A 12-3 loss can erase a lot of good vibes, and Wednesday's loss for the Orioles to the Yankees might do that for some people. Zach Britton was absolutely shelled -- giving up seven hits and seven runs in 2.2 innings -- and the Orioles didn't produce runs until it was too late.

At the same time, the club got a tough pitching effort from Chris Tillman last night as he won his third game in a row. He battled off a tough first inning and then learned from it. Tillman was missing that mental toughness for so long during his career. Tuesday isn't necessarily a sign of a change for good, but it is encouraging.

Chris Davis also hit a grand slam Tuesday as the Orioles overcame early odds and blew past the Yankees for the second win of the series.

The Orioles beat New York at a time when the teams were going in opposite directions. The Yankees are built like a contender and have played like it recently. The Orioles are hanging around the wild-card chase, still to the surprise of everyone.

The Orioles might not catch the Yankees this season, but they've made real strides in 2012, and this series showed that 2013 could be an interesting season between the two teams.

Posted Aug. 1, 2012