Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Orioles Pound Nationals for Second Straight Win; Burnley and Accrington Stanley Prep for Football League Cup Second Round Match

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Wednesday, August 23, 2016 - Media all over Baltimore led their sports reports this morning with something to the effect that there is good news and bad news about the Orioles.  The good news, of course, was the Birds' 8-1 win over the Washington Nationals, their second in as many nights.  The win keeps Baltimore two games behind the co-leaders of the American League East, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.  On the other hand, the bad news is that their number one starting pitcher, Chris Tillman, is heading to the fifteen day disabled list.  He has a sore throwing shoulder.  This is not good, especially on a team whose Achilles Heel is already their starting pitching.  With Tillman out, the Oriole starters are Dylan Bundy, who beat Washington on Monday, Kevin Gausman, who beat Washington last night, Yovani Gallardo, Wade Miley, and whoever else they can scrounge up.  The candidates include Vance Worley, Parker Bridwell and Tyler Wilson.  Tillman has been bothered by shoulder discomfort for several weeks, and so the announcement about the disabled list is not a surprise.  It's timing, however, is potentially devastating.  Even if Tillman is only gone the 15 day minimum, The calendar will have ticked over to September; i.e. the proverbial precious few number of fays.

In soccer, Burnley and Accrington Stanley, of League One, will kick off not long after I post this.  Their match-up is a Football League Cup second round game and will be played at Accrington Stanley's home field.  Burnley is coming off of a wonderful 2-0 win over Liverpool in the Premier League, while Accrington Stanley is coming off of a loss to Exeter City in a League One match.  Burnley has a history of giving playing time to lesser used players in these matches, and that is possible today.  Weighing against that, however, is the fact that the two squads are virtual next door neighbors.

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