masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgWhen Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta threw a staggering total of 35 pitches in the second inning Wednesday night at Kansas City, it sure didn’t look like he would be able to pitch seven innings in the game.

But from the third through fifth innings, Arrieta needed only 35 more pitches and he was on his way to another solid outing for the Birds.

Arrieta pitched a season-high seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run in the Orioles’ 3-2 win. He threw 105 pitches and fanned eight, one…When Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta threw a staggering total of 35 pitches in the second inning Wednesday night at Kansas City, it sure didn’t look like he would be able to pitch seven innings in the game.

But from the third through fifth innings, Arrieta needed only 35 more pitches and he was on his way to another solid outing for the Birds.

Arrieta pitched a season-high seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run in the Orioles’ 3-2 win. He threw 105 pitches and fanned eight, one off his season and career high. He improved to 4-1 on the year with an ERA of 4.35.

It was impressive how Arrieta didn’t panic during his troubling and long bottom of the second. It was impressive how he started to really throw well right after that and he gave up just one hit over his last five innings in this win.

Arrieta gave up eight runs against Texas in his second start of this season. In his other six starts this year, he is 4-0 with an ERA of 2.75.

On the year, opposing batters are hitting just .231 against the 25-year-old right-hander. Arrieta has allowed one run or less in three of his seven starts and three runs or less in six of the seven.

A pretty impressive start to 2011 for Arrieta and the young pitchers in the O’s rotation.