Rob Long: Opening Day Had That 'Orioles Magic'
Opening Day lived up to the hype Monday at Oriole Park At Camden Yards. The fans were dressed in orange and black, anticipating something special from the O's.
Kevin Gausman came out and held off the Blue Jays from scoring early even though they had multiple opportunities. While "Gaus" wasn't brilliant, he was effective enough to give his team a chance to win the game.
The Orioles bullpen did, well, what they do. The Jays could not cross the plate after Gausman left the game. While the pen was effective in that way, Zach Britton did not live up to his own standards. He went two innings giving up three hits and walking one. No, that's not reason for concern yet, just not the dominance you've come to expect from Britton.
Opening Day had it all, including extra innings. Why not? It's the O's versus the Jays right? Even MLB Network led off its show talking about the rivalry between these two teams. You cannot have these two teams play without having a little drama.
Toronto had it's chance, leaving 13 runners on base. Yes, 13 runners while collecting 11 hits and six bases on balls. The Orioles defense, including a great play by Manny Machado and several gems by Chris Davis, denied Toronto of scoring opportunities.
Then, with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, Major League Baseball's reigning homerun champ, Mark Trumbo launched one into the left field stands to send the fans home happy. Yes, it's only 1-0 but it sure does feel good.
