The past two nights have certainly been discouraging. The Orioles have gotten decent performances from the starting rotation, but have been unable to come up with the big hit at the right time to win either of two one-run games. I'm sure you'll see that a few more times this season, and it's all because they didn't sign Mark Teixeira a year ago.
I'm joking, of course, but the Orioles actually appear to be nearing the point where one of the game's top boppers might really make a huge difference in their competitive outlook.
The O's were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday night's opener. They could not build a sustainable lead for Jeremy Guthrie last night. Bottom line: They're 0-2, but they did not play badly in either game.
They got two decent starts. They've gotten power from their power guys. They got a series of solid relief appearances, with one major exception. And, they have played pretty good defense, particularly at third base. If I had told you that was going to happen three days ago, you might have predicted a series victory over the Rays.
Opening Day at Camden Yards tomorrow. Pass it around.