Undercover Orioles Fan

Undercover Orioles Fan ate some bad pizza but watched a pretty good Phillies game last night at Citizens Bank Park, but missed an even better Orioles game.

As I mentioned, on paper the matchup of James Shields vs. Chris Tillman favored the Rays. And indeed, although Shields kept the Orioles off the board for seven innings, Tillman was up to the task. Tracking on my (non-smart) phone, I noticed that Tillman had no-hit the Rays through six innings, before being pulled with 101 pitches for Jeremy Accardo, who would promptly surrender the no-hitter yet preserve the shutout on the strength of a great throw from left by Felix Pie and a block at the plate by Matt Wieters. Wieters as a hitter hasn't lived up to the hype, but his skills in calling a game and blocking the plate have been considerably lauded in his short career. Hopefully, greatness still lies ahead.

The Orioles got two runners on against Shields in the eighth, and Brian Roberts rudely greeted reliever Jake McGee with a three-run homer to give the Orioles a lead they would not surrender.

But, oh, how they would try. I'm not sure if I'm happy that I didn't see this until later, when I was sure of the result, or if I would have loved to watch it live -- when I might have had a heart attack but then would have been in Orioles Heaven (like regular Heaven, but with more orange) enjoying this moment:

Kevin Gregg -- the Orioles new and very suspect closer -- starts allowing baserunners . Sent in to hold a 3-1 lead, he gives up a single to BJ Upton, who is erased in a fielder's choice by Matt Joyce, then walking Kelly Shoppach to leave two on. He strikes out Elliot Johnson for the 2nd out. Ben Zobrist is at the plate, and he does not miss the first pitch. Crushed to deep right, this is going to tie the game, except Nick Markakis makes the play of the night (according to MLB Network's Quick Pitch) with an outstanding leaping catch at the wall that. Watch and listen to Gary Thorne freaking out here:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13419047

As always, I am always cautious about overestimating early season results. The Orioles still face long odds to finish above .500. But last season it took them eighteen games two get their second win. This season? Two.

Zach Britton: Finish them.