On a night when the Baltimore Orioles needed its very best from pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, they did not get it. The preseason ace fell apart Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers with a disastrous four-run seventh inning as the Orioles lost 6-3 before a crowd of 15,548 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Lopez struggled out of the gate, giving up two runs in the first and seemed to settle into a groove before the wheels fell off in the seventh.
“He?s thrown the ball fairly well. He just misses his spots, you know, gets behind and has to come in” Perlozzo said of Lopez?s struggles with location.
Lopez is now 1-5 on the season.
Down 2-1, the Orioles briefly rallied in the fourth inning when center fielder Corey Patterson had an RBI single.
Detroit?s Brandon Inge closed the door on the Orioles with a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to make the score 5-1.
The Orioles did make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, getting two runs to make the score 5-3.
Perlozzo said pitching coach Leo Mazzone has preached aggressiveness on the mound to his pitchers. Lopez, Perlozzo said, has not put himself in a position to follow that advice.
“You can?t attack the hitter if you?re constantly behind,” Perlozzo added.
The Orioles played without one of their biggest stars: third baseman Melvin Mora, who was sitting with a lower back strain. Perlozzo said Mora could not get through some swings in batting practice.
Mora?s fiery presence was clearly missed Wednesday. The Orioles failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position, a situation where Mora has flourished this season with 18 RBIs.
The 34-year-old Mora had a home run and the game-winning single in Tuesday?s series opener, but was a late scratch from the lineup.
Perlozzo admitted that he had considered making the hot-hitting Mora the leadoff hitter while Brian Roberts continues his stint on the 15-day designated list. The Orioles? have struggled in the leadoff, but Perlozzo did not want to find a replacement for Mora at the two-spot.
When asked if he would bat at the top of the order, Mora said: “Me a leadoff?” He then made what could best be described as the game show buzzer noise reserved for a wrong answer.
“Maybe I?m better in a situation where the leadoff guy is on base,” Mora said.
Mora and the Orioles have still not agreed on a contract extension and Mora declined comment and said: “I don?t want to talk about the contract. I?m through with that.”
Mora then recommended that reporters talk to team vice president Jim Duqette about the contract. Duquette, he said, was sitting in a nearby office.
Perlozzo said he believes the contract will get done.
“I think our front office and owner know what they are doing and they?re working towards it,” Perlozzo said. “From everything that I hear, everything?s moving on positively and moving towards finalizing it.”
