Tuesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians was like deja vu all over again for the O's. Starter Garrett Olson allowed four first-inning runs, but he bounced back to work through the sixth without allowing anymore earn runs. The first was certainly rough for Olson, who hadn't pitched since July 11. He hit the first batter, then watched as the Tribe bunted the runner into scoring position. Then Asdrubal Cabrera and Ben Francisco both singled making it four-zip.
But The O's offense caught up in the seventh: Luke Scott doubled and scored the tying run on a single by Nick Markakis. The Orioles also scored twice in the first and once in the fifth. But on a rare double error charged to Melvin Mora, Cleveland scored in the fourth to add an insurance run. Final score was 7-5.
This game really felt like same old, same old. Though I give props to Olson for bouncing back from his horrible start, it seems like a shaky beginning is all the O's need to lose a game. Oh, and poor defensive moves in the infield. That'll do it, too. Our poor offense keeps catching up, but our mistakes cost us in the end.
Wednesday night's game, however, was a breath of fresh air. That is usually the case when the Orioles' ace, Jeremy Guthrie, is on the mound.
Guthrie ran up a high pitch count in the first four innings, but he held his former team to two runners in scoring position. The Indians finally broke through in the fifth with doubles from Andy Marte and Grady Sizemore.
But that measly pair of doubles didn't stand a chance to our O's offense. Aubrey Huff got a solo home run in the second and Kevin Millar scored on a groundout later in that rally. The O's also had an awesome ninth inning when Markakis got a two-run single and the O's used a Huff double and a wild pitch to score the final two runs. Closer George Sherrill worked the final three outs to seal the game with a score of 6-1.
Guthrie had pitched to his former team twice on relief stints, both unsuccessful. But last night he looked pretty flawless. With every one of his starts, it's becoming more and more apparent that Guthrie is our team's MVP for the season. No other player spurs that much confidence with the fans and, evidently, the players.
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