Well it was a rough start to a short road trip. Pulling a few games out by the skin of their teeth, first in Boston for some dramatic magic (but not a sweep) and then moving to the Bronx for what could have been a disaster after Friday’s events, the O’s nonetheless have a chance for a 4-2 trip.
Starting in Boston they took two out of three. It was a dramatic comeback win in game two and a decisive win to take the series before heading to the Bronx for a three-game set. Game one was a hard fought game with some great improvements by Gonzo, who gutted out six innings, allowing five hits and three runs (two earned) keeping pace with the likes of C.C. Sabathia.
So the Orioles proved that even the fourth guy in their rotation can keep up with the likes of a true ace of the Yankees. Then we put Hammy on the mound Saturday, who put out the exact same line (with better results).
Tonight we get the O’s first game in the national spotlight in quite a while – this is their first Sunday Night Baseball game since 2008. Everyone will be tuning in to see a rematch of last year’s ALDS. The O’s hope to win the rubber match this time around.
The Birds are starting to get some unexpected allies in the talking head department. Next week, they will have the FOX game of the week this coming Saturday against the Dodgers.
Let’s hope that doesn’t change the way they approach the game and that they keep that chip on their shoulder.
Sitting just a half game back in the division, the O’s will have an uphill battle to take sole possession of first. Though it’s far from a foregone conclusion, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility. The Red Sox will hang in there and hopefully fade, but if the O’s stick to what they know and are good at, (the basics) they can move up a game on the Yanks tonight. The Sox beat Tampa today, so the Birds need the victory to keep pace in the win column.
Tampa and Toronto will continue to do what they do and eke their way back in the running. Coming up the Birds have a chance to keep both squads down on the return home stand. The Orioles are holding their own and discovering their identity for this season. Some of what we have seen is great, some not so great. Mistakes and bad luck have cost them some games. This should even out as we progress into May and June.
Before the All Star break last year the Orioles were pretty bad in defensive statistics, rating in the lower half of the league. After the break it was a different story. We won’t have to wait till after the break this year to see them tighten their belts and play solid D. I doubt Buck will let things get too bad before making the moves needed to improve. We will see errors again, but that is baseball.
We still haven’t seen what kind of team this can really be. We still haven’t seen what Wada, Roberts, and Betemit can do to improve the team. The rope around Flaherty and Pierce will tighten if they don’t step up (though Flaherty has shown a sign of life in his bat with the home run off Hughes Saturday.)
There is lots of baseball left to play starting with kicking the Yankees’ butts on National TV. After that, the O’s get a day off before two series against the division and then a team that hasn’t seen Baltimore since the ’66 World Series.
It would be nice to send them back to LA in … “Would You Believe 3 Straight?”
