For those of you fortunate enough to not live in the D.C. Metropolitan area, you are avoiding one of the worst heat-waves in the region’s recorded history. And that heat-wave started yesterday, the night when Canadian-born Adam Loewen took the mound for the O’s. Last night’s game temperature was over 90 degrees and the humidity was unbearable. And being from Canada, Adam generally hasn’t had to deal with the scorching heat he experienced yesterday.
But enough of the excuses; the O’s fell to the Mariners 10-5 last night in yet another tough loss which came at the hands of the Orioles’ late-game pitching. Loewen was simply superb through the first five innings as he surrendered no runs and struck out five, including sitting-down Ichiro in the top of the first as the All-Star right fielder swung at a low-and-inside strike three. But it seems the heat caught up with him as he fell apart in the sixth inning, giving up three runs (he gave up one more in the seventh before being pulled) and guaranteeing at best a no-decision as the game was tied 3-3.
This was Loewen’s longest outing of his young career but one is left to wonder if the heat wasn’t so severe, could the result of Loewen’s effort have been much different if Camden Yards wasn’t an open-air barbecue? Nonetheless, Loewen did very well and is visibly improving as each start passes.
Eddy Rodriguez didn’t do much to allow another Oriole comeback; after he came in with no outs in the seventh and got out of a jam after allowing only one run, the score was 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh. Nick Markakis hit his fourth homer of the season, a solo shot to left-center field, to cut the M’s lead to one. But Rodriguez proceeded to allow four runs in the top of the eighth to put Seattle up 9-5. He started the ninth and surrendered another run, was pulled for Julio Manon, (who finished the game after striking a guy out, allowing a hit, surrendering a walk, yet allowing no runs), and retreated to the dugout as the game ended with the M’s winning by a margin of five runs.
Last night was simply a matter of whether or not the O’s young pitchers could get the job done in the intense heat. Starter Gil Meche was lucky to avoid a loss and young Emiliano Fruto was fortunate enough to not blow the lead as he looked extremely vulnerable. Nonetheless, the O’s were out-hit and lost as a result.
Tonight may very well be a game you may not want to watch. Oriole-killer Jamie Moyer is taking the mound for the M’s and the O’s, against Moyer, have a career team-average .243 and a slugging percentage of only .370 (in 292 ABs). Jeff Conine and Brian Roberts, who hit a mammoth lead-off homer yesterday off of Boog’s BBQ on Eutaw St., have fared the best against Moyer of all Oriole hitters. Both have nine hits off the 43-year-old lefty and Conine has three homers. In 79 ABs, Miguel Tejada (didn’t get traded) has accumulated a .253 average with two homers and seven RBI in 20 hits. Everyone else pretty much can’t see Moyer at all.
As for Rodrigo Lopez (didn’t get traded either), let’s just say the M’s like to face him. Their .292 team batting average in 137 ABs shows they can get the bat on the ball when he’s tossing them. Although the M’s have hit only three homers off RoLo, the “important players” (i.e. Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, and Richie Sexon) have netted a .380 average in 58 ABs against Lopez. So, yeah, tonight may be a bit tough to watch.
….But then again, the way the O’s have been swinging lately could lead to a little something in the win-column. For us, that is.
(P.S. – I’m going to stop telling you ahead of time when I plan to post. I know all three of you probably don’t care but I feel like me saying “expect something later” is a bit…dumb. Reason being, I said I’d post more yesterday — the trade deadline — and didn’t. So I kinda feel bad about that…at any rate, I’ll post pretty much five out of every seven days, so there WILL be a lot of content. That I can guarantee you.
But I’m going to cease my preemptive guarantees of posts.
Okay. That’s it. Thanks!
More later….and you can count on that!)
