Five. That's the magic number this season. The O's missed out on five straight wins after falling to the Cleveland Indians 4-1 at Progressive Field on Thursday night.
Honestly, I can't complain. The O's have won four straight,before dropping one,twice now behind Buck Showalter, giving them a more than respectable 8-2 record under the new manager. Heck, if the Birds can win four of five for the rest of the season, I'd be in heaven...no complaints here!
Kevin Millwood gave up a few runs early on, but gave the O's yet another quality start, as he went seven innings and allowed just three runs...the O's starting staff has now turned in nine quality starts in the past ten games. Showalter just missed out on an Orioles' record: only Davey Johnson turned in a better record (9-1) in his first ten games as the new skipper in town. Buck is still the first manager in history to turn around a team so far under .500 this quickly...and hopefully, it can only get better (stats courtesy of Orioles.com).
Earlier this season, Millwood had pitched well but the offense let him down. Lately, he's been hit hard early, and Thursday night was no exception. But Millwood was able to settle down and keep the O's in the game. Unfortunately, the past came back to haunt him, as the O's bats went silent in the finale against Cleveland.
The Birds managed just one run off six hits, and didn't get on the board until the sixth inning. Cleveland's 'pen held them hitless through the final three frames, ending any hope of a late comeback.
You have to look at the positives here: the O's missed out on a sweep but have still won their last three series...a first this season. Jeremy Guthrie, the hottest pitcher on the staff since the All-Star break, leads the Orioles against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. Guthrie started the initial surge under Showalter, and certainly has the momentum on his side to do it again.
Like I said before, if the O's can't win five straight, I'm more than happy with four...let's get it started tonight!
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