The Orioles have learned -- typically the hard way -- that everything is bigger in Texas. That includes the box score.
Trips to Texas often have included high-scoring affairs for Baltimore, and Wednesday's 19-6 thrashing came almost 13 years to the day of a 26-7 beat-down in Texas on April 19, 1996. In that game, middle infielder Manny Alexander was called upon to pitch in relief. The blowouts happen against the Rangers in Baltimore, too. Orioles fans will be hard-pressed to forget the 30-3 record-breaker on Aug. 22, 2007.
Regardless of the ballpark, bad pitching presents the opportunity for high-scoring affairs. The Orioles and Rangers have had the perfect recipe: plenty of awful pitching in the past decade.
Andy MacPhail and the Orioles brass are hoping those days are dwindling. But this year, with a rotation full of question marks and a bullpen inevitably to become overworked by midseason, the Orioles could be in store for a few lopsided defeats. The Baltimore offense has enough firepower, though, to dish out its share of one-sided contests.
The wait for the Rangers-Orioles matchup will be a short one -- Texas visits Camden Yards on April 24-27, and again Sept. 4-6.
