Normally when a team loses you can find a number of places to put the blame. An error, a wild pitch, a base running mistake, a home run following a walk, each contributing a little something. A lot of losses are team efforts, just like wins. This one was not. This loss is placed squarely on the shoulders of Jim Johnson and George Sherrill. Two of the Orioles most reliable relievers were completely ineffective today. They blew a four run lead, ruined a gem by Brad Bergesen, and wasted a rare ineffective outing by Josh Beckett.
As Orioles fans we are used to losses, but the ones like this sting a little bit more. The Orioles were building some momentum and on the verge of taking a series from the best team in baseball before heading off to a tough west coast road trip. What a letdown.