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It only took one game to realize the defensive hole that was created by Manny Machado's departure. After a furious late-inning comeback by the O's, a 10th inning ground ball that shouldn't haven't left the infield outmaneuvered Renato Nunez and Tim Beckham to give the Blue Jays the win. As if things couldn't get worse yesterday, some Orioles got stuck in an elevator after the game!
Baltimore will turn to Alex Cobb as they search for their first win of the second half. This will be a good opportunity to put his ugly first half (6.41 ERA) behind him. If you look hard, there have been some signs of encouragement. Two of his three July starts have been "quality" and he's coming off a nice performance against Texas.
Toronto's starter, Marcus Stroman, has also been a disappointment. His ERA of 5.86 is high for a guy who received Cy Young votes last season. The O's will try to make sure that ERA doesn't fall too much.
The first five hitters in the O's lineup remain the same as last night. Joey Rickard gets the start in right field over Danny Valencia. If Valencia is in fact a trade candidate, having him sit on the bench seems like an odd way to showcase his abilities. Austin Wynns gets the start at catcher in this afternoon game since Caleb Joseph handled the catching duties last night.
It appears as though the O's will continue sending Nunez to third base in an effort to evaluate what exactly they have in him. Hopefully his defense doesn't cost his team today.