What a way to kick off the season! The Baltimore Orioles have started their 2016 campaign in excellent form after sweeping the visiting Minnesota Twins in the inaugural series of the season, and as a result stand atop the AL East in the early goings with their perfect record.
After Matt Wieters‘ walk-off RBI single in the delay-ridden season opener sent the Orioles’ loyal (and probably frozen) fans home with a 3-2 win, the O’s followed suit with a decisive 4-2 win on Wednesday. They busted out the brooms on Thursday night, scoring four unanswered runs to hammer out another 4-2 victory against the visitors from the Twin Cities.
Next, the O’s take on an AL East rival in the form of the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game home stand before shipping up to Boston for the first road trip of the season. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the opening series notebook:
– Ladies and Gentleman, Joey Rickard!!!!
After a stellar spring earned the Sin City native a spot on the opening day roster, the 24-year-old hit the ground running on the big stage against the Twins. Rickard was undoubtedly the catalyst of the opening series sweep after recording his first career hit on his debut in the opener and his first career RBI the following night, and then capped it off with his first career homer (and his first curtain call at OPACY) in the series finale. Incredible. And he gets to follow this up by facing his former club next series. Perfect. Give ’em hell, Joey!
– I’m still kind of bitter about the delayed opener, because Chris Tillman may have had a shot at doing something special that night if the weather didn’t force him out of the game. I’m dead serious, he was that locked in after striking out five in a row over the first two innings.
The Orioles desperately need Tillman to pitch like that all season long and if he does, no one will question whether he’s an ace or not anymore.
– Ubaldo Jimenez was awesome Thursday night, allowing just one run on eight hits over seven innings while racking up nine strikeouts and zero walks in a winning effort. If Jimenez can provide that kind of stability on at least most nights he takes the mound, it will be huge for the O’s in 2016. The same goes for Yovani Gallardo, who also pitched a solid five innings of one-run ball en route to a W in his Orioles debut on Wednesday night.
– Zach Britton and Darren O’Day are too filthy…but we knew that already. Just three hits in five scoreless innings to go along with nine strikeouts, two saves, and a win between the lockdown duo in the opening series of 2016. Business as usual.
– Chris Davis, 421 feet to center at OPACY. What’s new, scooby doo?
– Mark Trumbo and Rickard have both opened the season with five hits in their first eleven at-bats of the year. Welcome to Camden guys! And well played as always, Dan Duquette…you are the man! But again, we already knew that!
– You can exhale, Birdland. AJ’s oblique injury doesn’t seem to be too serious. Let’s just hope it doesn’t linger going forward…
– Speaking of injuries, please stay healthy this season, Jonathan Schoop. Three hits, two doubles and two ribby’s in three games. Not bad sir, not bad at all.
– About those injuries…the past is the past guys! Here’s to a solid season debut from Dylan Bundy, and cheers to a bright future for #37.
That’s it for now, keep pounding O’s…and welcome back! Next, bring on the Rays!(but seriously, can we get some baseball weather? Is that too much to ask for?!)
