On Sunday, I received the rare opportunity to sit amongst the media in the press box at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. While being able to work around personalities such as MASN’s Roch Kubatko, I recorded my observations from the game. I am very grateful to my team at EutawStreetReport.com for all they did to help me.
* It’s refreshing to get to see former Oriole Steve Tolleson have an opportunity to play with some regularity in Toronto this year. Between Brett Lawrie, Juan Francisco, and Tolleson, the Blue Jays have platooned both second and third base this year with success. (Any Orioles’ fans remember two years ago when Tolleson hit that three-run bomb off of Cliff Lee?)
*After his collision with Adam Jones on Saturday, umpire Hunter Wendelstedt was sent home and given the day off. He will be replaced by Jerry Layne behind home plate.
* First baseman Chris Davis is being held out with what he jokingly called a headache that has him listed as “hour-to-hour.” It was a scheduled day off.
* The first pitch was thrown at 1:38 P.M.
*It’s a little surprising that Blue Jays’ shortstop Jose Reyes did not even try to throw out second baseman Jonathan Schoop on a weakly hit ground ball to the hole between shortstop and third base in the third inning. Schoop’s heads-up baserunning allowed him to tag and advance to second base with just one out in the inning on a deep fly ball to center field.
* Very disappointing that right fielder Nick Markakis strikes out against J.A. Happ in an at-bat where he was up in the count 3-0 with only one out and a runner at third base. Manny Machado struck out as well and the Orioles strand two runners in scoring position.
* In the fourth inning, manager Buck Showalter challenges what was ruled as a groundout by Adam Jones. The replay lasted 56 seconds and was upheld as an out.
* Shortstop JJ Hardy, who has not homered since September 5th of last season, flies out to the warning track in left-center. The ball traveled approximately 360 feet, but Hardy still has a goose egg for his home run total.
* Nelson Cruz has tied his season-high with 3 hits. EDIT: Cruz later walked and was the one consistent offensive force in this game.
* One spot where I would disagree with Buck Showalter was in the bottom of the seventh inning. With two outs and Schoop on first base with the team down by two runs, I would have liked to have seen Chris Davis pinch-hit after watching him drive his 11th home run on Saturday. At worst, the move likely causes Toronto to make a pitching change to put a lefty on Davis. Caleb Joseph could have gone in for final two innings at catcher.
* This is only the third time since 1989 where an Orioles’ pitcher has gone at least seven innings in a game while not walking a batter or recording a strikeout. Chris Tillman did that today.
* Jose Bautista is thrown out in consecutive days at home plate by Hardy, who gunned him down on a contact play in the eighth where Bautista broke home from third on a ground ball to short. The play was challenged by Toronto, and after 3:26 the umpires confirm that Bautista is out.
* It is rather interesting that the Blue Jays brought in closer Casey Janssen in the eighth inning, and had Sergio Santos warming up in the ninth in a three-run game. Santos never came in, and Janssen recorded the save, but still a curious move nonetheless.
*The Orioles lost, but today still marks the seventh consecutive quality start from the starting staff. The Birds blow a chance to pull to within 2.5 games of the Blue Jays in the standings, but are still only 4.5 back in mid-June. The AL East appears to be developing into a three-team race between the Blue Jays, the Yankees, and the Orioles.
