The Baltimore Orioles welcomed Manny Machado back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards this evening for the first time as a visitor. First and foremost, the fans at Camden Yards tonight did the Orioles and the city of Baltimore proud. The reaction to Manny when he came up to bat for the first time was incredibly positive. As opposed to coming across as jilted lovers full of sour grapes, Orioles fans conducted themselves with honor.
Jimmy Yacabonis was the Orioles’ “opener” this evening, unfortunately not with the results that the Birds would have wanted. Yacabonis’ line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K. The big culprit? Home runs.
However the O’s did briefly have the lead. Trey Mancini‘s RBI-single in the first inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. However Margot’s two-RBI single in the second put San Diego in the driver’s seat for good at 2-1.
Later in the inning Tatis smacked a two-run homer to drive the lead up to 4-1. One inning later Manny Machado came up for his second at-bat, and promptly deposited a ball into the San Diego bullpen. The O’s trailed 5-1.
And that right there is why I’m glad Orioles fans cheered for Manny. Had he been boo’d the way that Bryce Harper was in Washington, odds are Machado would have posed at home plate after hitting that home run. And are we to believe that the national media wouldn’t have eaten that up? And who would have been spun as the villain? Baltimore, and the Orioles fans.
Margot would smack a solo homer in the fourth, and Machado would add another run on an RBI-single. This after Dwight Smith Jr smacked an RBI-double in the third. It was almost a triple, however Smith came off the bag at third.
And it’s little details like that which are haunting the Orioles. That had the potential to be a big inning. However Smith coming off the bag at third ended that. You have to take advantage of opportunities you’re given. San Diego did. The Orioles did not.
The two teams swapped homers before the game ended, with the Orioles’ coming in the seventh off the bat of Richie Martin. However the homer parade killed the Orioles once again. San Diego hit four home runs in the game. They’ve got to stop these homers from happening, as they’re getting the Orioles way behind in games.
The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Matt Strahm. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.
Birdland Crush 