Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Forget a big bat, give me some guys who can hit line drives

More fan comments (because you can hear them). This one directed toward Matt Albers, who left with the bases loaded, no outs, and the game about to get very ugly in the ninth: "Go back to Triple-A."

The Marlins have demonstrated this inning how you put together a run-scoring effort (they scored three runs in the ninth to extend the lead to 10-4). Jorge Cantu is a great example. Batting second in the inning with a runner on first and nobody out, Cantu went with a decent off-speed pitch by Albers and hit a soft liner to right field. An Uggla single loaded the bases, and the Marlins were back in business yet again. Guys deserve just as much credit for properly setting the table as they receive for clearing it.

This Marlins effort, which knicked the Orioles repeatedly to produce three runs and effectively put the game out of reach, came a half-inning after the Orioles spoiled a golden chance to get back into the game. The Birds went from the possibility of bases loaded and nobody out in the meat of the lineup to two outs with a runner on third and only one run scored. What a contrast it presented.

What did Nick Markakis say about batters not having a strategy and always trying to hit home runs? Lots of fly balls off the Birds' bats tonight.

-30-

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