Of all the starting pitchers to end the Orioles' streak of 15-straight Sunday losses, Garrett Olson may have been the least likely.
The 24-year-old left-hander had a 10.78 ERA in his previous four starts before Sunday's outing. Not only did he snap the Orioles' Sunday skid, but he snapped a dry spell of poor starts from the Orioles' rotation. Olson was the first Oriole to work six innings in a start since Jeremy Guthrie did on July 18, and the first to spin a quality start since Brian Burres did in Boston July 11.
Olson was happy to be the Orioles' good luck charm in stopping a losing streak that had no explanation.
"I was really focusing the last couple days on what got me here. Just keep it simple," Olson said. "The biggest thing for me, I just have to make my pitches. You can't afford to miss your spots a lot, and if you do, you're in trouble."
Olson's start won't completely assure him a long-term spot in the rotation, it simply re-assures the concerns that began to arise around the club's top major-league-ready young arm.
ORIOLES 5, ANGELS 2: The recipe for Sunday success was simple: a battery of Garrett Olson and Guillermo Quiroz. The Orioles snapped a streak of 15 straight Sunday defeats with Olson's six-inning performance and Quiroz's 3-for-4 day at the plate.
