At this point, we all know that the Baltimore Orioles lost 7-3 last night to the Red Sox at a sold-out Camden Yards on Saturday night.
Stephen Drew tagged the Orioles for two home runs, and David Ortiz went bat-sh*t crazy in the seventh inning after being ejected for a questionable call on strikes.
Scott Feldman had a so-so start, going only five innings and allowing four runs. The Baltimore bullpen could not further the damage, allowing three more in after Feldman left the game. Feldman allowed three runs in the fourth inning that featured one of Drew’s homer, which in the end, made the difference on Saturday.
For the Orioles, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy and Brian Roberts each drove in runs. The Red Sox’s Ryan Dempster handled the Orioles for 5 1/3 innings for his sixth win of the season.
With the loss, the Orioles are 58-47 now. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays – who won yesterday against the rival Yankees – by 4.5 games in the American League East; meanwhile, they are four games behind Boston and still in third place.
Do you all have the feeling that the Orioles might need more? The non-waiver trade deadline will come and go in a few days, so what will the Birds do next? While the addition of Feldman and reliever Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez were well needed, Baltimore may need another starting pitcher.
While Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman with his 13 wins and Wei-Yin Chen have done a solid job on the mound, will the Orioles keep allowing Jason Hammel on the mound every fifth day?
The Hammel that fans saw in the first half of last season had disappeared. Could Hammel be what he is? He is currently sporting a 7-7 record with a 5.20 ERA and I think today’s start against Boston will determine what the Orioles do next.
The Orioles need another gun in the rotation for the next two months if they are going to make the playoffs.
Baltimore’s offense can only do so much bashing day in and day out.
There may not be many arms available; however, I have always thought that Cliff Lee – despite Philadelphia’s unwillingness to deal him and his price tag – would be a good fit for the Orioles.
With the Tampa Bay Rays still hot, the Red Sox still rolling and the Texas Rangers along with the Cleveland Indians still hanging in the wild card hunt, the Orioles need all the help they can get.
