The Baltimore Orioles pulled off another win against the Toronto Blue Jays last night, 4-3, as pitcher Mike Gonzalez won his second game of the season and Jim Johnson recorded his eighth save on the young season.
The Birds are now 12-8 on the season and will look for the series sweep as Josh Stinson – who was called up from Norfolk this week – will start the game on the mound this afternoon.
Baltimore was triumphant on the night as they used a four-run second inning and hit Toronto starter, R.A. Dickey hard. Aside from that, Dickey was not all that terrible, but the poor frame did him in.
Now that we’re on the topic of Dickey, what can you say about the Toronto Blue Jays? They were expected to contend and take the division according to many baseball experts; however, with an 8-13 record, they are mired in last place in the American League East.
Meanwhile, the Orioles – who many still don’t believe in – are looking more and more like they are for real. They trail the Boston Red Sox by a game, and are still showing the grit and timely hitting that we all saw time and time again last year.
We will see what they are made over the next ten games as they have to face a tough Athletics’ team, the Angels and Mariners during an extended west coast swing.
Like I said yesterday, the starting pitchers do need to go deeper into games, but the bullpen has looked very strong as of late, and Pedro Strop (who was beginning to worry me) came through in a pinch during the eighth inning.
Buck Showalter obviously still believes in Strop and gave him a chance to succeed on Tuesday. Now, can Strop maintain that consistency?
Manny Machado was the star at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with two runs driven in.
Despite the win, the bad news from yesterday with the organization centered on Dylan Bundy. When you hear an athlete’s name along with James Andrews – the renowned orthopedic surgeon – it is usually not a good thing.
From the Baltimore Sun: Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy, shelved since March with right arm tightness, was scheduled to see renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday in Gulf Breeze, Fla., to get a second opinion on what’s causing his ongoing discomfort.
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The organization has been deliberate with Bundy’s recovery, but the move to seek a second opinion came a day after the right-hander felt lingering discomfort while throwing from 90 feet off flat ground at the team’s spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla. It was the first time he had thrown that far since going on the seven-day minor league disabled list April 4. Bundy hasn’t pitched from a mound since late March.
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An MRI taken at the beginning of the month showed the elbow was clean, and the Orioles believe Bundy’s injury is muscle soreness in his forearm and not related to anything involving his elbow ligament or tendon.
One theory about how the injury occurred is that Bundy began having muscle spasms as a result of how he twisted his arm as he placed the baseball in and out of his glove — a habit that he has worked to correct.
Hopefully, it’s not the worst case scenario with Bundy. As we all know, he’s part of Baltimore’s future and could have a prominent role with the big league team this season if all goes well.
Bundy is still young and has time on his side; however, no one will be happy if there is a setback.
