If there's one thing to like about the Orioles' four-game series in Oakland, it's that they managed not to get swept.
The O's salvaged the final game of the set with a long-awaited offensive explosion Aug. 11, riding Mark Trumbo's grand slam to a 7-0 lead before holding on by their fingernails to a 9-6 victory. Ace righty Chris Tillman played the stopper again with a strong seven-inning performance, as the Birds improved to 9-2 in games started by Tillman immediately after an Orioles loss.
The victory in the finale sent the O's out of Oakland on a positive note. Everything that happened before that final game, however, left O's fans in a state of frustrated disbelief.
During the first three games of the series Aug. 8-10, the Birds' batters limped through three of their worst games of the season, totaling three runs in 27 innings. The O's scored two runs, then one, then zero.
