Tomoyuki Sugano was lackluster for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Despite being gifted a three-run lead before even taking the field, he couldn’t hold it. He just couldn’t find the strike zone and had little command. Sugano’s line: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 earned), 4 BB, 4 K.
As I said, Sugano had the lead before he stepped on the field at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the first inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Ramon Laureano added a two-RBI single before the inning ended, and the O’s led 3-0.
But Sugano gave the lead right back. Ramirez’s three-run home run tied the game back up at three in the last of the first. And Laureano would come back up to bat in the third. And he would smack a two-run home run, giving the Birds a 5-3 lead.
But Cleveland would net a run in the fourth, and Naylor would tie the game at five in the fifth with a solo home run. They would take the lead in the sixth on a solo home run by Manzardo. On top of that, Cleveland would walk in two runs in the seventh. This just before Rocchio smacked a two-RBI single, securing Cleveland’s 10-5 win.
As I said, Cleveland walked in two runs in the seventh. In both cases the hitters sat back and waited for the Oriole reliever to throw a pitch out of the strike zone. It was almost as if they knew the Orioles weren’t going to “give in,”
On the flip side, several previously hard-throwing relievers on Cleveland’s side were throwing soft fastballs and getting strikes – some called and others swinging. It seems that Cleveland was thinking backwards. They knew the analytics said this. So they did that. That’s the danger in relying so heavily on analytics.
The series continues tomorrow night at Progressive Field. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Joey Cantillo. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 