Saturday, July 30, 2011

Guthrie Dominates Yankees

If that was Jeremy Guthrie's last start as an Oriole, it was quite a way to go out. Guthrie held New York's potent lineup to just one run over seven innings, and the O's beat the Yankees 4-2 on Friday night.

Guthrie (5-14) allowed just four hits (one a solo homer off the bat of Mark Teixeira) and three walks while striking out five in one of his best performances of the season.

The Orioles needed Guthrie to go deep...Friday night was the first game of a four-game series that will be played in less than a 48-hour timespan. The O's needed to use just two arms out of the 'pen: Koji Uehara (who also could be traded this weekend) struck out two in a scoreless eighth and Kevin Gregg pitched a chaotic ninth but managed to record his 17th save.

For once, Guthrie received ample run support. Mark Reynolds put the Birds on the board with a two-run bomb in the second inning, and Derrek Lee slapped an RBI double in the fourth before drilling a solo homer in the sixth to give the O's a 4-0 lead. The Orioles managed only five hits against Yankees' starter A.J. Burnett, but all went for extra-bases.

I, for one, will miss Guthrie if he is traded. He has certainly pitched better than his record indicates, and has been a constant in a rotation full of question marks. He may not be an ace on any other staff in the AL East, but he has been reliable and healthy since taking on that role for the Orioles. I wish him the best of luck, as long as he isn't pitching for any divisional foes...

The O's and Yankees face-off for a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. Chris Tillman was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to start Game 1, and Zach Britton came up from Bowie to start Game 2.

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