Oriole pitcher Brian Matusz has had a rough time of things over the past year; however, all the hard work he has put into getting back to being an effective major league hurler again came to fruition yesterday. He earned his first win in an extraordinarily long time and snapped a 12-game losing streak.
The Orioles defeated the Yankees for the first time this year, 7-1, up in the Bronx. Matusz pitched 6 1/3 innings and only gave up a run – courtesy via a Curtis Granderson homer in the opening frame for New York.
The offense came through for Baltimore as they got some well-needed timely hitting. J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis each homered; meanwhile, Wilson Betemit and Nick Johnson – who got his first hit after a wretched drought – each drove in a run.
They were aided by a whopping Eduardo Nunez error in the sixth inning, in which three runs crossed the plate.
New York’s pitching has been shaky, and starting pitcher Phil Hughses – who has had his ups and downs over the years – faltered. He was off and Baltimore jumped all over him.
Well, for a change, the Orioles finally defeated the Yankees and did not let the Bronx get them down. They are doing all the little things right, and using timely hitting along with starting pitching – as well as a strong bullpen corps – to still remain among the American League East elite. There was no gambling, or party bingo on the night — they did it with pitching and timely hitting; therefore, got the easy win.
Who knows how long Baltimore can stay competitive, but if they can play some consistent baseball and pitch well – it may be a compelling summer in these parts for a change. I was little skeptical about some the moves that Dan Duquette made, but he may be on to something.
Also, Nolan Reimold is ailing and has some back issues. If he is out for awhile, it will be a shame. The guy can obviously play; however, for one reason or another, he can never stay in the lineup for an extended period of time. A shame.
Finally, Oriole manager Buck Showalter got his 1,000th career win. I did not realize how young he is – only 55 – but reaching that plateau is a testament to his baseball knowledge and ability. He is only the 58th man in the sport’s history to reach that mark.
Furthermore, Showalter accomplished the feat against the organization he started with – the Yankees.
Although Showalter was humble when the game was over, I’m sure he had some satisfaction in reaching that goal.
