Spencer Watkins set the Baltimore Orioles up to win this evening against New York. While he only pitched four innings, he put the team in a position to win the game. And as I’ve said many times, that’s all you can ask of a starting pitcher. Watkins line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 K.
Watkins gave up an RBI-double to Judge in the first. But one inning later Ramon Urias’ solo homer tied it up at one. However Judge would come up again in the third, and smack a solo homer of his own, giving New York a 2-1 lead.
Urias would reach on an error in the last of the fourth, and Trey Mancini would score which tied the game back up at two. Not that it matters too much, but it’s worth mentioning the scoring on this play. Mancini was going to score from third on the ground out as it was. Urias only reached because of an error. But since the run technically was earned, Urias does get credited with an RBI.
The Birds would take a brief lead later in that fourth inning on Tyler Nevin’s sac fly-RBI. But that lead was short lived – Judge would tie it up in the fifth with a solo homer. LeMahieu would drive in a run with a ground out in the sixth, giving New York a 4-3 lead. Torres would reach on an error an inning later, scoring a run and extending New York’s lead to 5-3.
The Birds would threaten in the ninth after Ryan McKenna’s RBI-double, putting the winning run in scoring position. But Cedric Mullins popped out to end the game. And NY took game two, 5-4.
The go-ahead run driven in by LeMahieu? It came with the bases loaded. And they were loaded due in part to both a walk and a hit batsman. We’ve always heard that nothing good happens after a walk. The same can be true of a hit batsman. Both acts give the offensive team a free base runner. And New York took full advantage.
And given that the Birds ended up losing by one, those aspects of the game did the O’s in. If not for those base runners, all things being equal we’re in extra’s. You have to limit those sorts of mistakes in games. Especially against a team like New York.
One positive for the O’s was that they called up pitcher Logan Gillespie before the game. He made his major league debut, pitching both the eighth and ninth innings. And he looked pretty good. He gave up three hits abs struck a batter out – his first major league strikeout. Unfortunately for the O’s however, New York’s bullpen was better down the stretch. But still a very good debut for Gillaspie.
The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerrit Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 