Game takes a U-turn

I began listening to the game on 105.7 The Fan on my ride home from Ocean Pines with the Orioles leading, 2-1. Manager Buck Showalter had pushed the right buttons again. He started Jake Fox behind the plate, and Fox delivered an RBI triple and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. He started Robert Andino at shortstop, and Andino singled. The easy part was handing Chris Tillman the ball. Tillman held the Tigers to one run and one hit over 6 2/3 innings, but those six walks jacked up his pitch count and drove him from the game. I hoped to make it home before the final out. More important, I hoped to walk through the front door - preferably after I opened it - with the Orioles still ahead. Mission unaccomplished. Before I could get into Sykesville, Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run double off David Hernandez in the eighth to give Detroit a 4-2 lead. I made one trip to unload the car, and Alfredo Simon had served up a two-run homer to Brandon Inge. I'm afraid to check the NFL scores against my picks. What is it about series finales and this bullpen? I don't want to be greedy. We traveled down that road in the Bronx. Two out of three ain't bad, but the Orioles had a chance to do something a little more special today. I probably shared the same vision at Showalter. I thought Hernandez would enter with runners on second and third and no outs and proceed to strike out pinch-hitter Austin Jackson. He'd intentionally walk Miguel Cabrera and induce a double-play grounder to escape the jam and preserve the one-run lead. Instead, Hernandez walked Jackson with the count full and Cabrera cleared the bases. So much for that plan. I blame the heavy traffic. And the front door I forgot to open.