It didn’t matter who was pitching or what they were throwing for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. Pittsburgh hitters were putting wood on the ball. John Means had a scoreless first inning before the donnybrook began. Means’ line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.
Means allowed the first run in the second after loading the bases – the run came on a wild pitch. Oliva’s RBI-single and Frazier’s RBI-double later in the inning would run the score to 3-0. And the rout was on.
Pittsburgh opened the last of the third with a two-RBI double by Newman. Evans and Bae would add RBI-singles in the fourth, and Fowler would clear the bases with a double. Before you could blink, the Birds trailed 10-0.
The O’s would get on the board in the top of the fifth. Cedric Mullins‘ RBI-single would cut the Pittsburgh lead to 10-1. Before all was said and done, the Birds had surrendered three more runs. They fell 13-1 on this day.
Games like this happen in baseball, as we know. It was just one of those games where literally everything went the other way. It happens. Eventually the Birds will be on the other end of a game like this.
The Orioles are off tomorrow, one of their two off days this spring. With the exception of a few pitchers who are coming in to throw, the players are expected to to away from Ed Smith Stadium. And I think that’s a good thing.
Birdland Crush 