| Gwendolyn Burrell. 3rd July, 2005 - 5:58 am
 June was a long month for the Baltimore Orioles. They lost eight of their final 10 games and posted a record of 12-15 for the month. Unfortunately, July has not begun any better. Last night’s 3-1 loss against the Cleveland Indians further highlighted areas of struggle for the O’s.
Hitting has been an issue for the Baltimore team. Sammy Sosa’s batting average has dropped from .262 to .227. He’s had no RBIs in the past 10 games. With two strikeouts and a walk, Sosa went 0-for-3 last night.
Taunts and jeers from the crowd are now being heard when Sosa is up to bat. This can only add to the pressure to this player who was brought on because of his hitting prowess. "I think it's just eating him up that he's not living up to what he believes he can do," said Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli.
Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia held the Orioles to three hits striking out seven and allowing only one run.
Sabathia (6-4) walked five but twice reached 100 mph on the stadium’s radar gun in his 7 2/3 innings. Manager Eric Wedge said "I thought it was as good as he's been all year. His rhythm and tempo were great."
Baltimore took the early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Both teams were scoreless for the next three. The Indians scored three in the sixth and never looked back.
There were some positive highlights. Both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees lost. The Orioles remain 2 ½ games out of first place behind the Red Sox in the American League East and 3 ½ ahead of the Yanks.
Rodrigo Lopez gave the Orioles its first quality start since June 19 when Hayden Penn held down the Colorado Rockies. Penn, who struggled in his last two starts, has now been returned to Double-A Bowie in an effort to hone his skills and regain confidence.
Today’s game may also see the return of Melvin Mora. The third baseman has been out with a strained right hamstring. Without him, the team has been 1-8.
The Orioles and Indians face off again this afternoon at Camden Yards. |
