News
Yanks out of the way, O's can end strong
Baltimore (58-84) vs. Tampa Bay (72-71), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com
09/13/09 7:30 PM ET
NEW YORK -- There's no looking back in baseball.The Orioles will take the field on Monday against the Rays with the legacy of a near-miss on their minds, a chance they had to exorcise some recent history. Baltimore went into its finale against New York with an opportunity to sweep the Yankees in the Bronx for the first time since 1986 and played well before fading in the late innings.
Still, the Orioles could take some solace in knowing that they took two of three from the hottest team in baseball and lost on Sunday to CC Sabathia, a former American League Cy Young Award winner. Baltimore's series win over New York marked the first time all season that it had won a road series against a division rival, but suddenly, that modest achievement didn't seem like it was enough. The Orioles, in fact, wanted to have much more.
"A lot of guys right now, I'm certain -- including myself -- don't feel real thrilled right now," said catcher Chad Moeller after Sunday's 13-3 loss. "That game was there for us. It was a good ballgame up against a tough pitcher, and the game was there. We lost it. And from that standpoint it's a shame, but to take two of three from this team on the road [is big].
"I haven't been here a long way going back, but from what I understand, it doesn't happen here too often. From that standpoint, it's great, but this one, no matter what, is a tough one to swallow."
And in the Rays, the Orioles will see a team that ranks as the polar opposite of the Yankees. Tampa Bay has sunk to within one game of the break-even mark after losing its 11th straight game to close Sunday's doubleheader at Boston. Baltimore will face two rookie pitchers in this series and could face another in the middle act.
Things aren't much different for the home team, which has been filling out a rookie-laden rotation the entire second half. Rookies Jason Berken and Chris Tillman are locked in for this series, but the Orioles are likely to shut down Brian Matusz for the rest of the season before his next turn. That would push Mark Hendrickson back into the rotation.
Baltimore can still finish the season with a winning record at home, but it will have to play strong against Tampa Bay and Boston. After those two series, the Orioles won't be back home until the first weekend of October. They'll play the Blue Jays in the season's final series and will have a three-city road trip lined up before that.
The Orioles have 20 games left, which basically amounts to four turns through the rotation. Seventeen of those 20 games are against AL East teams, giving Baltimore a chance to improve upon its 18-37 record against division rivals. And the Orioles won't see the Yankees again, which means they can put the final series behind them.
"I would've loved to have been able to help us complete a sweep here," said starter Jeremy Guthrie. "That would've been the first time in a while that that had happened. We're trying to win as many games as we can here after a tough season, so it's a positive series, but hopefully, we can regroup and start again in our next series."
Pitching matchupBAL: RHP David Hernandez (4-7, 5.05 ERA)
Hernandez struggled in his last outing, on Tuesday in Boston, lasting just 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on four hits (four home runs) and two walks. He has given up 17 home runs in his past eight outings, including seven roundtrippers in his past seven innings. In his past five starts, the right-hander is 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA. TB: LHP David Price (7-7, 4.65 ERA)
Price gave the Rays a quality start in the Bronx on Tuesday night, when he allowed two runs on three hits in six innings against the Yankees. Unfortunately for the left-hander, he received a no-decision for his night's work. Price has live stuff in most of his outings, and fastball command has been his biggest improvement over the course of the past month. As a result, he has been getting ahead in the counts more often and walking fewer hitters. Bird bites
The Orioles are 18-36 since the All-Star break and 6-24 in road games against AL East teams this season. ... Baltimore went 5-14 against New York this year, marking the team's most losses in that series since 2004. ... With Sunday's loss, the Orioles have allowed 13 runs or more four times this season and three times since Aug. 1. Baltimore has also surrendered 20 hits three times this season, and all have come in the past month and a half. ... Nolan Reimold has notched three straight multihit games. Reimold scored a run in each of those games and has reached base safely in 83 of his 102 games. ... The eight hits allowed by Baltimore in Sunday's eighth inning tied a season worst for one frame. ... The Orioles are 38-31 when they score first and 20-53 when their opponent draws first blood. Baltimore is also 6-51 when it scores fewer than four runs and 52-33 when it scores four runs or more. Tickets
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• Tuesday: Orioles (Jason Berken, 4-11, 6.02) vs. Rays (Jeff Niemann, 12-5, 3.57), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Orioles (Chris Tillman, 2-3, 4.91) vs. Rays (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Orioles (Brian Matusz, 5-2, 4.63) vs. Rays (Wade Davis, 0-1, 8.38), 7:05 p.m. ET
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
