Another Close Call

The Baltimore Orioles lost their second straight game to open the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. The heartbreak was not as bad this time as the Rays went ahead 4-2 before winning 4-3. It was a very well played game with bounces and plays that could have gone either way. If you know my blog, you know that I just call that for what it is: baseball.

Adam Jones had another single, and Matt Wieters collected two more hits and scored a run. The Orioles just never could get another hit in the clutch with runners on, and part of that is a credit to Rays pitcher Matt Garza, who pitched a terrific game. Garza threw every pitch for strikes, changed speeds, and located beautifully. Sometimes you have to credit the other team, and this was one of those nights.

Jeremy Guthrie pitched very well tonight in giving up only three runs in 6 1/3 after having a terrible spring training. Guthrie located his fastball and slider very well, and got some key strikeouts in big situations. The Rays are a terrific offensive team, and Guthrie gave the Orioles more than a chance to win this game.

The Orioles are facing a tough task. The American League East has three of the best teams in baseball, and the Orioles must climb them to be a contender. The Orioles are certainly much improved, and there is no doubt they are competing with the Rays down to the last out. One or two guys makes a huge difference in baseball, and right now the other teams have those guys. Once they start playing teams that aren't the Sox, Yankees, or Rays, I believe they will start winning a lot more consistently. However, they just need to get over that hump.

160 games left. Let's lay off the "they suck" chants for a few minutes.

Some Positives, One Big Negative

Mariano Rivera is going to the hall of fame because of his incredible ability to nail the door shut in the ninth inning of close ballgames. The Baltimore Orioles have neither Rivera nor anybody near his ability to close, and it has cost them big time over the past few years.

The Orioles wasted a tremendous effort tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays in front of a sold out Tampa crowd to go 1-0 on the young season and take some momentum into tomorrow nights game.

Adam Jones went 3-5 with a double, home run, and single and Luke Scott and Matt Wieters each added solo shots as well. Unfortunately, the O's also went 1-12 with runners in scoring position. With men on 2nd and 3rd in the 4th inning and no outs, the Orioles failed to score when Garrett Atkins popped up, Cesar Izturis grounded out, and Brian Roberts lined out. The Orioles failed to capitalize in a similar situation in the 9th inning, and it cost them dearly.

This really is not a game story blog. If you want that, head to the Baltimore Sun. I'm here to talk about what I see, and I saw a tremendous effort wasted.

Baseball can be a game of luck. The way the ball bounces, being inches short of taking balls out of the park, and hitting into bad luck. The Orioles look to be much improved with Jones scorching the ball, Wieters looking like a veteran, and other contributing players giving much more than past players of the 2000's have. This was a game that two or three years ago could have gotten out of hand in favor of Tampa, but the O's gutted it out; until the 9th inning when their closer blew the game. Mike Gonzalez left too many pitchers up in the zone, and they got drilled all over the park until the game ended.

This team will simply never compete in the division until games like this are nailed shut. Closers are so rare to find, but they just need to figure out how to win these games. This was a heartbreaking game. You cannot spoil an opener like this against a good team on the road and expect to win many games.

Luckily, you can come back the next day in baseball and go for it again. I hate to say this game had much meaning on day one, but emotions creep in, and so do "here we go again" thoughts. The ship needs to be righted tomorrow, but tonight would have been a great one. UNBELIEVABLE

After 184 long days: Opening Day

The Baltimore Orioles will finally get their season underway tonight at 7:05 PM in St. Petersburg, FL, against the Tampa Bay Rays. There are many things to look forward to tonight, and there are certainly major differences from last year's opening day squad against the New York Yankees.

Veteran Kevin Millwood will be taking the mound tonight in his Orioles debut. He was brought in to stabilize the young pitching staff, eat innings, and win some games. I expect Millwood to have a solid outing, but most importantly, I expect him to go seven innings in many of his starts.

Catcher Matt Wieters was not yet with the club last year for opening day, and I'm excited to see what a full year in the show will do for him. Wieters is ready to handle the pitching staff without a mentor, and his high batting IQ should help him keep hitting for average this season, while developing more power to go along with it.

Felix Pie will get the first few starts in left field over Nolan Reimold. Pie was with the team last year, but he was seen as a project. I don't think the club thought he would develop as quickly as he has. Pie was very impressive during spring training, and he has earned his way into tonights lineup. It helps that Reimold is still recovering from an achilles injury suffered last summer.

New corner infielders Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins will be interesting to watch, too. Tejada is a proven, consistent bat with a steady glove. Atkins is still trying to find himself after three declining seasons in Colorado. Both of these players can have a major impact on how the Orioles do this season, and we finally get to see tonight just how much they will bring to this lineup.

Who else is excited to get this thing rolling???

Stay tuned for an article about the Nationals and the Donovan McNabb trade.

Spring Training: Please End!

There comes a time in every sport; whether it be in high school, college, or the pro's, where the preseason has just gone on long enough. The practice, conditioning, hard-work, and more importantly, the meaninglessness of the games is becoming too much to bare.

Right now in Arizona and Florida, it has become that time for Major League baseball players.

The last 10 days of spring training must be brutal. Like an eight year old kid counting down the days until Christmas or a freshman in college counting down the days until their first Thanksgiving break. Don't get me wrong; players need spring training to refine their craft and get ready for the mental grind of a 162 game schedule played in about 182 days. The thought of that just makes me want to lay on a beach in Hawaii.

The last 10 days of spring training are meaningless. Everybody is ready to roll, and the pitchers have been stretched out as far as they're going to be when it's the end of March/early April. The hitters have caught up to the pitchers, and everyone is tired of taking infield practice at 9am. The monotony of the spring training routine is wearing down everybody---including the fans. The fans have been giving their take on who to take for fantasy for much too long. It's time we see for real who is going to be a bust, a sleeper, a hot pick-up, and a winner. The prognostications for the nationally publicized magazines are in.

It's time to get this thing going, and that's exactly what we're going to do starting on Sunday night with the Red Sox and Yankees on ESPN baseball with two of this generations best broadcasters Jon Miller and Hall of Fame second basemen Joe Morgan.

The Orioles open on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Keep following the blog for updates. The real thing starts on Sunday night!