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O's rout Yanks 8-2; 7-run outburst puts NY away
The Orioles host the Yankees live from Oriole Park, Saturday at 7:00pm on MASN and MASN HD. Coverage begins with Nats XTRA at 6:30pm. [Find MASN HD on your system]
Live Game Blog: MASNsports.com is bringing you Maximum Access all night long with Steve Melewski's Game Blog live from the ballpark. [link]
Thanks to their biggest inning of the season, a 7-run 6th, the Orioles beat the Yankees, 8-2, Friday night. The O's improve to 10-7 in taking game one of the weekend series.
The O's came up in the sixth in a 1-1 tie. The inning would feature a Luke Scott single for a 2-1 lead and Adam Jones RBI to make it 3-1. Jay Payton's two-run pinch single made it 5-1 and Melvin Mora then singled in two. A Nick Markakis RBI single capped the scoring in the inning.
It was a 7-run, 7-hit 6th. Eleven batted in the inning and all the hits were singles.
In the top of the 6th, Daniel Cabrera fanned Melky Cabrera with the bases loaded to keep the game tied 1-1.
The big inning comes after a stretch in which the O's produced just 19 hits their last three games.
Cabrera got his first win of 2008, pitching six innings. He allowed just two runs and improved to 4-6 in his career vs. NY.
Losing pitcher Phil Hughes gave up 5 runs in 5.1ip.
The O's are now 3-2 on the homestand and 8-3 at home this year.
NYY 2-7-2
Balt 8-11-2
POST-GAME NEWS AND NOTES
HE WAS TOUGH TONIGHT
I'm speaking of Daniel Cabrera. He was the biggest factor in this win. He set a nice tone early, working fast and throwing strikes. He needed just 40 pitches in the first three innings and threw a first-pitch strike to 14 of the first 20 batters he faced.
Then he showed his toughness. Even with his command not as sharp as at the start he battled out of two big jams in the 5th and 6th. And, yes, last year's Cabrera would have probably wilted at some point in those innings, but not tonight.
His curve ball that struck out Melky Cabrera with the sacks full in the 6th was the game's biggest pitch. It fired up the crowd and the club, as the O's would soon score 7 runs to break this game open.
LUCKY SEVEN
The seven runs scored in the 6th is easily the O's biggest inning of the young season. The previous high was a 4-run 8th in the second game of the season vs. Tampa.
Tonight they batted 11 men that inning and used seven singles to get the runs along with an A-Rod error. The last time the O's got seven in one inning was vs. Boston on September 8, 2007.
SCORING CHANGES
We were advised of two scoring changes after the game. Bobby Abreu gets credit for a first-inning single that was originally scored an error on SS Luis Hernandez. Nick Markakis gets a double on a shot that first was ruled a two-base error on 1B Jason Giambi in the 3rd. That means tonight Nick had a three-hit night, going 3-3, with an RBI and run scored.
JAY IN A PINCH
Jay Payton has come up three times the last three nites as a pinch-hitter and singled each time. Tonight, his shot to right in the 6th scored two runs. It was his 3rd and 4th RBI of the year. He is now 3-6 as a pinch hitter.
GOOD PITCHING
The Yankees were held to two runs on seven hits. In their previous four games they had scored 33 runs, with 8 HR's and team average of .315. Tonight as a team they went 1-9 with runners in scoring position and A-Rod and Jeter were a combined 1-8.
TOUGH PILL FOR PHIL
Young Yankees hurler Phil Hughes threw well until the 6th inning O's explosion. Over his last three starts he has now allowed 14 er and 20 hits over 10.1 ip. On the year he is 0-3 with an ERA of 8.82. New York's team ERA rose to 4.70 while the O's dropped to 4.44.
KEY QUOTES
Trembley on the seven-run outburst
"We got some key hits and worked some counts well. We took a page from Wee Willy Keeler hit 'em where they ain't (in getting seven singles). There were no seeing eye hits there, they were all on the barrel."
Trembley says it's not the same old Cabrera
"He's past that (previous struggles). With all due respect, everybody here needs to start giving him credit and stop talking about the past. What he's done enough now for me to see it, in the past when the wheels started coming off, things would happen. But this is different. He's made tremendous strides. We're not going back to the way it was. There is no reason that when this guy pitches he can't give us seven innings and dominate."
Cabrera on his night
"It's a good feeling to see all those runs scored.......From spring training I've worked on my off speed pitches.........It was a great feeling to hear the fans cheering."
Luke Scott on the team concept
"We feed off each other's successes. Everyone is pulling for each other in that dugout. When you feel like everyone's got your back in the clubhouse and our management from top to bottom it gives you that little extra boost."
IN GAME LIVE BLOG
NICE TO SEE THE OFFENSE
O's 8 NYY 2......end of seven.
The O's have scored eight runs tonight, the most they've had in a game since an 8-1 win over Texas on April 8th. They have 11 hits tonight, ten singles and a double. Still, they've now scored 14 runs the past two nights, so maybe the offense is back.
BIERD FOR CABRERA
After Cabrera gave up a solo HR to Chad Moeller leading off the 7th to make it 8-2, Randor Bierd came in to pitch. Cabrera did a great job, stranding 5 Yankees on base in the 5th and 6th.
His line tonight: 6ip, 6h, 2r-er, 2b, 3k, 1 HR......he threw 108 pitches, 64 strikes.
He's in line for his first win of the year.
ONE BIG, BIG INNING
The maligned middle of the order started it. Markakis leads off with a single and a Millar single sends him to third. Luke Scott then rips an RBI single to center for a 2-1 lead. It's his 8th RBI of the year.
After Huff popped out, Adam Jones batted with men on first and third. He hit a slow roller up the third base line. A-Rod threw it past first. It was scored infield hit, RBI for Jones, and an error. That made it 3-1, leaving runners on second and third and Hughes was replaced by Latroy Hawkins.
After an intentional walk of Ramon Hernandez loaded the bases, Dave Trembley sent Jay Payton to pinch hit for Luis Hernandez. Payton plunked a two-run single to right to make it 5-1 O's.
Payton is 3-3 in his last 3 pinch-hitter chances.
After a Roberts groundout, Melvin Mora came up with a big two-run single to right to make it 7-1 O's. That knocked Hawkins out and Edwar Ramirez becomes the third Yankees pitcher of the inning.
Nick Markakis greeted him with an RBI single to make it 8-1. So much for the struggling offense.
That's a 7-run, 7-hit inning, with the key A-Rod error. Suddenly a game hanging on every pitch is a comfortable O's 8-1 lead after six. The Yard is still rocking.
Tonight's attendance is 40,653.
THE GAME'S BIGGEST PITCH SO FAR
Cabrera threw it and Cabrera missed it. The Yankees loaded the bases in the 6th on two walks and a hit batter. But then Daniel Cabrera faced Melky Cabrera. The count went to 2-2. With the crowd roaring, Daniel threw a nasty, 83 mph curve, down and in, and Melky swung over it. End of threat, game still tied at one. The Yard rocking.
TIED UP
O's 1 NYY 1......heading to last of 5th.
A Robinson Cano single and Melky Cabrera double had runners on second and third with one when Chad Moeller bounced a grounder to third, Mora booted it and the game is tied 1-1. Cabrera showed real poise after that getting Damon and Jeter without NY taking the lead.
Cabrera has thrown 73 pitches thru five and first-pitch strikes to 14 of 20 hitters, a key stat for him.
O'S GAIN LEAD
O's 1 NYY 0......end of four.
The last of the fourth started real well. Luke Scott doubled and went to third on an Aubrey Huff single. But Adam Jones bounced into a 6-4-3 double play. A run did score for the lead, no RBI for Jones, and the O's got just one in that rally.
Scott began the night leading the AL with 8 doubles and that was number 9.
NICE THROW
O's 0 NYY 0.....end of three and a half.
Nick Markakis just threw Bobby Abreu out at the plate to keep the game, 0-0. It's his 4th OF assist.. Abreu reached on an infield single and got to second on a groundout.
Markakis began tonight tied for the league league with 3 OF assists.
O's have left four on base in three frames vs. Hughes.
DAN THE MAN
O's 0 NYY 0.......end of two and a half.
Excellent start for Cabrera who has allowed no hits and faced just ten batters thru three innings. He's working fast and throwing strikes so far.
He has needed just 40 pitches so far and has thrown a first-pitch strike to 7 of 10 hitters.
Two have reached against him, one on an error and he hit Matsui in the second.
THE UNASSISTED DP
O's 0 NYY 0......after one and a half.
The O's had some good fortune in the top of the second. Cabrera hit Matsui to lead off the inning. The count went to 3-2 on Robinson Cano. With Matsui running, Cano ripped a liner up the middle. Shortstop Luis Hernandez, heading to the bag, caught the head-high smash.
Matsui kept running right to second, so rather than throw to first for a double-play, Hernandez just tagged the runner for an unassisted double play.
Cabrera threw one pitch in the second inning that hit 98 on the gun here. He fanned A-Rod in the first on 94 mph heat.
GAME TIME
First pitch was at 7:07pm, and it's a beautiful 80 degrees.
Retiring Ravens QB Steve McNair threw out the first pitch to a standing ovation. They showed many video clips of his career, then he took the mound and threw one right over the plate. Afterwards, A-Rod came by to shake his hand.
Game Preview: Yankees (9-8) at Orioles (9-7)
The Orioles came up with a comeback win over the White Sox Thursday night. The thrilling 6-5 win in 10 innings, moved the O's two games over .500 and gave the team some momentum heading into a weekend series vs. the New York Yankees.
The Birds were down by two in the ninth last night, and down to their last out, when they got a Brian Roberts RBI double and Melvin Mora run-scoring single to even the game at 5. Adam Jones RBI single in the tenth gave the Birds the walk-off win.
The Orioles are 2-2 in this seven-game homestand and 7-3 in home games this year.
The Birds bats are still slow to come around. The club has just 19 hits the last three games and a team average of just .221 the past nine games.
The Bronx Bombers lost to Boston 7-5 last night, splitting that two-game series. They are 2-3 vs. the Bosox on the season.
The O's went 9-9 vs. the Yankees last year. It's the first time since 1997 that the O's did not lose the season series to New York.
Derk Jeter is 8-17 since returning from missing six games to a left quad injury.
PRE-GAME NOTES LIVE FROM CAMDEN YARDS
TONIGHT'S LINEUPS
The Orioles
2B Brian Roberts (.279-1-6)
3B Melvin Mora (.233-3-7)
RF Nick Markakis (.309-3-7)
1B Kevin Millar (.237-2-7)
LF Luke Scott (.380-1-7)
DH Aubrey Huff (.224-2-12)
CF Adam Jones (.260-1-4)
C Ramon Hernandez (.152-2-8)
SS Luis Hernandez (.207-0-3)
P Daniel Cabrera
The Yankees
LF Johnny Damon (.204-1-5)
SS Derek Jeter (.317-0-8)
RF Bobby Abreu (.302-2-10)
3B Alex Rodriguez (.309-4-9)
DH Hideki Matsui (.321-3-8)
2B Robinson Cano (.167-1-5)
1B Jason Giambi (.125-2-6)
CF Melky Cabrera (.319-3-7)
C Chad Moeller (.308-0-1)
P Phil Hughes
THE MANAGER'S MEETING
During today's press conference before the game, Dave Trembley talked about Nick Markakis assuming a somewhat behind the scenes leadership role. Markakis has been seen late in games giving teammates scouting reports on pitchers.
"Markakis helps the other guys," Trembley said. "He's quiet but sharp. He was helping Quiroz and Jones out. He's a real ballplayer."
The skipper again talked about the slumping bat of Ramon Herandez who will start tonight looking to break a 4-35 drought.
"Ramon needs to let the ball get a little deeper. Take the ball the other way. At least in one at bat tonight, I'd like to see him take some pitches." Hernandez has been working with Terry Crowley on driving the ball to center and right center.
Trembley talked about making a lot of managerial moves, many that worked last night.
"I can sleep better, because it worked out. You're not questioned as much when it works out. It was a no-brainer to put the pitcher in the 9 spot."
Trembley has noticed the players more animated on the bench late in games.
"That shows two things. One, the players have been listening. And, two, the second thing you can't teach. People care. Major leaguers have pride, you saw that last night."
Trembley was not ready to call the Yankees series big, nor does he see it as a measuring stick for how much the Orioles have improved.
"Every game is a barometer for me, every game. Every time we go out there it's a barometer, it doesn't matter who we are playing."
As for the expected onslaught of Yankees fans in the seats this weekend, Trembley doesn't get upset about it.
"It's a great atmosphere, it's baseball. We need to do everything we can to bring Orioles fans back to this park. That's not going to come with one or two games like last night, but it's a start. That's just the way it is. These guys like to play in front of a lot of people, I don't think it matters what color shirt they've got on in the stands."
THE YANKEES VS. CABRERA
Abreu 4-17.......Cabrera 2-12.........Damon 4-21........Giambi 2-8, with 11 walks.......Jeter 7-28..........Matsui 11-30 with a HR...........Posada 6-21........A Rod 10-27 with 2 HR's.
RANDOM O'S NOTES
The team began the year 0-9 as pinch hitters, but Jay Payton has two pinch-hit singles the past two nights................The O's have scored 6.0 runs per game in their wins and 2.6 in their losses.................They are 5-1 this year in one-run games after going 13-31 in 2007.........The bullpen ERA is now 3.50..........Relievers Randor Bierd and Jim Johnson have not been scored on yet.........................Last year vs. the Yankees, Nick Markakis batted .403 with 2 HR's and 13 RBI........Ramon Hernandez hit .390 vs. NY, while Kevin Millar batted .355 and Melvin Mora .345.....................Join Dave Johnson and myself when we host the Orioles Insider Roundtable radio show this Sunday at 12 Noon here at the Park. Andy MacPhal will be our guest on WHFS, 105.7 FM.
MORE ON PHIL HUGHES
At 21, tonight's Yankees starter is the youngest pitcher currently in the majors and second youngest player overall. Arizona's Justin Upton is 20.
In Hughes last start he gave up 6er in just 2ip vs. Boston. It was his shortest career outing and the 6er allowed were a career high. Of course he has made only 16 major-league starts. Hughes is one of three first-round picks in the Yankees rotation, along with Mike Mussina and Ian Kennedy. Hughes was five years old when Mussina made his pro debut on 7-19-90. He was the 23rd overall pick in round one of the 2004 draft out of Foothill Hi in Santa Ana, California.
MORA AT SS ????
After the Orioles pinch-hit for both Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey last night, Melvin Mora found himself at shortstop. It was only for one inning and no balls were even hit his way. But it had to feel a little strange. Mora played in one game at short in 2004 and 11 games there in 2003.
"I didn't feel comfortable there after six years, but it was no big deal.......He told me in the dugout I might have to go to short, I just said 'OK.'..........I used the same little glove I always do."
He says he sometimes takes ground balls at short.
For now, he's happy to stay at third base where he's having an excellent defensive year. Dave Trembley said he's never seen Mora better at third as this season.
"He's been tremendous both sides, backhand and forehand and his range. His setup at third is better this year, he seemed to play in on a lot of hitters last year."
TONIGHT'S PITCHERS
Daniel Cabrera (0-0 5.94) makes his fourth start of the season. In his last start Saturday at Tampa he allowed just one run and five hits in 6,2 ip. This after Cabrera had given up 10 runs in 10 innings his first two starts.
Cabrera made five strats vs. New York in 2007, going 1-3 6.67 in 27 innings. In 13 career starts vs. the Yankees, he is 3-6 4.95 in 72.2 ip. The Orioles are 3-10 in Cabrera's starts vs. NY.
Young right-hander Phil Hughes (0-2 9.00) makes his fourth Yankees start. In his last two starts, he's pitched only 5 innings combined vs. KC and Boston, giving up 9er and 12 hits. In his first start, April 3rd, he allowed just 2 runs in 6 frames vs. Toronto.
This season, lefty batters are hitting .421 vs. Hughes, while righties bat .286.
The 21-year-old Hughes was a first-round pick, 23rd overall, in the 2004 draft.
Hughes made two starts vs. the Birds in 2007, going 1-0 3.38, giving up 12 hits over 10.2 innings.
O's HITTING NOTES
Adam Jones - last 4 games is 5-12 with HR, 2 rbi
Nick Markakis - has 3 HR's in the last five games and is 9-27 last 8 games
Luke Scott - is 7-18 during a five-game hit streak with 3 doubles
Ramon Hernandez - is 0-10 and 4-35
Aubrey Huff - is 3-25, with just 1 RBI his past 8 games
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