Orioles Come Back, Defeat Brew Crew 7-6
By Nate Wardle
May 26, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
It was a new Oriole, Nick Hundley, and a struggling Oriole, Jonathan Schoop who picked up starter Chris Tillman after another rough start by the Orioles righty.
Game 49 – Baltimore Orioles (26-23) 7 Milwaukee Brewers (30-22) 6 F/10
W: Darren O’Day (2-0, 0.90)
L: Rob Wooten (1-2, 2.81)
S: Zach Britton (3, 0.65)
MVP: Jonathan Schoop 3/5, 2 HR, 2 RBIs, 2 R, 1 big double play in the 10th to end the game.
The GOOD: A big comeback in the ninth inning, fueled by a HR by Jonathan Schoop. It was Jonathan’s second of the game, and the much-maligned infielder recently had three hits in the game. The Orioles need to get some wins, and one of their places with the least major league experience helped get them there.
Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, Manny Machado and J.J. Hardy all had hits in the game. These five players are part of the reason the Orioles are starting to really hit. Cruz is arguably one of the best hitters in the AL this year so far. Manny is starting to get his stroke back, Markakis is hitting over around .300, and in the biggest shock, J.J. Hardy is hitting over .300.
The Orioles bullpen was sensational yet again. 4 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 walks, zero runs allowed. Brad Brach had another scoreless outing. Darren O’Day’s ERA is below one, and despite only being a closer recently, Zach Britton should be in consideration for the All-Star Game. Zach has been lights out all year.
Nick Hundley, welcome to Baltimore. Hundley had an error, but he also had the big hit, giving the O’s the lead in the 10th.
The BAD: Chris Tillman is officially in panic mode. Tillman was leaving almost everything up, and was having trouble locating his pitches. His ERA is up to 4.69. Tillman walked 4, and even though he struck out 7, his WHIP was around 2 and he left up 6 runs in 5.2 innings.
Tillman says he is healthy, but the results are not what Oriole fans are expecting. The hitters and the bullpen picked him up, but Tillman needs to put in some extra work during his days off.
The O’s only starter (other than Tillman) who went hitless was Steve Pearce, but that can be forgiven with how productive he has been this year. And Chris Davis will be back Tuesday after the birth of his first child.
What’s NEXT: Game 2 vs. the Brew Crew will take place Tuesday evening at 8:10 p.m. at Miller Park. The Orioles send Wei-Yin Chen (5-2, 4.08) to the mound against a pitcher some thought the O’s should have signed this year, Matt Garza. Garza is 2-4 with a 4.92 ERA, also known as not much better than Ubaldo Jimenez. The Milwaukee Brewers are the fourth best team in MLB, so a winning series against them would be a good sign for the O’s.