The Baltimore Orioles left Texas last night with a roster full of injured players. It’s almost unbelievable how many players were injured in this series. Short of the players not hustling, nothing could be done to prevent the injuries. As for the game David Hess did all he could to put the Orioles on a spot to win the game. But with so many players out, it was tough. Hess’ line: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R (3 earned), 1 BB, 2 K.
Trey Mancini gave the O’s the lead early with a solo homer in the first inning. However one inning later Pence tied it with a solo shot of his own. Guzman’s RBI-single later in the inning gave Texas a 2-1 lead. Then in the middle of the fourth, we had a 13-minute rain delay. For what amounted to a cloud burst over the ballpark. That happens in Texas.
Stevie Wilkerson‘s RBI-single in the fifth would briefly tie the game at two. However Texas took the lead right back in the sixth. They got an RBI-single from DeShields, who took third on a Chris Davis error in right field. He would later score on Santana’s sac fly-RBI.
Davis of course was playing right field because Trey Mancini was DHing…because he was also nic’d up a bit. And it goes on. Davis would get a run back for the O’s with a sixth-inning RBI-double, however it was too little too late to salvage the game and the O’s dropped the series finale 4-3.
The Orioles also lost Dwight Smith Jr. for awhile as he crashed into the wall in left field running down a ball. He did make the out (the final out in the fourth inning), but he hit hard. If there’s one thing the O’s didn’t need in this game it was someone else sustaining an injury. Smith is in concussion protocol, and he also banged up his shoulder. It’s unclear if he’ll have to go to the IL, however odds are we won’t see him for awhile.
So that’s four players who were injured in this series. Five if you count Mancini, who was still able to act as the DH. The Orioles May end up having to send Smith or others to the IL just to open up roster spots to guys who could actually play. So today could be a busy day for the Orioles on the roster front.
The Birds now head to Houston for a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Gabriel Ynoa gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.
Birdland Crush 