Wade Miley started the game that ended over five and a quarter hours later. Or did I mean tater?
Starting Pitching
Wade Miley started for the Orioles and pitched five innings of four run baseball. Kinda disappointing as he had been staked to a six run lead after the top of the third inning. He walked fours which is his usual and struck out only three allowing two home runs. Compared to the rest of the staff though, he ends up looking rather stout.
Relief Pitching
Where to begin. Mychal Givens pitched a good inning. Then he walked the bases loaded without recording an out. This with a three run lead preserved from Miley. He recorded a hold though!
Brad Brach Would fix it, right? Yep Cleared the bases and got rid of the uncomfortably ominous lead immediately. Buck allowed him to work with the bases empty and his line does not look devastating at all. A strike out, no walks, and that pesky home run.
This section will go on. Buck Showalter used every one of his relieves last evening. And he’ll probable exchange one or two and add a seventh. This does go on.
The sore shouldered Darren O’Day made an appearance, clean, easy. Two strikeouts. A single inning only.
Alec Asher was heroic. He sucked up a batter short of three innings, struck out two, walked one, allowed three scattered hits and no runs. He kept the Orioles in the game.
Donnie Hart had a very bad day. His team had tied it up. Then went way ahead. He allowed three give back runs in just two thirds of an inning pitched. Lefties. In Detroit.
Richard Bleier pitched the rest of the game. One and two thirds innings worth. A hit, walk and strikeout. He’s a lefty too.
Hitting
Adam Jones had three hits in seven at bats.
Manny Machado had three hits in seven at bats.
Mark Trumbo had four hits in seven at bats. Including one all important tater.
Chris Davis had three hits, two walks in seven plate appearances. Two of those hits were of the potato variety.
Welington Castillo returned. The Orioles have a good record with him in the lineup. He had three hits in six at bats. Beef walked too. He drove in two. Welcome back.
Trey Mancini stroked two hits in seven at bats.
J.J. Hardy managed only on hit in seven but he drove in three runs.
Fielding
The Orioles erred not. But a few plays were reviewed.
An assist from Frobby.
– There was a play in the first inning where Davis fielded a grounder, stepped on 1B but didn’t tag the runner returning to the bag, losing a chance at a DP. I didn’t see the play, so I can’t really describe what happened in detail.
– Rickard made a nice diving catch in the RCF gap, preventing a likely 3-run double.
– Manny slid to one knee to field a hot smash to his left, did a 360 and made a strong throw to 1B to beat the runner by two steps.
– Rickard made a nice sliding catch coming in on a ball, first ruled a trap but the crew overruled that call without a replay challenge.
– Jones let a fly ball land about 10 feet to one side of him in the 6th. He might have caught it if he’d tried for a sliding catch, and seemed to realize it after the play, thumping his chest as if to say “that’s on me.”
– Hardy made a nice play on a hard hit ball up the middle, starting a 6-4-3 DP.
– Schoop made a tremendous pivot throw on a DP, jumping to avoid a sliding runner right on top of him and gunning a throw with mustard on it.
– Hardy made a nice leaping catch of a liner to his backhand side.
– Victor Martinez laced a liner to the RF corner, but Smith got to it before it rolled to the wall and held the slow-running VMart to a single.
– In the 12th(?), Hardy tried to start another DP, but Flaherty’s relay was late on a bang-bang play and the runner was called safe after a replay review. I think if Schoop had been on the pivot, his arm would have completed the DP.
– in the 13th, Flaherty (playing to the SS side of 2B on a shift) knocked down a ball to his backhand side but couldn’t keep it in his glove or pick it up cleanly.
The Tigers were unable to defense the long balls of Hardy, Trumbo and Davis twice.
