The Baltimore Orioles sent Bruce Zimmermann to the mound this afternoon at Fenway Park, and with not-so-hot results at that. Zimmermann struggled, giving up five homers to Boston hitters. Zimmermann’s line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
Zimmermann was pitching to contact this afternoon. And Boston hitters were looking to swing from the get-go. That can often be a bad combination from a pitcher’s perspective.
The Boston took a 2-0 lead on Dalbec’s two-run homer in the last of the second. Cordero added a solo shot later in the inning, and Devers a solo homer as well in the third. Tack on a two-run shot by Hernandez and a solo by Arroyo in the fourth, and Boston sent Zimmermann to the showers early with a 6-0 lead.
I would point out that every pitcher, especially young guys, is going to have a game like this here and there. Zimmermann wasn’t done any favors by having to pitch in Yankee Stadium AND at Fenway this week. But you have to dust yourself off and move onto the next start.
The Orioles did net a run in the fifth on Trey Mancini’s RBI-single. But Boston kept the pressure on; Vasquez smacked an RBI-double in the bottom of that fifth inning. Boston would then proceed to put up five runs in the last of the eighth, on the heels of several walks. Many of which came with the bases loaded.
Chris Owings would add an RBI-groundout to cut the final to 12-2. However this game was all Boston from the beginning. Even still, Trey Mancini had a great day at the plate. He had three hits, a walk, and an RBI. Bright spots may be few and far between in this game, but that’s definitely one of them.
For what it’s worth, this series was supposed to be a three-game set; the O’s originally had Memorial Day off. But MLB made yesterday a doubleheader and added a game tomorrow night (creating a five-game series) to make up games that weren’t played early in the season due to the lockout. In case you were curious.
The weekend series in Boston concludes tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Rich Hill. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 