The Baltimore Orioles took it to Tampa up in Baltimore when the sides squared off. And that trend continued tonight at Tropicana Field, in yet another solid start by Kyle Bradish. Over the years Tampa’s been a massive thorn in the Birds’ side. But this year it seems that the roles are reversed. No matter what Tampa’s thrown out there, the O’s have had an answer. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K.
The way you beat team such as Tampa is you get ahead quickly. Before Tampa knew what hit him, they trailed in the game. Gunnar Henderson hit a double on the first pitch of the ballgame. Before anyone knew it, he had scored on Anthony Santander’s RBI-single. Down the line a bit in the inning (following Austin Hays getting on base), Aaron Hicks continued his “comeback tour” with the O’s, smacking a three-run homer.
It’s tough to come back if you’re Tampa and dealing with a starter as good as Bradish, and he has a 4-0 lead before even taking the field. Again, that’s the best way to beat this team – get the lead early. And then extend it, because you know they’re too good to be held down for long.
And the Birds did just that. Anthony Santander continued the assault in the second with a two-run homer. The O’s took a couple of innings off from scoring, before Ryan O’Hearn’s solo shot in the fifth, which gave the Orioles a 7-0 lead. However that fifth inning was a key moment, as Tampa would get on the board. They got an RBI-double by Mejia, and an RBI-single by Franco. The latter of those was a bloop hit. In other words, Tampa wasn’t exactly squaring up Oriole pitches.
They’d get four more in the last of the sixth. And again, the almost frustrating part is that some of their hits were soft bloopers. It’s almost as if they do less and get more. It’s part of what makes Tampa such a tough team.
The Birds would bet an insurance run in the eighth on Aaron Hick’s RBI-single. And that more than anything else might have been a huge thing. It gave the Orioles and closer Felix Bautista, some breathing room. Bautista shut Tampa down in the ninth, and the Birds wom the game.
This short series concludes tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Taj Bradley. Game time is set for just after noon.
Birdland Crush 