Baltimore Orioles’ starter Wade LeBlanc struggled last night against Toronto. He couldn’t fully locate his pitches, and Toronto hitters turned on them the second time through the order. LeBlanc’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
But the good news for the O’s is that they had Anthony Santander on their side. He smacked a two-run homer in the last of the first to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. However in the top of the third Grichuk’s two-run homer tied the game back up at two.
But Santander wasn’t going to be outdone. In the third he took the lead back with his second homer of the game, this a solo shot. However Santander continues to put the league on notice that he’s quickly turning into a big time slugger. And the Orioles couldn’t be happier about that.
However Toronto would put five runs on the board in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with nobody out (chasing LeBlanc), and didn’t really look back. Five-run innings are tough to come back from. But the Birds would certainly try.
They got a two-run homer from Chance Sisco in the last of the fifth. That ran the score to 7-5, as the Birds inched their way back into the game. Renato Nunez would later add on a sac fly-RBI. That brought the Birds to within 7-6.
Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-single in the seventh tied the game at seven. And following that, to extra innings we went. However the O’s couldn’t sustain the momentum in the tenth. Gurriel reaches base on a fielder’s choice, allowing a run to score from third. And the O’s fell, 8-7.
Even in a losing effort we do see the Orioles’ knack for coming back. And as I said above, Anthony Santander is putting the entire league on notice that he’s arriving on the scene. That’s perhaps the biggest takeaway out of everything in terms of the Orioles’ start to the season. They may well have a bona fide slugger on their hands.
The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Tommy Milone gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Tanner Roark. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 