For the second night in a row, the Orioles were shut out, 5-0, thanks to a sterling pitching performance from a Mets pitcher.

Johan Santana was not quite as dominant as R.A. Dickey was Monday, but he allowed just four hits during his Tuesday six-inning effort. Santana struck out five and walked two, keeping the Orioles off balance during most of his 101 pitches. The Orioles, during their first two games with the Mets, have just six hits.

The Orioles have to figure out a way out of this, because the Yankees are peaking. They took a 10-game winning streak into Tuesday night, but lost to the Braves. The Yankees have a 2.5 game advantage on the Birds.

Tommy Hunter's Tuesday-night performance was about what you'd expect from him at this point. He gave up five runs during 6.1 innings on seven hits. It's just not enough. Hunter had the opportunity to be a major contributor to the rotation this season, but halfway through, his struggles are holding the Orioles back from being a consistently good team.

Posted June 19, 2012