Baltimore Orioles’ all-star starter John Means has a rough outing this afternoon in the series finale in Arizona. Now in fairness the Birds did have the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning. But should of, could of, would’ve in a sense. Means’ line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.
The best news out of the game for the Orioles is that Anthony Santander stayed hot. The O’s took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on his solo homer. Now some folks will point out that Santander’s ball barely cleared the wall in center. However the distance is 413 feet from home plate. That’s all you need to hit it out. Santander got those 413 feet.
Santander’s currently hitting .299, and he’s staying hot. That’s really good news for the O’s. Now they’re starting to see what they have as an organization, and while the early returns may not have been great, things are looking up.
However the last of that fourth inning brought tough times for Means. He walked a batter and surrendered a base hit. He then proceeded to give up a three-run homer to Kelly, giving Arizona a 3-1 lead.
The O’s would get a sixth inning solo homer from Trey Mancini, who’s also remaining hot at the plate after breaking out of a slump last weekend. We’re starting to see the Orioles having the ability to put runs on the board, which is a good sign.
However Arizona tacked on two insurance runs, including a bases-loaded walk in the last of the seventh. The O’s would put the first two runners on base in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate. However following a pitching change, Arizona would record three quick outs and take the finale. The O’s dropped two-of-three in Arizona, however we did in fact see some promising signs.
The O’s now head to Angel Stadium in Anaheim for a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Tom Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and Anaheim is still yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 10 PM tomorrow night.
Birdland Crush 