Last night at Camden Yards, the Orioles broke a three-game losing streak as they defeated the Boston Red Sox, 6-0.
Adam Jones homered twice – both to the opposite field – and drove in three runs. Manny Machado and J.J. Hardy also homered in a game that was completed in a little more than two-and-half hours. Every Oriole had a hit, except Matt Wieters – who was hot in Kansas City.
Machado and Chris Davis seemed to have been extremely cold after the All-Star break, however, both men showed signs of life on Friday. Of course, the rest of the team has done a great job in picking those two up at the plate.
Chris Tillman won his 13th game of the season and went seven strong shutout innings. He struck out eight and allowed only two hits. Despite a rough first inning, Tillman got himself under control and dominated the rest of the way.
The Orioles are now 58-46 and hold the third place spot in the American League East. The Red Sox are now in second place in the division as they Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees last night.
If the season ended today, the Orioles would take the second wild card spot and wind up in the playoffs. With that being said, they need get as many wins as they can get on this homestand. The Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners – both second division teams – will come into after the Red Sox leave, and the Orioles must win as many games as they can.
I just know it will be a dog fight towards the end. It's going to be a fun summer.
They were handled well by the Kansas City Royals, a young team with a lot of talent and high hopes coming into the season. Having the Royals take three of four games isn’t a good thing; however, the Orioles are very much in control of their destiny.
I’d be impressed with a 6-3 homestand.
