Austin Voth wasn’t perfect in his outing last night for the Baltimore Orioles against Tampa at Camden Yards. But he pitched around situations, and put the Birds in a spot to win. Voth’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K.
The Orioles threatened in the second, loading the bases with nobody out. But while they only pushed one run across in that sequence, at least they scored one. It was more than the day before against New York. And it came on a sac fly-RBI by Rougned Odor.
However Tampa reminded the Orioles why it was important to bank runs as much as they could. In short, one run wasn’t going to be enough. Lowe smacked a solo homer in the top of the third, tying the game at one.
The Birds put traffic back on the base paths in the fifth. And they were able to push more across this time. Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-RBI single, and the O’s seized the lead back at 3-1.
Later in the inning Anthony Santander reached on a fielder’s choice and an error, forcing another run across. Austin Hays would tack on a sacrifice fly, giving the Orioles a 5-1 lead. Which turned into a 5-1 win, thanks to the Orioles’ bullpen being so strong. At 3.09, the Orioles have the third-best bullpen in the major leagues in terms of ERA. That’s a huge tool.
The series continues tonight at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Shane Mclanahan. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 