We’re tied at one apiece after three innings at Camden Yards, in what looks like it could be a night ruled by a couple of young pitchers.
Both the Nationals’ Ross Detwiler and the Orioles’ Brad Bergesen have done a good job of getting ground ball outs and snuffing out rallies. Detwiler, who gave up back-to-back hits in the first inning to Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, has retired eight of nine batters since then, five of them on groundouts.
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It continues an impressive transformation for Detwiler, who is learning to use his sharp fastball to induce quick groundouts instead of striking batters out. He needed just 99 pitches to get a batter into the eighth inning in his last start, and has thrown 50 through three innings tonight, despite allowing two hits and a walk.
The Nats’ only run came on three straight singles from Josh Willingham, Elijah Dukes and Josh Bard in the second inning. Dukes tried to go from first to third on Bard’s single, but was thrown out by Nolan Reimold at third on a questionable call. Replays showed Dukes beat Melvin Mora’s tag at third, but umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called Dukes out and resisted Acta’s brief trip out of the dugout to argue the call.
