Clete Thomas crushed a solo homer to center with two outs in the last of the ninth off reliever Danys Baez as the Baltimore Orioles lost the opening contest in a four gane set to the Detroit Tigers, 6-5.
Chris Tillman was shaky in his second major league start, as he allowed five runs in six innings. Despite Baltimore taking a 5-run lead over Detroit in the opening frame off ace Justin Verlander, the Tigers seemed to chip away at their lead throughout the evening and jumped all over Tillman.
Much-talked about pitcher Brian Matusz makes his major league debut tonight and it will be exciting to if he can translate his minor league success onto the big stage; however, much of the attention yesterday about the Orioles was focused solely on Mora’s ill-thought out comments and Trembley (they have since chatted and made up).
We’ve already talked about Mora, therefore, I would like to bring up Dave Trembley and the job he’s doing for the Baltimore Orioles. Obviously, most of us don’t know what goes in the clubhouse, but with the news of this weekend, one has to wonder how tenuous – if at all – Trembley’s job situation may be.
There are some who have criticized the skipper for his game management, along with some of the foibles that have happened on the field, but you cannot blame the failure of the 2009 Orioles on him.
Simply put, he was set up to fail. There’s a talent disparity in the American League East, and the Orioles do match up well against the Yankees, Red Sox, and the Rays. They have key players, guys who know how to win, and talent to make anyone envious.
The Orioles may have some of the tangibles to become a successful contender, but these guys don’t know how to win yet. You could see the differences between a good and meddling team by the games played this weekend. The Red Sox came out, were methodical, took advantage of opportunities, and attacked – the Orioles more often than not, could not match their opponents.
Could Trembley have pushed more out of his team this weekend, or in any other series? Maybe? We’ve got young players and good ones like Wieters, Reimold, Bergesen, Jones and Marakakis, but Baltimore is a long way from winning and not doing so is due to the talent – not the manager.
However, you cannot fire 25 guys.
There’s been a lot of talk on the radio about this, and while it may be unfair to even put his job on the line based on the talent he has, big time sports is a results-driven league and the Orioles have not been doing all that well.
Although, I as a fan appreciate and like Trembley, the fact of the matter is that his win-loss record, along with the second half swoons may cost him a job in Baltimore once the season is out.
