Read the Orioles side (the whole game, score included)
Cleveland at Baltimore
This is Missed It. Cleveland at Baltimore, Tuesday, September 8, 83 and partly cloudy at Camden Yards, with the Orioles. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.
Pregame
It's a fresh one here at the ballpark, folks. The Cleveland Guardians are in town, and the Baltimore Orioles are ready to go. We've got a full night of baseball ahead of us, and the energy is already building in the stands. First pitch is moments away, and we're all hoping the bats come alive early for the good guys.
Top 1: The Guardians Strike First
The game gets underway, and Cleveland doesn't waste any time making some noise. Steven Kwan steps in with nobody on and nobody out, and he launches one deep to center field. Colton Cowser is tracking it, but it's over his head. Kwan cruises into second with a double, and just like that, the Guardians have a runner in scoring position with no outs. You can feel the tension creep in a little early. We need a shutdown here. The next two batters do their job, getting Kwan stranded at second, and we're one out away from escaping the inning unscathed. But then Jo Adell comes up with two outs and a runner on. He finds a pitch he likes and rips a sharp line drive to left field. Dylan Beavers gives it a chase, but it's hit too hard. It falls in, and Kwan scores from second. Just like that, it's one to nothing, Cleveland. A tough break, but we're only one inning in. There's plenty of baseball left to play.
Bot 1: No Answer
We come back out for the bottom of the first, looking to answer back. Three batters come to the plate, and unfortunately, none of them find a way on base. It's a quick inning, a quiet inning. One, two, three, and we're back on the defensive. The score remains one to nothing, Cleveland. We need to get something going, and we need to do it soon.
Top 2: The Inning That Got Away
This one hurts. The top of the second starts with Angel Martínez at the plate, nobody on, nobody out. He gets a hold of one and sends a ground ball screaming into the right field corner. Leody Taveras is over, but he can't cut it off. Martínez rounds first, then second, and he's standing on third with a triple. A leadoff triple. That's a dagger. The next batter, Patrick Bailey, comes up and we manage to get him out, but the damage is done. Then, with one out and two on, Steven Kwan steps in. He hits a chopper to second. Jackson Holliday fields it, fires home to Samuel Basallo, and it's a bang-bang play at the plate. Bailey is out! Great throw, great tag. But in the process, Petey Halpin moves to third. Two outs, two on, and we're still in this. Then Travis Bazzana steps up. He works the count, and on a pitch he likes, he sends it deep to right center field. That ball is gone. A three-run homer. Petey Halpin scores, Steven Kwan scores, and Travis Bazzana trots around the bases. Just like that, it's five to nothing. The air has been sucked out of the ballpark. We get out of the inning, but the damage is done. Five runs cross the plate, and we have a mountain to climb.
Bot 2: Still Quiet
We need a response. We need a spark. The bottom of the second rolls around, and again, we send three batters to the plate. Again, we go down in order. No base runners, no hard contact, nothing. It's a quick, quiet inning, and the score remains five to nothing. The frustration is starting to build. We can't get anything going at the plate, and Cleveland is swinging the bats with confidence.
Top 3: Another One
The top of the third, and Cleveland is back at it. They're not letting up. They manage to push another run across. It's a tough inning to watch. The bats are hot on their side, and we can't seem to find an answer. Six batters come to the plate for Cleveland, and they add one more run to their total. It's six to nothing now. We get out of the inning, but the hole just keeps getting deeper.
Bot 3: Stuck in the Mud
Bottom of the third. We need something, anything. Three batters come up, and three batters go down. It's the third straight inning we've gone down in order. Three batters, three outs, no base runners. The offense is completely stuck in the mud. We're six runs down, and we haven't even had a baserunner yet. The crowd is getting restless. We need a hero. We need someone to step up and get this thing going.
Top 4: A Glimmer of Hope
The top of the fourth, and Cleveland sends five batters to the plate. But this time, we hold the line. We keep them off the board. No runs cross the plate. It's a scoreless inning for the Guardians, and while we're still down six, it feels like a small victory. A stop. A moment to catch our breath. Now we need to come up and finally get something going on offense.
The Sequence: The Fight Back Begins
This is where it all changes. This is the stretch where the game gets decided. We come up in the bottom of the fourth, still down six to nothing. And finally, finally, we get something going. We send six batters to the plate, and we push a run across. It's six to one. It's not much, but it's a start. It's a sign of life. The crowd starts to stir. We're on the board. The top of the fifth, Cleveland goes down in order. Three batters, three outs. We're back in the dugout, and the momentum is starting to shift. You can feel it. Bottom of the fifth. This is the inning. Jackson Holliday gets on base. Then Pete Alonso steps to the plate with one out and a runner on. He gets a pitch he can handle, and he launches it. Deep to left field. That ball is gone. A two-run homer. Jackson Holliday scores, and Pete Alonso rounds the bases. The crowd erupts. It's six to three. We're right back in this thing. And we're not done. We keep fighting. We keep grinding. We send seven batters to the plate in that inning, and by the time it's over, we've scored four runs. Four runs. It's six to five. We're down by one. The ballpark is rocking. We've clawed our way all the way back into this game. The top of the sixth, Cleveland goes down in order again. Three up, three down. We're coming up in the bottom of the sixth with all the momentum in the world. But we can't push the tying run across. Three batters, three outs. It's still six to five. Then the top of the seventh. This is where it all falls apart. Cleveland sends eight batters to the plate. With one out and two on, Angel Martínez hits a ground ball. Pete Alonso fields it, but the throw is off. It's a throwing error. José Ramírez scores. Jo Adell moves to third. It's seven to five. The error hurts. It hurts bad. And then, with two outs and the bases loaded, Brayan Rocchio steps up. He finds a gap and singles to center field. Colton Cowser is there, but he can't make the play. Jo Adell scores. Angel Martínez scores. Petey Halpin moves to third. It's nine to five. The lead is gone. The game is slipping away. We come up in the bottom of the seventh, and we go down in order. Three batters, three outs. The bottom of the eighth, we get a baserunner, but we can't bring him home. Four batters, no runs. The top of the ninth, Cleveland goes down in order. Five batters, no runs. We have one last chance. The bottom of the ninth. Five batters come to the plate. But we can't get anything going. No runs. The game is over.
Wrap-up
Final score: Cleveland nine, Baltimore five. We fought back. We clawed our way from six down to make it a one-run game. But that error in the seventh, it cost us. It broke our backs. We gave it everything we had, but it just wasn't enough tonight. This one stings. It stings a lot. We'll be back at it tomorrow.
Outro
That was Cleveland at Baltimore, from the Orioles side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.