3) Jose Urena is a smooth fielding shortstop who lacks tools that excel. 4) Conner Greene is having a good year but needs to improve his command. A promotion to the Eastern League has opened up those frailties. 5) Anthony Alford is the one player on this list with tremendous tools but injuries and lack of performance has kept those tools hidden.

Boston Red Sox (3) - They have had break out years from youngsters Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley. David Ortiz is having a nice retirement year. What needs to improve is their starting pitching and bullpen. They traded away one of their better prospects (Anderson Espinoza) to get NL All Star Drew Pomeranz. Now they have to get David Price on track. If not for Steven Wright this pitching staff would be a shambles. The Red Sox did not expect Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara to be spending so much time on the disabled list as their season wound down.

Trading Anderson Espinoza will hurt the future of the rotation five years from now, but the Red Sox needed to fix their rotation now. They have a deep farm system that is heavier on hitters so this trade will hurt in the long haul. 1) Yoan Moncada may be the best prospect in baseball now. The Cuban can hit for power, steal bases and hit for average. His defensive position (second base) is his only down side. 2) Andrew Benintendi has a power bat despite his 5′10 inch size. He will hit for average and power but the Red Sox need to find some room in the outfield for him. 3) Rafael Devers may have the most potent bat on the team but his defense is suspect. Right now he plays third but he eventually may have to move to first. 4) Michael Kopech was suspended for use of a stimulant and broke his hand in a fight but his fastball hits triple digits and sometimes that is the most important ingredient in a prospect. 5) Jason Groome is another pitcher with character flaws that dropped him in the 2016 draft but he throws lefthanded and hits the mid-90s.

New York Yankees (1) - We thought their pitching would be better than this and that did not include C.C. Sabathia. But Nathan Eovaldi, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino have not panned out. The hitting has also disappeared with A-Rod the biggest bat that has molted into saw dust. The trade of Aroldis Chapman is a testament of what they think of the 2016 season. Their most consistent hitter Carlos Beltran may be the next Yankee packing for another team.

1) Gleyber Torres was recently acquired for Chapman and he has moved Mateo to second so that says a lot about his defense. Torres has the potential to hit for power at the position. 2) Jorge Mateo was recently suspended because he thought he should be in AA. It may hurt his feelings further now that they are moving him to second. Jorge has a lot of speed and is showing some unexpected power. 3) Gary Sanchez has been a Yankee prospect for a long time now. His defense is average for the position but he has a strong arm. His bat is electric so that will carry him. Like Jorge Posada waiting for Joe Giradi to retire Gary needs to wait out the contract of Brian McCann. Perhaps next year he will make the team as a back up. 4) Aaron Judge is a big dude who can hit the ball a long way. As is the case with big dudes they have large strike zones and a lot of swings and misses with their bats. A sprained knee has left Judge hobbled so his major league callup may have to wait until September. 5) Miguel Andujar needs to show more consistency at third base before he can take the spot from Chase Headley. His bat has a little more offensive spark than Headley, but that spark must be proven in the major leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays (4) - Not a lot here. Even their pitching has failed them. The injury to Kevin Kiermaier may have sent their team spiraling downward as it had a big impact on the quality of their defense. Evan Longoria is having a career year in a season that will not be remembered.

They have not been drafting well since they have started winning. Most of their top prospects are players they acquired when trading veterans after their season has blown up in flames. 1) Willy Adames was acquired from the Tigers. He could be an offensive shortstop with some power in his bat, but a move to third could also happen. 2) Brent Honeywell has been a lesser version of Blake Snell in his ride up the minor league ladder. 3) Jacob Faria needs to find some consistency with his mid-90s fastball. He misses a lot of bats but his ERA north of 4 and his inability to win games makes a reliever role a stronger possibility. 4) Adrian Rondon may slide Adames over to third. His defense is superior but his bat will be a little soft. 5) Chih-Wei Hu lacks the size to intimidate (6′1″) but his command and diversity of pitches has been getting hitters out in the Southern League.

The World Cup for 15 and under opened yesterday in Japan. Not a lot of upsets or competitive games.

United States 18 Taiwan 3

This was surprising in how easily the United States dominated Taiwan in a game that only went five innings. The United States scored crooked numbers in all five of the innings that were played while Taiwan scratched together three runs after the United States had built a 16-0 lead. Taiwan pitchers could not find the plate walking 10 batters and throwing three wild pitches.

Anthony Volpe strung together four hits in four at bats to drive in three runs for the United States. He also scored three runs and stole a base. Carter Young collected three hits in four at bats and also drove in three runs. As a team the United States stole seven bases, with lead off batter Jasiah Dixon leading the way with two stolen bases on three hits scoring three times.

Taiwan had a couple hitting stars going 5 for 5, accounting for five of their seven hits. Yao-Tsung Weng slashed three hits from the leadoff spot, driving in one run and Chin-Wei Lin Wu put together two hits in the number eight spot after coming off the bench.

Japan 13 Australia 0

Japan continued to show off their superior pitching, shutting out Australia on four hits in a game going seven innings. Australia committed six errors to allow 11 unearned runs to cross the plate in the game. Japan used four different pitchers to shut out Australia, Kanta Okada getting the start and going three innings without allowing a hit. He was pulled after Japan had jumped out to an 11-0 lead.

Kenji Ino was the big bat for Japan, collecting three hits including a triple to drive in two runs and score three.

Cuba 5 Colombia 0

In the only game to go nine Cuba shut out Colombia on three hits. Osiel Rodriguez went seven plus innings to get the win, striking out nine and allowing only two hits. Yaniel Nunez was the big Cuban bat with four hits in five at bats, including a double, the only extra base hit on the Cuban team.

Korea 14 Czech Republic 4

Korea jumped on the Czechs early with nine runs in the first three innings and spanked the lone European team in a game that went seven innings. Number nine hitter Min-Sung Cho hit the only homerun of the first day in his perfect 2 for 2 day before he was pinch hit for in his last at bat. Jun-Woo Shin powered two doubles among his three hits to drive in two. Man-Soo Kim drove in three with a perfect 1 for 1 day with a single, walk and sacrifice fly.

Panama 16 New Zealand 1

Panama trampled all over New Zealand in a game that went six innings. They scored 12 of their 16 runs in the last two innings, assisted by six errors from New Zealand. Leonardo Jimenez drove in four runs with his two hits including a double and sacrifice fly. Adrian Montero had two at bats that included a walk and a triple that drove in three runs as a late inning replacement.

Venezuela 11 Mexico 1

This game was close until the latter innings when Venezuela erupted for eight runs in the last two innings to end the game in seven innings. Mexican pitchers issued 12 walks to aid in the Venezuelan scoring. Sergio Gutierrez drove in four runs and Jesus Orecchia added three to lead the Venezuelan efforts.

The St. Louis Cardinals jumped into the Cuban signings with a $1.25 million bonus to sign outfielder Randy Arozarena. Arozarena is noted more for his speed than for his bat, though in the Mexican Northern league the 21 year old was leading the league in hitting with a .377 average. He showed off his speed with 42 stolen bases in 54 attempts. The Cardinals are one of many teams soaring past their international salary bonus with the signings of young Cuban players. They have also signed outfielder Jonatan Machado and pitcher Johan Oviedo.

Below is our All Star team from the Honkball tournament. Because we did not see all the games some of the pitchers chosen are based on stats.

C - Ricardo Dashenko (Netherlands) - (.389 ave. and .667 slugging)
1B - Ryoya Kaneko (Japan) - .448 ave, 690 slugging first and 7 RBIs second. Myworlds MVP vote
2B - Nick Urbanus (Netherlands) - (.333 ave and 7 runs scored tops in tournament)
SS - Stijn Van Der Meer (Netherlands) - (.360 and 7 runs scored; solid defense)
3B - Dwayne Kemp (Netherlands) - (.429 ave second, 8 RBIs first)
Utility - Taisei Yoshida (Japan) - .304 ave., .467 OBA with 7 walks first
LF - Tzu-Hsien Chan (Taiwan) - .304, 1 HR clearly the best hitter on Taiwan with good batting practice power
Cf - Yu-Ning Tsao (Taiwan) - .389 average voted defensive player of tournament
RF - Trent Oeltjen (Australia) - .286 ave, .607 slugging, 8 runs scored first and 2 HRs tied for first
DH - Tatsuhiko Satoh (Japan) - .316 ave, .684 slugging second, 2 homeruns tied for first

Pitching

Starters

Takuya Kato (Japan) - 2-0, 0.00 ERA 13 innings 23 K’s and .122 ave against, myworlds top pitcher of tournament
Tom Stuifbergens (Netherlands) - 0.00 ERA in two starts, 12 K’s second
Yuya Yanagi (Japan) - 1.86 ERA
Diegomar Markwell (Netherlands) - 0.00 ERA in one start and one relief, 9 shutout innings
Tzu-Peng Huang (Taiwan) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA in one start and 7 innings

Relievers

Loek Van Mil (Netherlands) - 4 appearances 0.00 ERA, 2 saves 97 mile per hour fastball
Tom De Blok (Netherlands) - 4 appearances 1-0, 0.00 ERA
Kazuya Yoshino (Japan) - 1-0 4 appearances, 0.00 ERA
Shane Lindsay (Australia) - 3 appearances, 0.00 ERA

Nolan Reimold got an opportunity to pinch hit for light hitting Julio Borbon with two outs and Pedro Alvarez on second. Nolan drove a 2-0 pitch from Cody Allen on a straight line that landed into the left field bleachers to give the Orioles a 5-3 win over the Cleveland Indians and a sweep of their three game series.

The Orioles got a good start from Vance Worley, a welcome outing since their five man rotation has been lacking quality starts. Vance coughed up two runs in the fourth, walking the lead off better Jose Ramirez. A hit and run single by Lonnie Chisenhale advanced Ramirez to third. A Tyler Naquin double scored one run and a Roberto Perez RBI single drove in the other. After giving up those two runs Vance settled down and retired the last 10 hitters he faced before he departed after the seventh inning.

Corey Kluber got the start for the Cleveland Indians. He also got roughed up in the fourth, Jonathan Schoop powering a double against the top of the centerfield wall and Manny Machado stroking a single to drive in Schoop. Schoop appeared to be thrown out at home but the throw from Tyler Naquin went too far to the third base side of home plate to put the tag on the sliding Schoop. The Indians appeared to be out of the inning with runners on first and third with one out when they appeared to turn a double play. A replay review ruled Pedro safe at first base and the tying run scored.

Jonathan Schoop buried a ball into the middle of the left field bleachers in the fifth to give the O’s a 3-2 lead. Schoop also giveth away by booting a ball in the eighth to put runners on first and second with no out. Mike Napoli ripped a single to left field, but the throw home by the Orioles Julio Borbon was weak to the plate and the game was tied at 3-3.

Darren O’Day made an impressive ninth inning appearance, striking out the side. The Orioles came back with in the bottom of the ninth, Pedro Alvarez striking out but the ball skipping past the catcher. The Indians were fortunate the ball hit the brick wall and bounced back to the catcher Roberto Perez. He threw to Napoli at first, but the throw hit Alvarez in the back of the head just before he stepped on first. Ryan Flaherty bunted him to second. With two outs and the count 2-0 Reimold pinch hit for Borbon, tagged a 2-0 pitch from Cody Allen that caught too much of the plate, lining it into the crowd in left field for the Gatorade splash once he reached home plate.

Game Notes: In the eighth inning Chris Davis thought he had been hit by a pitch. He tried walking to first but the home plate umpire said the ball did not hit him. Catcher Roberto Perez saw Machado begin his stroll to second, rifled the ball to first where Machado was tagged out trying to dive back to the bag. Chris Davis would later walk. Trumbo hit a lazy fly ball to right field to end the threat…Julio Borbon has an arm that would not intimidate any runners from advancing the extra base…In the fifth inning Vance Worley retired the side in order, throwing just eight pitches, all of them strikes.