Well, at least they tried.

Things were going swimmingly until the bullpen decided to have a bad game. Eh, better to get it out of the way early so that it doesn’t happen later on, right?

Oh, but they got a compliment from Joe Maddon:

BEHAVE IN THE SANDBOX, ORIOLES, OR WE’LL HAVE TO LEAVE THE PLAYGROUND EARLY.

To take some positives away from this first loss of the season, let’s all remember that the offense picked right up where it left off yesterday. The bullpen faltering put a slight damper on things – if the team had made it to extra innings a victory was surely in the bag based on last year – but overall, this was still a strong performance that the team shouldn’t be ashamed of.

Tommy Hunter really needs to stop giving up home runs, though. This one actually cost the team the game. Maybe Buck shouldn’t put him in unless the team’s really far ahead or really far behind just in case because this homer habit is costing them.

Afternoon start tomorrow at 3:10 – don’t forget. The team then gets to come home for a proper debut on Friday against the Twins. Can’t wait to see the fan reception they get at their home opener – it should be glorious compared to recent years.

I can put a bajillion game scores in my recap titles if I want to, especially if we’re in first place.

Being tied for first place is interesting because right now it also means we’re tied for the American League Wild Card – in fact, according to MLB right now, three teams are:

So we’re tied for first in the division and the Wild Card. Okay. What happens if the season ends this way and three teams are tied for first place? Is there some sort of round robin knockout tournament to determine which two teams go on?

Anyway.

Jason Hammel hurt his right knee again in the fourth and was removed from the game, which is really not the best news in the world, but he was able to leave the field unassisted, which is a relief. Hopefully that means this isn’t series and we’ll be able to have him keep pitching…because frankly, we need him down the stretch here. Steve Johnson got the win today, though, and he did quite nicely, so I’m not going to complain about the kid pitching in this game. I just don’t want Hammel to be injured.

Oh, and we got rid of Kevin Gregg. The sad bit is that he was a good mentor to the younger pitchers – it’s good to have a veteran on the team who can help talk you through things. The not-so-sad bit is that he really can’t pitch. Ryan Adams was also designated for assignment – these moves corresponded to bringing up L.J. Hoes for the first time and reinstating Endy Chavez from the disabled list. This is really starting to look like a September roster.

One last thing before I close out: Joe Maddon acknowledged what I’ve been saying was the difference on this team the entire time:

“Primarily, I think it’s an attitude thing, I think the fact that they weren’t going to be denied,” Maddon said of an Orioles club that has flourished in manager Buck Showalter’s second full season. “I kind of see that with them.”

Confidence is everything.

I spy with my little eye a Rube Goldberg machine. And a winning baseball team, but not in this picture.

This game happened whilst I was at work. Naturally, since I was unable to see even a second of it, the Orioles won. We’re going to play I Spy with the MLB.com recap now and find some interesting things about this team.

Chris Tillman won again. It’s amazing to think that he’s doing so well given his struggles, but there’s something different about him that is plainly visible. Do you know what it is?

Joe Maddon does:

The Rays were unable to get anything going off Tillman until the seventh, when a pair of doubles — including a two-run double from Sam Fuld — forced his exit in favor of reliever Darren O’Day. The biggest difference, according to Rays manager Joe Maddon? Confidence.

“He’s definitely a more confident pitcher than maybe the last time we did see him,” Maddon said. “I thought he pitched well. He did not give in.”

What a difference believing in yourself makes, huh?

Also, just look at this quote from the same article and tell me what you see here:

That lead came courtesy of a five-run fifth inning, a rare offensive outburst from a lineup that has struggled for the better part of six weeks. Facing Shields, the Orioles put runners on first and second one out into the fifth inning, with Nick Markakis singling and J.J. Hardy taking Shields’ pitch off his ribs. After Jim Thome walked to load the bases, Adam Jones punched a two-run single into left field to give the O’s the lead. Matt Wieters worked a walk to reload the bases and Davis emptied them on a double into the left-center field gap.

First off, let’s get the concern out of the way – Hardy’s x-rays came back negative. He’s fine; it’s just a bruise. Now that we’ve gone through that, let’s look at exactly what the key element was here that allowed the team to score five runs in one inning (with four of the RBI on the day coming from Chris Davis).

I think it’s confidence again, and here’s why.

Once you see someone in your lineup get a hit, you begin to realize that the pitcher on the mound is hittable. Once you realize the pitcher is hittable, you believe that you can get a hit, too. When your entire team believes that you can all get hits, you actually focus and get them. The hits come in bunches, and you score runs. Only one run today came on a homer (Chris Davis hit a solo shot in the seventh), with the rest being a bunch of smaller consecutive hits. That’s exactly what this team needs to do to get the job done. Home runs aren’t always the answer, but confidence always is.

One more thing before we’re done – we know what was wrong with Gonzalez last night, even if he won’t blame his struggles on it – he has the flu, or something very much like it. Apparently several people in the clubhouse are struggling with the same illness, so here’s some metaphorical chicken soup for you all – YOU WON A GAME, PITCHED WELL AND DIDN’T SCORE ALL YOUR RUNS ON THE LONG BALL. YOU’RE GOOD AT BASEBALL. REMEMBER THAT. Feel better, everyone, and remember that you’re better than you think at this game!

Really, we need you to be confident. Oakland’s coming in tomorrow.

Here’s an interesting one – two managers with two different opinions on the same pitcher.

NBC’s Hardball Talk ran a story just now about how Showalter and Rays manager Joe Maddon saw two different Brian Matuszes on the mound yesterday. Matusz struggled severely and couldn’t even escape the second inning, which broke my heart because he’s my favorite.

Here are the quotes from the two managers.

Showalter: “He had a good statistical return but he just wasn’t able to defend himself today–running game and stuff-wise. He’s telling us he feels fine. Just not a whole lot coming out right now.”

Showalter on Matusz’s four stolen bases allowed: “He keeps telling us he can read them. It’s been a challenge for him. Maybe we’ll be able to get his attention a little bit more.”

Maddon: “I think there may be something not quite right with Matusz. I’m certain he’s not feeling 100 percent.”

So who’s right, exactly? Joe Maddon’s noted that Matusz is still likely feeling the aftereffects of his intercoastal muscle injury, which makes a lot of sense. Showalter, on the other hand, sees that Matusz is certainly trying and putting out an effort, but he’s really having trouble with baserunners and needs to figure out a better way to control them at the risk of possibly being moved out of the rotation until he can figure things out. I personally don’t think Matusz in the bullpen would be a good idea, so I want to see him and Matt Wieters sit down together and really work together on better methods for eliminating baserunners.

You see, the key to every good pitcher is his or her catcher, and we’ve got a lovely one in Matt Wieters. He’s smart, has a gun on his shoulder, and really knows how to guide a pitcher through an opposing lineup. Matusz has been gone for some time now, and he’s only just easing back into facing Major Leaguers. He needs to really come up with strategies that work for him, and Weets is just the man to help him along with it. I’d love to see the two of them strategize together and figure out what to do before it’s too late.

And with a man like Showalter at the helm, you really never know when it’s going to be too late.