Pete Alonso tried to be too cute on Sunday at Camden Yards, and it cost the Baltimore Orioles a couple of runs against the Detroit Tigers.
With a man on first and nobody out in the top of the fourth, Tigers DH Dillon Dingler hit a weak flare toward Alonso at first base. The smart play was the easy one. Catch the ball in the air, get the sure out, move on. Instead Alonso saw an opportunity to be a hero and tried to let the ball drop so he could turn a double play.
That is not the play. It is rarely the play. And on Sunday, it definitely was not the play.
The ball had nasty backspin when it hit the dirt, and instead of bouncing right to Alonso, it rolled away from him. He had to chase it down, then made a desperation throw to second that bounced into the dirt and was not handled cleanly. Instead of recording one out, or potentially two, the Orioles got zero.
The Tigers took full advantage. Both of those runners came around to score, and Baltimore was suddenly chasing in a game it had a real chance to win. That kind of swing is brutal in a low-scoring contest.
This is the kind of mistake that drives managers crazy. The Orioles signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal this past offseason and they did not bring him in for his glove. They brought him in for the bat, and he has delivered there. Alonso has 10 home runs through 51 games and has been one of the most consistent power threats in the American League.
But there have always been concerns about his defense. Alonso has worked to improve it over the years, and to his credit he has played at a Gold Glove level for Baltimore this season. That is part of what makes Sunday’s gaffe so frustrating. He was making strides, and then he tried to play hero ball and reminded everyone why his glove was a question mark in the first place.
Manager Brandon Hyde has to have a conversation with his $155 million first baseman about situational awareness. There is a time and place for trying to turn two on a soft flare. The fourth inning of a tight game against a division contender is not it.
The Orioles are in a competitive AL East and every loss feels heavier than it should at this point in the season. Self-inflicted wounds like this one are exactly what separates the playoff teams from the also-rans. Baltimore cannot afford to give away outs and runs, and they especially cannot afford to give them away on plays that should be routine.
Alonso is going to keep hitting bombs, and he is going to keep being one of the most valuable bats in the lineup. But he needs to dial down the creativity at first base. The simple play exists for a reason. The next time a soft flare comes his way, the right move is to catch it, jog back to the bag, and let the offense do the work.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
