Markakis and Cabrera lead O's to 3-2 win over Mariners
Thursday: The Orioles face the Mariners live from Seattle at 10:00pm on MASN2. Coverage begins at 9:30pm with O's XTRA Pregame. [Find MASN2]
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The O's were down 2-0 heading to the sixth but scored twice to tie the game. Brian Roberts lead off with a single and then scored on Melvin Mora's triple to right. He then scored on a Markakis grounder to tie it up.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the first as Ichiro singled, stole second and later scored on a Raul Ibanez sac fly. Jose Vidro added an RBI grounder in the 4th.
The O's are now 3-5 in road games and have five contests remaining on this trip.
Adam Loewen faces Jarrod Washburn Thursday in the Seattle series finale.
Balt 3-7-0
Sea 2-6-0
POST-GAME NEWS AND NOTES
DAN THE MAN
Daniel Cabrera was outstanding. Again. He is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.18 over his past three starts. Tonight he retired the last 11 batters he faced and needed only 95 pitches to get thru eight innings.
I was a little suprised he was taken out of the game. Dave Trembley said he would have stayed in a tie game, but with a lead, he went to his closer, who was perfect with saves to this point.
Cabrera averaged 11.9 pitches per inning. Cabrera did not walk anyone. Did you ever think anyone would ever write those sentences ? Of all the times before when someone said Cabrera has turned the corner, this may finally be it. It would make all the other times worthwhile to see the big guy turn into a frontline starter.
CABRERA BY THE NUMBERS
He is 2-0 with a 4.40 on the year. But here are his last three starts.
4-12 at Tampa........6.2ip, 5h, 1r-er, 3b, 4k.......107 pitches
4-18 v. NYY..............6ip, 6h, 2r-er, 2b, 3k.........108 pitches
4-23 at Sea.............8ip, 5h, 2r-er, 0b, 5k............95 pitches
TOTAL................20.2IP, 16h, 5r-er, 5b, 12k
In those three he is 2-0 2.18.
ANOTHER ONE-RUN WIN
The Orioles improve to 6-1 in one-run wins. That's nearly half of last year's win total, when they went 13-31 in one-run decisions. Three of the one-run victories have come vs. the Mariners.
NICK GOES DEEP
What a sweet swing by Nick Markakis in the 8th. His solo homer off Ryan Rowland-Smith broke the 2-2 tie, and, to say the least, was very clutch.
Nick entered the game 7-13, with three homers vs. starter Carlos Silva. He went 0-3 vs. Silva but didn't miss his pitch in the 8th. That's his 4th homer of the year, one more than he had all last April.
STARTING PITCHING ROLL
The O's have put together five strait very good starts. The starters ERA over the five games is 2.67 (10er in 33.2 ip).
FINAL NOTES
The O's are now 14-30 all-time at Safeco Field.......Kevin Millar's five-game hit streak ended as he went 0-4................Luke Scott went hitless and is 0-12 the past three games.......O's pitching has allowed just 11 hits in two games in the series.......O's hitters have just produced just six runs the last three contests.............Markakis was without a homer the first 11 games of the season, but now has 4 in 10 contests. Nick had just 1 hit his last 12 at bats when he came up in the eigth. The O's are now 5-1 vs. the Mariners after going 2-7 last season.
STEVE MELEWSKI IN-GAME LIVE BLOG
NICK THE STICK
O's 3 Sea 2......middle of 8th
The stick strikes in the 8th. Sean Green got Mora out on a grounder to start the 8th. Then John McLaren went for a lefty-lefty matchup and brought in Ryan Rowland-Smith to face Markakis. On his first pitch, Markakis homers to right for a 3-2 O's lead. It's the first time tonight the O's lead. It was Markakis 4th homer and 10th RBI.
GETTING LATE
O's 2 Sea 2......middle of seventh
Seattle starter Carlos Silva left the game in the 7th due to a right thigh injury. He left after walking Huff to lead the inning, but the O's would go on to strand two runners vs. Sean Green.
Silva's line: 6ip, 6h, 2r-er, 2b, 4k........84 pitches
Cabrera has thrown 75 pitches in six, giving up four hits and two runs with no walks.
O'S TIE IT IN SIXTH
The O's tie it up, 2-2, after five and a half.
Brian Roberts led off the 6th with a single. He then scored on a Melvin Mora triple to right. Nick Markakis then hit a grounder to second and with that out, scored Mora to tie it. Nothing to it, three batters, tie game.
The O's had one hit thru the first four innings, but have five hits in the last two.
HUFF'S BLUNDER
It was a big one, a real big one that kept the Orioles from scoring in the 5th. Huff led off with a single, then Adam Jones singled, leaving runners on first and second with none out for Ramon Hernandez. Ramon crushed one off the wall in left, it should have gone for an RBI double and left runners at second and third with none out.
Instead, here's what happened. Huff, on second base, for some reason didn't run for third until very late and actually got thrown out at home, 7-6-2. Huff's base-running blunder not only kept the O's off the board, but now runners were only on first and second. Of course, the next batter, Luis Hernandez, hit into a 4-6-3 DP.
What a devestating inning for a team desperate for runs right now.
Still, Sea 2 O's 0......bottom of 5th.
Sea 2 O's 0......end of four
Cabrera pitched out of a bases-loaded, no out jam in the fourth allowing just one run. After two singles started the inning, the O's let a bloop off the bat of Adrian Beltre fall into short left for a hit to load them up. It appeared that SS Luis Hernandez could get to the ball, but LF Luke Scott called him off, then failed to make a diving catch.
One run eventually scored on a Jose Vidro grounder, but if the bloop had been caught they could have gotten out of the inning without allowing any runs.
PITCHERS DUEL AGAIN ???
Sea 1 O's 0......end of third
So far it is, with Cabrera retiring nine in a row since Ichiro's single in the first. He has thrown just 26 pitches so far, 17 strikes. Silva has allowed one hit and one walk thru three, throwing 36 pitches.
M's LEAD EARLY
Sea 1 O's 0........end of first
Ichiro strikes again with a leadoff single and stolen base. He went to third on a groundout and scored on a Raul Ibanez sac fly. It's his 18th RBI of the year.
GAME TIME IN SEATTLE
The O's and M's have begun game two of their series at Safeco Field. Check back here often tonight for news and updates.
PREGAME NOTES
TONIGHT'S ORIOLES LINEUP
After player name is his career stats vs. Carlos Silva, the M's starter tonight.
2B Brian Roberts (13-28, 2 2B, 2 HR)
3B Melvin Mora (7-24)
RF Nick Markakis (7-13, 3 2B, 3 HR)
1B Kevin Millar (5-19)
LF Luke Scott (1-3)
DH Aubrey Huff (3-9)
CF Adam Jones (1-4)
C Ramon Hernandez (2-16)
SS Luis Hernandez (2-2)
Last game vs. Silva, Roberts went 3-4 and Mora hit a two-run homer.
SOLID PITCHING
Orioles pitching has given up just 13 runs the past four games. O's starters ERA is 2.81 the past four. The Mariners had just five hits last night, that's the fewest hits the O's have given up in a game this year.
Last four starting pitchers:
Cabrera 6ip, 6h, 2er
Burres 5.2ip, 5h, 0er
Trachsel 6.1ip, 7h, 3er
Guthrie 7.2ip, 5h, 3er
TOTAL: 25.2ip, 23h, 8er, 2.81 ERA
UP AND DOWN OFFENSE
After scoring 20 runs in a three-game stretch on the last homestand, and winning those three, the O's have now scored 3 runs in the last 2 games. They have 15 hits in 66 at bats the two games, for an average of .227.
REVISITING LAST NIGHT
Why are some fans upset that Jeremy Guthrie pitched to Jose Vidro in the 8th inning last night. Fans amaze me. When the bullpen blows it, they took the starter out too soon. When the starter gives it up, why didn't they go to the pen.
You have to take each instance on its own merits. Guthrie had thrown just 94 pitches thru seven innings, and, heading to the 8th, had retired 8 batters in a row. He was rolling.
Plus, one of the two runs he allowed was Ramon Hernandez fault, not his.
If the O's take Guthrie out there, they go to either Sarfate or Walker. No way do I put Sarfate in that spot right now. Walker maybe, but Vidro is hitting .353 from the right side this year. So take your chances with a pitcher who is your best starter and is pitching his best game of the year. Plus, Guthrie WANTED the ball. Plenty of pitchers like Mike Mussina feel they've done their job if they get seven innings. Guthrie very badly still wanted in that game.
The reason the O's lost last night ??? They scored just two runs. Here are the scores of the O's last five losses - 4-2, 7-1, 3-1, 11-3 and 6-2. You can't win with that little on offense.
Guthrie's ERA for last night's game was 3.52. Do that all year and he'll finish in the top ten or fifteen in league ERA. He pitched a real good game last night and should be credited for that today. Trembley should get credit for not making the safe move, but going with his best starter in a big moment.
Sometimes you just lose. Given the same situation five days from now I'll give Guthrie the ball again and watch him get the key out time after time.
MOUND MATTERS
Daniel Cabrera (1-0 5.16) will make his 5th start of the season. After allowing 10 runs in 10 innings his first two starts, Cabrera is 1-0 2.13 his last two starts. He has given up just 3er over 12.2ip in those outings.
The 27-year-old righty faced the M's April 7th and gave up four runs and five hits in six frames. He gave up a pair of first-inning solo homers that day to Ichiro and Raul Ibanez.
In nine career starts vs. Seattle, Cabrera is 5-1 4.60 in 58.2 innings.
Cabrera got the win last Friday vs. New York, giving up two runs in six innings vs. the Yankees. This year, right-handed batters are hitting just .182 off him while left-handers are batting .281.
RHP Carlos Silva (3-0 2.79), who turns 29 today, makes the start for Seattle. Silva, signed by the Mariners to a 4-year, 48 million dollar contract in December, is coming off a win vs. Oakland. Last Thursday vs. the A's, he allowed just one run and four hits in seven innings.
Silva has won his last five decisions, dating to September 18 of 2007.
Proving spring training stats don't mean anything, Silva's ERA was 7.32 in March. Last year he was one of 19 AL pitchers to log 200 or more innings, when he went 13-14 4.19, with the Twins.
In Baltimore, he got a no decision on April 7, giving up four runs on nine hits over seven innings. He has taken four losses in his last six starts vs. Baltimore (0-4 5.63 in that span) and has a career mark of 1-4 4.67 vs. the O's.
Silva, who will make his 130th career start tonight, has a career record of 58-46 with an ERA of 4.27.
THE AL EAST
Boston 15-7
Orioles 11-9 3.0
NY 11-10 3.5
Toronto 10-11 4.0
Tampa 9-11 5.0
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