Despite strong outing by Guthrie, O's drop Seattle series opener 4-2
Wednesday: 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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MARINERS TAKE SERIES OPENER
Jose Vidro's second hit this season vs. the Orioles was a big one.
His two-run single off Jeremy Guthrie in the last of the 8th broke a 2-2 tie and gave Seattle a 4-2 win in game one of a three-game set.
Guthrie took a 3-hitter to the last of the 8th. He gave up a leadoff double to Yuniesky Betancourt, who stayed there as Guthrie got the next two hitters. But then he issued an intentional walk to Raul Ibanez and another walk to Adrian Beltre to load the sacks for Vidro, who now has 12 RBI. Vidro was just 1-18 this year vs. the O's until his clutch hit.
Kevin Millar had an RBI single in the first for the O's and Aubrey Huff's solo homer in the 6th, tied the game at 2-2.
The O's got a leadoff double from Huff in the 9th vs. JJ Putz, but he then fanned Adam Jones and Ramon Hernandez on pitches out of the zone. He got pinch hitter Jay Payton to ground out to end the game.
Arthur Rhodes got the win in relief of Hernandez, who gave up six hits and two runs over seven innings.
Losing pitcher Guthrie allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits in 7.2 ip.
Daniel Cabrera pitches for the O's in game two of the series Wednesday night.
Balt 2-8-1
Sea 4-5-1
POST GAME NEWS AND NOTES
MISSED CHANCES EARLY
The O's may have lost this game when they failed to get some runs off Felix Hernandez in the first two innings. They got one in the first, but the O's left five on base in the first two innings when Hernandez allowed three hits and three walks.
He threw 52 pitches thru two, so at least it looked like they'd get him out of the game earlier than expected. But that didn't happen either as Felix pitched seven and needed just 58 pitches in innings three thru seven.
MILLAR'S STREAK AT FIVE
Kevin Millar's RBI single in the first extended his hitting streak to five games. Millar has 7 hits in 24 at bats during the streak. Luke Scott's seven game streak ended Sunday and he was hitless again tonight, going 0-4 to lower his average to .338
TOUGH LUCK LOSS
Guthrie pitched 7.2 innings, the most by an O's starter this year, throwing 116 pitches. I agree that he should have stayed in the tie game to face Vidro in the 8th. He pitched like an ace, he matched, at times exceeded King Felix, and deserved the chance to get that hitter even though the pen was ready.
Guthrie is 0-2 on the year even though he lowered his ERA to 4.18
STARTERS STREAKING
Since Friday's game vs. the Yankees, the O's starting pitching has been very good. Over the past four games, O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 2.81. In that time, Cabrera-Burres-Trachsel-Guthrie have given up just 8er over 25.2 innings.
HOMER DROUGHT ENDS
When Aubrey Huff hit a solo homer in the 6th, it tied the game at 2. It also snapped Huff's homerless streak at 12 games and was his third homer of the year and second vs. Seattle.
Mariners pitching had gone six games without allowing a homer, their best stretch since 2004. The team record is nine games in a row without giving up the longball.
MELEWSKI'S LIVE, IN-GAME BLOG
JOSE DOES IT
Jose Vidro 0-3 tonight and 1-18 this year vs. Baltimore pitching, just hit a two-RBI single to right to give Seattle a 4-2 lead and knock Guthrie out in the last of the 8th.
Kerwin Danley, the home plate ump, certainly had a tight zone this inning and Guthrie got no close calls.
He got a changeup up and Vidro puts the M's in front late. Dennis Sarfate comes on in the last of the 8th.
STRONG PITCHING
It's nice to see the O's in a run of good starting pitching. Because that unit, more than any other on the club, will be the real key this season. Solid starting pitching will keep an O's team that doesn't figure to have a strong offense, in games. And it will allow the bullpen, which looks good early, to stay in their roles.
It all starts with the starters.
Over the weekend, the O's starters pitched to an ERA of 2.50 vs. the Yankees. Guthrie has been strong tonight. A great sign at the moment.
PITCHERS THRU SEVEN
O's 2 Sea 2.......end of seven
Guthrie: 7ip, 3h, 2r, 1er, 2b, 5k............94 pitches
Hernandez 7ip, 6h, 2-r-er, 3b, 7k........110 pitches
Arthur Rhodes has come on for Seattle in the top of the 8th.......Hernandez threw 52 pitches in the first two innings, but needed just 58 to get thru the next five frames.
HUFF TIES IT
Aubrey Huff took a King Felix slider and hit it out to right center in the 6th to tie the game, 2-2. It's was Huff's 3rd homer of the year, but first since April 7th vs. the Mariners. Huff had gone 12 games without a long ball.
Seattle pitching had not allowed a homer in its previous six games, the staff's best HR-less stretch since 2004.
M'S GRAB LEAD
Too bad for Guthrie, he's pitching so well, but a Ramon Hernandez throwing error in the last of the 5th scored Betencourt from second base to give the M's a 2-1 lead. Ramon, for some reason, was trying to pick Ichiro off first and threw wildly past Millar. Betancourt had walked on a very close 3-2 that didn't go the pitchers way.
THE PITCHERS DUEL IS ON
O's 1 Sea 1........end of four
Both pitchers settling in nicely. Guthrie has thrown just 52 pitches and allowed just two hits thru four. Hernandez gave up just one hit the past two innings.
LETTING HIM OFF THE HOOK
Felix Hernandez is certainly not as sharp tonight as he was April 6th in Baltimore. He walked just two that day in 8 shutout innings. He has walked three in the first two frames. But the O's have let him off the hook somewhat, scoring just one run.
Nick Markakis, a career .563 hitter vs. Hernandez, was called out on a third strike with the bases loaded in the top of the second. The O's have left five runners on already. Hernandez threw 28 pitches in the first and needed 24 to get out of the second.
NO BEDARD
On O's Xtra tonight it was mentioned that Erik Bedard will not face the O's this Thursday. He is eligible to come off the DL then, but likely won't pitch until Saturday. Jarrod Washburn is Seattle's scheduled starter on Thursday vs. Adam Loewen.
THAT DIDN'T LAST LONG
O's 1 Sea 1....end of first
The O's 1-0 lead lasted just minutes and that was because of a commercial break. Ichiro led off the first with a triple to right. One out later he scored on a Raul Ibanez groundout to second. A 1-1 tie. Ichiro is a career .378 hitter vs. the O's, that's the highest average by any player vs. Baltimore.
O'S GRAB EARLY LEAD
Brian Roberts singled to lead off the game. He advanced on a Mora grounder and then Markakis walked. Kevin Millar then looped an RBI single into right center for a 1-0 lead. That extends Millar's hit streak to six games and is his 9th RBI.
The O's could have had more but Hernandez got both Scott and Huff on called strikes to end the frame.
PLAY BALL IN SEATTLE
Tonight's game and this seven-game road trip are underway. Felix Hernandez for the Mariners and Jeremy Guthrie for the O's. The Orioles have played fewer road games than any AL team, but starting tonight they'll play 17 of their next 20 on the road. Check back here during tonight's game for news and updates.
The O's are coming off a 4-3 homestand that ended with Sunday's 7-1 loss to the
Yankees. The Birds went 2-4 on the season's first road trip and the 2007 Birds were just 34-47 on the road.
The Mariners, who had bullpen troubles in that series at Camden Yards, may be ready to activate closer JJ Putz, who has been out since the second game of the season. Putz who had 40 saves and a 1.38 ERA last season, may be put on the active roster in time for Tuesday's game.
The M's are 5th in the league in runs scored, tied for 5th in homers and tied for 11th with a team average of .254. Seattle's team ERA is 4.09, 6th best in the league.
The Birds, who outscored Seattle 21-14 in the sweep, are now two games back of first-place Boston, in the AL East.
Baltimore has not been under .500 since losing on opening day. The O's were a season high five games over after a 6-1 start.
TONIGHT'S ORIOLES LINEUP
2B Brian Roberts
3B Melvin Mora
RF Nick Markakis
1B Kevin Millar
LF Luke Scott
DH Aubrey Huff
CF Adam Jones
C Ramon Hernandez
SS Luis Hernandez
P Jeremy Guthrie
When the O's swept four from the Mariners during the first homestand, they outscored Seattle 21-14. The Birds hit .292 as a team in that series and the team ERA was 3.50. Ichiro, who hit .476 last year vs. Baltimore, had four hits in 17 at bats.
MINOR LEAGUE NOTES
Third baseman Tyler Henson has been a hot hitter for Delmarva, but had a ten-game hitting streak end tonight in game one of a twin bill with Lake County. Henson went 0-3. During the streak, he batted .372-2-7. The Shorebirds fall to 9-9 with the game one loss.
Frederick is hosting a doubleheader tonight at Grove Stadium. In game one, Baltimore's Brandon Erbe pitched the Keys to a 4-1 win over Wilmington. He pitched a complete game three-hitter in the 7-inning contest. Erbe improves to 2-1 with an ERA of 3.04
Billy Rowell is back from the DL and went 1-2, with an RBI in the Keys win.
NO LONGER A HOUSE OF HORRORS
Seattle's Safeco Field opened in 1999 and the Orioles lost their first 14 games there. Baltimore is 13-29 all time at Safeco. Since 2004, the Birds are 10-10 in the M's home park.
REVERSING A TREND
The Orioles won just 2 of nine games with Seattle last year and, in the past two seasons, went 6-13 vs. the M's. But they turned that around in a hurry with that sweep in Baltimore by scores of 7-4, 6-4, 3-2 and 5-4.
Seattle left Baltimore with just a 2-5 record. They are 10-10 now and took two of three over the weekend in LA vs. the Angels. Seattle is 5-3 at home.
MOUND REMATCH
On Sunday April 6, the O's hosted Seattle with Jeremy Guthrie facing Felix Hernandez, the same pitching matchup set for tonight. How they did then:
Hernandez 8ip, 5h, 0r, 2b, 6k..........97 pitches
Guthrie 7ip, 6h, 2r-er, 2b, 2k........101 pitches
Felix was dominant for eight, but, they said, too tired to pitch the 9th. The O's scored three in the 9th for the win, with Luis Hernandez producing the winning hit. So neither starter got a decision that day.
In four starts this year, the now 22-year-old Felix is 2-0 1.47. He gave up 4er on April 11th vs. LA, but in his other three starts has allowed just 1er over 24 innings. In two home starts, he is 1-0 2.63
In his last 22 starts, dating to July 1st, Felix is 12-3 3.24. In his career, he is 3-2 4.57 vs. the O's in seven starts.
Jeremy Guthrie is 0-1 4.38 in his first four starts of 2008. In 24.2 ip he has walked only 5 batters, but fanned only 10. The O's are 2-2 in his starts.
Righty hitters are batting .277 vs. Guthrie while lefties are at .308
In three career outings vs. the M's, he is 1-1 4.76.
THESE O'S CAN HIT FELIX
Nick Markakis is 9-16, Brian Roberts 7-21, Melvin Mora 6-17 and Luke Scott has three hits in five at bats vs. Hernandez.
HITTING STREAKS
Luke Scott's seven-game streak, the best by an Oriole this season, ended when he went 0-4 Sunday. Scott hit .400 (10-25) during the streak.
Kevin Millar is 6-19 during his current 5-game streak. Jay Payton is 5-7 during a 4-game hit streak. The streak started with Payton getting a pinch-hit single in three games in a row and continued with his 2-4 effort Sunday.
COOL BATS
These O's bats have cooled. Brian Roberts is 2-24 the past six games. Melvin Mora is 3-23 over five games. Adam Jones has just 3 hits his last 16 at bats. Of course he took about three hits away from the Yankees with his glove on Sunday. Nick Markakis, after a hot stretch, went 0-6 Saturday and Sunday.
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