Baltimore Orioles clipped by Washington

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t quite get out of Ty Blach what they’ve seen out of other starters to this point in the spring today. Blach got knocked around a bit by the defending champion Washington Nationals, putting the O’s in an early hole. Blach’s line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

Luckily the Orioles haven’t had many days of sketchy pitching this spring. This was bound to happen at some point, as you can’t just ride a wave forever. Even the best of teams can’t do that.

The O’s actually got on the board first in the game on Chris Davis‘ sac fly-RBI. However the bottom of that third inning saw Washington put up five runs. Almost out of nowhere. That’s why they’re the defending champions.

But there’s always a silver lining. The Orioles battled back. Pedro Severino‘s RBI-triple in the fourth inning cut the Washington lead to 5-2. Mason Williams also added an RBI-single, cutting the lead to 5-3.

And that was where the score stood for the remainder of the afternoon. This snapped a six-game streak during which the Orioles didn’t lose a game – dating back to last Tuesday. However fans shouldn’t fret about that – they really shouldn’t. Just like they shouldn’t think too hard about the fact that the Birds won five straight (plus one tie). Results are meaningless here in spring training.

Incidentally, Oriole pitching did improve. Nobody scored in the game after the fourth inning. While that’s somewhat reflective on Blach, pitchers can certainly reach dead arm periods here during the spring. Furthermore the law of averages says that the Orioles were due for a performance like this.

Tomorrow the Orioles head just north to Jupiter to take on the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Wade LeBlanc gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Caleb Smith. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.