Tonight, the Orioles lost 4-2 to the Yankees on a rainy, dreary night at Camden Yards. The numbers may show that pitcher Chris Tillman pitched well despite the loss; however, he was hurt by his defense – which committed three errors – and found himself in jams at times.
Of course, C.C. Sabathia came through for the Bronx Bombers against the Birds. He went seven innings and gave up two runs on the night, earning the win.
Baltimore took a 2-0 lead – an RBI-single from Garrett Atkins in the second and Jones in the third; however, the Yankees scored in the fourth, twice in the sixth, and once again in the eighth inning.
The Orioles managed ten hits on the night, but left ten on base and could not at all get the big ones needed to give them the advantage.
Now Baltimore is 16-43 and their death spiral seems to have no end. Amazingly, Jake Arrieta is making his major league debut against the New York Yankees on Thursday night. I don’t know if I would have had him start against the Yankees – keep in mind, Washington had Stephen Strasburg face Pittsburgh – but I guess the team needs all the pitching help they can get.
Finally, it looks like the Orioles are going full steam ahead in their quest to find a new manager. The Baltimore Sun reports that Bobby Valentine’s interview is eminent, and former Cleveland manager Eric Wedge is on the docket.
There’s something about Bobby Valentine that’s very intriguing as he would command a huge salary, but would bring some well needed buzz, and name recognition to the organization. I’m sure he’d command – and receive – a lot of respect from the players and fans; however, who knows if his colorful past will follow him and eventually be repeated.
I do think Eric Wedge is a solid manager and got screwed in Cleveland because of the exodus of talent over the course of several years. He’s definitely a lot more key than Valentine and I would think too fit in well with the Orioles. I figure there are other candidates – like Buck Showalter and the retreads like Phil Garner – but those are the ones I’ve read about so far.
Whoever gets the job, they’ll need a lot of patience, hope and tolerance for a situation that may be less than desirable for now.
In the end, it looks like the Orioles are going after someone with experience. I would think that Juan Samuel would be interviewed and who knows what would happen?
As well, there’s been a lot of talk about giving Rick Dempsey a shot at being Baltimore’s manager. Although he’s an Oriole legend and has performed numerous jobs with the team, I don’t know if he’s a viable candidate. A lot of fans really like Rick and he’s definitely a part of the history of the franchise.
(You’ve got to hear this podcast with unexpected guest Rick Dempsey from 105.7’s “The Mark Viviano Show”)
I’m interested why (I assume there’s a back story) he’s not managed at the major league level or given serious consideration?
