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Last night was a good night for the Orioles. They came back to beat the Tigers, got the 10,000th home run in Orioles history, and even better, two of the opponents they’re chasing in the wild card race, the Angels and the Rays, lost their games.
Today, they will look to try to pull off something similar again, although obviously the 10,000th home run has already been hit. It’s not a must-win game, though it will be mighty disappointing if the Orioles drop three of four to the Tigers after sweeping the Royals. The world doesn’t end if they lose. But they have to win most of their games from here on, and each loss brings them closer to a bad end.
With that in mind, let’s hope that Ubaldo Jimenez is up to the task of giving the Orioles a good chance to win today’s game. If he falters, I guess Chris Tillman will be there in the bullpen waiting to pick up after him. Oh, yes: For the first time, Tillman is officially in the bullpen today. That might be the 2017 Orioles in a nutshell. A starter was so bad he got kicked into the bullpen and it isn’t Jimenez - this time.
Anibal Sanchez, who himself has been kicked into the bullpen in the final season of an $80 million dollar contract, gets the start for the Tigers today. He has a 5.83 ERA this season. That is still lower than Ubaldo’s. So hopefully the Orioles offense can make something happen. They might need it.