McLouth Walks Off the Yankees

This was a tight game throughout, a see-saw affair that was never really tilting in one way or another. Baltimore was able to come out on top, breaking their six game losing streak in the tenth inning on a walk-off home run by Nate McLouth, who has been a scrappy player for the Orioles since they acquired him off the scrap-heap last season. Vidal Nuno served up the long ball to the left fielder to begin the tenth inning, and that home run was good enough for him to receive his first Major League loss. Nuno is a strike thrower, and the Baltimore scouting reports probably detailed as much. If you swing through the strike zone against a pitcher who throws nothing but strikes, you will run into one at some point. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally, and that's what the Oriole hitters did tonight in the later innings. Their swings were long, ferocious, and defensive. They were bound to hit a ball out of the park at one point. McLouth was just the man to do it for the O's, who are now 24-21 on the season. The Yankees fall to 28-17, still eleven games over .500 and will look to take the series tomorrow night with their 2013 ace, Hiroki Kuroda, on the mound.

Phil Hughes pitched well tonight, aside from the two solo home runs he allowed to former Yankee Chris Dickerson. Hughes struck out five batters in six innings of work and walked two. Once again, his pitch count was getting too high for him to come out to pitch the seventh. Also a deterrent, was that Dickerson was leading off the seventh inning for the Orioles. Hughes gets a no decision for his efforts tonight and his ERA is still ballooned at 5.51, something that will not get him a big money contract at the end of the year. If Phil Hughes is looking for a payday he has to stop allowing home runs to marginal players. He is a flyball pitcher who would be better suited in a park out west. I can see him pitching for the Mariners or the Padres. Heck, even the Mets should take a chance with their big dimensions. He just doesn't fit in ballparks like Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Camden Yards. If given the opportunity to pitch in bigger ballparks Hughes can be a solid number two starter in a rotation that needs stability behind their ace.

The Yankees will hope to earn a series win tomorrow evening as they will send out Hiroki Kuroda to pitch against the Birds. Jason Hammel will get the start for the Orioles. Hammel has been a solid pitcher, but the Yankees have the ability to get to him if they are aggressive to begin the game. Robinson Cano will be a key factor in determining how well the offense performs tomorrow night.