Albert Suarez got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in Ft. Myers, Fl against Boston. Suarez has been one of many strong points for the Birds this spring, and him getting a start this late in the Grapefruit League season makes one wonder if he’s not under serious consideration for a roster spot. More realistically, he’s probably slated for triple-A as roster depth. But I digress. Suarez’s line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Boston took a 1-0 lead in the last of the second on an RBI-single by Abreu. However whether or not that run should have scored is another story. Rafaela had smacked a two-out double, sliding into second on a close play. It was a close call for sure, but the call was safe, with no shot at replay in the spring.
MASN analyst Dave Johnson made a really great point. Orioles’ second baseman Kolton Wong appeared to apply the tag, and then feinted like he was going to tag the runner after the fact. The throw beat the runner, who may well have been out. But in feinting like he was going to tag the runner, he inadvertently told the umpire that he hadn’t tagged the runner the first time. Which could have played into the runner being called safe.
It was a bang-bang play either way. However that’s the sort of thing that could cost you a game in the regular season. Honestly, my personal opinion was that the runner was out. But in a regular season game, would there have been enough evidence to overturn the call on the field? Probably not. It’s little things like that which can make a difference.
The Orioles advanced Michael Perez into scoring position in the sixth, and he would score on an errant pickoff attempt. An inning later the Birds would take a short-lived 2-1 lead on an RBI-double by Ryan McKenna. However Boston would put two across in the last of the seventh, giving them a 3-2 win over the O’s this evening.
The Orioles return to Sarasota tomorrow night to take on Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Jared Jones. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.
Birdland Crush 