BALTIMORE, Maryland May 16, 2014 - They had lost four straight, and questions were raised about whether the team, comprised the way it was, could be competitive in the gritty American League East. All the while the Orioles remained in first place in the East. Imagine what would have been said if they were in second place, or, heaven forbid, third place. And as strange as it seems, every loss they suffered during that four game slide occurred at Camden Yards. Last night, when they left town and played in Kansas City, the losing streak ended. It may well be that the Orioles switched closers beginning last night. Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. The pitching was superb. Really superb. Orioles 2, Royals 1.
Every team in the AL East is having trouble at home. Every single one. The Birds and Yankees are 9-10 at home, the Jays and Red Sox are both 10-11, and Tampa Bay is a dismal 8-12 at the Trop. Go Figure. The four straight losses included the finale of the Astro Series, a series in which the Orioles won the first two, and all three games against the Tigers. The impression I got from that series is that the Tigers will tough to beat come October. They are tough to beat now, what with their record of 24-12. The only teams anywhere close to the Tigers are the other two divisional leaders - the Orioles and Athletics - and neither of them are that close. The Detroit starting rotation is the best in the American League and their batting order is a modern day 'Murderers Row." Their only possible weakness is their bullpen, and you have to get into the bullpen to even begin thinking about it being weak.
The Orioles won last night because Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer and a bevy of Oriole pitchers were virtually untouchable. Wei-Yin Chen went five and one-third, giving up the Royal run and seven hits. He walked only one, and his control paled in comparison to the five guys that followed. Not one of them gave up even one walk. Chen is now 5-2. When Chen left, the last chance the Royals had of winning the game went with him, because of the four pitchers that followed, not one of them gave up even a hit or a walk, much less a run. Darren O'Day got the last two outs for Chen in the sixth, and then he pitched the seventh. Troy Patton pitched to the leadoff hitter for the Royals in the eighth, and struck him out. Ryan Webb then retired the other two Royals to bat in the eighth. Buck Showalter had told the media that he wasn't sure who he was going to use as a closer; he might use Tommy Hunter, who has been the closer and leads the league in saves, was one possibility that Showalter mentioned. Darren O'Day was another. He came in to save a game against the Astros Saturday night. The third possibility was Zach Britton. Britton has been the prospect with tons of talent who never was quite on regularly enough to become a fixture in the rotation. He has been up and back between the Orioles and Norfolk for two or three years, now. This spring, however, he had some kind of epiphany with the new Oriole bullpen coach Dom Chiti and pitching coach Dave Wallace. They talked Britton into pitching, uh, well, more often. Britton had a tendency, especially with men on base, to stand around on the mound thinking about things. There was no rhythmn, no oonsistency and no groove. Pitch quicker, Chiti said, and make your ball sink. For whatever reason, Britton bought into it and has been a new man ever since. Showalter, to his credit, noticed the change in spring training and put Britton on the 25 man roster to start the season. He quickly became the set-up man. Now, he is on the verge of becoming the closer. Last night was the first time in his career he had been brought into a game in the ninth inning in a save situation. All he did is mow down the Royals in 1-2-3 order, throwing a grand total of 12 pitches. It looked better live than it does on paper, and it looks really good on paper. The Orioles needed to win to stay ahead of the Yankees, who won their second straight game. These are the standings right now:
American League East Up-to-the-Minute
1. Baltimore Orioles: 22 wins, 18 losses, .550 pct
2. New York Yankees: 21 wins, 19 losses, .525 pct, 1 game behind
3. Toronto Blue Jays: 22 wins, 21 losses, .512 pct, 1.5 games behind
4. Boston Red Sox: 20 wins, 21 losses, .488 pct, 2.5 games behind
5. Tampa Bay Rays: 19 wins, 24 losses, .442 pct, 4.5 games behind
American League East Games for Friday, May 16, 2014
Baltimore Orioles 4, Kansas City Royals 0, Final. Chris Tillman fired a complete game five hit shut out and Nelson Cruz knocked in two runs with a single and sacrifice fly; Chris Davis hit a long home run and Steve Clevenger knocked in a run with a fielder's choice grounder. as the Orioles beat Kansas City, 4-0.
Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Yankees, postponed due to rain
Detroit Tigers 1, Boston Red Sox 0, Final
Toronto Blue Jays 2, Texas Rangers 0, Final
Tampa Bay Rays 3, Los Angeles Angels 0, Final
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