4-16-08: Sox 3 - Orioles 1

April 16, 2008 - Baltimore, Maryland

Keep on rockin' in the free world.

The good Jose Contreras showed up on Wednesday. He pitched 7 innings with 4 hits, 6 strikeouts and 0 walks. It looks like he's found whatever he lost at the beginning of the year. I hope this one stays awhile.

Jim Thome also broke out of his funk with a three-run homer and a double. The first thing I noticed when looking at the swing for the home run was how short and quick it was. Thome had gotten slightly long in his swing lately. Will this be the real Jim Thome returning? Let's hope so.

The good:
Jose Contreras pitched extremely well.

Jim Thome's stroke is back!

The bad:
Joe Crede's throwing error.

The Orioles had a stolen base.

The ugly:
The bottom of the order was 0 for 11 with a walk.

The Orioles shouldn't try to duplicate Jermaine Dye's sliding catches.

The starting pitching for this game would either allow it to be a high scoring affair or a low scoring one. I would've picked a high scoring game. I was pleasantly surprised by the minuscule amount of runs that were scored. The Orioles have a talented team. The Sox should not underestimate them.