There's not much to really say about last night's 3-0 loss at Tampa. The Orioles have had offensive problems all season, but somehow the Rays have the knack to be able to bring out the worst in the O's. It's tough to win when your lineup is a combined 4-for-30. Having said that, there are still two games left in the series; I know, that could either be deemed a chance at redemption or two more opprotunities for the grim reeper to come knocking! Ultimately, if you swing at balls pitchers are going to throw balls. Why strain themselves to throw the ball in the strike zone when you're going to swing at an outside slider.
Jeremy Guthrie hung two pitches, both of which ended up in the seats. However the definition of a quality start is when a starting pitcher goes a minimum of five innings and gives up three runs or less. Therefore Guthrie got a quality start for his efforts. Whoop-di-do. (I could have inserted a profanity that starts with the letter F after the di, however I try to keep a family atmosphere in this column.) However there was one big thing that Guthrie did yesterday which really helped the team: he pitched the entire game. In an age where the moxie of a starting pitcher who goes the entire way is all but gone, it's almost a statistical anamoly when it actually happens.
Keep in mind that the O's came into Tampa fresh off of sweeping a series from Seattle where they played two extra inning games. Prior to last night's game Buck Showalter said that the bullpen was in fairly decent shape for the most part, although there were some guys from whom he might try to stay away if he could. That wasn't an issue due to Guthrie's finese; even in a losing effort, that's not something that should go unnoticed on the part of the savy fan. Unfortunately Tampa starter Jeremy Hellickson also went the full nine innings, so both teams enter this afternoon's game with a rested bullpen.
That's an example of a guy taking one for the team. Guthrie took Zach Britton's 112 pitches on Thursday and raised it by five to throw 117 pitches (the most of any Oriole starter on the season). Both Guthrie and Showalter had to know that the odds of the Orioles coming out in the ninth to put up four runs was slim. Yet Guthrie went back out in the eighth to pitch to Tampa's lineup. That's something that you hope shows a ripple effect down the line someplace. The O's have two more in Tampa, and then they head to Boston for two and home for two against the Yankees. The Red Sox and Yankees of course are playing each other this weekend at Yankee Stadium. Does anyone not think that they'll use their share of relievers in those games? Thanks to Guthrie, the fact that the Oriole bullpen has just that much more rest might help them in the coming days.
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