A bit of a disjointed performance for Baltimore Orioles’ starter Zach Eflin. Eflin left several runners on base when he was lifted in the third, and those runners came into score. Yet Eflin came back and pitched in the fourth – a courtesy given to teams in the spring. Eflin’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 earned), 2 BB, 4 K.
The O’s started off in a positive manner. Ramon Laureano’s solo homer in the last of the second gave them a 1-0 lead. However if runs count for anything in the spring (which incidentally they don’t), that was the end of the competitive part of the game for the Birds today.
Philadelphia would tie the game on an RBI-double by Turner. Eflin would be lifted with the bases loaded, and Sosa’s bases-clearing double gave Philadelphia a 4-1 lead. Clemens would follow down the line with a two-RBI double. And the Birds were in a 6-1 hole.
Especially when you’re dealing with reserves going in and out of the game, that’s a tough hole out of which to dig. The O’s couldn’t do that, but we did see a great play by prospect Vance Honeycut in the sixth inning. With two runners on the Orioles should have surrendered another run on a single by Rojas. However Honeycut fired a strike to the plate, gunning down the runner.
Marachan’s RBI-single in the fifth extended the lead to 7-1. And Philadelphia would put up an additional five runs in the eighth inning to close out the scoring on the Orioles’ 12-1 loss. Especially coming off of 15-5 yesterday in Bradenton, that seems like a problem. But it had its benefit.
Jorge Mateo started at shortstop today for the O’s. Of course, he hasn’t been in the lineup since last July when he got hurt in Miami. He went 0-for-2 in the game with a strikeout, but his mere presence should give Orioles’ fans hope.
Whether he, along with Gunnar Henderson among others, is ready to go on Opening Day remains to be seen. It really boils down to at-bats and reps in the field. But the fact that he’s getting there and is able to play is meaningful.
The Orioles head to Fort Myers tomorrow to take on Boston at JetBlue Park. Randy Contreras gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Tanner Houck, Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 