After two days without Orioles' baseball, I was hoping that the weather would hold and the Birds would get a game in on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
After two innings, I was seriously hoping the game would be called due to rain...
Chris Tillman turned in his worst performance this season, lasting just 1 2/3 innings and exiting with his team trailing 6-0. The Yankees eventually won the game 7-4.
Tillman (0-1) looked lost on the mound, surrendering six runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out two. He threw 57 pitches and was pulled with two on and two out in the second inning in favor of Chris Jakubauskas, who retired the final batter of the inning...had he allowed a hit, Tillman likely would have been charged with eight runs in his brief outing.
Jakubauskas held the Yankees in check, allowing just a solo homer in his 3 1/3 innings of relief. Brad Bergesen, officially recalled earlier after the O's placed J.J Hardy on the DL, went two strong innings, striking out two while not giving up a hit...Bergesen was slated to start on Sunday, but after Tillman's shortened start that may not happen...
Although the starting pitching left much to be desired, it was again the offense that pulled a no-show for most of the night. The O's had been held without a run since Adam Jones connected for a solo homer against Texas in the second inning on Saturday evening, a span of 22 scoreless innings. That's simply unacceptable, especially given the fact that the bulk of the O's starting staff is young and lacks experience.
The Birds finally got on the board in the seventh inning of Wednesday's contest: after Mark Reynolds doubled (his second of the game), Matt Wieters launched his first long-ball of the season to snap the scoreless streak. Brian Roberts followed later in the inning with another two-run blast, his team-leading third dinger of the season. It was too little, too late; the O's would never overcome Tillman's six-run outing...
Ok...enough bashing...the Orioles are tied with the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East, with both teams sporting 6-4 records through their first ten games. Who would have thought that the winner of this series would hold sole possession of first in the division? I'm usually optimistic but I'm going to have to say, "not me."
The hitting will come around, and I'll choose to believe that the young staff can only improve over the season, especially after Brian Matusz rejoins the rotation...
Jake Arrieta is charged with the task of keeping the O's on top on Thursday night...Let's Go O's!
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