Even the Baltimore Orioles Can’t Win Them All

Sep 5, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Yunel Escobar (11) slides safe into home plate as Baltimore Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph (36) attempted to tag him out during the eighth inning at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After a tremendous 9-2 homestand, the Baltimore Orioles dropped the opening game of a six-game road trip by losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 on Friday night.

So even the Baltimore Orioles can’t win every game! That sounds like a rather pompous statement and headline, doesn’t it? Well, it is. With the best record in baseball since the beginning of July, an Orioles writer can pen something like that.

The O’s players got to their hotel rooms at 4:00 in the morning, and they played like a team that was going a bit on reduced sleep. Though honestly, this Orioles squad has overcome that obstacle in the past with some great performances (yet sometimes paying for it the second day after travel).

In any event, this just never had the look of a game that the Orioles were going to win. Over the entire evening, it continuously felt like the game was leaning in the Rays’ direction, even though nobody stepped onto home plate until the bottom of the eighth inning.

Wei-Yin Chen was not at his very best, though he managed his way through a high pitch count and multiple threats to shut out the Rays over six innings. Even though Evan Longoria doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning, he was stranded on base. This ability to limit damage when one does not have his best stuff has been a commendable mark of Orioles starters this season.

Ryan Webb is back with the O’s for the first time since earlier in the season and allowed only a single in the bottom of the seventh. But in the eighth inning he allowed two singles between short and third—hit well, but could have just as easily been hit right at someone. Evan Meek came on and loaded the bases, from which the Rays were able to plate three runs and win the game.

Alex Cobb was tough for the Rays. The Orioles were unable to capitalize on their few scoring opportunities, as Tampa Bay made several outstanding plays to prevent any runs. I don’t know about any of the rest of you, but I’ve seen enough of Alex Cobb for a while … with his annoyingly unorthodox delivery.

The Yankees dropped a game this evening as well, losing 1-0 to the Royals. The Jays also lost a 10-inning game to the Red Sox 9-8. So the magic number is now down to 14.