Orioles' Opener Is a Downer

Baltimore Starts Another Rebuilding Season With a Young Lineup and a Loss: Rays 6, Orioles 2

BALTIMORE, March 31 -- For the opening scene of what many expect to play out like a 162-act tragedy, a threatening gray mist dominated the skies above Camden Yards on Monday afternoon, providing a most fitting backdrop for the Baltimore Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, who emerged as one of last season's most pleasant surprises, allowed nine hits and six runs (five earned) before he was knocked out of the game in the sixth in his first career Opening Day start.

"A couple of change-ups maybe five inches too high makes all the difference in the world," said Guthrie, who pitched before a large contingent of family members.

Indeed, location proved to be the culprit, especially in the third inning, when Guthrie allowed three runs, including one unearned after third baseman Melvin Mora fumbled a grounder.

In the fourth inning, Guthrie left a fastball belt-high to Rays right fielder Eric Hinske, who deposited the mistake more than halfway up the right field stands. Guthrie missed his targets with off-speed pitches as well, turning what would have been ground balls into hits, and an efficient outing into an ineffective one.

"Guthrie threw strikes, but his location wasn't what we're used to," Orioles Manager Dave Trembley said. "His secondary pitches I think are what got him in trouble."

Said Guthrie: "I feel the same pain losing in July as I do on March 31."

Still, as with the start of most every season, optimism made a cameo appearance.

The Orioles arrived by strolling down an orange carpet that stretched from center field to second base, cheered on by an announced crowd of 46,807. They offered a warm ovation for second baseman Brian Roberts, whom most expected to be wearing another uniform on this day. Outfielders Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, the expected cornerstones of a radical rebuilding, drew the loudest cheers.

"It's like Christmas Day for a lot of these guys, me included," said Trembley, keeper of a roster stacked with first-time big leaguers. "A lot of us have never had the opportunity to go through this before."

Before Guthrie was chased in the sixth inning, trailing by four runs, the Orioles had actually staked him to a 2-0 lead thanks in part to a decision made by Trembley in the early days of spring.

During spring training, Trembley announced Kevin Millar as the team's cleanup hitter, partly for his ability to work his way into favorable counts and productive at-bats. Millar made the decision appear wise when his first opportunity to do damage as a No. 4 hitter came with two on and one out in the bottom of the first inning.

After Roberts and Markakis moved to second and third on a double steal, Millar took an aggressive swing on Rays pitcher James Shields's 1-1 offering. The ball bounced from the glove of left fielder Carl Crawford and off the top of the left field wall, ending up as a two-run double for Millar, who earlier pleased the crowd with a stylish entrance.

As he had promised, Millar did a dance that borrowed moves from the repertoires of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and the king of pop, Michael Jackson.

"It's turning into a tradition," Millar said. "So as long as I'm an Oriole, I'm going to be doing Ray Lewis and add something extra every year."

But Millar's feel-good moment did little to inspire the rest of the Orioles' bats, which struggled badly against Shields's change-up. In fact, Shields did not allow another run before exiting the game with a four-run lead after the seventh inning, ensuring that Act 1 of the Orioles' massive rebuilding process would go down as a loss.