Today started with some bad news for the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles. The 2013 home run leader, and key component to the Orioles lineup, Chris Davis received a 25 game suspension for using the drug Adderall. The suspension is a tough one for the O’s to swallow, as it will span from the last 17 games of this year, to 8 games into the postseason, should the Orioles make it that far.
*Adderall is not a performance enhancing drug, but a drug used to key in your focus. It has become a popular drug over all professional sports, as it is not illegal or hard to obtain. It is mostly used to treat the disorder, “ADHD” which is an attention disorder. The drug helps you focus more and pay better attention. It is listed as an illegal drug though on MLB joint drug policy, which means you can get suspended if caught. Davis said he had used it prior to this year, but he had an excuse to use it, which expired recently, so he could not use the drug anymore.
This news came as a shock to the Orioles clubhouse. Many team leaders like Darren ODay, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones voiced their opinions on the matter. They all said they will support Davis, even though they know he made a mistake. They also said that these cases need to be attended to, and understand the penalty, but will still support his teammate.
After this shocking news, the Orioles had not one, but two games to play today. The first game this afternoon was a real pitchers duel, between Kevin Gausman, and Brandon Mccarthy. The game was scoreless heading into the 11th inning, when the new Yankee, Chris Young, hit a go ahead homer. This came after his walk-off homer on Thursday night. In the bottom of the 11th, the Orioles loaded the bases with a leadoff walk, a hit by pitch, and another walk to load the bases with two outs.
This brought up pinch hitter Jimmy Paredes. On the first pitch of the at bat, Paredes looped a liner down the right field line, scoring the winning runs. This was the first hit for the Orioles with RISP on the day, and it came at the right time.
With little time to rest, the night game of the double header began at 6:00pm. The starters for the game were Bryan Mitchell for the Yanks, and Bud Norris for the O’s. Ryan Flaherty got the scoring going with an RBI double in the 4th. Alejandro De Aza followed him with an RBI triple.
Bud Norris pitched 7 strong shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. That was exactly what the Orioles needed. Delmon Young provided the insurance runs with a 2 RBI single in the 7th, making it 4-0. Later in the 8th, De Aza added another RBI triple, closing the score at 5-0. The Orioles bullpen finished it off, and the Orioles swept the day night double header.
The Orioles brought their magic number to clinch the East down to 5. Plus, they cut the Yankees elimination number in half, from 8 to 4, which means if the O’s sweep the series, the Yankees are officially out of division contention. Another day, and another demonstration of the O’s handling adversity of losing a key player.
*Adderall as seen on WebMD
Sad News for the O’s but they will come together as a Team!!!!