Blake Davis blunders as Pittsburgh Pirates defeat Baltimore Orioles 5-4 – MLB Update
Baltimore Orioles could not successfully defend their lead on Wednesday, June 22 and lost the game to Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 at PNC Park, Pittsburgh.
Blake Davis’ error in his debut cost the Orioles as the Pirates won the series 2-1.
"I misread it," Davis said. "I thought it was going to skip and up and bounce a little higher and it didn't. I've got to make that play, and I feel terrible that I didn't. I've just got to put it behind me and move on."
The Pirates had a rather fast start on Wednesday as the team offence got on the Orioles’ starter Zach Britton. Andrew McCutchen singled to left-centre to score his and the team’s first run followed by Neil Walker’s single that doubled the lead for the Pirates.
Kevin Correia, as he pitched the first two scoreless innings, fell prey to the capable Baltimore offence. They capitalised upon the seemingly slow pitches. Nick Markakis singled to deep right to score the first run of the Orioles.
Adam Jones followed by driving in another single to level the score with the Pirates. Zach Britton then withheld the progress the team’s offence made with his now unplayable fastballs and pitched a shut-out third inning.
Neil Walker struck his 18th hit of the month and scored his eighth run in the fourth inning, edging closer to the lead the Orioles had secured. Walker’s run upped his average to .256 in the 2011 regular season.
J. J. Hardy hit a two-run homer to strengthen the supposedly winning Orioles’ offence. But much to their chagrin, an adverse set of events did not favour them. Even though Britton attempted to remain elusive, his strategy failed.
If the Pirates’ offence sudden resurgence was not enough, Davis committed a blunder that cost the team dearly with Josh Harrison taking advantage of it, scored a double and piling up the Pirates’ lead to 5-3.
If anyone who benefited the most of the double, it was Correia. "Obviously, I got a little lucky today ... we scored those last two runs on an error," Correia said. "Any time you come out of a game with a one-run lead and the bullpen throws three shutout,
they did a great job."
The Pirates’ pitchers then crippled the already faltering Orioles’ offence as the relievers pitched faster to transform the 5-4 lead into victory and eventually won the three-game series by 2-1.
Pittsburgh put in a good performance as their offence was able to give valuable run support to the defence. The Orioles played well, but it was not enough to contain the Pirates and get a victory.
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