Tonight the Orioles will attempt to win their first series of the year, and there is already drama surrounding this young season. Brian Matusz was supposed to make the start tonight but a strained back is keeping him out at least until the beginning of May. Chris Tillman will make the start in his place, meaning top prospect Zach Britton will be called up to make the start on Sunday.
Drama in April, gotta love it.
Tillman and the Orioles will be going up against James Shields and a Rays team who you know is disappointed after the egg that was laid last night. Guthrie and Johnson combined to hold the Rays to four hits over the game, the only run coming off Ben Zobrist’s ninth inning last gasp homer. The Rays were completely dominated by Guthrie last night, David Price agrees in the St. Pete Times:
“We got beat, period,” Rays starter David Price said. “Offensively, defensively, pitching. We got dominated in baseball.”
Manager Joe Maddon concurred:
“When a guy pitches that well, it’s really hard to do anything,” Maddon said. “He was just that good.”
Shields had a down year last year in general but especially against the Orioles. Shields started four games against the Birds last year pitching just under 22 innings with one win and a rather hefty 7.06 ERA and a ghastly WHIP over 1.9. Needless to say the Orioles enjoyed seeing Shields last year. The Birds send the young Tillman who has struggled with control last year and through a middling Spring Training. Tillman has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career I am sure we would all like to see the young pitcher step up in an semi-emergency capacity tonight.
Winning the opening series tends not to mean much in the long-view of the baseball season, but after last year’s horrific start coming back to Baltimore with at least a winning record would feel pretty damn good.
Yes Buck, I am ready.
