Adam Loewen, LH James Shields, RH (1-0, 1.80) (1-0, 4.61) 2B B Roberts DH R Baldelli 3B M Mora SS B Zobrist RF N Markakis LF C Crawford SS M Tejada 1B T Wigginton 1B A Huff RF D Young LF J Gibbons C D Navarro DH K Millar CF E Dukes CF F Bynum 3B B Harris C P Bako 2B B Upton
The O's smoked the Rays last year, winning 13 of their 19 meetings. James Shields pitched 12 innings in two starts (one of them his major league debut) against the Birds with a 5.25 ERA, getting two no-decisions.
I think I like Shields, really. He's 25 and was drafted in the 16th round of the 2000 draft. He didn't embarrass himself at all in 21 starts last year, and his K numbers this season are really good. Of the 11 hits he's given up, three have been homers. But overall batters are hitting just .212 against him.
Loewen has bothered me for his first two starts. They haven't been bad, but five innings is a problem.
But I don't want to complain about the starting pitchers. Outside of Boston, we have the best starting rotation in the AL East. Go figure?
Current New York Yankees rotation: Andy Pettitte, Kei Igawa, Darrell Rasner, Sean Henn? $200 million, folks. Suck it, New York.
I really hate Tropicana Field. The only thing I like is the catwalk, when they hit dongs off the catwalk, off the catwalk, yeah, when they hit big dongs off the catwalk.
