Matt Harvey became the second Baltimore Orioles’ starter in as many days to get a first inning lead against Washington. And he also became the second in as many days to give said lead up. Harvey’s line: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 earned), 1 BB, 6 K.
One thing that was different in this game as opposed to the other two in the series is that the O’s were aggressive early on. Granted they put up five runs yesterday, but they weren’t aggressive early in the count. Today they hit the ground running, and Trey Mancini’s RBI-single in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead.
The Birds would go onto get an RBI-single from Anthony Santander, and an RBI-double from Maikel Franco. Before Harvey took the mound, he led 3-0. However Washington immediately evened the score in the last of the first. He’ll smacked an RBI-single, and Schwarber a two-run homer.
Washington would take the lead later on in the inning on Avila’s RBI-double. But the good news is that the O’s never stopped playing. Franco’s sac fly-RBI in the third tied the score at four. However again, Washington came right back in the fourth with Turner’s sac fly-RBI to take a 5-4 lead.
Washington would get a sixth run in the fifth on a walk with the bases loaded, and Trey Mancini’s RBI-groundout would get the Birds to within one at 6-5. But that’s as close as they BBC like come, and they were swept in the series by Washington.
The real issue right now facing this team is pitching. Aside from Friday, Oriole bats were strong in this series. They may not have gotten clutch hits in clutch moments, but they put runs on the board. Certainly enough to win the final two games of the series.
But this was bound to happen with starters not going deep into games early in the season. The bullpen tired, and starters continually are throwing shorter outings. And they need to get this figured out soon. They don’t have an off day in sight anytime soon.
The O’s now move onto Target Field in Minnesota to open up a series tomorrow night. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Matt Shoemaker. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 