CJ, AB and I spent Memorial Day at Miller Park, watching the Orioles outlast the Brewers 7-6 in an exciting 10-inning contest; it was Baltimore’s first visit to Milwaukee since 2008, which CJ and I also attended. Some details (CJ is helping me write this):
- Lots of production from the bottom of the Brewers order, including back-to-back homers by Khris Davis and Lyle Overbay. At that point Chris Tillman looked so overmatched that Kyle Lohse, in his last AB of the day, was apparently given permission to swing for the fences and hope for the best. (He struck out.)
- There’s nothing like watching AL pitchers try to bat. Tillman made three tries at making contact on a bunt attempt, missed all three, and walked back to the dugout looking glum.
- As an Oriole, Mark Reynolds was the worst third baseman I’ve ever seen, but somebody on Milwaukee’s staff has turned him around; he’s been notably good in both games we’ve seen this year, today making a diving stop and then firing a perfect throw to first from his knees.
- Play of the game: bottom of the ninth, Brewers with runners on second and third with one out, Reynolds up. Ron Roenicke calls the “contact play” — pinch runner Elian Herrera takes off from third on contact, the idea being that he can probably score even on a soft groundout. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Reynolds hit a hard line shot directly to J.J. Hardy, who caught it and nonchalantly flipped to Manny Machado for the double play before Herrera even realized he wasn’t about to score the game-winning run.
- Barbecue brisket sandwich from the Smokehouse unexpectedly good. CJ ate four pieces of pizza. Correction, CJ wishes me to say he “devoured” four pieces of pizza. AB ate a hotdog.
- Surprisingly high density of O’s fans in the seats behind the visiting dugout — I’d say 10-20%.
- Former Brewer Hardy gets big cheers here when when announced.
- I never get tired of watching Darren O’Day and his weirdo delivery. He’s now been an extremely good pitcher for two full years and 2014 so far, and I don’t think people outside Baltimore have heard of him yet.
Here’s my Brewer-loving friend Laura Hemming, right before Roenicke called the contact play:
Sorry, Laura!
Quomodocumque 