It doesn’t begin to pay Kansas Coty back for the 2015 ALCS, but the Baltimore Orioles walloped Kansas City this evening to take two-of-three. The Birds got a decent start for the second in as many games, this evening out of Aaron Brooks. Brooks’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the O’s put up some wayward – or caddywampus – numbers. I thought that perhaps this past Sunday in Boston was going to be a game like this, however Boston came back and beat the Orioles handily. But Kansas City aren’t the BoSox. And this wasn’t Fenway Park.
Jonathan Villar got the party started in the second inning with a two-rum homer. Stevie Wilkerson would add an RBI-double later in the inning, and the O’s led 3-0. They jumped out to a lead, and never looked back.
Kansas City did however make a slight motion to get back into the game. Merrifield smacked a solo homer in the third inning. However that would be as far as they’d get. While Kansas City takes it’s team name from a color, the true colors of this game and this series were orange and black.
The Orioles would net back-to-back homers in the last of the fifth, which in effect blew the game wide open. Anthony Santander smacked a two-run shot, and Renato Nunez a solo homer. The Orioles at that point led 5-1.
And they also put out a few add-on runs. Probably unnecessary with the way this game ebbed and flowed, but always nice to have. And in fact with how this season’s gone for the Orioles, you can never have enough runs. Hanser Alberto hit a three-run homer in the sixth, and the Birds went into win by the score of 8-1.
The add-on runs are a good sign. As is the fact that the Orioles continued the momentum gained from the previous game. In fact, Jonathan Villar hit the walk off homer last night, and picked right up where he left off this evening. He of course hit the first home run in this game. Again, these are all good signs.
The Orioles will now open up a four-game set with Tampa at Camden Yards. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Ryan Yarbrough. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 