O's Lose Third Straight; Hernandez, Reimold & Patterson...

On Tuesday, the Orioles dropped their third straight game as they were defeated by the Seattle Mariners, 5-1, to open their three game series.

Baltimore starter David Hernandez dropped his 11th straight decision as he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) to have his record fall to 0-5.

Seattle broke open a scoreless game in the fifth inning as they tagged Hernandez for two runs, and three more in the sixth inning. In the end, that’s all they needed for the easy victory. Folks, Baltimore was done once Seattle got on the board.

Baltimore’s only run came in the seventh inning as Garrett Atkins drove in Ty Wigginton with an RBI single.

Seattle’s Cliff Lee – who started the game on the mound – easily earned his first win of the season as he went 7 1/3 innings and gave up only one run.

Once again, the Orioles offense failed miserably despite getting eight hits on the night and left six men on base.

Now, the question is what does the team do with Hernandez – do they keep trotting him on the mound, or do they bring up some reinforcements (mainly, Chris Tillman or Jake Arrieta)?

It’s too early to say right now if Hernandez should be slotted into the bullpen or remain as a starter.

Personally, I’d give him half the season to figure himself out before we can make a judgment call. He’s got the stuff to either be a starter – or reliever. We all should exercise patience with him right now.

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