The Baltimore Orioles of course came into the Oakland Coliseum last night fresh off two losses in San Diego. And they’re playing perhaps the worst team in the league; starter Kyle Gibson was taxed with steadying the ship a bit. And while he had a slip up or two, he did just that. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 6 K.
Make no mistake that this isn’t an easy series for the O’s. It’s akin when a quarterback has a WIDE OPEN receiver deep for a touchdown. In theory that’s the easiest throw to make – but the opposite is actually true; because it looks so easy, it’s actually very hard. Because this is a series that on paper the O’s should win (probably sweep).
And the Birds got after it early. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single in the first inning gave them a 1-0 lead. Cedric Mullins tacked on a two-RBI double, and the O’s extended their lead to 3-0.
However the first and second innings would bring RBI-doubles by Oakland. Gibson had to pitch around a couple of hiccups so to speak. But he did. Sandwhiched inside those RBI-doubles however was Gunnar Henderson. He smacked a three-run homer that went so far it may have landed in San Francisco Bay. Maybe the Pacific. And the Orioles led 5-2 after two innings.
We heard from the O’s again in the fourth when Jordan Westburg tacked on a sac fly-RBI. Followed by Gunnar Henderson again, this time with a mere RBI-single. Westburg would later add an RBI-single of his own in the fifth, along with an RBI-double by Adam Frazier.
Oakland would tack on two nominal runs before Gibson departed after five. And the Birds took game one of this series by the bay, 9-4. Again, this is a game in a series that the Orioles should have won. And you get no kudos for doing what you’re supposed to do. But you get a lot of scorn if you’re unable to do so.
The series continues tonight at the Oakland Coliseum. Cole Irvin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk. Game time is set for just after 9 PM.
Birdland Crush 