As predicted by everyone, the Orioles were unable to do any damage against Ricky Romero. Adam Jones had a very good night and Nick Markakis looked decent as well, but it wasn't close to enough to overcome the disaster that was Kevin Millwood this evening.
Millwood didn't waste any time tonight. The first two batters for Toronto, Fred Lewis and Yunel Escobar, singled to set the table for your Major League Home Run Leader Jose Bautista, who predictably put the ball over the fence for his 29th home run of the year. Millwood followed that calamity with two singles and two walks in the third, with the second walk forcing in a run.
Two more runs scored in the fourth inning as the top of the Blue Jays' order continued to manhandle Millwood. Lewis and Bautista singled and scored on an RBI double by Vernon Wells. Millwood slogged through the fifth inning without allowing a run but entered the sixth with 93 pitches. He retired Lewis but Escobar reached again. Bautista would be the last batter of the Millwood debacle, so appropriately, he walked. Mike Gonzalez retired both Wells and Adam Lind to end the inning and strand Millwood's baserunners.
Gonzalez returned for the seventh inning and despite having a delivery that gives me motion sickness, he was very effective. 13 of his 21 pitches were fastballs that he located well on the edges of the strike zone. His velocity looked good, too, at 93-94 mph on the fastball, with one touching 95. Given the complete exhaustion of the bullpen it'll be nice if he can keep it up.
Alfredo Simon was used in 8th despite it being a non-save situation. When you lose every game there aren't any save situations, and the kid hadn't pitched since Friday. The unstoppable Jose Bautista struck again with a two run home run to give the Blue Jays their final two runs of the game.
The only runs scored by the Orioles came in the 8th inning. Nick Markakis doubled in a run and Luke Scott hit a sacrifice fly, but Markakis tried to tag up to third and was thrown out by (of course) Jose Bautista. Adam Jones singled but the inning ended on a Matt Wieters ground out.
Jones ended the day with three hits, including a double. Nick Markakis continued to show signs of coming out of his slump with a single and a double, and Matt Wieters followed up his 2 HR night with a single in four at bats.
The O's try to avoid the sweep tomorrow against another lefty, rookie Brad Mills.