O's Drop Another One

The Birds finished off what could have been a promising homestand with yet another loss, falling to the Twins 10-4 on Sunday afternoon.

Don't let the final score fool you...this one was over early. Jake Arrieta became the latest starter to get roughed-up in the early innings, and the over-worked bullpen couldn't keep the Twins off the board in the later innings, either.

The Orioles struck first, scoring in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. That lead was short-lived, as the Twins scored four runs off a grand slam in the third and continued tacking on runs through the next three frames. Jake Arrieta gave up five runs on seven hits and four walks through four innings, and Mark Hendrickson was unable to stop the bleeding, yielding another four runs off eight hits through three frames. Overall, the Twins smacked 19 hits off O's pitchers, with three homers, a double and a triple...

Once again, the O's offense was nowhere to be found. After manufacturing a run in the first, the Birds didn't score again until the ninth inning, down 10-1. The O's had 10 hits, with five coming in the ninth, where they scored three times in a game that was all but over. Luke Scott remains the lone bright spot offensively: Scott went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk, and now boasts a higher batting average (.296) than Nick Markakis (.294).

The Birds finished the homestand with a 2-8 record, and now head to Toronto to begin a seven-game road trip. Brad Bergesen takes the mound for the O's on Monday night...