First off, I aplogize to all readers about the Tillman Island column last night. In my opinion it was pretty weak; maybe I shouldn't write while trying to watch a game because I get distracted. However there's always more than meets the eye. As I was finishing that column I realized that Tillman was throwing a no-hitter. I was thinking it, as were I think many other Oriole fans watching the game. The rule of thumb is that you generally don't mention it when something like that's going on. For what it's worth, the way I handled it was to call a few friends and relatives and ask if they were watching the game. Those that were knew what I was talking about. I simply told those that weren't watching the game that they might want to tune in because "something was going on."
Tillman was great last night. Tillman's final line: 6 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 BB (101 pitches). So if the game was only six innings, Tillman would have thrown a no-hitter! He was lifted after six because of his pitch count, however I'm not sure that Buck Showalter could have asked more of the young starter. Keep in mind that Tillman was probably the last guy to make the roster, and in essence he made it because Justin Duchscherer was injured. However he proved last night that he belonged in the major leagues. His changeups and breaking balls were keeping Tampa Bay hitters guessing all night. Another hidden benefit of that is that next week when Tillman squares off against Detroit he can start sprinkling his fastballs back into the mix whereas the Tigers might be expecting offspeed stuff after this start.
With Tillman and James Shields keeping both offenses at bay, most people probably felt that we were headed for a fairly anti-climactic finish. Perhaps one of the teams would put a run or two across, and that would be it. (In fact, with Tillman leaving after six the Rays probably felt empowered in a sense.) In the top of the 7th Luke Scott grounded into a fielder's choice. Felix Pie pinch ran for Scott, who is listed as day-to-day with a groin injury. This is important because in the last of the inning Kelly Shoppach sent a single to left with B.J. Upton on second. When Upton tried to score, Pie gunned a perfect strike to the plate, which was masterfully blocked by Matt Wieters.
That play kept the game knotted at 0-0, but in the top of the eighth Mark Reynolds singled to center and J.J. Hardy drew a walk, bringing Brian Roberts to the plate. You generally don't want your leadoff guy to be a home run hitter, however Roberts generally picks his spots pretty well. He sent a high drive to left with two runners on...3-0 O's. We went to the ninth inning with the Orioles leading 3-1 after Tampa put one across in the last of the eighth. That run was charged to Michael Gonzalez, after whom Showalter brought in Koji Uehara. Koji looked strong in his first appearance of the season, but was lifted after the eighth inning. In the ninth the O's brought in Kelly Gregg. According to the scoresheet Gregg couldn't throw strikes. Personally I felt like he got squeezed in at the plate. Furthermore, he appeared to get a double-play only to have the runner called safe at first base. So with two outs in the ninth Tampa had the winning run at the plate in the form of Ben Zobrist...
It's funny how things work sometimes. In 2010 there were so many games that appeared to be won by the Orioles, only to have defeat ultimately clenched from the jaws of victory. Starting on Opening Day (in Tampa), it seemed like opponents were at their best against the Orioles in the 9th inning with the game on the line. Carl Crawford broke the Orioles' hearts in game one last season, as did Jose Bautista in the Orioles' home opener a few days later, Josh Willingham of the Nationals in May, and many more. Good players generally make big plays with the game on the line, and it just seemed like the Orioles were always the willing victims. Ben Zobrist was no different in last night's game. Almost predictably, he hit a deep drive to right. My heart sank as I sat in my living room and watched it sail. The homestanding Rays' fans rose and started to throw their hands up in celebration of their victory in the form of a walkoff home run. While it was only the second game of the season, this was a tough pill to swallow...again! However keep in mind what I said earlier...big players always rise to the occasion with the game on the line. And that's just what Nick Markakis did when he literally climbed the wall to catch Zobrist's drive to give the Orioles the victory.
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