The Baltimore Orioles found themselves sending Kyle Bradish to the mound in this evening’s series opener in Frostbite Falls – Detroit, that is. Bradish wasn’t at his best, although he never trailed in the game. Bradish’s line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K.
As the game began and our hero’s settled in, the O’s took an early lead. Taylor Ward’s first inning RBI-groundout gave them an early 1-0 lead. Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI-groundout an inning later, followed by Dylan Beavers’ RBI-single. And the O’s led 3-0.
Detroit’s McKinstry would lead off the home half of the second with a triple. The ball bounced in front of Leody Taveras, and the run later scored on on Lee’s sac fly-RBI. Needless to say, that’s about as good of an outcome as you could have hoped for.
But the O’s would get that run back on Coby Mayo’s RBI-single in the third. Detroit would net two in the fourth, cutting the lead to 4-3. It was almost like the game was hanging in the balance.
But the O’s were having none of a comeback for Detroit. Like Rocky & Bullwinkle shut down Boris & Natasha however, the Birds put a stop to Detroit’s aspirations of winning today. Leody Taveras’ solo home run in the fifth, followed by a two-run homer by Coby Mayo. However Detroit would put two back on the board in the fifth, et the O’s managed to hold the lead at 7-5.
Of all people, it was Tyler O’Neill who put the exclamation point on the night. His solo home run in the seventh extended the lead to 8-5. But the game for once wasn’t the entertainment.
That fell to the black squirrel who worked its way onto the field. That squirrel had to have touched every blade of grass on the field. Not to mention running on the infield dirt. Hoke plate umpire Bill Miller had the Detroit grounds crew (with an assist from Leody Taveras) remove the squirrel during a time out, Miller then got on the mic and personally thanked the grounds crew. Crazy; the squirrel was later removed.
The series continues tomorrow night at Comerica Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Troy Melcom. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 