The Baltimore Orioles were hoping that starter Wade LeBlanc was going to go deep into last night’s games due to overusing the bullpen on Tuesday. Unfortunately LeBlanc only made it into the fourth inning. However that was the only disappointment on the night for the O’s. LeBlanc’s line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.
Philadelphia took the lead in the second on Knapp’s RBI-double. However an inning later the game was tied due to Anthony Santander‘s solo homer. But Philadelphia would get spotted two additional runs, giving them a 3-1 lead.
The Orioles’ mark appears to be sneaking up on people. Their rallies begin innocently, and before you know it they’re right back there in the game fighting. In the fourth the Birds did just that, putting a couple of runners on base. Then Chance Sisco‘s two-RBI single (he later took second on the throw) tied the game at three.
And an inning later the O’s had the lead. And for good. Rio Ruiz‘s solo homer in the fifth took care of that. For good measure in the seventh, Sisco would homer in the seventh – another solo shot. Philadelphia would push another run across in the eighth, but the sum of the parts equals an Oriole victory.
Keep in mind, there are people out there who predicted that the Orioles would only win 15-20 games. Heck, the only prediction I was willing to give at the beginning was that they wouldn’t finish in last place. I’m standing b my that prediction as of now, incidentally.
But the O’s have defied predictions – THUS FAR. Philadelphia on the other hand was expected to potentially contend. Fans or no fans in the stands, it can’t sit right with their fans to be getting shown the door by a team like the Orioles, who wasn’t expected to make any noise. The O’s have taken the first two games of the three-game set. And their confidence appears to be at a high. They’re putting the rest of the league on notice.
The series concludes this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Thomas Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by former Oriole Jake Arrieta. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 