Series Results: Tigers 2-1
The Good
The starting pitching wasn’t strong overall, but on Sunday, Chris Tillman showed why he is the ace of the staff. Following up subpar starts from Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris, Tillman rose to the task of containing the previously undefeated Detroit Tigers, allowing only one run through 8 1/3 innings as the Orioles defeated the Tigers 3-1.
The defense as a whole performed well after a shaky first series against the Red Sox. Left fielder David Lough showed impressive range in the outfield, and also proved his arm is adequate, throwing a runner out at second base. Right fielder Nick Markakis and second baseman Steve Lombardozzi also made impressive plays and the team did not commit an error in any of the games.
Adam Jones looked more patient at the plate after striking out three times in the team’s first series. He drew another walk in the series, and had a couple of extended at-bats where he showed patience by not swinging at pitches clearly out of the strike zone, especially on down-and-away pitches that are typically his weakness. Jones is no longer a young player, so any significant growth is unlikely, but even small steps in the right direction can help him improve as a hitter.
The Bad
This offense has looked absolutely lost so far this season, and that continued against the Tigers, with the exception of the ninth inning rally on Saturday. The offense was expected to be potent, but has underwhelmed and is currently ranked as one of the worst in the league in most statistics. Ryan Flaherty picked up his first hit of the season in his final at-bat of the series, as he has struggled significantly out of the gate for the third consecutive year.
Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris struggled immensely on Friday and Saturday respectively, and look to be worrisome at the back of the rotation. Obviously, it will take more than one start to decide if either pitcher is going to be moved, but if Kevin Gausman continues to thrive in the minor leagues he could push one of them for a spot in the rotation.
It seems a little unfair to say it is bad, because he is still hitting for a decent average, but first baseman Chris Davis has yet to hit a home run after belting 53 last season. Davis is a streaky hitter at times, so all it may take is one good game and then he may have multiple multi-HR games. If Davis can regain a little bit of his power stroke in the next series against the New York Yankees, the offense should perform better.
On the same note, until the ninth inning Sunday, Nelson Cruz was still the only Oriole to homer this year. Matt Wieters became the second, launching an opposite field shot for an insurance run.
Closing Thoughts
It really would have helped this team if they had been able to complete the comeback they started in the second game, as the Orioles rallied back from a 7-1 deficit in the ninth inning to come within one run, only to eventually fall short. The gem from Tillman on Sunday was needed badly, as a sweep from the Tigers would have been extremely demoralizing this early in the year. The starting rotation needs to be monitored.
Looking Ahead
The Orioles will send Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei-Yin Chen, and Miguel Gonzalez to the mound for the three games in New York against the Yankees this week. The Yankees struggled out of the gate versus the Houston Astros, but played well against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. The Orioles will run into the most recent Yankee pitching signing when they draw Masahiro Tanaka on Wednesday, who allowed just two runs over seven innings to the Blue Jays.
