Baltimore @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Apr 17, 2010 ) Baltimore 3, Oakland 4
The questions keep adding up for the Baltimore Orioles. So do the problems. And there’s nothing that looks very good for the downtrodden team right now.
The Orioles appeared on the verge of ending their long losing streak Saturday in Oakland but instead saw closer Jim Johnson blow a one-run lead in the ninth in a 4-3 loss.
Johnson threw two wild pitches in the ninth – one of which allowed a batter on base after a strikeout – that helped the Athletics hand the Orioles a ninth straight loss.
So now what do the Orioles do today? They have to hope they can get one victory in Oakland against that good pitching staff before heading to Seattle and facing another strong pitching staff.
Baltimore will send its top pitcher this season, Brian Matusz, to face Brett Anderson of Oakland.
The Orioles (1-11) also lost third baseman Miguel Tejada to a groin strain on Saturday. He’s going to be out a few days – another hole for a team that’s already missing second baseman Brian Roberts and closer Michael Gonzalez.
However, the hardest part might be the fact that the Orioles are getting such good starting pitching. Jeremy Guthrie went into the seventh inning Saturday for his third good start in three attempts. But he still doesn’t have a win.
And the Orioles still can’t hit with runners in scoring position. They went 1-for-9 Saturday and are just 11-for-87 this season, something that’s causing everyone to shake their heads.
The A’s aren’t putting on the greatest exhibition of hitting, but they’re getting it done at the right times. They went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, but Ryan Sweeney’s two-run single in the ninth won it.
Timing is everything and the A’s (9-4) seem to have it. Their starting pitching is amazingly consistent and it hides the fact that the hitting isn’t great.
Those pitchers keep the A’s in every game, which takes so much pressure off the offense and the bullpen, which was solid Saturday. Oakland’s relievers gave up one run on two hits in 3 1/3 innings to keep the team in the game.
The Orioles would probably love to have some of that success. At this point, they’d probably just like to have any success.
Because the whispers about manager Dave Trembley’s job being in jeopardy are growing louder among fans and they aren’t about to quiet down as the losses continue to mount.