Dave Trembley said he’d be sipping down a glass of red wine after Wednesday’s game.
He deserves it.
Trembley’s Orioles snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with an 11-3 win before 15,736 fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was the team’s most complete effort in weeks — having lost seven out of eight games before Radhames Liz confidently took the ball Wednesday and shut down one of baseball’s best lineups.
Apparently, a little demotion does a Radhames good.
In the 22 days since he was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk, Radhames Liz must have figured a few things out.
Like, first and foremost, how to pitch.
In his second outing since being recalled, Liz went 5.1 innings, scattering three hits and two runs on 101 pitches. He also mixed in five walks, just to remind fans of what he’s capable of at the opposite end of the spectrum.
But the Liz of Wednesday looked far more comfortable and confident than the one of July.
“By the time I was here, I know I lost my confidence a little bit,” Liz said. “Then when I got back, I got it back. But this never changes, I feel comfortable with all the guys.”
Liz was good, particularly against the top-third of the White Sox order. He sat down the Nos. 1-3 hitters in order on two occasions — the first and fifth innings — and narrowly missed turning the same trick in the third, when a walk to No. 2 hitter A.J. Pierzynski threw him off.
His first inning marked the first time on the homestand that the Orioles retired the side in order.
In the ten previous games, Orioles pitchers had allowed four or more runs in every game. The team allowed an average of 6.6 runs in those games, and starters combined for a 7.97 ERA.
“If you don’t pitch, you don’t have a chance,” Trembley said. “You have to pitch good to give yourself an opportunity. A very simple thing for us was Liz put a zero up for us in the first inning on six pitches. I think everybody can take a deep breath and go, ‘OK. Let’s play.’”
Trembley is exactly right.
After seeing a zero on the board to start the game, the offense got to work.
The Orioles rattled-out 16 hits, putting up their highest run total since an 11-6 win over Boston Aug. 20 — the last time they won.
Brian Roberts — originally off for the day, and a late start when Alex Cintron was declared out with food poisoning — went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora each went 3-for-4. Huff blasted a 395-foot home run, his 29th, and Mora hit one 405 feet for his 23rd of the season.
Roberts credit Liz saying, “I think the first inning set the tone.”
A win couldn’t have come at a better time for the Orioles. The team takes to the road for three at first-place Tampa Bay before visiting wild-card-leading Boston for three more.
“Good one for us to win,” Trembley said. “Coffee will taste a little better tomorrow morning.”
Had a win not come Wednesday, the Orioles might have hit a real skid.
If that were the case, Trembley would be sipping down something a little stronger than black coffee or red wine a few weeks from now
Sean Welsh is the Orioles beat writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected]
