Around the Diamond – Twins 4, O’s 3

Around the Diamond

 
The home opening series ends with a loss for the rubber game.  Off to Boston and New York…oh joy!

Box Score

First Base

One of the questions asked by Jake was how the city would show up for this team.  After the first weekend, it appears very positive.  The Orioles hosted 34,000 today bringing the total for the weekend to over 120,000.  Last year during an Opening Weekend, it was at 90,000 representing a 33% increase in attendance.  However, it was during a holiday weekend last year with Passover and Easter falling on that given weekend.  We’ll know a lot more when the Orioles return to play Tampa in Baltimore during the next home series.
 

Second Base

Onto the game, the B-Lineup was in full force for the Sunday Afternoon game following the previous evening game and in preparation for the Monday Afternoon game.  Teagarden, Pearce, and Casilla were in play with Wieters, McLouth, and Flaherty on the bench.  Those players managed to go 1-9 during the game with 2 BB in addition.  When a third of your lineup contributes in such a fashion, it spells disaster.  I understand that Teagarden needs to play for Wieters occasionally, but the lack of any offensive contributions from Pearce and Casilla is disturbing.  I would also raise the question of whether McLouth should be riding the bench instead of playing Left Field and having Reimold DH when it’s necessary.
 

Third Base

And the injuries continue to pile up.  Luis Ayala was rushed to the hospital and will not make the trip to Boston further limiting the Bullpen during that series.  Nolan Reimold was pulled with a hamstring tweak, but there is the expectation that he will be ok.  Brian Roberts not being in the lineup is further exemplifying the weakness at second base that was present last year with the trio of Flaherty/Andino/Quintinalla.
 

Home Plate

“Baseball is 90 percent mental.  The other half is physical.”

The Orioles lost this game on mental mistakes from the pitching, fielding, and hitting.  Jason Hammel lost focus and let a rally begin by walking Pedro Florimon who was batting in the ninth hole and hitting Willingham to load the bases (Top 3^rd).  Putting the lead-off hitter on in the Top of the 7^th with a hit batter continued that trend.  Hammel was good for most of the day, but losing focus for those two innings cost him the game.

The Orioles fielding was at fault with the drop of a flyball to left centerfield.  Communication seems to be blamed on this one in my opinion.  It makes me wonder if the same result would have occurred if McLouth was in LF today.

Not it!

Adam Jones pops up again in batting by not running out a ball in the Bottom of the 8^th.  This is uncharacteristic for him and I think his mind was still thinking about the play in the 3^rd.  Casilla similarly had a poor showing in the 9^th for the last at bat not running out of the batter’s box.  He blamed it that he thought his bat shard was the ball and it was in foul territory.
 

Summary

Series loss at home against a team everyone figured we would beat.  Off to Boston and New York and the season is still young.  Questions are being raised on this team with their now 0-3 record in one run games and sporadic performance with pitching.  If the Orioles take the next two series though, this will all be a distant memory.