vs. RANGERS, 4/15

Baltimore Orioles (7-2, 1st +2.5) @ Texas Rangers (6-5, T-1st +0.5)

Streak / L10

BAL: N/A

TEX: N/A

Game 2 (8:10)

(QS=0)Vance Worley (0-0) 3.86 (1.71/.333), 5/1 (1HR)

vs.

(QS=2)Martin Perez (0-1) 3.65 (1.46/.225), 3/9, (1HR)

Vance Worley: Worley allowed three runs in 4.2 innings in his 2016 debut giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, a walk and five strikeouts. He did ok for the first four innings, but could not get through the fifth and was probably left out there too long. His stuff did look pretty good for the first four and he'll look to build on that here. He has never pitched in Texas Insurance Company Stadium before and has only made one start against the Rangers which was a pretty good one despite taking the loss. Worley's BAA is extremely high across the board which is troubling, but aside from Desmond and Fielder, Rangers hitters have not seen too much of him. Hopefully, Worley will be able to throw more than 79 pitches this time and can out pitch Perez.

Splits & Sits

10 vs. left: .250/.300/.500, HR

13 vs. right: .385/.385/.385

Bases Empty: .364

RISP: .400

RISP w/2 outs: .500

Men on w/2 outs: .500

Man on 3rd, < 2 outs: NA

Career @ Global Life Park (0 starts)

N/A

Career vs. TEX (1 start)

(0-1) 5 IP, 6H, 2ER, 3/2

vs. Batter

Ian Desmond (14 AB) .214, 2 S-HR

Prince Fielder 4/9, 2B, HR, 3RBI

Elvis Andrus 1/3, 2B, RBI

Adrian Beltre 1/2, 2B

Mitch Moreland 1/2

Martin Perez: Perez, like Hamels, already has two quality starts, but Perez has walked nine batters in only 12.1 innings. He also has induced five double plays, but has not recorded a win for all his efforts. He has not shown himself to be anything all that special at this point in his career and has posted WAR's of 0.5 and 0.3 the last two seasons. He has not had this much trouble with walks in the past, so who knows how long this will last. Perez has not given up a hit in the first 15 pitches of a game yet this year, but has a .429/.500/.375 for the next 15 before gradually settling back down again as the game goes on. The Orioles patience should do them well here. Perez has been servicable in three starts against the Orioles and mediocre in general at Insurance Company Stadium and not a single Orioles hitter has seen him 10 times with Trumbo and Machado's nine AB's being good ones.

Splits & Sits

14 vs. left: .091/.286/.071

38 vs. right: .276/.432/.289, HR, 6BB

Bases Empty: .238, HR

RISP: .222

RISP w/2 outs: .333

Men on w/2 outs: .200

Man on 3rd < 2 outs: .000

Career @ Global Life Park (25 starts, 4 relief)

(9-9) 4.06 (1.31/.271), 10HR

Career vs Baltimore (3 starts)

(2-1) 4.34 (1.29/.282), 2HR

vs. Batter

Adam Jones 1/9

Manny Machado 3/9, HR, 3RBI

Mark Trumbo 4/9, 2B, HR, 4RBI

Chris Davis 1/8, 2B, 4K

J.J. Hardy 3/6, 2B, 3RBI

Matt Wieters 3/6, 2B, RBI

Caleb Joseph 2/3

Tillman pitched alright until the sixth inning and though he did get unlucky on a few plays, he also gave up some line drive hits including the double and single that led off the inning to Mazara and Beltre, then another hard hit double to Odor later in the inning. Another recurring theme tonight again for the Orioles; Hamels allows nine baserunners in 5.1 innings and the Orioles only score three of them. We had two runners in scoring position with no outs, couldn't score. We had two men in scoring position with one out, only one run, inning ends on a double play with a runner on third. Only J.J. Hardy went up there knowing the game situation and only swung the bat when he got a pitch to lift into the outfield. No one else did that, it's just the same damn approach in that situation as they have with no one on. This stunning lack of awareness of what the game situation calls for is again becoming apparent this year as it was last year and again, the offense is not on the same page when they need to be and it has cost us a lot of runs already and possibly two wins. The very first chance Texas had to blow the game open, they did it. Sure, they got some luck, but baseball is part luck. I didn't see those guys swinging at pitches they couldn't get in the air or line to the outfield. The Texas hitters are on the same page and know what the game calls for, so why don't the Orioles hitters? Why does this problem carry over from last year and persist into this year? I don't get it. Six runs in 5.1 innings for Tillman with a walk and a strikeout. He allowed 10 baserunners and Texas got six of them across.

On the bright side, both bullpens were lights out. Givens allowed the inherited runner to score, but turns out it didn't matter. McFarland and Brach with a solid inning each totaling 2.2 scoreless for the Orioles bullpen on one hit, a walk and four strikeouts. Texas' bullpen threw 3.2 scoreless on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts. Also, it's great to see Hyun-Soo Kim continuing to look better and better. Tonight, a line drive single to right field on a 93 MPH fastball after working the count full yet again. He can turn on them, after all! I think he is going to make all the people who said he couldn't hack it in the majors look really silly and is proving to be worthy of some more playing time. Kim needed to show something in his limited time and he is doing just that every time he gets in the game.

Now, Worley and Perez. Neither one are all that flashy though I think Worley is the better of the two. Perez has respectable numbers in his home park and against the Orioles, but hardly threatening. Worley has never started in Texas which makes for the second of two starts this year where he will be making his first start in a new (to him) stadium. After a 7-o start, the Orioles now find themselves on a two game skid. How long will it last? Stranding runners night in and night out isn't going to help much unless you're the opposing team.

Elsewhere, Toronto, Boston and New York are .500 and all tied for second with Toronto having won two in a row and the Yankees having lost two in a row. Tampa Bay sits in the basement at 3-6 sitting 3.5 games back and have also lost two straight.

Tax Day. Thank God it's not cuz mine ain't done yet.

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A thing by two Swedish cats, Hannson and Carlsson.

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Taxes are done. Have been. Driving to Arlington from New Orleans for Fri/Sat games. Let's party!

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Tillman pitched alright until the sixth inning and though he did get unlucky on a few plays, he also gave up some line drive hits including the double and single that led off the inning to Mazara and Beltre, then another hard hit double to Odor later in the inning. Another recurring theme tonight again for the Orioles; Hamels allows nine baserunners in 5.1 innings and the Orioles only score three of them. We had two runners in scoring position with no outs, couldn't score. We had two men in scoring position with one out, only one run, inning ends on a double play with a runner on third. Only J.J. Hardy went up there knowing the game situation and only swung the bat when he got a pitch to lift into the outfield. No one else did that, it's just the same damn approach in that situation as they have with no one on. This stunning lack of awareness of what the game situation calls for is again becoming apparent this year as it was last year and again, the offense is not on the same page when they need to be and it has cost us a lot of runs already and possibly two wins. The very first chance Texas had to blow the game open, they did it. Sure, they got some luck, but baseball is part luck. I didn't see those guys swinging at pitches they couldn't get in the air or line to the outfield. The Texas hitters are on the same page and know what the game calls for, so why don't the Orioles hitters? Why does this problem carry over from last year and persist into this year? I don't get it. Six runs in 5.1 innings for Tillman with a walk and a strikeout. He allowed 10 baserunners and Texas got six of them across.

I appreciate the effort you put into these game threads, but this paragraph is not supported by facts. The O's actually have the second-best OPS in the AL with runners in scoring position this year (.868). Yes, it's a very small sample size, but the O's have had no problems with situational hitting this year.

Do you really think the O's don't know what's happening in the game when they come up to the plate? That they don't know that a fly ball would score a run? This is the big leagues -- you can't just automatically hit a fly ball whenever you want to, especially against a guy like Cole Hamels. Hitting isn't as easy as you seem to think.

I appreciate the effort you put into these game threads, but this paragraph is not supported by facts. The O's actually have the second-best OPS in the AL with runners in scoring position this year (.868). Yes, it's a very small sample size, but the O's have had no problems with situational hitting this year.

Do you really think the O's don't know what's happening in the game when they come up to the plate? That they don't know that a fly ball would score a run? This is the big leagues -- you can't just automatically hit a fly ball whenever you want to, especially against a guy like Cole Hamels. Hitting isn't as easy as you seem to think.

Yeah, just because something is a negative slap at the Orioles does not make it fact. No matter how many radio heads parrot it. Now, there are plenty of hopeful posts here too. And they are not necessarily fact driven either.

o

TEXAS RANGERS O (APRIL 15th)

Delino DeShields, Jr. - CF

Nomar Mazara - RF

Prince Fielder - DH

Adrian Beltre - 3B

Mitch Moreland - 1B

Ian Desmond - LF

Rougned Odor - 2B

Elvis Andrus - SS

Bryan Holaday - C

Martin Perez Jimenez - LHP (0-1, 3.65 ERA)

http://www.baseballpress.com/lineups

Is today the day we root for Vance to lose his fifth starter job?

When will Wieters catch on back to back days? Can he?

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When will Wieters catch on back to back days? Can he?

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Maybe if they have a day game followed by a night game?

Wow! A Triple.

Joey Record!

Or Rekkid!

Wow! A Triple.

I'd score it a double + an error.

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Great start! Runner on third the lesson two outs again. Now walk.

That scored a runner on third.

I kind of wish Adam was batting lower in the order

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