Talk about the wind being taken out of your sails. Week one of the 2010 Baltimore Orioles schedule is in the books, and needless to say, things haven't gone exactly as O's fans would have liked.After losing 2 out of 3 against the Rays to open the season at the Trop in St. Petersburg, Florida, O's fans remained optimistic for the team's home opening series against a Blue Jays squad that is widely picked to finish last in the A.L. east. The O's home opener is always electric, but Friday's crowd seemed to have a different air about it. Hopes were still running high...enter Mike Gonzalez.
The newly acquired Orioles' closer was met by a spattering of boos as he jogged in from the bullpen with the Orioles holding a 1 run lead in the top of the 9th. Gonzo blew his first save opportunity against Tampa Bay on opening night, and nearly blew his second two days later, but Nick Markakis caught a hard hit ball to end the game and leave the bases loaded for the Rays.
Back to Friday...A walk, wild pitch, double, sac bunt, and sac fly later, Orioles fans saw Mike Gonzalez blow his second save of the season, and the Birds trailed 7-6. When Orioles lame duck manager Dave Trembley removed Gonzalez from the game, the crowd of 42,000 or so Orioles faithful let Gonzo have it. The light drizzle of boos that rained down on him upon his entry to the game turned into an epic storm of boos and obscenities that rivaled the warm welcome Mark Teixeira received on opening day 2009. I didn't see any "Severna Park Hates You" signs, but I'm sure Gonzalez got the message.
O's fans wondered if Trembley would use his new "closer" again on Saturday night if the opportunity presented itself. It didn't. Baltimore was shut out by the Blue Jays' Dana Eveland in front of a crowd of over 21,000. David Hernandez tossed a gem, allowing just 2 runs through six innings of work, but the O's anemic offense was unable to plate any runs against the Jays 5th starter. Beers are on me if Eveland is on your fantasy roster.
Having dropped 4 of their first 5 games, the Orioles desperately needed a win on Sunday. Baltimore turned to newly acquired ace Kevin Millwood to stop the bleeding, and Milwood didn't disappoint. Allowing only 1 run through 7 and 2 thirds, he gave the Orioles the chance they needed to come out of the series with at least 1 win. Unfortunately, the O's offense once again let the pitching staff down, scoring a paltry 2 runs; an offensive outburst that included them being unable to score following a lead-off triple.
With two outs in the eighth, Miguel Tejada committed his first error of the season at his new position on the hot corner, allowing the inning to continue, and keeping the Jays hopes alive. Baltimore's early season nemesis, Jose Bautista dug in with two out and one on. Millwood quickly got two strikes on Bautista, but then hung a breaking ball that landed somewhere on North avenue, and Baltimore was down 3-2. Not to be outdone, the next batter, Alex Gonzalez crushed a dinger of his own and gave Toronto a 4-2 lead.
After the O's offense went "wah, wah, waaaahhh" in the bottom of the eight, Cla Merideth decided to increase his ERA as well by serving up a solo shot to Edwin Encarnacion to push the Jays lead to 5-2. In the bottom of the ninth, after being inspired by that corny video that is played on the jumbo-tron to fire up the fans, Matt Weiters led off with a single and gave the birds some hope, but rally killer Ty Wigginton abruptly grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that dashed any chance of a comeback. Nolan Reimold pinch hit for Julio Lugo and struck out swinging. Game over.
6 games, 5 losses that included: 2 blown saves (Gonzo's ERA is sitting at an astronomical 18.00) a shut-out, Brian Roberts heading to the D.L with an abdominal strain, and probably the most disturbing stat of all; Baltimore his 9 for 54 with RISP. That, baseball fans equates to a robust .167 batting average in the clutch. Hardly juggernaut status.
Is it too early to call for Dave Trembley's head? I think so, but the club does seem very flat out there. If they continue to play with this apparent lack of enthusiasm, this year's campaign could get really ugly, really fast.
What's next for Baltimore? Another series with the Rays, a 7 game west coast road trip, their first "off day" followed up with seven games in eight days against Boston and New York to close out the first month of the season. We are going to know a lot about this club by the time May flowers get here. Maybe they'll be bringing some wins along with them...and the Colts.
"Something Magic Happens..."
