This was a pretty meaningful series. The Orioles have been out of the race for quite some time, and while the Jays are on the fringe, I really don’t like their chances.
Monday’s afternoon game was a blowout. Ortiz was smoked for six runs in three innings and all the Orioles could muster was a single run on two hits against some people I’ve never heard of. The lone run came on Fernando Tatis’ RBI single in the third inning.
Danny Cabrera had a nice start in the lone Orioles win. He gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over seven innings. He’s now 5-7 on the season. Melvin Mora drove in three runs with a double in the seventh that capped off a four run inning and Nick Maraksis hit a three run shot in the eighth. Miguel Tejada hit his 20th homerun of the season in the 8-4 win.
The rubber game was close, but the Orioles came up short. They went down 4-0 early and crept back into it with two in the fourth and one in the fifth. Their rally came up short though. Erik Bedard gave up four runs on seven hits over seven innings as he was outdueled by Roy Halladay. Markasis had another good game and he had two hits and a run.
Next up is three games against Boston. At least the Orioles have a chance to leave their mark in the playoff picture. Kris Benson is still listed as Saturday’s starter, but he’s been put on the DL.
