Roberts solo HR in 8th gives O's 8-7 win in Seattle
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O'S PRODUCE BIG COMEBACK, SERIES WIN VS. MARINERS
The Orioles rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Mariners 8-7 Thursday night on a Brian Roberts homer. Roberts hit a solo shot in the 8th off Sean Green to break a 7-7 tie. It was the last run scored in a wild game that saw the O's use six pitchers.
It's the O's first road series win of the year and improves the club's record to 13-9. The Birds are now one game behind first-place Boston.
Chad Bradford got the win and George Sherrill his 8th save and his 5th vs. his former Seattle team. Sherrill got Ichiro to hit into a double-play in the last of the ninth.
Baltimore is now 7-1 in one-run games.
The Mariners knocked Adam Loewen out during a four-run third inning. Jose Vidro's two-run double capped the scoring then and was Loewen's last batter. He gave up five runs and four hits in just 2.2 ip.
The Birds chipped away with single runs in the 4th, 5th and 6th to trail 5-3.
The O's would tie it and get the lead during their four-run top of the seventh. A Kevin Millar sac fly made it 5-4 and Aubrey Huff rbi single tied it at 5. A couple of batters later, Adam Jones came up with two outs and the bases loaded. He ripped a two-run double to left off Mark Lowe that just missed becoming a Grand Slam. That made it 7-5, O's.
The lead didn't last long. Ichiro hit a two-run homer off Jamie Walker in the 7th to tie the game, 7-7.
Jones went 3-4, with two doubles and 3 RBI. Markakis had two singles and two walks. Jay Payton hit a solo homer and went 2-5. The Birds 13 hits tied their season high.
The Orioles begin a four-game series in Chicago tomorrow night.
Balt 8-13-0
Sea 7-10-3
POST GAME NOTES
ANOTHER COMEBACK
This time the O's were down 5-0 after three innings. It's their 9th comeback win of the season. Amazingly, they have trailed in each of their six wins this season vs. the Mariners.
GETTING OFFENSE
After the O's scored just six runs on 22 hits the past three games, they broke out tonight for 8 runs on 13 hits. That's one off the season high for runs and ties the season-high for hits. And, this after they missed early chances to have a big inning vs. starter Jarrod Washburn.
THE PEN AGAIN
Five bullpen pitchers combined to give up two runs and six hits over 6.1 ip. Randor Bierd and Matt Albers get special mention for keeping Seattle at five runs after Loewen got knocked out. That allowed the O's to chip away and get back in the game. Were it not for the one bad pitch to Ichiro, the pen could have put up 6.1 ip scoreless.
BIG TURNAROUND
In 2006 and 2007, the O's went 6-13 vs. Seattle, Now they are 6-1. They start the road trip 2-1 and are now 4-5 on the road and now 7-1 in one-run games.
JONESY
Adam Jones went 3-4, with two doubles and 3 RBI. He also had a three-hit game April 14 vs. Toronto. But this is the first O's game where he had more than one extra-base hit and its his first O's multi-RBI game. In fact, Jones did not have an extra-base hit his last seven contests before tonight. Jones went 5-12 in this series.
WHAT ABOUT LOEWEN
On O's Xtra after the game, Jim Hunter reported he had gotten word that Loewen told reporters his elbow was bothering him after tonight's game. No other details were immediately available.
STEVE MELEWSKI'S IN-GAME BLOG
B-ROB COMES THRU
O's 8 Sea 7.......middle of 8th
So the O's blow the 7-5 lead and it gets tied at 7. That lasts maybe - 12 seconds. Brian Roberts led off the 8th with a homer down the RF line off Sean Green for an 8-7 O's lead. It's B-Rob's second homer of the year. The other came during the second game of the season vs. Tampa.
The O's seem to abuse anyone in the Mariners pen not named JJ Putz.
The O's have scored in five strait innings. Can they hold this lead. Wild, wild game.
ICHIRO !!!
We could not enjoy the comeback and lead for long. Maybe 12 seconds. Betancourt with a leadoff single off Matt Albers, then Trembley went to matchup and brought in Jamie Walker vs. Ichiro. Ichiro got a pitch up in the zone and hit a 2-run homer to right to tie this game at 7.
We should now officially begin to worry about Walker's inability to get out left-handed hitters suddenly.
O's will have the top of the order up in the 8th of this donnybrook.
BIRDS BREAK THRU
O's 7 Sea 5......middle of 7th
The chipping away officially ends with a four-run O's seventh inning.
The frame began with back to back singles by Roberts and Mora vs. Arthur Rhodes. Then Rhodes walked Markakis to load them up. He screamed at the ump, but all four pitches to Nick were balls.
Mark Lowe came in for Rhodes. Millar came up with a sac fly for 5-4 and then Huff ripped an RBI single to center to tie at 5 on his 16th RBI.
Later in the inning, Adam Jones came up with sacks full, two outs and game tied at 5. Lowe got ahead on the count and Jones just missed striking out twice on low pitches that he just got a piece of to foul back of the plate. Then Lowe put a pitch up in the zone and BOOM !! Jones crushed it off the top of the fence in left for a two-RBI double and 7-5 lead that just missed being a Grand Slam.
Jones is 3-4 tonight, with two doubles and three RBI.
The O's have 12 hits tonight, one off their season high.
CHIP, CHIP, CHIPPING AWAY
Sea 5 O's 3......top of 7th
The O's not exactly prolific offense is getting one at a time tonight. They used two infield singles to score one in the 6th. Jay Payton led off with an infield hit, went to second on a groundout and then stole third. Adam Jones hit a dribbler to third that went for an RBI infield hit. Jones is 2-3 tonight, his 4th multi-hit game of the year and his first since April 14 vs. Toronto.
The Birds have eight hits on the night, six in their last three at bats.
Bierd and Albers have combined to pitch 3.1 ip allowing one hit and no runs. Great job keeping the O's in the game.
NOT HIS NIGHT
Sea 5 O's 2............middle of 5th
In the first tonight, Kevin Millar batted with runners on first and third and struck out. In the 3rd he was up with the bases loaded and popped out. He just came up with runners on first and third and none out in the 5th. He did get a run in --- by hitting into a double play. Tough night for Millar.
Washburn is begging the O's to have a big inning, but so far, they have refused.
PAYTON POWER
O's get on the board on Jay Payton's solo homer in the 4th. In his career vs. Washburn, Payton is now 10-24, with 5 doubles and two homers. So, the O's are on the board, but they have left six men on base thru four.
MORE FRUSTRATION......LOEWEN KO'D
Sea 5 O's 0.......end of third
Watching the M's cash in their scoring chance. Bases loaded and none out, they get back to back sac flies from Lopez and Ibanez for a 3-0 lead. The inning started when bottom of the order hitters, number 8 Bloomquist and number 9 Betancourt, both singled.
Later, Jose Vidro ripped a two-run double to center for 5-0 and that knocked Loewen out. It's his shortest outing of the season.
Loewen's line: 2.2ip, 4h, 5r-er, 3b, 1k, 1 HR.......60 pitches, 33 strikes.
His ERA goes from 6.32 to 7.85.
FRUSTRATION
When a team doesn't score a lot, like, say the Orioles, its doubly frustrating when they blow chances to score.
In tonight's top of the third, they got a double, an error and two walks and still did not score. They had a man on third with none out, first and third with one down and bases loaded with two outs and no runs. Fahey lined to left while Mora and Millar hit infield pops to end the threat.
The Orioles run of good pitching is that much more impressive when the team isn't scoring much as so much seems to ride on each pitch they throw.
Let's see if they can break out of this sometime tonight, or even tomorrow Baltimore time.
M'S STRIKE FIRST
Sea 1 O's 0........end of second
The Orioles have five wins vs. the Mariners this year and have trailed in each of those games. So maybe falling behind 1-0 early is not a bad thing.
Adrian Beltre led off the last of the second and hit a 3-2 pitch from Adam Loewen into the left-field seats for his 4th homer and the 5th Loewen has allowed.
UNDERWAY AT SAFECO
Game three of the O's-Mariners series is now underway. Jarrod Washburn faces the O's Adam Loewen. The club heads to Chicago for four after tonight's game.
PRE-GAME NEWS AND NOTES
They went 1-2 at Texas and Tampa and, after winning last night, are 1-1 awaiting tonight's series finale in Seattle.
Nick Markakis hit a solo homer in the 8th Wednesday night breaking a 2-2 tie and giving the O's a 3-2 win over the Mariners. It was his 4th homer of the season and 4th in the last 10 games.
Winning pitcher Daniel Cabrera had a third straight strong outing, giving up just two runs and five hits in eight frames. He did not walk a batter for the first time in 30 outings and needed just 95 pitches to get thru eight innings.
The Mariners are 11-11, but are 1-5 vs. the O's on the season, after winning 7 of 9 contests between the clubs last season.
TONIGHT'S ORIOLES LINEUP
2B Brian Roberts (3-19, 6k)
3B Melvin Mora (6-25, HR)
RF Nick Markakis (1-9, 5k)
1B Kevin Millar (7-21, HR)
DH Aubrey Huff (12-34, HR)
LF Jay Payton (9-22, 5 2B, HR)
C Ramon Hernandez (12-43, 2 HR)
CF Adam Jones (1-2, 2B)
SS Brandon Fahey (0-0)
P Adam Loewen
***stats listed are players career numbers vs. JWashburn****
STARTERS GETTING IT DONE
Since the start of the Yankees series last Friday, O's starting pitchers are on a roll. The starters ERA over the five-game run is 2.67 (10er 33.2 ip). Cabrera and George Sherrill needed just 110 pitches last night and it was the first time this season O's pitching did not walk even one batter. The M's have just 11 hits in this series. The O's team ERA is down to 4.18, its lowest spot since April 10.
MOUND MATCHUP
Adam Loewen makes his 4th start of the year. He gave up four earned runs in each of his first two starts, but fared better his last time out. On April 16, vs. the White Sox, he gave up three runs and six hits in six innings, using 109 pitches.
Loewen is 0-1 6.32 to date.
His biggest battle so far has been control, especially with his fastball. He's walked 12 in 15.2 ip and in one start, stopped throwing his fastball it got so bad. The O's pushed this start for Loewen back a few days so he could work more on the side, let's see if that extra work pays off tonight.
In three career games vs. the M's, Loewen is 0-1 7.36, allowing 12 hits in 11 innings.
Lefty Jarrod Washburn (1-3 4.13) makes his 5th start of 2008 tonight. He has allowed 24 hits in 28 innings.
This year left-handed batters are just 2-23 (.087) vs. Washburn, but right-handed batters are bashing him at a .377 pace (26-69).
He took the loss April 4th vs. Baltimore, giving up 3r-er and 5 hits in 6ip. In two starts last season vs. the O's he was, 0-1 8.18 and in 12 career starts vs. the Orioles, he is 6-4 4.52 in 78 innings.
The 33-year-old Washburn gave up four runs and ten hits in six innings in his last start, last Saturday vs. the LA Angels.
MINOR LEAGUE NOTE
AAA Norfolk played and lost this afternoon, 2-1, at home vs. Richmond. But righty Radhames Liz had a strong outing with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. Liz, who fanned five of the first seven hitters, threw 102 pitches, 71 for strikes. He gave up just one run and three hits, getting a no decison.
Chris Roberson had three hits and an RBI for the Tides. Norfolk plays at Richmond on Friday night with Hayden Penn (1-1 4.88) on the mound.
EVEN MORE FROM THE MINORS
Was tonight the night Nolan Reimold turns his season around ? He was 4-4 tonight for Bowie which won 7-3 at New Hampshire. Reimold had a HR and 3 RBI and has raised his average to .240 with this breakout game. He had been under .200 most of the season.
The Delmarva Shorebirds continue to get strong starting pitching. Their five of Mariotti, Britton, Noel, Butler and McCurry has pitched to an ERA of 2.87 during the Birds 10-10 start. Mariotti is 2-1 1.50 on the season and has not allowed a run over his last 16 innings.
The Birds are trying to bounce back from a Tuesday doubleheader where they lost two to Lake County by a combined 18-2 score where they made 11 errors. Second sacker Ryan Adams had six of the miscues.
Tonight, the Birds beat West Virginia 8-5 as Joe Mahoney hit a two-run homer and Joe Nowicki a solo shot.
This week, Delmarva put Pedro Floriman and David Cash on the DL.
NEED MORE OFFENSE
The Orioles lost Tuesday because of a lack of offense and won Wednesday despite that and because of great pitching. But since being shutdown by Andy Pettitte Sunday, the O's have not hit much. In the past three games the club is batting .224 (22-98) and has scored only six runs.
PAYTON FOR SCOTT TONIGHT ???
This might be a night where Jay Payton starts in left over Luke Scott. Payton is a .409 career hitter vs. Washburn, going 9-22 with 5 doubles. And, Scott is 0-12, so maybe a day off vs. a lefty would not be a bad thing and they'd have him to pinch-hit late.
This would give the O's seven right-handed bats vs. Washburn and as pointed out above, righties hit .377 vs. him on the season.
WHERE THE O'S RANK IN SOME AL STATS
Batting average, 11th (.252)
Runs, 12th (89)
Home Runs, t-7th (20)
OBP, 11th (.326)
ERA, 7th (4.18)
Saves, t-3rd (8)
Batting Average Against, 2nd (.245)
Strikeouts, 11th (111)
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