SERIES RESULTS: 2-1 Orioles
THE GOOD
The best one-year contract in all of baseball may belong to designated hitter Nelson Cruz, as the former Texas Ranger is one of the Orioles’ hottest hitters right now. Cruz is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak, and had multiple hits in all three games against the Blue Jays. Cruz hit three home runs in the series, including a go-ahead grand slam in the second game when the Orioles had been trailing 6-3. Cruz picked up 10 RBI in the series, and is hitting .312 on the season with an OBP just under .400.
Outfielder David Lough did not play in the first game of the series, but appeared in both the second and third games. The 28-year-old made his games count as well, as he accumulated three hits in six at-bats, and added a walk and a couple stolen bases in the series. He also made a very impressive throw to the cutoff man to help cut down Melky Cabrera at the plate in the first inning of the final game of the series.
Starting pitcher Bud Norris does not receive much fanfare, but he has been a very reliable pitcher this season at the back of the Orioles’ rotation. The right hander pitched a quality start at the Rogers Centre on Thursday night, allowing only three runs through six innings while striking out four to earn his first win of the season despite a respectable ERA on the year of 4.44. Norris has arguably been the team’s best starting pitcher after All-Star Chris Tillman so far this season.
THE BAD
Starting pitcher Chris Tillman has been very good this season, but ran into trouble against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, allowing seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched. To Tillman’s credit, six of the seven Toronto runs came in one inning early on in the game, and he stuck around long enough for the Orioles to come back and give him a win, while sparing the bullpen. Simply put however, it’s hard to find many positives about an outing where a starter surrendered seven runs.
It’s been a roller coaster ride all season for closer Tommy Hunter, who appeared in only one game in the series, but made things interesting. Hunter entered the ninth inning of the second game of the series, getting the save as the team won 10-8, but loaded the bases with only one out before inducing a game-ending double play. Hunter has converted 6/7 saves this season, and has the second-most saves in the American League, but has a WHIP of 1.57, which makes it tough to be very confident moving forward.
Gold Glove shortstop JJ Hardy has had a rough start to 2014, dealing with injuries that have caused him to miss time, while also affecting his ability to hit effectively. Hardy went only 1/9 in the series, despite playing in the two games where the Orioles scored a combined 21 runs. Hardy is hitting only .231 on the year, with an OBP of .236, and has yet to hit a home run this season.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Orioles showed a lot of mettle in the series, especially in the second game, where despite losing the first game of the series and being behind by a score of 6-1 early, they remained calm and came all the way back to win 10-8. In the final game, down 3-0 early, they again came back, and eventually won in a blowout 11-4. The Orioles are over .500 again, and have revenge now on the Blue Jays for taking two out of three in Baltimore earlier this month,
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orioles return home tonight to host the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series. The pitching matchups are expected to be Yordano Ventura vs. Ubaldo Jimenez in game 1, followed by former Oriole Jeremy Guthrie vs Wei-Yin Chen in game 2, with the series finale slated to be James Shields vs. Miguel Gonzalez. The Royals are currently 10-11, one game under .500, and are tied for last in the AL Central.
