Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Orioles Do the Improbable. Again. They Win Late Against the White Sox...

It has been an improbable start to the Orioles’ season so far. They earned another come-from-behind victory, this one in even more dramatic fashion than previously this season on Monday

The Orioles defeated the Chicago White Sox, 10-4, in ten innings as they used the long ball late to take the first contest in a three-game set.

As has been noted over and over again during the past week, the Orioles are winning games late in the clutch that they would have ordinarily lost in seasons past. Perhaps it is not a smart strategy to fall behind an opponent, climb back and won, but it is working for Baltimore so far. Plus, it is making things real entertaining for us fans.

In a stunning turn of events, the Orioles used four home runs, including two from Matt Wieters, and one each from Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold to raise their record to 6-4. Yes, they are still in first place in the American League East.

Baltimore was down 4-1 until Matt Wieters homered in 8th, and then they tied the game in the 9th off two solo homers from Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones.

In the tenth inning, the Orioles batted around they broke a 4-4 tie as Chris Davis plated in a run with a long double, and Nolan Reimold drove him to make the score 6-4.

Reimold, who did not start the game due to a hamstring issue, came in to pinch hit for Endy Chavez – who is batting only .067 – and delivered. He is probably the hottest hitter on the Orioles, hitting .353 on the season right now. If anything, his bat must stay in the lineup at all costs.

A few batters later, Matt Wieters – with the bases loaded – launched a grand slam home run to put the game out of reach for the White Sox.

Wieters is hitting .344 on the season, and Adam Jones is hitting .341. Both men had two enormous hits on the night.

The White Sox bullpen, aided by a big gaffe in the tenth in the center field by the center-fielder allowed Mark Reynolds to reach on a triple vaulted Baltimore.

Pedro Strop pitched two excellent innings in relief to earn his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Zach Stewart, who was pitching for the White Sox when they imploded, took the loss.

Jake Arrieta pitched well but got hampered by his defense. Both Matt Wieters and Chris Davis committed errors that allowed Chicago to get the advantage early.

However, Davis redeemed himself in a big way with a three-hit night. He is currently batting .387.

Overall, Arrieta went 6 2/3 innings and allowed four runs – two earned – on seven hits. He struck out seven.

Despite not earning the win yesterday, Arrieta has stepped up as the best pitcher on the staff so far during the young season. He is healthy, and it is certainly showing with the results. His ERA is at 2.66, and he seems to be throwing as well as ever.

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