In a season full of injuries, losses and bad news all around, the Orioles really needed something positive to happen this month. Last night, Jake Arrieta made his major league debut at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and had a tall order facing the World Champion New York Yankees.
In the end, the Orioles defeated the Yankees, 4-3, avoiding a three-game sweep and Arrieta earned his first win in the big leagues.
Although Jake’s start didn’t get even the scant amount of attention that Stephen Strasburg got in the Mid-Atlantic region, he held his own, going six innings, giving up three runs on four hits. Arrieta struck out six and walked four.
Arrieta’s outing was by no means perfect — in fact, I think he could have been lit up a few times — however, he managed to work out of jams, and perhaps saved the Orioles as he struck out Marcus Thames with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.
New York scored once in the second inning off Arrieta, and twice in the third, but didn’t do any damage after that.
Another young player who stepped to the challenge was former starter David Hernandez, who closed out the game and earned his first major league save. With a taxed Baltimore bullpen, Hernandez came in a preserved a slim one-run lead to finish things up on Thursday.
The Baltimore offense came through and sent New York starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to a loss. He went 6 2/3 innings and gave up four runs – all earned.
The Orioles scored twice in the third off a Wigginton sacrifice fly and RBI-single by Adam Jones. They struck again and tied the game at three off Scott Moore’s first homer of the year – a solo shot – in the fith inning.
Baltimore broke the tie in the sixth inning off an Adam Jones RBI-double.
