The Orioles finished their last multi-city roadtrip today with a 2-1 frustrating loss to the shambling corpse of the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles finished the roadtrip snapping a season-long six-game winning streak that has allowed them to keep pace with the seemingly endless New York Yankees.
Despite the Yankees frustrating inability to lose a game right now, they have helped the Orioles out a bit this weekend by way fo their victories over the Oakland Athletics. The Orioles now hold the first wild card spot with a one game lead over the A’s. Behind the A’s are the Angels who sit 3.5 games back and the Rays who sit 4.5 back. With 11 games left the Orioles are still sitting pretty despite losing a game today that could easily have been won.
Felix Dorubont perplexed the Orioles bats all game, and Chris Tillman had a similarly easy day. The game was tied 1-1 going into the eighth inning when during the Red Sox’ half Luis ayala gave up back-to-back doubles allowing the Sox to take a 2-1 lead. Suddenly, Orioles number one prospect Dylan Bundy was summoned to get the last out in the eighth. Let it be known that Dylan Bundy recorded his first major league out retiring Ryan Lavarnway on two pitches and a line-out.
The Orioles had a chance to equalize in the top of the ninth but were unable to push a run across a run despite having the tying run on third with less than two outs.
All in all, one really can’t complain about the Orioles last road trip. The three losses sandwiched between a six-game winning streak that saw the usual Orioles script. Thrilling extra-inning wins, clutch hitting and the solid reliable bullpen.
Tomorrow the Orioles begin their final homesatnd of the regular season with a single-admission true-doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are playing absolutely terrible baseball recently. The Jays have lost nine of their last 11 games, they have looked dead in the field and seem to have been playing the role of fodder for competing teams in the last 10% of the season. The Rays have abused the Jays to allow themselves to stay in the race as the we come to the final ten games of the year.
Ten games remaining. It is because of that the Orioles, though they should be able to handle the Jays over the next four games, can not look to far ahead. I have stated that the Orioles need to win 90 games to solidify their playoff spot. Right now the Orioles have 87 wins, the Rays and Angels are sitting at 83 and 84 wins respectively so it still remains that the Orioles have a much easier go of things over their last ten, meanwhile the Rays and Angels have to keep up a very high level of play with almost no room for error.
As the Orioles return home tomorrow I am disappointed by one thing; Dylan Bundy. I am disappointed that Bundy did not make his debut in Baltimore in front of a packed Camden Yards. Sure the game dictates who comes in, etc etc etc. and it is great that Bundy is now an official member of this very special team. But when he didn’t get into a game for so long this roadtrip since his red-eye flight to Seattle I figured that Orioles fans would get one more treat in this gluttonous season.
With ten games remaining and a seven game homestand against the Jays and the Red Sox the Orioles have a legitimate chance to clinch a playoff spot before the hometown fans giving this town something it hasn’t had in a very long time. As we speak the Ravens are playing the Patriots downtown in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game, and for the first time in what feels like forever the Orioles are first on everybody’s minds.
