Baltimore Orioles’ starter Jorge Lopez never looked comfortable in this afternoon’s game. Manager Brandon Hyde and the medical staff came out to check on Lopez early in the first inning when his velocities were down, and he loaded the bases with nobody out. Lopez convinced Hyde that he was fine and to leave him in, however his struggles continued. Finally after the second inning, he was replaced. Lopez’s line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K.
As I said, Lopez loaded the bases before he was able to record an out. He eventually walked Meadows, which gave Tampa a 1-0 lead. Choi would ground into a double-play which scored a second run, but also gave the Orioles and Lopez two outs.
And in that situation in general you’ll take that. 2-0 early in the game isn’t anything, so you’ll trade an additional run for two outs. The issue of course is that these are the Tampa Rays. They don’t just fall apart in games. They cause you to do that.
Lowe would smack a two-run homer against Lopez in the last of the second, and the O’s trailed 2-0. Two innings later it was another walk with the bases loaded, and a two-RBI single by Choi. That gave Tamp a 7-0 lead. And they never looked back.
Richie Martin‘s RBI-single in the fifth, and Ramon Urias’ solo homer in the ninth would give the Orioles their nominal runs for the day. However the concern isn’t that this was their 15th straight loss, or that they can’t seem to find anything to go right for them in games. The concern right now is for Jorge Lopez. I would assume that Brandon Hyde will update the media of anything regarding Lopez’s health in short order. But he didn’t look comfortable on the mound today, and his velocity was down.
The O’s head home now to open a three-game set with Atlanta at Camden Yards. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 