Baltimore Orioles’ starter Tommy Milone pitched the Birds to a quality start this afternoon. Mind you, that’s classified as six innings plus of three earned runs or less surrendered. And in fact the way that Milone pitched sized up to being classified as a quality start. Milone’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K.
The O’s were trailing as of the second inning when Grichuk smacked a solo homer. The guy literally couldn’t NOT hit any offering by an Orioles’ pitcher in this series. If they threw it, he hit it. And it generally went out of the ballpark. He single-handedly killed the O’s.
However Dwight Smith Jr.‘s run-scoring single in the fourth tied the game at one. The Toronto outfield mishandled the ball, allowing the run to score. That also allowed Smith to get to third base – on an error. The Birds would take the lead later in the inning on Pat Valaika‘s run-scoring single.
But with the aforementioned Grichuk in the Toronto lineup, no Oriole lead appeared to be safe. And that goes for the entire series, not just today’s game. But in the top of the sixth Grichuk hit his second homer of the game, this one of the two-run variety. That gave Toronto a 3-2 lead. Just to show he wasn’t kidding, Grichuk made a run at home run number three on the day in the eighth inning. But Dwight Smith Jr. was having none of that, and it fell safely into his glove. Toronto would later add two insurance runs, and take the game 5-2.
This wasn’t as bad a series for the O’s as one might think given the fact that they were swept. They weren’t far off in the games. Toronto had a lot of things bounce their way. And that’s how it goes sometimes in sports.
Incidentally, the Orioles have traditionally struggled against Toronto. They’re just a franchise that’s had the Orioles’ number for some reason. I can’t tell you why, they just always seem to find a way against the O’s. Grichuk’s antics this series is only the latest example.
The Boston Red Sox come to town tomorrow night for a four-game set at Camden Yards. Asher Wojciechowski gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 