Baltimore Orioles’ starter Wade LeBlanc surrendered the lead to Miami this evening on the first pitch. Former Oriole Villar smacked a first pitch homer. It would act as a harbinger, as the O’s fell and were swept in four games by Miami. LeBlanc’s line: 3.1 IP, 7 H 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
However Renato Nunez brought the Birds right back in the second by tying the game with a solo homer of his own, only to have Miami take the lead again with a sac fly-RBI in the bottom of the inning. But Anthony Santander followed Nunez’s example of tying the game – an inning later in the third with an RBI-triple.
The O’s held a brief lead later on in the third when Dwight Smith Jr. drove a run in with. A sac fly-RBI. But Miami would come right back, and put two runs on the board to take the lead back in the last of the third. But again, the O’s weren’t down for long. Chance Sisco‘s solo homer tied the game right back up at four.
Miami tried to pull away, putting two runs of their own on the board in that fourth inning. But again the O’s battled back, netting solo homers from Renato Nunez and Dwight Smith Jr. However Miami put two across in the seventh and stayed off a late Orioles’ rally to win the game 8-7 despite the Birds putting one across in the ninth.
Despite the loss, fans should take heart that Oriole bats came alive tonight. The longer you go into a team slump at the plate, the harder it is. Now the losing streak itself is another story. But we know that at least now as the O’s hit the road, they do so with their bats having corrected themselves.
Tomorrow the O’s head down to D.C. for the first of three against Washington at Nationals Park. Tommy Milone gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s TBD. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.
Birdland Crush 