Tommy Hunter, 2013 Topps #62

The Orioles haven't quite hit their stride in 2013 yet; they've got a 10-8 record after today's loss to the Dodgers. The Birds are in third place in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by half a game and the Red Sox by two and a half. The starting pitching in particular has been shaky more often than not, but the bullpen remains strong save for an occasional blip. Of course, I'm just grateful that the O's continue to win when I'm at the ballpark.

Last night, my sister and I attended our third game of the season, and had the pleasure of witnessing a 6-1 win over the Dodgers. Dating back to last season, it was the tenth straight game I've attended that the Orioles have won. Anticipating a large crowd for a Saturday night game against a storied interleague opponent, as well as the pregame memorial ceremony for Earl Weaver, we arrived at 5:00. It was a good decision, since the Birds wound up selling over 10,000 walkup tickets for their second sellout of the year. While it was still somewhat sunny and warm, we grabbed a patio table at Dempsey's Brew Pub for an early dinner. I had a delicious mushroom, bacon, and swiss burger. The house brews at Dempsey's didn't really do much for me, with the exception of the '83 Golden Ale. We finished up shortly after the ceremonies began, and got to hear some heartfelt and often amusing tributes from Brooks Robinson, Rick Dempsey himself, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Earl's son Mike.

Once the sun went down, it was a surprisingly chilly spring night. Luckily, Wei-Yin Chen did his part to keep the game moving, holding the Dodgers to a single run in six innings despite issuing an uncharacteristic four walks. Chris Davis once again went above and beyond the call of duty, bringing us to our feet with a towering 448-foot home run to straightaway center field that was reportedly the third-longest hit by an Oriole in Camden Yards history. The O's offense put the game on ice in the middle innings against Josh Beckett. A pair of fifth-inning RBI doubles by Manny Machado and Adam Jones gave the home team a 3-1 lead, and Machado chased Beckett an inning later with a three-run homer to left field. Tommy Hunter did the rest, as the homer-prone righty kept the ball in the park and gave a breather to his bullpen mates with three scoreless innings. In finishing out the game, Tommy earned his first major league save. Meanwhile, Liz and I went home to thaw out. We'll be back on Wednesday night, when a yet-to-be-determined starter (possibly Zach Britton) fills in against the Blue Jays. Do I hear 11 straight?