This afternoon, the Orioles played two games against the Red Sox, as they lost one on the road; meanwhile, at their Spring Training home in Sarasota, they tied at 3 after a ten-inning contest.
Pitcher Wei-Yin Chen tossed five innings, and pitched fairly well overall; however, he gave up three runs in the fifth inning after a Nate Spears’ homer. Chen also picked off two runners and the Baltimore bullpen did well after he left the game, keeping Boston scoreless.
Nick Markakis had two hits on the afternoon as did Adam Jones. The Orioles tied the game, down 3-2, in the ninth inning off a Steve Tolleson RBI-single.
In the other game played in Fort Myers, the Orioles faced Boston’s A-lineup and their pitching struggled. Armando Galaragga, who is vying for a starting job in the Baltimore rotation, gave up four runs in four innings on the mound. He started off well; however, a three-run fourth inning did him in, and he said in interviews that he tired.
After Galaragga left, Brad Bergesen came into the game and gave up three runs in two innings of work – off a Lars Anderson two-run single, and a Cody Ross homer.
One of Baltimore’s top prospects, Manny Machado, made his first start of Spring Training and managed two walks.
It’s getting closer to the regular season, and you’ve got to wonder about the state of the Orioles – especially the starting pitching. As we all, that area of the ball club has been by far the most troublesome over the past few years.
Many fans wanted the Orioles to spend money for a big-game starter and I would have liked to see a veteran or two signed; however, considering the state of the team, there’s a lot of that has to be done.
That being said, who might be in the rotation?
I would think that Jake Arrieta, Wei-Yin Chen and Tommy Hunter – barring his injury status – are in; however, Brian Matusz has pitched very well and may be deserving of a spot if he keeps it up.
Zach Britton and Tsuyoshi Wada have yet to pitch in an actual game; meanwhile, Chris Tillman, Dana Eveland, Galaragga and Brad Bergesen have each had their ups and downs. It looks like Alfredo Simon may be a long guy, if he is on the roster – and not traded.
It will be interesting to see how the starting rotation gets figured out.
