Matthew Taylor: Rout by Yankees brings back unpleasant memories

I'm sure I wasn't the only Orioles fan with the Birds' 30-3 loss to Texas on my mind when the Yankees scored a dozen first-inning runs Saturday night. I was fairly certain New York wouldn't stay on pace for 108 runs, but 30 runs certainly seemed in the realm of possibility. Thankfully, the Yankees fell far short of the Rangers' record-breaking effort in 2007. Saturday's 17-3 loss therefore doesn't compare to the Texas baseball massacre on the whole. However, it was actually worse in parts. Here are some comparisons between the two games along with the available team records in each category for a dose of perspective. Runs in an inning: The Orioles spotted the Yankees 12 runs in Saturday's first inning. The most runs the O's allowed in any inning of the 30-3 loss to Texas was 10 in the eighth inning. Neither result reached record levels - the most runs the Orioles have ever yielded in an inning is 16. It happened on April 19, 1996, against the Rangers as part of a 26-7 O's loss. The Rangers led 10-7 headed into the bottom of the eighth inning of that ballgame. Hits in an inning: New York's 10 first-inning hits Saturday equaled the Rangers' 10 eighth-inning hits in the 2007 game. Again, both teams fell short of matching the Orioles' team record for hits yielded in an inning. That mark belongs to the Detroit Tigers, who had 11 first-inning hits on Sept. 20, 1983. The Tigers beat the Orioles 14-1 in a five-inning game shortened by rain, not the slaughter rule. Extra-base hits: New York had nine extra-base hits Saturday, one better than Texas' eight extra-base hits in 2007. Look a little closer, however, and you'll see that the Yankees compiled doubles (six) while the Rangers hit home runs (six). The team record for extra-base hits by an opponent is 12, set by the Tigers on June 21, 1987. The Tigers won that game 9-3. Pitchers used: The O's sent six pitchers to the mound Saturday: Zach Britton, Jason Berken, Chris Jakubauskas, Mark Hendrickson, Mike Gonzalez and Troy Patton. Believe it or not, the team used just four pitchers in the 30-3 loss: Daniel Cabrera, Brian Burres, Rob Bell and Paul Shuey. Errors: The Orioles had two errors in Saturday's game, both of which came in the first inning. The team had just one error against Texas in 2007. Innings leading: The Orioles never led the Yankees on Saturday. As hard as it is to believe now, the Birds actually led the Rangers 3-0 after three innings in 2007. Baltimore never scored again; Texas did so 30 times. Opponent: Perhaps no other category matters as much as this one, at least for the fans. Because while you never want to lose in embarrassing fashion to any opponent, let's face it, you'd much rather do so against the Rangers than the Yankees. Matthew Taylor blogs about the Orioles at Roar from 34. His ruminations about the Birds appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.