The O’s outlasted the Yanks in a marathon series opener last night. Can they bag their first series win tonight?
We’ll say this about last night’s Orioles game: winning ugly is better than losing.
And boy, was that an ugly win. The O’s went a horrific 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position, and are now batting an unfathomable .086 (6-for-70) with RISP this season. They stranded 15 runners on base over 11 torturous innings. Last year’s Most Valuable Oriole, Cedric Mullins, went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and stranded eight runners on base, dropping his average to .167 and his OPS to .519.
And yet it all worked out in the end, thanks to several patient at-bats in the bottom of the 11th, culminating in Ramon Urias’s controversial (according to the Yankees) walk-off walk against Aroldis Chapman. The Birds’ stellar bullpen of no-names continued its sizzling start, with five relievers combining for 5.2 scoreless innings, while a Camden Yards crowd of 32,197 — consisting largely of soon-to-be-disappointed Yankees fans — hung on every pitch.
Tonight, the Orioles have a chance to secure their first series win of the young season. Tyler Wells takes the mound for his second major league start, following an unimpressive season debut in which he lasted just 1.2 innings and gave up four runs to the Rays. With the Birds’ bullpen pressed into extensive duty last night, it’d be nice if Wells could chew up some innings, at the least. He’ll be opposed by veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who pitched twice against the Orioles last year and gave up four earned runs in 11 innings, but didn’t get a decision either time.
Orioles lineup
CF Cedric Mullins
3B Ramon Urias
RF Anthony Santander
DH Ryan Mountcastle
1B Trey Mancini
2B Rougned Odor
LF Austin Hays
SS Jorge Mateo
C Anthony Bemboom
RHP Tyler Wells