Poor starting pitching? Check. Shoddy defense? Check. A lack of clutch hitting? Check.
Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Rays had it all, which was unfortunate if you're an O's fan.
Brian Matusz lasted just an inning and a third, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks. Matusz (1-1) gave up a lead-off homer on his fifth pitch of the game, and things spiraled downward from there. The Rays stole four bases on Matusz before he could record three outs...
The defense hurt the Birds again, as Mark Reynolds committed two errors before leaving the game in the seventh with a "left forearm contusion". Reynolds now leads the Majors with 14 errors this season. Adam Jones missed a catch in the eighth that led to an inside-the-park home run...
Offensively, the highlight of the day had to be the back-to-back dingers in the bottom of the first courtesy of Adam Jones and Vladimir Guerrero. Luke Scott went yard in the eighth, but the hole was just too deep to dig out of. The Birds mashed 12 hits but went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
The O's are off Monday after a 5-4 homestand, and now head out for a nine-game road-trip starting in Toronto. Chris Jakubauskas will start on Tuesday night, giving Zach Britton a rest (the club hopes to have the rookie starting in September, so the move may make sense, depending on whether the O's are in contention or not).
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