First and foremost, the Baltimore Orioles ran into some good pitching tonight. John Means set the tone for a good game for the Birds, and as we know it all begins and ends with starting pitching. Means’ line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K.
The Birds got the lead early on in the last of the first. Renato Nunez‘s RBI-single gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Detroit would tie the game at one on Castallanos’ RBI-double.
Maybe the Orioles’ luck would have been different had they scored multiple runs in various innings. Instead, they piecemeal’d a lead together over the course of the game. And that cost them.
But the Orioles took the lead right back. Keon Broxton‘s solo homer put them back in the driver’s seat at 2-1. Broxton of course homered on the first pitch he saw as an Oriole last Friday night at Coors Field. This was his first homer at Camden Yards. I suspect the home fans like him so far.
However it was two home runs that set Detroit apart in this game. Hicks’ solo shot in the eighth tied the game at two, and Dixon’s two-run shot in the ninth gave them the lead at 4-2. A lead that would hold up as the final score.
Again, the O’s got good starting pitching tonight from John Means. However it wasn’t enough. It.’a supposed to be, but it wasn’t. But that can happen when you leave yourself no margin for error.
By that, I mean that the Birds couldn’t even extend their lead. When you have no margin for error and you ultimately make a mistake on the mound, it isn’t going to end well. That’s why add-on or insurance runs aren’t bad things. They leave you a margin for error, which the Orioles didn’t have tonight.
Birdland Crush 