masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgI am not going to jump on Jason Berken. He is finally getting a deserved chance today to pitch in the later innings and not in long relief.

But O’s relief pitchers seem to make bad pitches at bad times lately. See Cla Meredith recently vs. Josh Willingham and Kevin Kouzmanoff. See Mike Gonzalez from the first week. See various other pitchers at other points late in games.

Berken just left a 2-2 curve ball up and in, the definition of a hanging breaking ball, that Vernon Wells crushed to…I am not going to jump on Jason Berken. He is finally getting a deserved chance today to pitch in the later innings and not in long relief.

But O’s relief pitchers seem to make bad pitches at bad times lately. See Cla Meredith recently vs. Josh Willingham and Kevin Kouzmanoff. See Mike Gonzalez from the first week. See various other pitchers at other points late in games.

Berken just left a 2-2 curve ball up and in, the definition of a hanging breaking ball, that Vernon Wells crushed to left for a 3-2 Toronto lead in the last of the eighth.

Jason Berken talks with the media about giving up the big HR to Vernon Wells

Now the bigger issue today is more lack of offense. If they lost giving up three runs, this one is not on the pitchers.

But O’s relievers can’t seem to get away with any mistakes lately. Better not to make them at all.

The O’s will head to the ninth trailing today at Toronto.

Update: Lyle Overbay just hit his second homer, a two-run shot off Alberto Castillo for a 5-2 lead. I’d like to write something interesting or witty here, but this team has taken the starch out of me today.

It’s a final: The Blue Jays hit four homers while the Orioles had just five hits. Toronto scored three runs in the last of the 8th to snap a 2-2 tie and beat the Orioles 5-2.

Vernon Wells solo homer off Jason Berken made it 3-2 and Lyle Overbay’s two-run shot off Alberto Castillo made it a 5-2 game.

Cesar Izturis’ double in the 6th snapped a 29-inning stretch without an extra-base hit for the Orioles, but they have just two extra-base hits over the last four games, scoring eight runs in that stretch. The Orioles are now 2-28 when scoring three runs or less.

The O’s have now lost four in a row, six of the last seven and 11 of the past 14 games.

The O’s fall to 15-35 on the year, 0-5 vs. Toronto, 0-2 on this six-game road trip and 6-17 in games vs. the AL East.

The beat and the beatings goes on.