Game 5 - A Season On the Line

     Does anyone else getfeeling that this Orioles vs. Yankees series is alot like a boxing match?  The Yankees taking game 1, Orioles game 2, Yankees 3, and then last nights back and forth punches from inning to inning with the terrific pitchers on both teams, yet the O's finidng a way to get it done! First one team is on the ropes, then the next..and it just keeps alternating. It's really been one of the better ALDS series played so far. 

     

     This evening's game will pit Sabathia vs. Hamels, a rematch from game 1 of this series. Both pitchers did very well and it wasn't until the Orioles bullpen came in that the Yankees exploded for 6 runs and ran away with the win. What do the O's need to do to win tonight? 

     Here's my thoughts: 

 1. Get to Sabathia early. Make him work, get on base, and try to push runs across. The longer he stays on the mound with less work, just the better he gets. I would love to see him chased early from the game! If you can start knocking him around, he is susceptible to big innings. 

2. Plate discipline for O's hitters. Just take your time, work your counts, wait for your pitch. Keep fouling them off until you get something you like. There were so many pitches in the dirt swung at and missed last night. Chris Davis had three in a row. They need to focus and be patient. 

3. Just smart baserunning. Lew Ford getting picked off at first at first last night ended up not being a glaring mistake, but it can't happen again. At 5:07, the Orioles fight to stay alive in this postseason. They can do it, but if the rest of this series has been any indication it'll be a back and forth to the end. 

Let's hope the O's can stay off the ropes though and knock those Yankees out! 

 - Greg