Baltimore Orioles: MLB must address it’s instant replay system

The Baltimore Orioles were victim of a situation where instant replay failed in last night’s 6-2 loss in SF. MLB needs to address it’s system – and soon.

For starters, the Baltimore Orioles didn’t lose 6-2 last night in San Francisco because of an instant replay snafu. They lost because they could only put two runs on the board, didn’t take advantage of opportunities, and because San Francisco took advantage of theirs. The fact that Kevin Gausman walked six hitters didn’t help either; Gausman’s line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 6 BB, 9 K.

Having said that, one of the big opportunities of which San Francisco took advantage came on the heels of a confusing and frustrating moment in the sixth inning in which the Orioles found themselves gerrymandered out of an out. One play a game does not make – and that goes without saying. However when cracks appear in a system that’s designed to get the call right, it presents a huge problem. And someone out there has to be taxed with fixing it…looking at you, Mr. Commissioner.

San Francisco took a 2-0 in the second on Span’s two-RBI double. He would add a two-RBI single in the last of the sixth, which followed the Orioles’ protestation of the instant replay call in the top of the inning. One inning later San Francisco blew the game wide open as Belt smacked a two-run homer to run the score to 6-0. The Birds would manage to get on the board in the ninth on a two-RBI single by Ryan Flaherty, however it was too little too late. 

Live Feed

FanSided

Going back to the top of the sixth, Adam Jones appeared to offer at a pitch in the form of a bunt to lead off the inning. The ball appeared to catch part of Jones’ hand as well, and it landed in fair terrority – he was quickly thrown out, but he doubled over in pain. (He would stay in the game, and he says he’ll be ready for today’s game as well.) Interestingly, Jones remained on the field during the medical look-over, which was strange given that he had grounded out…

…but Jones knew he hadn’t grounded out. The ball had hit his finger, and then it actually touched his knee before landing fair. Home plate umpire Brian O’Nora ruled that Jones had offered at the pitch, which is why the call on the field was a fair ball. Manager Buck Showalter induced a bit of a delay trying to argue his case for a replay review. After awhile the umpires got on the headset to New York, only to apparently be told that the play wasn’t reviewable.

I’m not suggesting that the umpires are out to get the Orioles or anything like that (although some Oriole players did have an interesting opinion on O’Nora’s strike zone.) I do firmly believe that umpires want to get these calls right, and that they’re doing everything they can to do so. However if the system that’s designed to help them get it right is actually preventing them from doing so, that’s a huge problem.

Hit-by-a-pitch is actually reviewable – however it would have been inconclusive as to whether or not the ball hit Jones before hitting the bat and so forth. (However obviously Jones’ reaction told us that the ball hit him.) What they wanted to review was whether or not the ball hit Jones’ knee before landing fair. If it did, they it’s a foul ball. And the replay was pretty conclusive that it hit Jones’ knee.

More from Orioles News

• Baltimore Orioles Sign RP Mychal Givens
• Gunnar Henderson: Destroyer of Four-Seam Fastballs
• Which Current Baltimore Orioles Pitchers Have the Best Curveballs?
• Orioles News: Should the O’s Pursue Eovaldi? + More MLB News
• Should the Baltimore Orioles Consider Signing Nathan Eovaldi?

So my question is why is this not reviewable? I mean, is there a legitiate reason why plays in front of the base umpires can’t be reviewed? I suspect that there is, and that reason in fact might even be fairly legitimate. However to piggyback on what I said above, a system that’s designed to get calls right shouldn’t in turn prevent those calls from being made. That makes no sense…again, looking at you, Mr. Commissioner.

Buck Showalter was given the standard answer about the call not being reviewable at the time (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

"First, it was a challenge. They had to go there. The ball hits his finger and he doesn’t make an attempt at it, it’s a dead ball, OK? They say it’s non-reviewable once he made an attempt at it, so there was no challenge and we were told it was non-reviewable."

If that play is reviewed and presumably overturned, Jones continues his at-bat. It’s not fair to assume that all things would have been the same in that inning given that scenario. However the Birds ended up with two runners in scoring position and one out in that inning. If Jones gets on, perhaps the Orioles score at least one run. That could have changed the entire scope of the game.

Or it could have not changed anything. With the way that Bumgarner was painting the corners and the way that Oriole pitchers were nibbling on those same corners and having their pitches called balls, there’s a chance nothing would have changed. All of that is a very tough sell.

However what’s not a tough sell is that something needs to change in the instant replay system. In some cases we’re starting to see calls overturned leaguewide without clear evidence, as well as calls left to stand that had clear evidence. And in cases like this, the system itself doesn’t allow for the correct call to be made. How doe it play if a team finds itself out of the race by one game and they had a situation like this at some point along the way? Something needs to change, Mr. Commissioner.

Next: Baltimore Orioles: This side of the Bay Area is kinder

The series will conclude this afternoon in San Francisco. Wade Miley will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by SF’s Johnny Cueto. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.