Remains of a 7-4 win
Matt Albers will make tomorrow night’s start instead of Jim Johnson.
You have to appreciate how the Orioles bounced back from that brutal road trip, and the suspended game that had to drain them.
“I think we showed real good fortitude tonight,” manager Dave Trembley said. “I mean, the trip coming back here and the conditions yesterday and everything that’s gone on here over the last 72 hours I think have been taxing on everyone mentally. Not so much physically, but mentally. You know you make a couple player moves today you don’t know how your team is going to react when you do those kinds of things. I think saying this team is resilient is an understatement.”
Tonight’s attendance: 11, 588. And it seemed like they were all cheering Garrett Olson when he walked off the mound for the final time in the seventh.
Funny how so many people thought Trembley should have removed Olson after the sixth with his shutout intact, and I was pushing for Trembley to let him face Carl Crawford with two outs in the seventh and the Orioles ahead, 7-1. Crawford was 0-for-3 against Olson, with a strikeout, grounder and pop up. But Olson’s pitch count stood at 105, and Trembley went with Randor Bierd, who gave up a run-scoring single.
“I thought what he did was he pitched inside better and he worked faster,” Trembley said. “Last year when I saw him, it seemed like his tempo was really slow and he almost pitched defensive instead of aggressive. He took a lot of time in between pitches and he wasn’t pitching to contact. Tonight, he looked like he was going to make them hit it. He challenged some guys in the middle of their lineup. It didn’t seem like he was wasting pitches when he got ahead, 0-2. When he got behind, he still came down in the better part of the middle of the plate. He wasn’t working away from contact.”
Asked if Olson will continue to take Adam Loewen’s spot in the rotation, Trembley said, “I would think after the way he pitched tonight, we would have to see what we can do to get him back out there again.”
Chad Bradford allowed hits to two of the three batters he faced in the eighth, but one was a bouncer up the middle and the other was a ground ball up the middle. An inch or two in another direction and they could have been outs.
Comments
Del Woods, Kurt Birkins signed with the Rays off waivers on October 29th of last year. Tonight was his second appearance of the season after being on the DL with left elbow neuritis.
Kurt did good tonight.
Posted by: Bill In Elkton | April 29, 2008 11:36 PM
Olson looked great compared to last year. I agree with you Roch about him pitching to Crawford (a nebraska recruit as QB a few years back). Was great to hear the game on mlbtv.com with the home announcers. I am amazed at the bloggers on here who complain about that duo. Try listening to the homer tv announcers when the O's are on the road. I hope Joba Chamberlian does great against everybody but the Orioles. Saw him pitch out here in college. Great young kid. Go first place O's! Keep it up!
Posted by: nebraska_jeff | April 30, 2008 12:16 AM
Roch, with Huff having a team-high 5 homers, any chance of Trembley putting him at cleanup?
I must assume MacPhail sees the same things we do and is working on putting more pop at Trembley's disposal before the trade deadline.
And I repeat: Can someone please tell Gary Thorne that it's Tremb-LEE, not Tremb-LAY?
Posted by: steve | April 30, 2008 12:40 AM
Way to go O's!!!! I grew up in Baltimore and I can't believe there are not more people at O's games. 11,000? Where is everyone? I am a die-hard fan who makes it to 1-2 games a month from Reading, PA. What is everyone's excuse that lives closer than I do?? This is a young, exciting team. We know they are not going to finish in 1st, but why not cheer them on while they are? I'll be there in 2 weeks when they face the Sox...I hope I am well supported!! What an effort tonight!!!!
Posted by: chance in Reading | April 30, 2008 12:49 AM
Should be a no brainer for Olson to start again. I'd like to see him pitch with an umpire that wasn't squeezing him.Beird is really begininng to stink,he reminds me of Aquino.
Posted by: John | April 30, 2008 3:15 AM
I want to know how it works with the resumption of the suspended game. I mean, the rosters for the two teams could be dramatically different come August. Alrready the Orioles could have Olson and McCrory on the roster when they weren't there. Had Fahey played? Each team could end up with over 25 players. Conceivably, people not in the organization at the time might be on the roster. What are the rules?
Posted by: Tom in FL | April 30, 2008 6:15 AM
One thing I noticed about Olson last night was that his stride didn't seem to be as long. Last year, he was getting so low during his stride that he seemed to be pitching from underground. Last night it didn't seem that way, and perhaps that's why his curveball had more bite to it.
He actually should have gotten out of the seventh with a shutout. I swear he had the one guy (I think it was Iwamora, or whatever his name is) struck out on a 2-2 pitch that wasn't called a strike, especially in light of what Huff had been called out on in a previous inning.
I just liked his composure. Let's hope it continues.
Posted by: TOMC13 | April 30, 2008 6:24 AM
As I have stated before , I believe you need at least two lefties in your starting rotation in the AL East. Preferably , if one is a Burres, the other is a bit of power and intimidation.However , without a healthy Loewen, you need another lefty. I also don't believe you want to go lefty-lefty in your rotation. They should be split up.
I sense there may be rough waters ahead for Sherrill when the birds take on the Red Sox. I hope not.
56 to go
Posted by: BC Mike | April 30, 2008 6:56 AM
I saw Rays' Kurt Birkins on mound against O's last night . He looked good , struck one or two O's batters . Im not Rays' fan , but i am sure Tampa fans can relate to us O's fans , watching sub-par also ran clubs for over 10 years . I hope Tampa does well , except against us .
Only 11,500 souls at Yard last night ? The upper deck looked deserted . With the weather slowly improving , and team's performance , we need to stop making excuses .
Go O's
Posted by: Allan | April 30, 2008 9:42 AM
Speaking of homer announcers, there are no worse homers than for the Chicago White Sox on WGN. A White Sox hits a fly ball to left:
"Get out! Get out!"
"C'mon, Paulie, we really need ya, buddy."
Try watching a game on WGN and you will see what I mean. Roch, I wish you could tell Harrelson how awful he is and how everytime I listen to his broadcast it makes me sick.
I expect all announcers to be homers somewhat, but at least be considerate that the other team's fans are listening.
Posted by: Tom in FL | April 30, 2008 1:37 PM
Roch,
On your article today...
Lack of hitting? Sure.
Lack of -clutch- hitting? No way.
How else is a team with a league-worst record in 1-run games last year suddenly 7-2 in 1-run games? And with as many come from behind wins already as it seems we had all last season?
Posted by: dc | April 30, 2008 1:49 PM
DC: I said consistently getting clutch hitting. The last road trip was a perfect example.
Posted by: Roch Kubatko | April 30, 2008 3:31 PM