By: Willie Bee
The strategy is working so far, though it undoubtedly leads to more gray hair and the consumption of mass quantities of antacids among the Baltimore coaching staff and Orioles fans. They'll have their Grecian Formula and Tums on the ready again Tuesday night when the O's continue their 4-game series with the Chicago White Sox.
Baltimore 's 4-3 victory in Monday's game raised the team's record to 24-6 in 1-run affairs, easily the best among all major league clubs. Wei-Yin Chen and the Orioles bullpen kept the potentChicago lineup at bay just enough for a late homer by Nate McLouth to provide the winning margin.
Sale wasn't expected to be in the Chicago rotation this year after spending the previous two seasons providing solid relief for the South Siders. Manager Robin Ventura gave him a look in that role during spring training, however, and Sale responded with decent efforts in six spring assignments to emerge from camp with the No. 5 job.
Sale has been very good with 5+ days of rest between starts, and Tillman is a fly ball pitcher who could get banged around by this homer-happy Chicago lineup. The White Sox on the run line will be my free baseball play for Tuesday.
It has become apparent that Buck Showalter and his Baltimore Orioles have a very unique strategy: Win a pair of 1-run games, then get blown out, win a pair of 1-run games, then get blown out, and so on.
The strategy is working so far, though it undoubtedly leads to more gray hair and the consumption of mass quantities of antacids among the
It was the third straight victory for the O's who will once again have to be at their best if they want to extend it to four. Chicago sends ace lefty Chris Sale to the mound on Tuesday as the -140 favorite according to the MLB odds. Baltimore counters with Chris Tillman and the 8 run total is leaning a dime or more to the UNDER.
He has moved to the top of the rotation by pitching like a No. 1 all season. One concern right now is the workload piling up on Sale who had just a handful of minor league innings before his 2010 promotion and has thrown more this year (153 IP) than his previous two seasons of pro ball combined (104.2 IP). Ventura is spacing out Sale's assignments in hopes of avoiding trouble.
Tillman has bounced back and forth between the Orioles and their minor league clubs the past few seasons, and finally appears to have broken through on the promise that made him a 2nd-round pick by Seattle in 2006. Tuesday marks his 10th start since being recalled in early July, and Baltimore is 6-3 in his nine trips to the bumps.
My pick: White Sox -1.5 (+110) ---
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